Texas progressives talk Trump, Turd Blossom, Third Parties

Texas Progressives hope that Trump being a wuss on Iran (after the Soleimani assassination, and we think that's the case) remains a thing, and that more antiwar voters recognize that most Democrats aren't actually antiwar.

In the meantime, with one round of fake Snowmageddon (and videoshopped alleged tornadoes on Twitter) hitting North Texas, we hope you take Texas winter with all the relative seriousness it deserves and enjoy this week's Roundup, while congratulating the cheating Astros for getting off light. (See below.)

We also wish Sema Hernandez the best prognosis and recovery possible on her medical issues.


Texas politics

Greg Abbott is a heartless biatch, and has shown that most clearly by his announcement the state won't take more refugees.

Never Trumper Turd Blossom Rove is bigly worried that Trump will affect the election. Turd Blossom's worries shouldn't be limited to that, maybe. With Justin Amash still being coy about a Libertarian run and the LP's national convention this year in Austin, Trump could face his own problems in Texas.

Kenny Boy Paxton is trying to further stiff Planned Parenthood.

In response? It's not quite coat hangers, but "personal abortions" are on the rise.

Kenny Boy and Secretary of State Ruth Hughs (with help from SoS career staff) are trying at least as hard to further stiff third parties.

Gadfly, in addition to his regular blogging, had a brief update to his original post about the suit over HB 2504 and related ballot access issues.

Texas Democratic Senate candidates had a forum in Houston. ConservaDem M.J. Hegar was a no-show. Maybe she was worried about having to field gunz issues in light of yet another relatively recent shooting in Tex-ass.

The Texas Signal looks at some key indicators for 2020.

Texana

Grits talks about various criminal justice issues, and also discusses Danny Goeb's call to look at ways of reforming judicial selection. (Your blogger, having seen it at work in New Mexico, thinks the retention election system is better than Texas' current, while agreeing with Grits that Patrick et al are whining because urban metros are voting for Dem judges.

A study claiming that eating plenty of red meat was just fine for heart health, based in part on Texas AgriLife Extension funding, has had a correction appended over some of its financing from A and M AND due to that funding being given as part of recruiting the one author to teach at College Station. Sadly, the correction is only an appending of the new financial information; the authors and Extension refuse to modify the controversial claims. Hat tip Retraction Watch. Shock me that the U won't do what it needs to do; even before becoming system chancellor, John Sharp struck me as a shyster. But there's a Part 2, also hat tip to Reaction Watch. The folks claiming conflict of interest? They've got their own conflicts of interest, arguably worse.

What's worse than Trump's wall? A private individual wanting to build his own wall when the Trump Administration doesn't even want it.

Busted for 3,300 pounds of pot? No, it was actually hemp. Cases like this are going to start leading to false imprisonment lawsuits, I hope. And, small counties with hang-em-high district and county attorneys can't afford such lawsuits.

The Bloggess presents her TED talk.


Dallas

They lost on Reverchon Park, but Jim Schutze notes that a Hispanic bloc on the Dallas City Council, outside of white-black North-South Dallas horsetrading, could be emerging.


Houston

The Astros got off light. AND, read what I said in the first graf, other Houstonian TPA members or Houstonians in general.

Off the Kuff interviewed the three Democratic candidates in HD134: Ann Johnson, Ruby Powers, and Lanny Bose.


National

SocraticGadfly looks at the New York Times' 1619 Project, trying to claim that year, not 1776, is the keystone to US history, and says BOTH it AND its major opponents are all wet.

Brains goes Bernie-heavy on his weekly update.

Reason's libertarians (now that they're done lying for now about Venezuela) expect more never-Trumper Rethugs, or general vagabonds like Lincoln Chafee, to seek the capital-L Libertarian prez nomination. (The lying includes blatant falsehoods about Venezuela's historical GNP, among other things.)

Rogelio Sáenz notes that children of color are already the majority in many US states.