Texas Observer
@texasobserver.org
A nonprofit newsroom covering Texas through investigative journalism & narrative storytelling since 1954.
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Follow our journos: https://go.bsky.app/EdSL3Co
🤠Learn more about us: https://linktr.ee/texasobserver
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The Molly Awards Submissions
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN. The MOLLY Investigative Journalism Prize is an annual award of $5,000, open to national print and digital outlets. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM CST on Friday…
www.texasobserver.org
Our MOLLY Award Submissions are now OPEN! Our annual prize for investigative journalism is open to both print and digital outlets, with an annual award of $5000.
Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here:
Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here:
Knowledge, the kind acquired through effort, is a precious resource—especially gains in understanding that make the world safer and fairer.
How to Cause a Dysfunctional Government
On RFK, Jr., Trump v. Slaughter, and the serious flaw of the right’s unitary executive theory.
www.texasobserver.org
February 9, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Knowledge, the kind acquired through effort, is a precious resource—especially gains in understanding that make the world safer and fairer.
In our magazine: "As a journalist and a curious woman, I wanted to dig deeper into what seemed to be a refuge from the usual isolation I felt. Did the Hindu reverence for female goddesses reflect the realities of ordinary women?"
A Reporter's Religious Quest in Houston Suburbia
At a Hindu temple hidden in Pearland, I found lessons about community, womanhood, and alienation.
www.texasobserver.org
February 9, 2026 at 7:30 PM
In our magazine: "As a journalist and a curious woman, I wanted to dig deeper into what seemed to be a refuge from the usual isolation I felt. Did the Hindu reverence for female goddesses reflect the realities of ordinary women?"
New from @jlbuch.bsky.social: “That facility is, like, terrible, horrible. There’s a lot of people in there. A lot. Each room has like 45 capacity. And they’re putting like 60 people in each room. The restroom is a mess. Dirty. People are sleeping on the floor, people are sleeping in the restroom.”
How Trump's ICE Is Locking Up Longtime Texans with Paths to Legal Status
The case of one Houston man, nearly deported to India after a quarter-century here, shows what happens when prosecutorial discretion is abandoned.
www.texasobserver.org
February 9, 2026 at 6:17 PM
New from @jlbuch.bsky.social: “That facility is, like, terrible, horrible. There’s a lot of people in there. A lot. Each room has like 45 capacity. And they’re putting like 60 people in each room. The restroom is a mess. Dirty. People are sleeping on the floor, people are sleeping in the restroom.”
Reposted by Texas Observer
Only China has more gas power projects in development than Texas. Nearly half of all upcoming gas power projects in Texas, totalling 40 GW of capacity, are planned to directly power data centers.
Country’s Largest Air Pollution Permit Issued to Power Plant for Data Centers in West Texas, Developer Says
It’s among a handful of similarly colossal ventures announced during 2025, making Texas the global epicenter of a gas power buildout.
www.texasobserver.org
February 6, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Only China has more gas power projects in development than Texas. Nearly half of all upcoming gas power projects in Texas, totalling 40 GW of capacity, are planned to directly power data centers.
Reposted by Texas Observer
Have you read the January/February 2026 issue of our magazine? www.texasobserver.org/issues/janua...
February 8, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Have you read the January/February 2026 issue of our magazine? www.texasobserver.org/issues/janua...
Reposted by Texas Observer
Our MOLLY Award Submissions are now OPEN! Our annual prize for investigative journalism is open to both print and digital outlets, with an annual award of $5000.
Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here:
Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here:
The Molly Awards Submissions
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN. The MOLLY Investigative Journalism Prize is an annual award of $5,000, open to national print and digital outlets. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM CST on Friday…
www.texasobserver.org
February 3, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Our MOLLY Award Submissions are now OPEN! Our annual prize for investigative journalism is open to both print and digital outlets, with an annual award of $5000.
Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here:
Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here:
Last week: "A call for help triggered a chain of events that ended with the deportation of a mother and her U.S. citizen child. This is not public safety. This is a system that punishes families for seeking help."
When Local Police Collaborate with ICE, Children Pay the Price
I know exactly what message the recent deportation of an Austin mom and her 5-year-old sends to kids. They learn that calling 911 is dangerous.
www.texasobserver.org
February 9, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Last week: "A call for help triggered a chain of events that ended with the deportation of a mother and her U.S. citizen child. This is not public safety. This is a system that punishes families for seeking help."
Reposted by Texas Observer
For the Texas Observer, the data probably tells us to go back 72 years and never start this crazy thing...
Never a better time to subscribe -- consider it a snub to Jeff Bezos personally texasobserver.org/join
Never a better time to subscribe -- consider it a snub to Jeff Bezos personally texasobserver.org/join
Jeff Bezos' statement, his first since last week's layoffs: "The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus."
February 8, 2026 at 2:18 PM
For the Texas Observer, the data probably tells us to go back 72 years and never start this crazy thing...
