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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 15h

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 · 17h

“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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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 18h

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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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 20h

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 · 21h

“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

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Reposted by Texas Observer

EerilyPhD 👻 @ejwillingham.bsky.social · 22h

And to seek relief in a functioning bathroom for that matter what a weird weird obsession these people have with toileting

Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

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

“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

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Reposted by Texas Observer

Chip Stewart @medialawprof.bsky.social · 1d

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

Harms Committed @harmscommitted.com · 1d

"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

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Reposted by Texas Observer

Kit boO'Connell (🎃For Hire👻) @kitoconnell.com · 1d

“Are the complainants going to be chasing people down in bathrooms? That sounds hostile to me, and it’s not really clear.”

Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

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

Julie Poole @juliepoole.bsky.social · 1d

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.

Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

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

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 23h

“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

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

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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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

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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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

Featured story, from @byjustinmiller.bsky.social: Free Speech is just a political football to Greg Abbott and other Texas Republicans who now delight in prosecuting people for speaking their minds.

For Greg Abbott, Free Speech Is Just Another Political Prop

Charlie Kirk defended the First Amendment. Texas betrays it in his defense.

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 1d

“We can prove that Robert is innocent, and no reasonable jury would find otherwise if presented with all relevant medical evidence.”

New from @michellepitcher.bsky.social: Despite the evidence, and overwhelming support, Robeson's execution date is set for 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 · 1d

Last week: 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.

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

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

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d

From Paula Levihn-Coon in 2024: “It’s like, man, how many years can we keep doing this? I hate to see it go. We need more acres [in rice], and we need our farmers to be successful. … The whole economy is coming down on us.”

Left Out to Dry: How the Texas Rice Belt Could Vanish

Limited water, changing weather, skyrocketing costs, and land losses are causing the state's rice farms to slowly disappear.

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d

Learning from history: In 1944 when Homer Rainey was fired, students went on strike and 8,000 of them marched in a mock funeral procession carrying a coffin with a banner that read “academic freedom” from campus to the Capitol and the governor’s mansion.

Texas History Offers Warnings amid Rash of Faculty Firings

Lessons to learn from the politically motivated firing of a UT president in the 1940s

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 2d

Last week from @kitoconnell.com: “SB 8 seeks to establish a precedent that treats marginalized communities in the Lone Star State as less than equal. In reality, trans folks are parts of Texas families, workplaces, schools, and communities, and we are here to stay.”

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 · 2d

“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

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 3d

In our magazine, from @unclecrizzle.bsky.social: “There’s a culture that we’ve built that, at its core, resists oppression, resists harm, resists the white delusion. I think art is necessary to connect people spiritually.”

‘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 · 3d

From @byjustinmiller.bsky.social: Two days after Kirk’s murder, the Texas House speaker and lieutenant governor announced a select committee on Civil Discourse & Freedom of Speech in Higher Education, an Orwellian title for a body to ostensibly oversee two recently enacted laws policing speech.

For Greg Abbott, Free Speech Is Just Another Political Prop

Charlie Kirk defended the First Amendment. Texas betrays it in his defense.

www.texasobserver.org

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 3d

"When I saw Marwan Marouf’s face plastered on my Instagram feed, under bright red letters announcing he’d been arrested and detained by ICE, the first thing I remembered was his distinctive, gentle voice." www.texasobserver.org/ice-marwan-m...

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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