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texasobserver.org
Texas Observer
@texasobserver.org
74K followers 1.4K following 3.3K posts
A nonprofit newsroom covering Texas through investigative journalism & narrative storytelling since 1954. Follow our journos: https://go.bsky.app/EdSL3Co 🤠Learn more about us: https://linktr.ee/texasobserver
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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
16 20
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 44m
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
1 10 22
Reposted by Texas Observer
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d
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
1 20 61
Reposted by Texas Observer
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d
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
1 19 47
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2h
Remember, we're hiring!
texasobserver.org
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
14 13
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2h
“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
2 11 19
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 3h
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
3 1 13
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 20h
“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
2 11 26
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 23h
“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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texasobserver.org
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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texasobserver.org
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
1 8 11
texasobserver.org
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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texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d
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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texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d
“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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texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d
The traditional chronicle of history celebrated the process by which “true Texans” wrested the land from “the wilderness, the Indians, and the Mexicans.” The overarching idea formed the bedrock for a mostly 19th-century view of a martial past that average Texans seldom questioned.
How Scholars Lost the Culture War over Texas History
And how they could still start winning it.
www.texasobserver.org
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texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d
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
1 19 47
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d
“Every single thing they’re doing is just like they’re coming after me in every possible way. It’s abuse of power.”

Raunaq Alam has been arrested five times since the beginning of his case, on what his supporters and attorneys call trumped-up charges.
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
1 13 31
Reposted by Texas Observer
ejwillingham.bsky.social
EerilyPhD 👻 @ejwillingham.bsky.social · 2d
And to seek relief in a functioning bathroom for that matter what a weird weird obsession these people have with toileting
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d
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
1 7 22
Reposted by Texas Observer
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 4d
“They’re essentially trying to revoke his bond for thought crimes. I think it’s very important for people to understand: Fascism is here.”
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
34 73
Reposted by Texas Observer
medialawprof.bsky.social
Chip Stewart @medialawprof.bsky.social · 2d
Earlier this year, @amykristinsanders.bsky.social and I did a project showing how Abbott & co’s hostility toward free speech has escalated over the past decade. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
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Reposted by Texas Observer
harmscommitted.com
Harms Committed @harmscommitted.com · 2d
"Bad trial lawyers. Overreaching prosecutors. Junk science. State officials who value finality over truth and justice."

"This can happen to anyone."

"In Robert's case, this is a life and death situation."
#Texas #USA #Healthcare #Incarceration
‘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
1 10 18
Reposted by Texas Observer
kitoconnell.com
Kit boO'Connell (🎃For Hire👻) @kitoconnell.com · 2d
“Are the complainants going to be chasing people down in bathrooms? That sounds hostile to me, and it’s not really clear.”
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d
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
10 26
Reposted by Texas Observer
juliepoole.bsky.social
Julie Poole @juliepoole.bsky.social · 2d
Important Medicaid programs are being cut right now. The Medicaid Estate Recovery Program is the sort of program the government SHOULD get rid of, instead it’s going after the health care benefits that people actually need. MERP is wasteful spending at its absolute worst.
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 3d
In our magazine, from @juliepoole.bsky.social: When callers pose even basic questions about how to get claims on their family homes dismissed, they are often left without answers. When families are hit with enormous six-figure claims, no one advocates on their behalf.
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
1 18 28
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d
“This can happen to anyone. You can be going about your normal life and be accused by your government of something so horrific that has complete medical explanations and find yourself in a battle like this. That’s a battle for your life, for your family.”
‘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
1 7 27
texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d
Earlier: Friends rented the Airbnb to celebrate a pair of birthdays. There were beers, arepas, and a birthday cake. They were planning to blow out candles and sing the following day.

But first there was a massive, militarized multi-agency ICE raid.
Officials Said They Busted a Tren de Aragua Party. Attendees Beg to Differ.
A highly publicized multi-agency raid in Hays County resulted in dozens of arrests on low-level immigration charges and left an Austin mother's life in tatters. It also fit a pattern of unproven…
www.texasobserver.org
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texasobserver.org
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d
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
1 20 61