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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 8h

Update: The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted Robert Roberson a stay of execution October 9, a week before he was set to be killed. A lower court will now reconsider Roberson’s case.

‘I Got a Lot of People Believing in Me’: Robert Roberson Stares Down Death, Again

Set to be the first U.S. person executed based on the controversial “Shaken Baby Syndrome” diagnosis, Roberson told the Observer last week he hopes his story will mean something.

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 10h

“It’s assumed that trans people are going to be fined, arrested or kicked out of places when in reality it’s the [public] entity that takes on the burden.”

SB 8 targets schools, libraries and other venues, allowing the state to "investigate" and levy massive fines.

How the Bathroom Bill Weaponizes Transphobia Against Public Institutions

A legal expert called the new anti-trans Texas bathroom law “the most plainly unlawful, undemocratic legislation I’ve seen in recent history.”

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 10h

“It’s assumed that trans people are going to be fined, arrested or kicked out of places when in reality it’s the [public] entity that takes on the burden.”

SB 8 targets schools, libraries and other venues, allowing the state to "investigate" and levy massive fines.

How the Bathroom Bill Weaponizes Transphobia Against Public Institutions

A legal expert called the new anti-trans Texas bathroom law “the most plainly unlawful, undemocratic legislation I’ve seen in recent history.”

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 10h

“It’s assumed that trans people are going to be fined, arrested or kicked out of places when in reality it’s the [public] entity that takes on the burden.”

SB 8 targets schools, libraries and other venues, allowing the state to "investigate" and levy massive fines.

How the Bathroom Bill Weaponizes Transphobia Against Public Institutions

A legal expert called the new anti-trans Texas bathroom law “the most plainly unlawful, undemocratic legislation I’ve seen in recent history.”

www.texasobserver.org

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Reposted by Texas Observer

Justin Miller @byjustinmiller.bsky.social · 13h

A good lock at the rocky relationship between the Texas Majority PAC, financed with tens of millions from Gorge Soros, and some Texas Dems who question their influence and effectiveness. www.texasobserver.org/inside-rift-...

Inside the Rift Between Texas Dems and a Soros-Backed PAC

The Texas Majority PAC is the latest deep-pocketed initiative meant to turn Texas blue. But have its dollars just brought more discord?

www.texasobserver.org

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Reposted by Texas Observer

Josephine Lee @josephinelee.bsky.social · 14d

Trump hastens plan to deny domestic workers the minimum wage. www.texasobserver.org/texas-domest...

Texas Domestic Workers Face Trump Attack on Minimum Wage

Advocates warn a proposed rule by the Department of Labor will deepen the country’s “crisis of care.”

www.texasobserver.org

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Reposted by Texas Observer

steven monacelli @stevanzetti.bsky.social · 14d

Public Citizen identified eight companies that received nearly $1B in non-competitive state contracts between 2014—2024. During those same years, these companies, their PACs, their officers, and their employees donated nearly $3M to Texans for Greg Abbott PAC.

www.citizen.org/article/awar...

Awarding Influence - Public Citizen

www.citizen.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 11h

Big news in the Robert Roberson case, which we covered here:

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 11h

“Marwan’s donations included sponsorship of an orphan in Palestine. And yet, some thirty years later, the government still chooses to wrongfully penalize Marwan for these ordinary acts of charity—acts which he considers obligatory to his faith.”

Trump's ICE Has Arrested a Pillar of the Dallas Muslim Community. I Grew Up Hearing His Calls for Compassion.

When I heard Marwan Marouf had been swept up in connection with decades-old charitable donations, my mind went to his gentle voice we sometimes had to strain to hear at the mosque.

www.texasobserver.org

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Reposted by Texas Observer

Michelle Pitcher @michellepitcher.bsky.social · 14h

Context: www.texasobserver.org/robert-rober...

‘I Got a Lot of People Believing in Me’: Robert Roberson Stares Down Death, Again

Set to be the first U.S. person executed based on the controversial “Shaken Baby Syndrome” diagnosis, Roberson told the Observer last week he hopes his story will mean something.

www.texasobserver.org

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Reposted by Texas Observer

Michelle Pitcher @michellepitcher.bsky.social · 15h

The decision came after the CCA granted relief in the Andrew Roark case—which was strikingly similar to Roberson’s—last October.

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Reposted by Texas Observer

Michelle Pitcher @michellepitcher.bsky.social · 15h

The Court of Criminal Appeals has stayed Robert Roberson’s execution, sending his case back to a lower court for reconsideration. He was scheduled to be executed in less than a week.

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 13h

New today from Arman Deendar: Family members with loved ones detained at that Dallas field office reported inhumane conditions in the facility, including overcrowding, medical neglect, and individuals being detained for more than a week without access to running water and air conditioning.

