Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 15h

See @byjustinmiller.bsky.social column from a couple months ago for some more general background: www.texasobserver.org/latino-top-b...

Is a Strong Latino Candidate Texas Democrats’ Only Hope?

The party is long-overdue for such a leader at the top of the ballot.

www.texasobserver.org

Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 15h

This raises the possibility of all three top-ballot Dem spots being Austin state reps.

On the other hand, Hinojosa is from Brownsville and has a last name that basically shouts deep South Texas. First serious Latin@ Dem to jump in statewide so far: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rU6...

Gina for Texas: “Fight Back”

YouTube video by Gina Hinojosa

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Gus Bova

Michelle Pitcher @michellepitcher.bsky.social · 6d

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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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 7d

Behold, interesting political reporting about Texas Democrats: 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 Gus Bova

Sam Russek @samrussek.bsky.social · 7d

SCOOP: A Soros-backed PAC in Texas expects a massive budget—$20 million a year, each year, until 2032—but the group has been roiled by territorial disputes and allegations of "data falsification" & "systemic" voter outreach fraud. And here come the midterms. In @texasobserver.org: bit.ly/3IYSfdc

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?

bit.ly

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Reposted by Gus Bova

Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 7d

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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Reposted by Gus Bova

alex @dude.computer · 11d

subscribe to the observer

Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 12d

There are simply so many fires to attend to; we don't even have a story on the gov shutdown up, but I feel proud of what the @texasobserver.org did get to this week.

Today's story, ICE snatches a Dallas Muslim leader known for his gentleness and humility: 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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Reposted by Gus Bova

Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 12d

There are simply so many fires to attend to; we don't even have a story on the gov shutdown up, but I feel proud of what the @texasobserver.org did get to this week.

Today's story, ICE snatches a Dallas Muslim leader known for his gentleness and humility: 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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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 12d

Plus a couple more -- those are just the news-y ones!

Anyhoo, to however many of y'all Bluesky users can tolerate self-promotional journalism threads, here's hoping the weekend brings some measure of good news or no news as the case may be

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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 12d

And Greg Abbott wields the Texas bully pulpit against teachers and students who engage in wrong-speech: www.texasobserver.org/greg-abbott-...

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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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 12d

Meanwhile, the new "bathroom bill" in Texas is a more profound threat than you might realize: www.texasobserver.org/texas-bathro...

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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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 12d

In a similar North Texas vein, Tarrant County is relentlessly prosecuting a pro-Palestine activist on a variety of dubious and/or minor charges: www.texasobserver.org/tarrant-coun...

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 r...

www.texasobserver.org

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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 12d

There are simply so many fires to attend to; we don't even have a story on the gov shutdown up, but I feel proud of what the @texasobserver.org did get to this week.

Today's story, ICE snatches a Dallas Muslim leader known for his gentleness and humility: 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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Reposted by Gus Bova

Josephine Lee @josephinelee.bsky.social · 20d

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 Gus Bova

Michelle Pitcher @michellepitcher.bsky.social · 21d

Robert Roberson's attorney Gretchen Sween will not petition for clemency ahead of his scheduled Oct. 16 execution. "A quest for clemency would not right the wrong...It would only divert precious time and resources from the fundamental mission: obtaining a new trial for Robert at long last."

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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 22d

Lessons to learn from the politically motivated firing of a UT president in the 1940s: texasobserver.org/texas-facult...

Texas History Offers Warnings amid Rash of Faculty Firings

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

texasobserver.org

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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · 22d

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 gang-related accusations: www.texasobserver.org/officials-tr...

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 gang-...

www.texasobserver.org

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Reposted by Gus Bova

Ben Johnson @benjaminhjohns1.bsky.social · 22d

as resistance mounts to one of the worst onslaughts against academic freedom and civil liberties in US history, I turned to an episode from the Texas past for the @texasobserver.org, and found both caution and inspiration. /1

www.texasobserver.org/texas-facult...

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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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · Sep 15

Republicans took free speech as an issue, distorted and degraded it, then finally threw it overboard entirely. It's an opportunity for Democrats, but they'll have to rehabilitate the concept, I think, rather than just deploy cheap gotchas

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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · Sep 5

Petition to put this to a popular vote against ideas generated by any random Austinite.

I'll put forth: a grackle eating a taco (early polls suggest vote results of 999,999-1) www.kxan.com/news/austin-...

Austin unveils new city brand, logo redesign

At a press conference on Thursday morning, Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax unveiled a new brand logo for the city, which he said is the first in the city’s history to unify the city and its…

www.kxan.com

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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · Sep 5

My interview with @kendallscudder.bsky.social from our September/October issue: www.texasobserver.org/texas-democr...

'Disrupting Systems to Help the Little Guy': Texas Dem Chair Embraces Economic Populism

Kendall Scudder on Bernie Sanders, Michael Bloomberg, disaster politics, and his state's economic success

www.texasobserver.org

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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · Sep 5

From @marytuma.bsky.social, House Bill 7 attacks one of the last remaining options for reproductive care in Texas and declares legal war on blue states: www.texasobserver.org/texas-legisl... #txlege

Texas Legislature Passes ‘Bounty Hunter’ Ban on Abortion Pills

House Bill 7 attacks one of the last remaining options for reproductive care in Texas and declares legal war on blue states.

www.texasobserver.org

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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · Sep 5

"We’re hopeful that it means it doesn’t come back again, and that we can preserve some level of transparency for all Texans." www.texasobserver.org/police-recor... #txlege

Police ‘Secrecy Grab’ Dies After Senate Refuses Uvalde Compromise

"We’re hopeful that it means it doesn’t come back again, and that we can preserve some level of transparency for all Texans."

www.texasobserver.org

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Reposted by Gus Bova

Mary Tuma @marytuma.bsky.social · Sep 5

While Texas already bans abortion, with HB 7 Republicans aim to halt the flow of abortion medication from out of state, one of the only remaining avenues for Texans to still access care. The bill now moves to the Gov's desk.

My latest for @texasobserver.org:

www.texasobserver.org/texas-legisl...

Texas Legislature Passes ‘Bounty Hunter’ Ban on Abortion Pills

House Bill 7 attacks one of the last remaining options for reproductive care in Texas and declares legal war on blue states.

www.texasobserver.org

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Gus Bova @gusbova.bsky.social · Aug 28

Just in: @stevanzetti.bsky.social & @tristanl.ee's work on open-source extremist identifications for the @texasobserver.org & @bellingcat.com has won the Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award, small newsroom category, from @journalists.org: awards.journalists.org/entries/open...

Open-Source Extremist Identifications - Online Journalism Awards