This week's top story: Allowing police departments the discretion to silo off certain parts of #police personnel records is a recipe for abuse. Now, the #Texas lege wants to help them hide their misconduct ...
The Texas Observer
Texas Lawmakers Push ‘Massive Secrecy Grab’ to Shield Police Files
As public attention has shifted away from policing reform, legislators attempt to shove information into the dark.
 #politics #USpol #news #TXlege #HumanRights
Last week: Both NIH grants that support the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program were terminated as part of a broader attempt by the federal government to terminate direct NIH funding to Harvard Medical School. 32 students who spent countless hours applying for and earning fellowships saw their awards vanish.
The Texas Observer
I Came from Rural Texas to Harvard’s MD-PhD program. Now, Trump Defunded that Program.
These decisions affect not just the archetypal Ivy League student many imagine—they affect people who grew up in places like Lindale.
 #education #DOGE #Trump #healthcare #politics #USpol #Texas #news
Featured story, from Francesca D'Annunzio: Nearly 1.5M Texans now live in jurisdictions where sheriffs or #police chiefs have agreed to train some of their officers to act as #immigration agents in their communities. These agreements currently cover around 30 Texas law enforcement agencies.
The Texas Observer
ICE 'Task Force' Agreements Expand to Galveston, Beaumont
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement rolls out necessary training, the Galveston County Sheriff's Office joins a growing list of Texas law e...
 #ICE #HumanRights #border #sheriffs #politics #USpol #Trump #news #GulfCoast
Earlier, from @npub19fqp...rjhq: The ban on churches endorsing candidates is overwhelmingly supported. 77% of Americans surveyed oppose houses of worship endorsing political candidates and 67% say houses of worship should keep out of political matters altogether.
The Texas Observer
How Trump’s IRS May Unshackle Churches from Their Political Restraints
As if everyday life in these United States wasn’t politicized enough, your local house of worship could soon become a part of the campaign battle...
 #economy #religion #Trump #politics #USpol #news
New from Justin Miller: While House #Democrats in Chicago, plus some in New York, seem willing and able to withhold their numbers for the remaining weeks of this first 30-day special session, all that would do is delay the inevitable.
The Texas Observer
Can Anything Halt the Gerrymandering Arms Race?
Texas Dem quorum-breakers are seeking to protect voter rights nationwide, but they’re likely engaged in little more than a perfunctory game of ch...
 #news #politics #Trump #TXlege #Texas #USpol #democracy
Last week: Who judges the judges? Nationwide, more than 1,500 complaints were filed against federal judges in 2023; more than 90% of them were dismissed without any investigation, particularly those made by prisoners or by litigants.
The Texas Observer
Rules of the Robe
A sharp-eyed retiree uncovered evidence of judicial misconduct by the chief judge of Houston’s busy bankruptcy court. The unusual story highlight...
 #politics #USpol #law #Texas #Houston #GulfCoast #news
Nearly 1.5M Texans now live in jurisdictions where sheriffs or #police chiefs have agreed to train officers to act as #immigration agents in the streets of their communities. These agreements currently cover around 30 #Texas law enforcement agencies.
The Texas Observer
ICE 'Task Force' Agreements Expand to Galveston, Beaumont
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement rolls out necessary training, the Galveston County Sheriff's Office joins a growing list of Texas law e...
 #ICE #HumanRights #news #politics #USpol #GulfCoast
From Editor-in-Chief Gus Bova in 2021: “We think this is criminal—that these are the conditions people have to live in simply because they don’t have enough money. It makes me really fucking angry. … Goddammit, we can do better than this.”
The Texas Observer
Life and Death in a Texas Homeless Camp
As the unhoused population grows, cities like Austin turn to legalized camps, where community and calamity collide.
 #poverty #inequality #Austin #Texas #politics #USpol #news #homelessness
"Every map since the 1970s has been challenged or redrawn in part because they were racially discriminatory or violated the Voting Rights Act. ... Whether #Democrats drew the maps or #Republicans drew the maps, Texas has struggled for decades to draw maps that fairly represented communities of color."
The Texas Observer
The Texas GOP’s ‘Unprecedented,’ Risky Gerrymandering Scheme
A redistricting expert discusses Tom Delay, ‘dummymanders,’ and the long history of racial gerrymandering in the state.
 #Texas #democracy #elections #politics #USpol #TXlege #Trump #news
From our magazine: Since 1980, the U.S. federal courts have overseen a secretive system that allows judges to investigate and sanction their own peers under a law called the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act. Nationwide, only a handful of these complaints are ever investigated.
The Texas Observer
Rules of the Robe
A sharp-eyed retiree uncovered evidence of judicial misconduct by the chief judge of Houston’s busy bankruptcy court. The unusual story highlight...
 \ #news #law #HumanRights #politics #USpol #ethics #corruption #Texas #Houston #GulfCoast