- 10 minutes 36 secondsIt's Go Time! Early Voting Begins In Texas, And More - Daily Dispatch 10/19/26
New CBS News polling, on the first day of early voting, shows Ken Paxton gaining slightly on James Talarico, cutting the Democrat's lead to two points - a statistical tie. A win for Paxton - a man who has twisted our legal system to fundamentally undermine reproductive freedom in Texas - would be a disaster for abortion rights across America. Big Tech is banking on Governor Abbott's recent calls for data center regulation to evaporate if he wins reelection. And another state level voter data snafu has given even more reason to doubt the ability - or willingness - of state officials to faithfully manage our elections.
Propublica: https://www.propublica.org/article/ken-paxton-texas-abortion-senate
Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/19/greg-abbott-data-center-donors-texas/
Houston Chronicle: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/texas-voter-registration-purged-what-to-do-2026-22482804.php
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Make your voting plan NOW: GoVoteTexas.org
Your ballot based on your address: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-general-election-ballot-november-2026/
The Substack version of the Daily Dispatch: https://substack.com/@progresstexas
Progress Texas is now part of the lineups at KPFT-FM in Houston, Empower House Radio in San Antonio, and KZSM True Community Radio in San Marcos! Learn more about and contribut to our ongoing radio initiative: https://progresstexas.org/radio
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19 October 2026, 1:41 pm - 10 minutes 33 secondsAbbott MIA As Gina Hinojosa Shares Vision For Texas, And More - Daily Dispatch 10/16/26
Gina Hinojosa showed up at the Governor's Mansion in Austin yesterday, hoping to have a conversation with Governor Greg Abbott - she was met with a phalanx of moving trucks instead. Donald Trump is raging against John Cornyn and Karl Rove as GOP prospects worsen in Texas and James Talarico sets new fundraising records. And new Texas connections emerge regarding medical fraud suspects Ken Paxton was partying with in Dubai with his mistress in 2024.
San Antonio Current: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/greg-abbott-mia-as-gina-hinojosa-shows-up-to-governors-mansion-ready-to-debate/
Gina Hinojosa full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO7YJYUn62E
Axios: https://www.axios.com/2026/10/16/trump-texas-paxton-cornyn-rove-talarico
New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/15/us/paxton-dubai-fugitive-fraud-allegations-texas.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
Sign up for our RGV live podcast: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/rgvpodcast26
Make your voting plan NOW: GoVoteTexas.org
Your ballot based on your address: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-general-election-ballot-november-2026/
The Substack version of the Daily Dispatch: https://substack.com/@progresstexas
Progress Texas is now part of the lineups at KPFT-FM in Houston, Empower House Radio in San Antonio, and KZSM True Community Radio in San Marcos! Learn more about and contribut to our ongoing radio initiative: https://progresstexas.org/radio
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work: https://progresstexas.org
16 October 2026, 1:50 pm - 26 minutes 37 secondsThe "Uncanny Valley" Of The Trump Era - In Progress
Between the recoiling of America at the appearance of Susan Dell, to Shane Gillis bombing on Saturday Night Live with jokes intended for a...certain audience, examples of how progressive America and conservative America have diverged in their values surrounding beauty and entertainment have become as disparate as their views on policy, justice and human dignity. We explore the ways in which an "uncanny valley" has developed between the two sides of American life - and how, or whether, it can ever again be bridged.
Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
16 October 2026, 12:06 am - 9 minutes 8 seconds"ICE Terrorism" Across South Texas, And More - Daily Dispatch 10/15/26
Harris County DA Sean Teare says his office is seriously considering felony assault charges against the ICE agent who ran over Miguel Parra-Hernandez near Houston last weekend. For only the second time in 20 years, Planet K has cancelled their annual San Antonio Dia De Los Muertos community gathering, citing concerns about ICE targeting of attendees and vendors. The Trump administration is preparing an extensive new surveillance operation targeting dozens of American cities, including Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, El Paso and Harlingen. Elections in South Texas could end up the key to Democratic control of the U.S. House. And a major GOP PAC appears to be giving up on Tano Tijerina's attempt to unseat Congressman Henry Cuellar, redirecting millions to other South Texas races.
Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/13/ice-houston-hit-pedestrian-car-criminal-investigation/
San Antonio Current: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-news/planet-k-cancels-dia-de-los-muertos-fireworks-at-san-antonios-woodlawn-lake-citing-risk-of-ice-terrorism/
My San Antonio: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/woodlawn-lake-park-dia-de-los-muertos-22473887.php
The American Prospect: https://prospect.org/2026/10/14/ice-planning-nightmare-domestic-spy-program-ero-one/
San Antonio Express News: https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/henry-cuellar-gop-spending-22476691.php?utm_source=reddit
Sign up for our RGV live podcast: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/rgvpodcast26
Make your voting plan NOW: GoVoteTexas.org
Your ballot based on your address: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-general-election-ballot-november-2026/
The Substack version of the Daily Dispatch: https://substack.com/@progresstexas
Progress Texas is now part of the lineups at KPFT-FM in Houston, Empower House Radio in San Antonio, and KZSM True Community Radio in San Marcos! Learn more about and contribut to our ongoing radio initiative: https://progresstexas.org/radio
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work: https://progresstexas.org
15 October 2026, 1:24 pm - 11 minutes 54 secondsEyes On The Prize! Texas Dems Lead In New Poll, And More - Daily Dispatch 10/14/26
The last UT Austin/Texas Politics Project poll before the election finds Democrats with slight edges in six statewide races. The Houston Chronicle endorses Gina Hinojosa for Governor, Vikki Goodwin proposes a new environmental rights amendment, and Jon Rosenthal out-raises Republican Bo French. Yet another Ken Paxton scandal hits as the Washington Post identifies a range of donors who benefited from decisions made by his Texas AG's Office. A judge rules that Tarrant County does NOT have to restore polling locations eliminated from marginalized neighborhoods, as a lawsuit is filed against the state over the DPS website issue that left as many as 500,000 voter registrations incomplete. And the Bexar County Sheriff's Office is expanding its investigation of assaults on protestors at last week's Trump rally in San Antonio.
Axios Austin: https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/10/14/texas-poll-talarico-paxton-senate
Houston Chronicle: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/endorsements/article/gina-hinojosa-texas-governor-abbott-2026-22470093.php
Vikki Goodwin: https://www.vikkigoodwin.com/stewardship-amendment
Texas Tribune on Rosenthal: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/06/jon-rosenthal-bo-french-fundraising-election-2026-texas-railroad-commission/
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/11/texas-gop-senate-candidate-ken-paxton-wrote-legal-opinions-that-benefited-large-donors/
Dallas Morning News: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/elections/article/judge-denies-request-reinstate-tarrant-county-22475656.php
Texas Tribune on DPS lawsuit: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/14/texas-voter-registration-lawsuit-applications-failure/
Sign up for our RGV live podcast: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/rgvpodcast26
Make your voting plan NOW: GoVoteTexas.org
Your ballot based on your address: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-general-election-ballot-november-2026/.
The Substack version of the Daily Dispatch: https://substack.com/@progresstexas
Progress Texas is now part of the lineups at KPFT-FM in Houston, Empower House Radio in San Antonio, and KZSM True Community Radio in San Marcos! Learn more about and contribut to our ongoing radio initiative: https://progresstexas.org/radio
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work: https://progresstexas.org
14 October 2026, 1:34 pm - 8 minutes 34 secondsPaxton Scandal Du Jour: Partying With Fraud Indictees In Dubai, And More
In the latest of a recent daily string of newly-revealed scandals, Ken Paxton was caught on camera partying with his mistress in Dubai alongside two Americans wanted in a multi-million dollar hospital fraud case in Chicago. While he's done all he can to cast himself as a candidate of faith, Paxton's conduct is at direct odds with Christian teachings - while his opponent James Talarico has single-handedly reclaimed Jesus for the rest of us.
Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/ken-paxton-texas-senate-dubai-trip-b54292c3
Houston Chronicle: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/election/2026/article/ken-paxton-church-22455391.php
Sign up for our RGV live podcast: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/rgvpodcast26
Make your voting plan NOW at GoVoteTexas.org, and see a handy ballot customizable to your home address from the Texas Tribune at https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-general-election-ballot-november-2026/.
Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexas
Progress Texas is now part of the lineups at KPFT-FM in Houston, Empower House Radio in San Antonio, and KZSM True Community Radio in San Marcos! Find YOUR local station carrying In Progress, and make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative, at https://progresstexas.org/radio.
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13 October 2026, 1:28 pm - 9 minutes 38 secondsPaxton Scrambles As Talarico Campaign Resumes Post-Flu, And More
Proving they have little to talk about really, all that bluster about James Talarico's campaign trail absence looks quite silly as the Democrat re-emerges at the ACL Festival and a Dallas Kacey Musgraves concert. Houston-area community leaders demand answers after an ICE agent runs over a targeted man with his car, leaving him with a severely broken leg. And Democratic Ag Commissioner nominee Clayton Tucker demands answers from GOP opponent Nate Sheets after one of the Republican's campaign buses reportedly harasses his elderly parents with its horn outside their Lampasas home.
CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/11/politics/james-talarico-flu-return-campaign-trail-texas
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/10/california-man-72-shoots-ice-officer-fresno-off-duty
ABC News: https://abcnews.com/amp/US/ice-agent-strikes-man-car-pursuit-texas-authorities/story?id=137162948
Houston Chronicle: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/tucker-sheets-texas-bus-campaign-22472517.php
Sign up for our RGV live podcast: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/rgvpodcast26
Make your voting plan NOW at GoVoteTexas.org, and see a handy ballot customizable to your home address from the Texas Tribune at https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-general-election-ballot-november-2026/.
Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexas
Progress Texas is now part of the lineups at KPFT-FM in Houston, Empower House Radio in San Antonio, and KZSM True Community Radio in San Marcos! Find YOUR local station carrying In Progress, and make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative, at https://progresstexas.org/radio.
