Texas Progressives glad that DACA is back (on paper)

As Trump continues to lose election challenge suits, there's still a special election for the Texas Lege, Biden Cabinet nominees and infighting over them.

There's other things on the plate for this week, so let's dig in, and we shall do so.

Texas

The Observer eyeballs the high cost of traditional death in Texas, Texas' role in spreading this nationwide (the Dignity et al chain of semi-monopolistic funeral homes started here) and what some are doing to fight back.

Off the Kuff has wrapped up his look at recent Presidential results with analyses of East, Central, and West Texas.

"Let's go aggressively centric." Yep, Texas Dems, that's the idea of your Hollywood heartthrob that you have hard-on for as your 2022 guv candidate. More on Matt McConaghey's appearance on Russell Brand here.

Dr. Peter Hotez says "goodbye and good riddance" to Scott Atlas.  

Sanford Nowlin previews the legislative budget battle.  

The Bloggess presents Year Eleven of the James Garfield Miracle.  

Jessica Montoya Coggins worries about the next phase of anti-abortion legislation in Texas.

North Texas

Tarrant County went blue, just slightly, which started the mouthbreathers in the local GOP off with localized fake news claims about voting fraud. It's the first time since LBJ that that's happened, which explains the butt-hurt.

Shelley Luther is playing up the antimasking angle in her SD30 runoff against Drew Springer, but as COVID numbers soar, will that dog hunt?

Nancy Rodriguez will be bad for Dallas ISD. Schutze explains.

Is downtown Dallas walkable? Zac Crain says actually, yes, sort of. The Observer writes about his effort.

National

Ken Paxton, on state trial for corruption and under FBI investigation for more corruption, is of course the perfect poster child for vote theft #StartTheSteal corruption by suing other states.

Joe Biden, more than Status Quo Joe, is New Jim Crow Joe, Counterpunch details.

He's also the New Warmonger Joe, giving us a career military man, retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, instead of warmongering neoliberal-con Michele Flournoy, as Secretary of Defense.

SocraticGadfly, noting Biden's fall-offs vs. Hillary Clinton, and of course vs. Obama, looks at minority voters vs the Democratic reservation, and about minorities looking beyond the two-party box. 

A federal judge ruled that some teens should be allowed to apply for DACA again.

Friendly reminder that Trump was mostly talk, little action on ending "forever wars," contra Maté, Blumenthal and other not always useful idiots. Friendly additional reminder that his mindset, frozen in amber from 50 years ago, includes being frozen in amber on wanting to fight Cold War wars.

It's fun watching the Biden Hispanic Cabinet calf scramble!