Exactly one month after Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a bill that would ban all THC and hemp-based products, the Texas Senate has introduced — and advanced — a nearly identical measure. Second time’s the charm, right? “Feels a little like Groundhog Day,” Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), who introduced Senate Bill 5, said at a July […]
Author Archives: Riya Misra
Riya Misra just graduated from Rice University, where she spent two years as editor-in-chief of its student-run newspaper, The Rice Thresher. At Rice, she covered political rallies, campus protests, and an underwear party gone wrong. She spent a summer in Washington, D.C. fine-tuning her investigative reporting skills.
Outside of her newsroom, Riya has degrees in social policy analysis and creative writing. Although raised in Boston, she’s grown oddly fond of the Texas heat.
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Joe Rogan Wants This Democratic, Pro-Choice Lawmaker from Texas to Run for President
Who would’ve guessed that Joe Rogan would heartily endorse a Texas Democrat? As state Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) mulls a bid for the U.S. Senate, the 36-year-old aspiring preacher may have stumbled upon an ace in his sleeve: a guest slot on The Joe Rogan Experience. Talarico recently appeared on the comedian and UFC commentator’s […]
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Dallas Cop Accused of Stealing Nearly $38,000 of Apple Products to Sell on Facebook
A Dallas police officer is on administrative leave after being accused of stealing nearly $38,000 worth of products from local Apple stores, where he worked as an off-duty overnight security guard. After noticing a pattern of missing products in March, employees at the Apple stores installed covert cameras to monitor the officer, Senior Cpl. Le […]
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‘This Is How You Steal an Election’: Texas Democrats Weigh Walkout Over Trump’s Redistricting Plans
President Donald Trump told congressional Republicans on Tuesday that he’s hoping to gain an additional five Republican seats in the U.S. House — through a rare redistricting effort Democratic lawmakers have called a threat to democracy and an “unacceptable betrayal of Texans.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom even escalated, making it clear that his state’s party […]
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Gov. Greg Abbott Claims His Emails with Elon Musk Are Too ‘Embarrassing, Intimate’ for Public Consumption
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doesn’t want you reading his emails with the world’s richest man — not because he doesn’t want the public knowing about Elon Musk’s rapidly growing influence in the state. They’re simply too “intimate” and “embarrassing,” Abbott has claimed. In April, The Texas Newsroom requested records of email correspondence between Abbott, Abbott’s […]
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‘Each Charm Tells Stories’: James Avery, Camp Mystic’s Longtime Jeweler, Pledges $1M in Flood Relief
James Avery, the Kerrville-based and nationally renowned jeweler, is giving back to its hometown — and to the Camp Mystic girls who’ve been devoted to the brand for decades. The company, most popular for its charm bracelets, has pledged $1 million toward flood relief efforts in the Hill Country — and will also donate 100% […]
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‘Goodnight, Camp Mystic. We Love You.’: A 100-Year-Old Community Honors Its 27 Dead Girls
Thirty-nine-year-old Jordan Macha spent more than ten summers at Camp Mystic, as both a camper and a counselor. She can imagine in precise detail how the youngest girls, age 8, were tucked into their beds on Thursday in their cabins overlooking the Guadalupe River — hours before it swelled 26 feet in 45 minutes in […]
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The Feds Are Quizzing Mexican Truck Drivers on English Literacy — and Banning Dozens from U.S. Highways
Just what Texas’ sprawling, harrowing, and permanently-under-construction roadways needed — more English literacy quizzes. Truck drivers in the Rio Grande Valley are being questioned about their English literacy, just a week after an executive order took effect that reinforces English proficiency requirements for truckers. Forty drivers in Southern states — Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas — […]
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‘The Pulpit is Sacred’: Dallas Faith Leaders Sue to Block Ten Commandments Bill
Dallas-based faith leaders are suing to block a “religiously coercive” bill that requires Texas public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments. The plaintiffs are all parents, suing on behalf of themselves and their minor-age children, and allege that S.B. 10 “unconstitutionally pressures students” into observing the state’s “mandated religious scripture.” The Texas Education […]
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Battle of the Fitness Bros: The ‘Liver King’ Was Arrested in Austin After Challenging Joe Rogan to a Fight
Social media influencer Brian Johnson, better known as the “Liver King,” was arrested at his hotel in Austin on Tuesday night after posting dozens of bizarre, rambling videos “picking a fight” with famous podcaster Joe Rogan, KXAN first reported. He is facing a misdemeanor charge of making a terrorist threat, according to records from the […]