308 episodes

The Progress Texas Daily Dispatch delivers the biggest news stories progressives need to know to start their day, plus stories you shouldn’t miss in just minutes. Chris Mosser breaks down Texas-sized stories in new episodes M-F, keeping Texas progressives up to speed on the ongoing fight for progressive change.

Daily Dispatch augments the Progress Texas Happy Hour, our longer-form conversation and interview podcast, which hosts a variety of diverse voices and newsmakers who are pushing progress forward in the Lone Star State. We recap the wild week in Texas politics. Grab a coldie and hang!

Progress Texas Podcasts Progress Texas

    • News
    • 4.9 • 36 Ratings

The Progress Texas Daily Dispatch delivers the biggest news stories progressives need to know to start their day, plus stories you shouldn’t miss in just minutes. Chris Mosser breaks down Texas-sized stories in new episodes M-F, keeping Texas progressives up to speed on the ongoing fight for progressive change.

Daily Dispatch augments the Progress Texas Happy Hour, our longer-form conversation and interview podcast, which hosts a variety of diverse voices and newsmakers who are pushing progress forward in the Lone Star State. We recap the wild week in Texas politics. Grab a coldie and hang!

    Happy Hour 147 - Unified Jam Part 1: Real Talk With Real Candidates

    Happy Hour 147 - Unified Jam Part 1: Real Talk With Real Candidates

    Earlier in March, we participated in the annual Unified Jam - a political discussion and gathering event hosted by the progressive organizing social media network Unified - in the midst of Spring festival season in Austin. In this first of two panel sessions we're presenting in podcast form, introduced by Unified CEO Shion Deysarkar and moderated by our own Chris Mosser, we meet three young Texas women who've been in the thick of running for office in 2024, and they openly shared the many ups, and difficult but manageable downs, of navigating the campaign trail in Texas. Molly Cook is in the May runoff election for the Texas State Senate seat vacated by new Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Ashika Ganguly is a candidate for Austin City Council District 10, seeking to replace the term-limited Alison Alter, and Angel Carroll, while coming up short in her primary for House District 52, is in it for the long haul and will certainly be on a ballot near you in coming years. A great and inspiring conversation for YOU, if you've thought about running for something - let's do it!

    More on Unified at https://www.joinunified.us/.

    Thanks for listening! Find out more about how to support Progress Texas this all-important election year at https://progresstexas.org/.

    • 1 hr 3 min
    Daily Dispatch 3/18/23: SCOTUS-a-Go-Go with SB-4, Drag Bans and Judge Shopping, and More

    Daily Dispatch 3/18/23: SCOTUS-a-Go-Go with SB-4, Drag Bans and Judge Shopping, and More

    Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

    The U.S. Supreme Court is likely to issue a ruling on SB-4, Texas' new harsh and possibly unconstitutional new border security law: https://komonews.com/news/nation-world/scotus-decision-on-sb-4-sweeping-texas-border-security-law-could-come-by-monday-immigration-border-security-southern-border-migrant-crisis-operation-lone-star-initiative

    ...While SCOTUS declines to hear a case against West Texas A&M's ban on drag shows, leaving the ban intact: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/drag-show-ban-at-texas-university-left-intact-by-supreme-court

    ...The new rule against "judge shopping" doesn't solve the problem of activist conservative Trump-appointed judges, who will still get to rule on important cases: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/03/john-roberts-matthew-kacsmaryk-nationwide-injunctions-judge-shopping.html

    ...Reaction from John Cornyn and other GOP lawmakers shows how fond they were of being able to shop judges: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/republican-reaction-mcconnell-kacsmaryk-judge-shopping-rcna143610

    A UT geologist warns that climate change will soon drive Texans indoors, into uneasy "fortresses of solitude": https://thehill.com/policy/equilibrium-sustainability/4529404-climate-change-is-trapping-texans-in-an-arid-fortress-of-solitude-expert-says/

    Texas A&M's former president wants an independent review of the University's decision to sever ties with its Qatar campus: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2024/03/16/tamu-president-qatar-decision-needs-transparency/

    And be sure to remind the Trump fans in your life that, once in power, dictators don't tend to worry themselves about who voted for them or not: https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-strongman-fantasy?action=share

    March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

    Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

    • 7 min
    Daily Dispatch 3/15/24: Texas Medical Board To Clarify Abortion Exceptions, and More

    Daily Dispatch 3/15/24: Texas Medical Board To Clarify Abortion Exceptions, and More

    Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

    At the behest of two Texas attorneys, the Texas Medical Board is set to discuss clarification for medical exceptions to the near-complete ban on abortion care in Texas: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/14/texas-medical-board-doctors-abortion-guidance/

    Ken Paxton escalates his assault on Frisco ISD, whose social media posts about funding he sees as illegal electioneering: https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort-worth/frisco/education/2024/03/14/texas-attorney-general-claims-frisco-isd-violated-restraining-order-files-contempt-motion/

    A shadowy Texas company that paid an FBI informant now under indictment for lying to his handlers about Hunter Biden has been connected to Donald Trump: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/14/company-paying-fbi-informant-trump-connections

    ...While Republicans freak out at the suggestion by U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez that Trump is kinda like Hitler: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/14/vicente-gonzalez-trump-jews-for-hitler/

    Good and bad news for the Texas grid as a major fossil fuel-fired power plant will go offline next March: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-14/texas-s-strained-power-grid-is-poised-to-lose-a-big-gas-plant

    ...While a Spanish renewable energy company prepares to build a huge renewable generation and battery storage facility in Texas: https://www.yahoo.com/news/battery-storage-facility-texas-continues-040000054.html

    March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

    Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

    • 8 min
    Daily Dispatch 3/14/23: Paxton "Judge Shopping" Strategy Hits A Snag, and More

    Daily Dispatch 3/14/23: Paxton "Judge Shopping" Strategy Hits A Snag, and More

    A new federal courts rule is aimed at preventing "judge shopping" - filing lawsuits in districts with single judges of sympathetic sensibilities - a favorite tactic of Ken Paxton's: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/ken-paxton-court-rule-18971181.php

    More artists, and now panel speakers, have been bailing on SXSW over its ties to the military and defense tech industries: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesfarrell/2024/03/13/dozens-of-bands-and-panelists-pull-out-of-sxsw-festival-in-texas-heres-why/#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17103752871384&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fjamesfarrell%2F2024%2F03%2F13%2Fdozens-of-bands-and-panelists-pull-out-of-sxsw-festival-in-texas-heres-why%2F

    The 2021 Fair Access Law, which forbids state government from doing business with companies with environmental, social and governance policies, has made financing big ticket projects in Texas much more expensive: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/03/13/texas-anti-esg-law-costs-losses-of-millions-of-dollars/72947344007/

    Millions also burned - literally - in recent Panhandle wildfires: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/texas-wildfire-damages-could-exceed-1b-lawyer-says/

    ...While methane emissions by petroleum producers appears much more out of control than recently thought: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/13/us-gas-leaks-report-climate-change#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17104058588972&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fbusiness%2F2024%2Fmar%2F13%2Fus-gas-leaks-report-climate-change

    70 percent of Texas teachers are ready to quit: https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2024/03/14/nearly-70-of-texas-educators-say-theyre-ready-to-leave-profession-survey-shows/

    ...How can Texas support our teachers? https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2024/03/14/six-ways-texas-can-support-teachers/

    ...The word from one GOP State House Rep. drummed out over his resistance to Abbott's voucher scam: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/travis-clardy-school-voucher-crusade/

    South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is in trouble over her online shilling for a Texas dentist: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/kristi-noem-faces-lawsuit-promoting-texas-dentist-social-media-rcna143325

    Will Texas ever turn blue? One crunch of the data says it's inevitable: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/will-texas-ever-turn-blue-heres-what

    March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

    Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

    • 10 min
    Daily Dispatch 3/13/24: SB-4 Delayed Again At SCOTUS, and More

    Daily Dispatch 3/13/24: SB-4 Delayed Again At SCOTUS, and More

    Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

    The U.S. Supreme Court has delayed the enactment of Texas' new immigration law SB-4 until at least Monday afternoon, while a new legal challenge is launched: https://apnews.com/article/texas-immigration-law-sb4-7b74b6637dd39320dfdb447a189e745f

    ...While Laredo U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar spearheads a new Democratic action group on immigration: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/12/henry-cuellar-democrats-senate-border-bill/

    SXSW distances itself from Governor Greg Abbott following his criticism of artists leaving the festival over its sponsorship ties to the defense industry: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sxsw-texas-greg-abbott-military-sponsorship-1234986219/

    ...While SXSW threatens legal action against a pro-Palestinian activist group over use of its logo: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/sxsw-protests-18926378.php

    Texas is doing its best to silence an advocate raising the alarm about growing maternal mortality rates: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2024-03-15/the-texas-task-force-that-reviews-pregnancy-related-deaths-is-losing-its-sole-advocate-position/

