@forrest4thetrees.bsky.social
NEW from me: A border wall in Big Bend, including the state and national parks, would "ruin the whole area forever"—and even MAGA politicians from the region are against it. Yet Trump is marching forward. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
Even MAGA Republicans Hate Plans to Put a Border Wall in Big Bend
Virtually no one, it seems, thinks a physical barrier in the region is a good idea. The Trump administration is rushing to build one anyway.
texasmonthly.com
NEW from me: The abruptness with which Islamophobia reemerged in the past year or so suggests something deeply cynical. The border's quiet and the trans panic has waned. Time to bring back an old bogeyman for the mid-terms. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
Burning Qurans and Banning Sharia Yet Again: Inside the Texas GOP’s Anti-Muslim Campaigning
With national prospects looking bleak for Republicans heading into the midterms, the party has dusted off an old bogeyman.
texasmonthly.com
As we transition into an unseasonably hot and dry spring, let's look at the state of Texas' water supply—a looming calamity told in charts. Reservoirs on three of the state's major river basins (Nueces, Guadalupe, and Rio Grande) are at or near all-time lows.
God bless the Texas Legislature. The state is the epicenter of a measles outbreak that has already killed one child and the response from GOP lawmakers is to eliminate mandatory vaccines in schools. capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/...
NEW from me: National DOGE attacks on the media have reinvigorated attempts in Texas to weaken independent media by using state power to cut off governments doing business with media (advertising, sponsorships, and subscriptions). www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
DOGE Has Reinvigorated the Right-Wing Crusade Against Texas Media
Political operatives want to crush the state’s independent press. They’re using a crude messaging strategy.
texasmonthly.com
New from Justin Miller: This state of disaster has been continuously renewed, even as border apprehensions have fallen precipitously. Now four years old, the Texas Legislature has allocated more than $11 billion in funding.
Abbott’s Border Disaster Has Created a No-Bid Bonanza for Private Contractors
There is now a powerful, well-heeled constituency that has built up around Operation Lone Star.
texasobserver.org
And now this: www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
“Terrible, Thoughtless, and Reckless”: Inside the Firings at Big Bend National Park
Tourists are flocking to the 1,252 square miles of rugged terrain, where visitor safety is a primary concern. DOGE just slashed five employees from the already understaffed park.
texasmonthly.com
@forrest4thetrees.bsky.social · 2y agoNEW from me: Bianca Sicich, a 30-year-old Texan, was abruptly fired by DOGE two weeks ago. She's so dedicated to protecting the endangered Attwater prairie chicken that she's been working her federal job at a Texas ntl wildlife refuge *without pay* ever since. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
NEW from me: Bianca Sicich, a 30-year-old Texan, was abruptly fired by DOGE two weeks ago. She's so dedicated to protecting the endangered Attwater prairie chicken that she's been working her federal job at a Texas ntl wildlife refuge *without pay* ever since. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
After Elon Musk Fired Her, She Kept Showing Up to Work—for Free
The billionaire and his followers are out to cull federal employees they think are lazy and overpaid. But without people like Bianca Sicich, the Attwater’s prairie chicken could go extinct.
texasmonthly.com
I accidentally added another 'e' to my email sign-off — 'beset' — and I think I might keep it...
more than a year ago, the TM editorial staff concluded that we needed to cover this disaster in our backyard in the same way were then covering the uvalde shooting: with human depth and mightily resourced reporting. i’m so proud to see that effort come to fruition today.
Texas Monthly@texasmonthly.bsky.social · 2y agoMore than two years after the worst immigration-related disaster in American history, traffickers involved in the deaths of 53 migrants are set to stand trial. The Quintana Road tragedy was decades in the making. www.texasmonthly.com/interactive/...
NEW from me: How an argument over backyard swimming lessons sent a gated community in Dripping Springs off the deep end. A question I tried to answer, and probably failed: How does a fight over almost nothing turn into a fight over everything? www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
The Neighborhood Spat That Went Nuclear
How an argument over backyard swimming lessons sent a gated community off the deep end.
texasmonthly.com
They wanted to take us back to the 19th century and now they've got it www.chron.com/news/houston...
Unvaccinated West Texas child is first measles death amid surging outbreak
A child hospitalized with measles in West Texas has died. It's the first death in an outbreak that began last month.
chron.com
NEW from me: How an argument over backyard swimming lessons sent a gated community in Dripping Springs off the deep end. A question I tried to answer, and probably failed: How does a fight over almost nothing turn into a fight over everything? www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
The Neighborhood Spat That Went Nuclear
How an argument over backyard swimming lessons sent a gated community off the deep end.
texasmonthly.com
First glance read this as “Daniel Perry”— the Army captain who was convicted of murder for shoot and killing a BLM protester in Austin and was then pardoned by Greg Abbott — but it’s hard to keep ‘em all straight. Hey it’s America and there is more than one killer vet named Daniel blessed by elites.
Bloomberg News@bloomberg.com · 2y agoVenture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz has hired Daniel Penny, a Marine veteran who became a national figure after he used a chokehold on an agitated subway rider
today, i talked to a W. Texas county judge, who began the conversation by telling me a story. once, she worked at a hospital where she had to often call out unusual patient names. One kid was named "Sssst." the judge winged it: 'ssss-t?" The mom about took her head off. "It's pronounced 'Forrest'!"
This reminds me of @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social and @dansolomon.com’s piece in @texasmonthly.bsky.social in 2023 ranking right-wing Texas photo ops at the border www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
Who Wore It Best? We Rate Politicians on Their Border Photo Ops
Rick Perry rides a gunboat. Ted Cruz goes militiaman. Ron DeSantis and George P. Bush try their best.
texasmonthly.com
Axios@axios.com · 2y agoDonald Trump's immigration crackdown isn't just about making arrests. It's about choreography, photo ops, wardrobe changes and tough talk — all designed to discourage undocumented people from wanting to be in the U.S.