The Texas Roundup says: Give me your ladders

There's lots of stuff to consider this week, between strictly Texas news and national and even global items hitting directly upon the Pointy Abandoned Object State™, including fracking, Biden and the border, and other fun stuff, so, let's dig in.

Texas

Ill Eagles are defeating border wall sections built by Trump (and by Dear Leader and Shrub Bush before him) with $5 ladders. Sadly, Status Quo Joe, rather than doing everything he can to cancel more wall-building, as shown by his detention issues, is probably going to do some difference-splitting along with Trump-blaming. (See below under the National subheader about Biden's continuing to use Trump's Title 42 declaration for arbitrary turn-backs at the border.)

A radioactive waste site out west of Andrews is struggling to safely store radioactive oil and gas waste from elsewhere, including Australia. Yes, Australia. But, don't worry; Lloyd Bentsen himself made sure that (the law says) this waste is nontoxic. That's even as the Society of Petroleum Engineers admits the truth. The Railroad Commish alleges it inspects Lotus, but, really? The RRC claims it "inspects" all sorts of stuff.

Frackers are still looking for "bigger fools" to buy them out.

New House and Senate vote bills specifically target urban counties over 1 million. Gee, wonder why. Kuff has more.

 

Permitless carry may still not get through the Senate, at least not in the House's version, says the Trib.

Per that piece, but the Trib has no link to a story of its own, I don't know how I missed it, but Jeebus Shot Sid Miller is suing Lite Gov Danny Goeb over COVID restrictions under the Pink Dome. Getcher popcorn, especially since "Doctor" Steve Hotze is behind the suit and Jared Woodfill is the barratry specialist of record. I guess a COVID shot ain't a Jesus shot? What's more interesting yet is that Patrick actually has apparently abandoned his "duty to die," even though he's over 70 himself; the restrictions are ONLY on the Senate side of the Capitol, but Patrick has essentially done a cross-dome callout to House Speaker Dade Phelan to tell him to get his shit together. That said, the Trib link of the previous graf DOES note that the Sidster has dropped hints about running for higher office in 2022. That leaves just Abbott or Patrick; Pee Bush's office would be a lateral move, and the idea of Sid challenging Glenn Hegar for Comptroller is mind-boggling.

Off the Kuff derides that ridiculous Abbott/McConaughey poll, which could have told us something about 2022 but failed to do so.

Will Derek Chauvin's conviction up north push forward the George Floyd Act?

Dan Solomon does another one of his fellation jobs at Texas Monthly, this one over HornsSawnOff QB Sam Ehlinger and "The Eyes of Texas," with Solomon pretending to ask a question about that.

Will the Lege officially block Strangeabbott from taking away regular state funds any time the feds offer new COVID-related money earmarked for schools? R.G. Ratcliffe looks at that and other budget issues.

Never Trumper Michael Wood hopes to make the runoff in the CD6 special election. Ain't gonna happen, but nice honest try.

Grits for Breakfast reminds us that under current Texas law, a police officer has to be fired twice before they can have their law enforcement license revoked. 

The 19th profiles Houston City Council member Abbie Kamin, the first person to serve on the Houston City Council while pregnant.

John Hryhorchuk explains what's holding up federal stimulus money for Texas public schools. 

Jef Rouner gives a legislative marijuana bill update.

The Texas Civil Rights Project documents some of the ways that the two big voter suppression bills would harm voters.

Zenen Jaimes Perez and Stephanie Gómez show why restricting voting hours makes it extremely difficult for some people to be able to vote.

Amber Briggle had to file a police report for the harassment she's received since testifying against the various anti-trans bills in the Lege.

National

For Earth Day, SocraticGadfly talked about the ecosocialist Earth Day to May Day framing by the Green Party of what a real Green New Deal entails.

Richard Trumka was elected many moons ago on the promise of a new AFL-CIO. Then why is he continuing to hassle the new new AFL-CIO at its Vermont chapter?

 

Gavin Newsom will face a recall, but unlike Grey Davis, he'll almost certainly win — in part because today's California GOP has nobody like an Arnold to lead a non-nutbar, socially somewhat libertarian, conservative opposition. 

Pro Publica, which has previously busted international tree purchasing climate change offsets as largely fake, especially in the tropics, does the same with California.

Ashli Babbitt's family is as much Babbitt grifters / Dum Fuqs as she was if they think they can win a $10 million lawsuit against the Capitol Police. (It will be great to see if white wingnuts lose this in part by being hoist on the sovereign immunity petard.) Family lawyer Terry Roberts will also have a fun time trying to prove what constitutional rights of a person committing multiple felonies at the time she was shot were being violated.

Biden continues to hate on Ill Eagles. And much of BlueMAGA continues to make themselves deliberately unaware, or else defend him in the face of knowing this. The BorderLines newsletter has more about some of the problems this causes when migrants from further south than Mexico are simply shoved back across the Mexican border.