From @npub1ayp3...yw0l: Total membership in Texas #unions has been growing. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 603,000 Texans belonged to unions in 2024, up from closer to half a million a decade ago.
The Texas Observer
At the Texas AFL-CIO, a Changing of the Guard in a Time of Growth
“No one has done more than Rick Levy for the modern-day labor movement in Texas.”
 #Texas #politics #USpol #news #labor #workers #HumanRights
Previously: “All the evidence we have seen suggests that this had nothing to do with gang enforcement—no one was arrested on any charge remotely related to gang activity,. It appears that DPS simply raided this house because the people throwing a party were Latinos from another country.”
The Texas Observer
Prosecutors Drop Only Criminal Cases from Hays County Airbnb Raid
Pending drug charges have been abandoned from the multi-agency April operation that supposedly targeted Tren de Aragua and led to multiple deportat...
 #police #ICE #immigration #Texas #politics #USpol #news #CentralTexas
“There are enough voters out there who can absolutely turn an election & blow up what they are trying to do.” Our top story: A broad coalition are fighting for the spirit of their community, after GOP redistricting galvanized organizers.
The Texas Observer
In Tarrant County, a Grassroots Coalition Pushes Back on Christian Nationalists
The recent redistricting of the county commissioners court has galvanized progressive organizers heading into 2026.
 #activism #elections #NorthTexas #politics #USpol #news
Earlier: “The immediate economic losses projected here are just the tip of the iceberg. International students drive innovation, advance America’s global competitiveness, and create research and academic opportunities in our local colleges that will benefit our country for generations.”
The Texas Observer
The High Cost of Targeting International Students in Texas
The Trump administration’s bans and airport detentions are derailing the academic dreams of students who carry out important research—and somet...
 #education #politics #USpol #news #immigration #Texas
"I am very interested in fighting for a public option, so that every single Texan, every single American, would have the ability to join Medicare and would have that option of affordable, quality coverage."
The Texas Observer
With Primary Field Still in Flux, James Talarico Pitches His Big Tent Revival
"I'm not interested in tearing down my fellow Democrats, because we are all on the same team ... but I think that I've got a compelling c...
 #politics #USpol #Texas #news #healthcare #Democrats
Out today: "Captivating, funny, profane, contemptuous of establishment figures who busted unions, shut minorities out of power, and claimed ownership of the state’s Legislature and executive mansion, David always left you wanting more."
The Texas Observer
Remembering David Richards, 1933-2025
“If there’s anything good in Texas—academic freedom, labor, voting rights, education, politics—his litigation facilitated it."
 #Texas #TXlege #law #history #memorial #politics #USpol #news
From Tuesday: "That commandment to love our neighbors is inherently a public thing. Politics is just another way that we figure out how we treat our neighbors and how we treat each other."
The Texas Observer
With Primary Field Still in Flux, James Talarico Pitches His Big Tent Revival
"I'm not interested in tearing down my fellow Democrats, because we are all on the same team ... but I think that I've got a compelling c...
 #religion #ethics #HumanRights #politics #USpol #Texas #Democrats #elections #news
Featured story from Michelle Pitcher: “The State of #Texas makes every inmate seem like the most evil, horrible [person]. We demonize them, and we don’t see the trauma of people like Pam Perillo.” #law #prison #HumanRights #ethics #DeathPenalty #politics #USpol
Featured story from Lise Olsen and Martha Pskowski: Oil and gas wells produce prodigious amounts of waste. One horizontal well generates upwards of 8,000 barrels—or 336,000 gallons—of waste during the drilling and completion process.
The Texas Observer
East Texans Fight Oil Waste Pits Run by an Operator Cited for Dozens of Violations
In bucolic areas near the Louisiana line, residents ask, "Why are Texas taxpayers liable for other states’ toxic waste?"
 #OilAndGas #politics #USpol #news #environment #ClimateChange #pollution #EastTexas #water
Since 1973, at least 201 people on death row have been exonerated—meaning cleared of any responsibility for a crime. Eighteen of those people were in #Texas. A recent report reveals how racist the ultimate punishment really is:
The Texas Observer
New Report Highlights the 'Fatal Flaws' Behind Wrongful Capital Convictions
The ACLU found official misconduct, perjury, and predominantly white juries to be leading contributors to exonerated death sentences.
 #DeathPenalty #HumanRights #law #politics #USpol #news #prison #racism