In Dallas, Organizers Mourn the Immigrant Victims of Recent ICE Shooting

At a vigil outside city hall last week, advocates gathered to “center the victims” and to condemn the “dehumanization” of migrants by the federal government.

www.texasobserver.org

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Reposted by Texas Observer

Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 3d

One legal expert called SB 8 “the most plainly unlawful, undemocratic legislation I’ve seen in recent history, It tries to shut down the basic right of every citizen to seek relief in our courts, which is one of the basic principles of American democracy."

How the Bathroom Bill Weaponizes Transphobia Against Public Institutions

A legal expert called the new anti-trans Texas bathroom law “the most plainly unlawful, undemocratic legislation I’ve seen in recent history.”

www.texasobserver.org

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Reposted by Texas Observer

Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d

Our top story, from @juliepoole.bsky.social: After suffering a stroke, their mother, Marilyn, spent two and a half years in a nursing home paid for by Medicaid. Now the state wanted its money back.

“It was like wild animals pouncing on meat.”

One Woman's Fight Against Texas' Medicaid Estate Recovery Program

Her mother had been in a nursing home paid for by Medicaid. Now, the state wanted its money back: “It was like wild animals pouncing on meat."

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 14h

Remember, we're hiring!

Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 10d

Are you interested in covering politics in the Lone Star State? The Texas Observer is hiring an intern to help us cover the 2026 elections! Apply here:

Work for the Texas Observer

We’re a nonprofit with a strong public service mission; we seek to expose injustice and to produce the kind of impact journalism that makes a difference.

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 14h

“There’s a business inside prison: The family sends money to buy more food, clothing, and water. But if the family doesn’t have money, they [private prisons] came up with something ‘extraordinary:’ You can work for one dollar a day to get access to those things.”

A Brazilian Carpenter's 51-Day Detention Journey from Vermont to Texas

“On the first day, I thought they had picked me up by mistake..."

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 16h

Our top story: The Texas Majority PAC is the latest deep-pocketed initiative meant to turn Texas blue. But have its dollars just brought more discord?

Inside the Rift Between Texas Dems and a Soros-Backed PAC

The Texas Majority PAC is the latest deep-pocketed initiative meant to turn Texas blue. But have its dollars just brought more discord?

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

“On the first day, I thought they had picked me up by mistake. … I didn’t know what kind of situation I was getting into.”

But Salomão Castelo Branco Borges' harrowing journey had just begun. Published in partnership with @apublica.org.

A Brazilian Carpenter's 51-Day Detention Journey from Vermont to Texas

“On the first day, I thought they had picked me up by mistake..."

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

“The Tarrant County DA’s office is showing the world how easily the government can roll back all of our civil rights.”

Raunaq Alam has been in and out of jail five times in relation to anti-Israel graffiti on a Christian church.

Inside Tarrant County's Dogged Prosecution of a Pro-Palestine Activist

Raunaq Alam has been in and out of jail five times in relation to anti-Israel graffiti on a Christian church. His lawyer says the case shows "how easily the government can roll back all of our civil…

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

“When I moved to Dallas with my family, Amo Marwan and his family really helped us feel like we’d lived here our whole lives. When … we’re at civic events, it feels empty without Amo Marwan. But we have hope that he will come back home. We’re going to apply pressure from every single angle.”

Trump's ICE Has Arrested a Pillar of the Dallas Muslim Community. I Grew Up Hearing His Calls for Compassion.

When I heard Marwan Marouf had been swept up in connection with decades-old charitable donations, my mind went to his gentle voice we sometimes had to strain to hear at the mosque.

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

New from @samrussek.bsky.social: While some local Democratic party chapters speak effusively of their partnerships with Texas Majority PAC, others liken it to a bait-and-switch operation that commandeers the grassroots manpower of established county parties & fails to deliver on its lofty promises.

Inside the Rift Between Texas Dems and a Soros-Backed PAC

The Texas Majority PAC is the latest deep-pocketed initiative meant to turn Texas blue. But have its dollars just brought more discord?

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

“You can’t diagnose it on the basis of any particular findings. You have to rule out all plausible alternatives.”

Despite what we now know about so-called "Shaken Baby Syndrome," Robert Roberson faces execution on October 16.

‘I Got a Lot of People Believing in Me’: Robert Roberson Stares Down Death, Again

Set to be the first U.S. person executed based on the controversial “Shaken Baby Syndrome” diagnosis, Roberson told the Observer last week he hopes his story will mean something.

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d

In our magazine: When Kendrick Sampson eventually launched BLD PWR, he was looking to merge activism and education with pop culture, inspiring others to fight for a cause while being creative—and having a good time.

‘Make Resistance Sexy’

In Houston, actor Kendrick Sampson seeks to make a party out of political engagement.

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d

“It’s like seeing the eye of Sauron hanging over your city.”

#ICYMI: A massive surveillance tower looming over Juárez is just part of a AI-powered network that extends far beyond the Texas-Mexico border.

Just Beyond the Texas Border, Chihuahua Is Launching a Burgeoning State Surveillance System

The 20-story Torre Centinela looming over Juárez is part of a much larger AI-powered network that won’t stop at the U.S.-Mexico divide.

www.texasobserver.org

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