Texas Progressives talk Lege, races, more

Off the Kuff welcomes the first official Democratic candidates for Governor and Senate to their respective races.  Updating Kuff's piece? Allred is now in.

SocraticGadfly notes how, within the Texas Lege, House Democrats seem to be a house divided with a leader not extremely leading.

Lotsa Rethuglicans will be looking for VPNs after the US Supremes said Texas' pornsite age verification law passed constitutional muster. That said, 404 Media notes the ultimate target is free speech in general and because sexually suggestive is internet clickbait, that could be a wide dragnet. That includes the ultra-odious Mike Lee wanting to redefine pornography. Via The Barbed Wire, the 19th also has thoughts.

Texas Supremes said that the United Methodist Church can officially fight Southern Methodist's plans to set itself apart from the body on governance. SMU is the site of Perkins School of Theology, an official UMC seminary, among other things.

Maybe Cornyn was partially right about being primaried by Kenny Boy. Though Paxton himself is not named, current and former staff have flung dueling lawsuits at each other.

R.F. O'Rourke shared a Texas Democrat forum stage with Joaquin Castro (NOT running for state office anytime soon, Dems or Trib-hypers) and James Talerico (ditto). I doubt any of the three is challenging Terry Virts to run against Cornyn or Paxton. Interesting that Colin Allred, supposably interested in another Senate run and mentioned as such at that Virts link, wasn't at the Alamo City forum.

The Southern Association, that accredits colleges and universities in the South, is too librul, cuz DEI allegedly, so A&M is joining with university systems in other states to create a new system. The Aggies of A N M (correct Aggie spelling) say they're not leaving Southern. Note that the Tea Sippers aren't joining this movement.

Beyonce is getting dragged for being a Black capitalist imperialist and I'm here for it.

Evil MoPac confesses five unpopular Texas opinions. (Totally right about Blue Bell; half wrong about In-n-Out.)

The Lone Star Project has a mid-year review for Texas media. (Some things true; others straight-up Democrat propaganda.)

The Texas Signal marks three years of Dobbs. 

 Therese Odell is having 2017 flashbacks. 

 Law Dork wades into the astonishingly birthright citizenship debacle from SCOTUS.