Never a better time to subscribe -- consider it a snub to Jeff Bezos personally texasobserver.org/join
Never a better time to subscribe -- consider it a snub to Jeff Bezos personally texasobserver.org/join
Our top story: Rehmet’s win was a 31-point swing from President Donald Trump’s victory there less than a year and a half ago—and a 37-point swing from the GOP incumbent’s margin in that district in 2022.
Does Taylor Rehmet’s Victory Foreshadow an Anti-MAGA Wave?
As the dust settles, Texas Dems and Republicans weigh the lessons from the shock upset in Senate District 9.
www.texasobserver.org
February 9, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Our top story: Rehmet’s win was a 31-point swing from President Donald Trump’s victory there less than a year and a half ago—and a 37-point swing from the GOP incumbent’s margin in that district in 2022.
From Monday, by @josephinelee.bsky.social: "I regarded Pearland as a bleak place to endure as part of my sacrificial motherhood. So I was surprised to find a temple here where women were both being celebrated and celebrating with so much joy."
A Reporter's Religious Quest in Houston Suburbia
At a Hindu temple hidden in Pearland, I found lessons about community, womanhood, and alienation.
www.texasobserver.org
February 8, 2026 at 10:00 PM
From Monday, by @josephinelee.bsky.social: "I regarded Pearland as a bleak place to endure as part of my sacrificial motherhood. So I was surprised to find a temple here where women were both being celebrated and celebrating with so much joy."
Have you read the January/February 2026 issue of our magazine? www.texasobserver.org/issues/janua...
February 8, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Have you read the January/February 2026 issue of our magazine? www.texasobserver.org/issues/janua...
Featured story, from Michelle Pitcher: Between January 2020 and July 2025, at least 189 Texas prisoners died of drug-related causes—and each year through 2024 was deadlier than the last. In 110 cases, synthetic cannabinoids were confirmed or suspected.
In Texas State Jails, a Rising Death Toll and a Broken Promise
Once billed as rehabilitative alternatives to prisons, these facilities are the sites of fatal overdoses—like that which ended the life of a Texan named Jackie Wiley.
www.texasobserver.org
February 8, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Featured story, from Michelle Pitcher: Between January 2020 and July 2025, at least 189 Texas prisoners died of drug-related causes—and each year through 2024 was deadlier than the last. In 110 cases, synthetic cannabinoids were confirmed or suspected.
Each data center can “drink” as much as an entire community. Yet Texas does not require data center operators to disclose projected water use or report actual consumption. This makes research difficult and limits visibility for water-stressed municipalities.
The Texas AI Boom Is Outpacing Water Regulations
Each data center can “drink” as much as an entire community. Yet, Texas does not require these tech firms to disclose projected or actual water consumption.
www.texasobserver.org
February 8, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Each data center can “drink” as much as an entire community. Yet Texas does not require data center operators to disclose projected water use or report actual consumption. This makes research difficult and limits visibility for water-stressed municipalities.
"A melting, a chili pot OF
TEXAS OH TEXAS. Created here and here and all the way
over and down there.
IN.
The Gulf and
engulfed and gulping and drinking
the water with no lights no
home for the home of the brave Natives.
TEXAS OH TEXAS. Created here and here and all the way
over and down there.
IN.
The Gulf and
engulfed and gulping and drinking
the water with no lights no
home for the home of the brave Natives.
Poem: Oh, Texas Our Texas,
We are living here...
www.texasobserver.org
February 7, 2026 at 10:00 PM
"A melting, a chili pot OF
TEXAS OH TEXAS. Created here and here and all the way
over and down there.
IN.
The Gulf and
engulfed and gulping and drinking
the water with no lights no
home for the home of the brave Natives.
TEXAS OH TEXAS. Created here and here and all the way
over and down there.
IN.
The Gulf and
engulfed and gulping and drinking
the water with no lights no
home for the home of the brave Natives.
Let’s begin with a definition, by example, of dysfunctional governing: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the United States Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary.
How to Cause a Dysfunctional Government
On RFK, Jr., Trump v. Slaughter, and the serious flaw of the right’s unitary executive theory.
www.texasobserver.org
February 7, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Let’s begin with a definition, by example, of dysfunctional governing: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the United States Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary.
"I grew up undocumented in this country. From an early age, I learned how fear can live quietly inside a child. I learned to listen for sirens, notice unfamiliar cars, and worry whether a normal school day would end with my family separated."
When Local Police Collaborate with ICE, Children Pay the Price
I know exactly what message the recent deportation of an Austin mom and her 5-year-old sends to kids. They learn that calling 911 is dangerous.
www.texasobserver.org
February 7, 2026 at 6:34 PM
"I grew up undocumented in this country. From an early age, I learned how fear can live quietly inside a child. I learned to listen for sirens, notice unfamiliar cars, and worry whether a normal school day would end with my family separated."
Our top story: “He’s a union leader, veteran, very disciplined on his messaging and very hyper-focused on the working class and making life better for people. Leigh is a zealot who spends all of her time denigrating public school teachers and trying to dismantle public school institutions.”
Does Taylor Rehmet’s Victory Foreshadow an Anti-MAGA Wave?
