The Democratic primary for Texas’s 18th Congressional District pits two generations of politicians—represented by Christian Menefee and Al Green—against each other.
Texas Observer
Posted inEducation in America
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 sometimes pay hefty tuition—to attend Texas institutions.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Bail Crackdown on Ballot Ignores Mental Health Crisis, Advocates Say
In Texas, Proposition 3 is a constitutional amendment that would require judges to deny bail to defendants accused of certain crimes punishable as a felony. Reformers argue that the state’s criminal justice system already ensnares people struggling with untreated mental illness.
Posted inPolitics
New Texas Map Starts Game of Political Musical Chairs
GOP’s Trumped-up redrawing took a wrecking ball to congressional districts. Now comes the mad dash for seats.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Crypto Racket
Public officials at all levels are propping up a Texas Bitcoin mining boom that’s threatening water and energy systems while afflicting locals with noise pollution.
Posted inLaw and Justice
ICE Prosecutor in Dallas Runs White Supremacist X Account
The Observer has identified the operator of ‘GlomarResponder,’ an overtly racist social media account, as ICE Assistant Chief Counsel James Rodden.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Company You Keep
Ken and Angela Paxton have ties to a jet-setting lobbyist-turned-CEO caught in a tangled web of alleged fraud involving a powerful business clan and a commercial shipping giant.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Texas State Police Gear Up for Massive Expansion of Surveillance Tech
DPS plans to spend millions in taxpayer dollars on a controversial software, used first as part of Gov. Abbott’s border crackdown, to ‘disrupt potential domestic terrorism.’
Posted inEducation in America
A Small-Town Texas Librarian’s Big Stand Against Book Bans
In Llano County, a local librarian fought back against censorship, prompting a federal court fight and national recognition but losing the job of her dreams.
Posted inEnergy and the Environment
Gulf Coast Petrochemical Buildout Draws Billions in Tax Breaks for Polluters
A new report by the Environmental Integrity Project compiled data on every U.S. plastics plant built, expanded or proposed since 2012, revealing massive growth in Texas.