    ...While the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a Texas law eliminating confidential contraception for minors: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/12/texas-parental-consent-birth-control-fifth-circuit-title-x/

    Texas, the Energy Capitol of America, suffers more power outages than any other state: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/texas-leads-nation-power-outages-18887152.php

    ...While the Panhandle will see perfect conditions for more wildfires today: https://www.ktsa.com/texans-should-stay-prepared-as-extreme-wildfire-danger-increases/

    Ted Cruz is warning his donors that he's in for a tough fight with Colin Allred: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/ted-cruz-allred-fundraising-18894530.php

    Sherman ISD has suspended its Superintendent over the call to remove a trans student from a high school play last year: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-superintendent-suspended-trans-students-removal-oklahoma-rcna143017

    A former Hays County Republican operative has been given a massive prison sentence for child sex abuse and pornography: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/bo-michael-dresner-sentencing/269-17fad9be-ddb4-4304-b956-fb3ba7bb7344

    A new documentary on the Alex Jones Sandy Hook trial is coming to HBO: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/truth-vs-alex-jones-trailer-hbo-1235846888/#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17103146639967&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com%2Fmovies%2Fmovie-news%2Ftruth-vs-alex-jones-trailer-hbo-1235846888%2F

    March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

    Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

    • 12 min
    Daily Dispatch 3/12/24: Judge Rules Against Paxton In Attack On Border Charity, and More

    Daily Dispatch 3/12/24: Judge Rules Against Paxton In Attack On Border Charity, and More

    Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

    A judge in El Paso has backed Annunciation House, a large migrant shelter near the border, in refusing to turn its records over to Ken Paxton: https://elpasomatters.org/2024/03/11/el-paso-annunciation-house-ken-paxton-court-ruling/

    Ted Cruz complains of regular Saturday pro-Palestinian protests in his front yard: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/ted-cruz-palestine-protests-18881832.php

    The Texas Health and Human Services appears to have leaked the private information of thousands of East Texas: https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/more-than-3000-east-texans-data-leaked-in-texas-health-and-human-services-commission-breach/

    Worries mount that Texas' notoriously underfunded specialized health care and special education services will collapse under increased demand as more babies are born under our abortion ban: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/11/Texas-disability-services-abortion/

    Good environmental news: we're now adding solar capacity faster than sunny California: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2024/03/11/solar-power-is-now-bigger-in-texas-not-california/

    ...And bad environmental news, as Texas sues the EPA over new limits on methane emissions by petroleum producers: https://heatmap.news/climate/texas-epa-methane

    U.S. Rep Ronny Jackson of Amarillo, a retired Navy doctor, has been lying about his rank and hiding a demotion for two years: https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2024/03/07/lawmaker-who-claims-to-be-a-retired-rear-admiral-was-actually-demoted/

    Former Republican candidate Daniel Rodimer has been arrested on suspicion of homicide in Nevada: https://apnews.com/article/homicide-retired-wrestler-sought-55b6c44fde97429fab5cbe6d37e67cfe

    Christian Nationalism a Go Go: watch for news on SACR, an exclusive group of wealthy and influential white Christian men who seek to establish an American theocracy: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/inside-a-secret-society-of-prominent-right-wing-christian-men-prepping-for-a-national-divorce

    ...Why Texas is such a hotbed for Christian Nationalist activity: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-christian-nationalism-epicenter/

    ...East Texas State Rep. Matt Schaefer says the quiet part out loud: https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/texas-state-rep-matt-schaefer-provides-a-case-study-in-christian-nationalism/

    ...And even the student paper at Baylor is alarmed about Christian Nationalism: https://baylorlariat.com/2024/03/11/beware-of-christian-nationalism-god-and-texas-should-not-mix/

    March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

    Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

    • 11 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
36 Ratings

36 Ratings

Wil33 ,

Seriously the BEST

Efficient, succinct, informative, insightful, and practical. This show is so well done. I listen to it otw to work every morning. I highly recommend that you give it a listen, then a follow. You’ll be a more informed progressive citizen as a result!

bisaac02 ,

Great insight into Texas politics

Love the podcast - funny, informative, & helpful. Great way to keep up to date with Texas politics & learn how to talk about it

Tia_MAHE ,

One of my favorite podcast!

I came across this podcast in 2020 after moving to Texas the year prior, and it has been a hopeful reminder that I can create change. I love the education, the humor, and how they bring awareness to issues affecting our state. It's a hard choice during my workout to listen to this one or ACLU’s podcast first! Keep up the great work. Progress for all!

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