This piece was originally published in The 19th* News and written by Grace Panetta, a politics reporter at The 19th covering the candidates, issues and voters that power our elections. Rep. Jasmine Crockett lost the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Texas to state Rep. James Talarico, Decision Desk HQ projects. Talarico, a state lawmaker […]
Tag: texas legislature
Posted inHealth
Texas’ New Abortion Ban Aims to Stop Doctors From Sending Abortion Pills to the State
This story was originally reported by Shefali Luthra of The 19th. Meet Shefali and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. Texas’ massive new abortion law taking effect this week could escalate the national fight over mailing abortion pills. House Bill 7 represents abortion opponents’ most ambitious effort to halt telehealth abortions, […]
Posted inPolitics
For the Record, Both John Cornyn and Ted Cruz Voted Against Releasing the Epstein Files
Texas is in for a bruising primary season — or as we’ve previously called it: The Republican Death Match You Didn’t Know You Were Waiting For — as U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is fending off a challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston. A little more than three […]
Posted inPolitics
Just When the Texas Hemp Industry Breathed a Sigh of Relief, It Faces Another Extinction-Level Event
Here’s the good news: THC is still legal in Texas. Now, the bad news: Some Republicans in Congress still want to ban it — and they might get their wish. Yes, despite attempts by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to rip weed gummies out of the mouths of his constituents, it didn’t happen, and hemp advocates […]
Posted inOpinion
After a Year of Covering Texas, It Still Makes No Damn Sense
In this tumultuous American moment, Texas is still unique in its mind-boggling extremes. Texas loves to pick on queer kids. At least, the Texas Legislature does. We just wrapped up the 2025 legislative session(s) and, as has become a cruel habit of Texas politicians, lawmakers have once again made the lives of LGBTQ+ Texans harder. […]
Posted inNews
Texas Law Didn’t Recognize Summer Willis’s Rape. But It Does Now.
Summer Willis’s fifth marathon was in New York City, in March 2024, with a 45-pound mattress strapped to her bare shoulders. Less than a year — and dozens of marathons — later, she tackled another race in Austin. Dropping to her hands and knees, Willis crawled for the first 13 miles as a demonstration of […]
Posted inPolitics
‘Nanny Dan Lost, Y’all’: Texans Celebrate THC Ban’s (Third) Failure
Apparently banning weed gummies is harder than outlawing women’s rights, because THC is still legal in Texas. State lawmakers wrapped up their latest special session Wednesday night without passing the Senate’s proposal to ban nearly all THC products, leaving hemp-derived cannabis on shelves across the state — at least until Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick convinces […]
Posted inOpinion
They’re Making Texas Poorer, Meaner, and Less Free. You Don’t Have to Take It.
What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, when we launched The Barbed Wire, it felt like we were finally crawling out of the wreckage of Trump’s first term, maybe even headed toward a slightly less-shitty future. Sure, Texas was still Texas — stubborn, messy, allergic to progress — but wasn’t the arc of […]
Posted inCulture
Judge Blocks Texas Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Classrooms, Calling It Religious ‘Coercion’
A federal judge in San Antonio issued a ruling on Wednesday temporarily halting the controversial Texas law that would require all public schools to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments in every classroom. In a comprehensive, sometimes cheeky 55-page ruling first reported by The Houston Chronicle, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sided with several […]
Posted inPolitics
Congratulations, Republicans! The Texas Capitol Is Now a Minimum-Security Prison.
After years of shouting about “limited government,” “personal freedom,” and “tyranny,” Texas Republicans have finally decided to embrace their inner Big Brother. Turns out the best way to stop democracy from working is to treat your Democratic colleagues like middle schoolers on a field trip. Here’s the scene: Texas Democrats ended their walkout over gerrymandering […]