The Texas Observer July/August 2023

Republicans like to say they believe in limited government and oppose wasteful spending. But as Senior Writer Justin Miller’s cover story argues, Governor Greg Abbott’s $20 billion border wall puts the lie to this myth. It is not the job of states to enforce immigration law, and there’s no invasion—asylum-seekers are not an invading force. Extending the wall will not stop illegal immigration, either; most of those in the country without authorization came here legally, with visas, and overstayed them. Elsewhere in this issue, contributor Rob D’Amico kicks off our series on domestic violence with an installment examining murders in smaller counties that go unresolved or unprosecuted. In culture, Editor-at-Large Gayle Reaves profiles Houston’s multitalented poet laureate emeritus, Deborah Mouton. Continuing our coverage of women’s healthcare, midwife and former hospital…

On an early June morning, in front of a backdrop of Republican Party of Texas logos at the state party headquarters in downtown Austin, the famously enigmatic Houston trial lawyer Tony Buzbee addressed a room full of TV cameras and reporters about his newest client: the freshly impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton. One could be forgiven for dismissing the prior three weeks as a prolonged fever dream. The Texas House had voted to impeach a statewide officer for the first time since Governor James “Pa” Ferguson over a century earlier, delivering the sort of political and legal wallop that Paxton had been shrewdly ducking at the ballot box and from courts, prosecutors, judges, and the FBI for the past eight-plus years. Now Buzbee—with a Trumpian tan and a neon-pink tie—was…

The United States has the worst maternal mortality rates of any wealthy country, by a lot, and the rates are increasing. The rate of Black mothers dying is more than twice as high as that for white women. Texas’ rate is about the 12th worst among American states. Americans have heard this before, but they don’t seem to understand or know what they can do about it. Perhaps when we realize that in the United States 20 new mothers die every year for every one Dutch mother, for instance, we can begin to grasp the scale of the problem. And for every Dutch mother who dies, 50 Black American mothers die. Researchers have found that the majority of these deaths are preventable. That means that in this country every year,…

This year, Governor Greg Abbott made “school choice,” or vouchers, one of his top legislative priorities. He counted on riding the wave of “parent rights” crusades into the national political arena. But Texans didn’t buy it. Since 1995, the Coalition for Public Schools in Texas has assembled a broad spectrum of religious, child advocacy, and education organizations, now with 50 groups representing some 4 million Texans. Its member organizations range from the American Civil Liberties Union to the Texas Baptist Christian Rights Commission. For 28 years, the coalition has beaten repeated efforts to privatize public schools through a voucher system. This year’s regular legislative session was no different. Abbott and the state Senate made multiple attempts to implant vouchers—after the House voted not to use public dollars for private schools—including…

AUSTIN This year’s regular session of the Texas Legislature ended with GOP lawmakers failing to pass a number of party-priorities bills, while passing some legislation targeting vulnerable Texans including transgender kids. It seemed like a new low even for the Lege. But then, out of the blue, a Texas miracle: Attorney General Ken Paxton was impeached in an overwhelming House vote. TRINITY RIVER An angler reeled in what Texas newspapers described as an “absolute monster”—a 251-pound alligator gar that may set a world record. Art Weston, of Union, Kentucky, flew to the Trinity River specifically to fish with Texas alligator gar guide Captain Kirk Kirkland. The fish he caught (and released) in mid-April appears to beat the current International Game Association fishing world record (for an 80-pound line) by at…

To the Texas Observer Community, I’m writing to you as chair of the Texas Democracy Foundation, the nonprofit publisher of the Texas Observer, to update you on our status. I am happy to report that, today, the Observer is in a far better position than it was when the organization faced the prospect of layoffs in March. Between the extraordinary success of the staff-led GoFundMe campaign and the continued generosity of longtime donors, the Observer’s immediate financial position has stabilized. The Observer still faces serious challenges, as do other excellent publications navigating the constantly changing waters of nonprofit journalism. Ensuring the Observer’s long-term well-being is the Texas Democracy Foundation’s sole mission–and at the heart of every action we take. Right now, TDF’s focus is on the Observer’s financial stability. We…