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...

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...

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...

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.

And now this: 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...

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.

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...

They wanted to take us back to the 19th century and now they've got it www.chron.com/news/houston...

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...

Texas beating South Carolina is my Super Bowl #hookem

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.

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...

let's do this, i guess