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
12 October 2026, 1:36 pm - 13 minutes 1 secondPaxton Wants You To Suck It Up On Social Security, And More - Daily Dispatch 10/9/26
Still more new revelations regarding Ken Paxton, as an investigation reveals millions of taxpayer dollars spent on security for his very frequent personal travel over his 11 years as AG, and more audio from that September fundraiser shows him complaining of John Cornyn's contempt for his campaign. And a public execution proposed at Fort Hood reduces Texas and America to the cultural and ethical likes of North Korea, Iran and the Taliban.
San Antonio Express-News: https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/hasan-execution-firing-squad-fort-hood-22468988.php
Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/09/ken-paxton-travel-costs/
CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/09/politics/ken-paxton-audio-john-cornyn
McKinney Democrats event on Sunday 10/11: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1443944974585128&id=100069089174663&rdid=J0hePmAx2sNu5Ihx#
Sign up for our RGV live podcast: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/rgvpodcast26
Make your voting plan NOW at GoVoteTexas.org, and see a handy ballot customizable to your home address from the Texas Tribune at https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-general-election-ballot-november-2026/.
Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexas
Progress Texas is now part of the lineups at KPFT-FM in Houston, Empower House Radio in San Antonio, and KZSM True Community Radio in San Marcos! Find YOUR local station carrying In Progress, and make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative, at https://progresstexas.org/radio.
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
9 October 2026, 2:01 pm - 28 minutes 51 secondsNo, Corruption Is NOT Normal In Texas - In Progress 10/8/26
With the election drawing nigh - and with the cast of characters on the Republican side of the ballot - we've got corruption on our minds. Far too many Texans have decided that politics itself is corrupt, and so we opt out. We're joined by Adrian Shelley, who heads the Texas office of Public Citizen, for an exploration of corruption: why it infects our politics, and why we should all be invested in rooting it out.
Learn more about Public Citizen Texas at https://www.citizen.org/tags/texas/.
Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
9 October 2026, 12:00 am - 9 minutes 2 secondsTrump's San Antonio Sideshow, And More - Daily Dispatch 10/8/26
Donald Trump's desperate appearance on behalf of Ken Paxton last night in San Antonio was marked by several protests - one protestor assaulted by a red-hatted Trump fan - and the notable absence of Governor Greg Abbott. And, a fourth leaked recording of Paxton expressing support for slashing federal benefits programs may indicate a disgruntled Republican insider in Washington.
The Hill: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6135173-texas-midterm-elections-trump-visit/
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/08/donald-trumps-texas-rally-rocked-by-repeated-protests
Scenes from the Trump San Antonio event:
Social Security Works in Dallas: https://podcasts.apple.com/ni/podcast/how-democrats-and-progressives-can-save-social/id1552998795?i=1000790095729
Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/08/ken-paxton-leaked-audio-federal-benefits-texas-senate-election-2026/
Texas Monthly: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/ken-paxton-audio-leaks/
Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/world/us/2026/10/08/lone-star-trump-believes-he-can-bend-texas-election-to-his-will/
McKinney Democrats event on Sunday 10/11: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1443944974585128&id=100069089174663&rdid=J0hePmAx2sNu5Ihx#
Sign up for our RGV live podcast: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/rgvpodcast26
Make your voting plan NOW at GoVoteTexas.org, and see a handy ballot customizable to your home address from the Texas Tribune at https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-general-election-ballot-november-2026/.
Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexas
Progress Texas is now part of the lineups at KPFT-FM in Houston, Empower House Radio in San Antonio, and KZSM True Community Radio in San Marcos! Find YOUR local station carrying In Progress, and make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative, at https://progresstexas.org/radio.
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
8 October 2026, 1:45 pm - 10 minutes 2 secondsDonald's Desperate! Trump Hits Texas Again To Prop Up Paxton, and More - Daily Dispatch 10/7/26
Donald Trump is back in Texas for a third time to try and jump-start the sputtering campaign of Ken Paxton, as the dumping of millions upon millions of Republican dollars into Texas ad campaigns has done very little to improve polling for Paxton, Governor Abbott or any other statewide GOP candidate. Still no debates on the schedule, except maybe one between Railroad Commission opponents Jon Rosenthal and Bo French on October 22. Paxton's office has taken to harrassing pediatricians for vaccinating kids. And Texas observes the dark anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas upon Israel.
The Hill: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6131875-trump-visits-texas-paxton-talarico-senate/amp/
Texas Tribune on debates: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/07/texas-debate-republicans-talarico-paxton-abbott-hinojosa-election/
Texas Tribune on GOP spending: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/06/texas-governor-race-greg-abbott-gina-hinojosa-campaign-fundraising-2026/
New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/health/ken-paxton-pediatricians-vaccines.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
Make your voting plan NOW at GoVoteTexas.org, and see a handy ballot customizable to your home address from the Texas Tribune at https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-general-election-ballot-november-2026/.
Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexas
Progress Texas is now part of the lineups at KPFT-FM in Houston, Empower House Radio in San Antonio, and KZSM True Community Radio in San Marcos! Find YOUR local station carrying In Progress, and make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative, at https://progresstexas.org/radio.
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
Sign up for our RGV live podcast: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/rgvpodcast26
7 October 2026, 1:37 pm - More Episodes? Get the App