As the dust settles, Texas Dems and Republicans weigh the lessons from the shock upset in Senate District 9.
www.texasobserver.org
February 7, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Our top story: “He’s a union leader, veteran, very disciplined on his messaging and very hyper-focused on the working class and making life better for people. Leigh is a zealot who spends all of her time denigrating public school teachers and trying to dismantle public school institutions.”
When children witness classmates detained, hear about neighbors deported, or watch a parent disappear after a routine interaction with police, the damage ripples outward. Entire communities retreat into silence.
When Local Police Collaborate with ICE, Children Pay the Price
I know exactly what message the recent deportation of an Austin mom and her 5-year-old sends to kids. They learn that calling 911 is dangerous.
www.texasobserver.org
February 6, 2026 at 11:00 PM
When children witness classmates detained, hear about neighbors deported, or watch a parent disappear after a routine interaction with police, the damage ripples outward. Entire communities retreat into silence.
Featured story: Propelled by an army of 100,000 volunteers who took on the city’s political machine from below, the question now is not whether someone like Zohran Mamdani can win but whether his victory can carry beyond the borders of the Big Apple.
In Texas Cities, Let a Hundred Mamdanis Bloom
Our state has long-term lessons to learn from the New York socialist’s rise.
www.texasobserver.org
February 6, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Featured story: Propelled by an army of 100,000 volunteers who took on the city’s political machine from below, the question now is not whether someone like Zohran Mamdani can win but whether his victory can carry beyond the borders of the Big Apple.
“For the first time in a very long time, Democrats were operating as a team, moving in the same direction with the same goal, and that’s to win an election.”
New from Tyler Hicks: What can we learn from the historic upset in Tarrant County?
New from Tyler Hicks: What can we learn from the historic upset in Tarrant County?
Does Taylor Rehmet’s Victory Foreshadow an Anti-MAGA Wave?
As the dust settles, Texas Dems and GOP weigh the lessons from the shock upset in Senate District 9.
www.texasobserver.org
February 6, 2026 at 7:50 PM
“For the first time in a very long time, Democrats were operating as a team, moving in the same direction with the same goal, and that’s to win an election.”
New from Tyler Hicks: What can we learn from the historic upset in Tarrant County?
New from Tyler Hicks: What can we learn from the historic upset in Tarrant County?
#ICYMI, MOLLY Award Submissions are OPEN! Our annual prize for investigative journalism is open to both print and digital outlets, with an annual award of $5000.
Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here:
Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here:
The Molly Awards Submissions
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN. The MOLLY Investigative Journalism Prize is an annual award of $5,000, open to national print and digital outlets. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM CST on Friday…
www.texasobserver.org
February 6, 2026 at 6:31 PM
#ICYMI, MOLLY Award Submissions are OPEN! Our annual prize for investigative journalism is open to both print and digital outlets, with an annual award of $5000.
Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here:
Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here:
Reposted by Texas Observer
Talarico's Super Bowl ad is an ad showing people alone on their phones/tablets watching footage from the same staged speech used in a prior ad.
I make no comment on the effectiveness, only on what it implies about the state of our one precious lives on this planet www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s_1...
I make no comment on the effectiveness, only on what it implies about the state of our one precious lives on this planet www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s_1...
Billionaires
YouTube video by James Talarico
www.youtube.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Talarico's Super Bowl ad is an ad showing people alone on their phones/tablets watching footage from the same staged speech used in a prior ad.
I make no comment on the effectiveness, only on what it implies about the state of our one precious lives on this planet www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s_1...
I make no comment on the effectiveness, only on what it implies about the state of our one precious lives on this planet www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s_1...
More on James Rodden:
February 6, 2026 at 5:48 PM
More on James Rodden:
Reposted by Texas Observer
Is religious liberty in jeopardy in Texas public schools? Baker Institute's Michael O. Emerson interviews me on how faith-based politics, Christian nationalism, and recent legislative actions are reshaping classrooms across Texas www.bakerinstitute.org/research/rel...
Religion and the Battle for Texas Public Schools | Baker Institute
Baker Institute fellows Michael O. Emerson and David R. Brockman unpack how faith-based politics, Christian nationalism, and recent legislative actions are reshaping classrooms across Texas.
www.bakerinstitute.org
February 5, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Is religious liberty in jeopardy in Texas public schools? Baker Institute's Michael O. Emerson interviews me on how faith-based politics, Christian nationalism, and recent legislative actions are reshaping classrooms across Texas www.bakerinstitute.org/research/rel...
Reposted by Texas Observer
Plans for the border wall now cut through wildlife refuges and cultural sites in the Rio Grande Valley insideclimatenews.org/news/0402202...
Rio Grande Valley Advocates Urge Congress to Restore Protections for Public Lands in Path of Border Wall - Inside Climate News
After years of bipartisan carveouts from Congress, plans for the border wall now cut through wildlife refuges and cultural sites in the Texas Rio Grande Valley.
insideclimatenews.org
February 5, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Plans for the border wall now cut through wildlife refuges and cultural sites in the Rio Grande Valley insideclimatenews.org/news/0402202...