‘Death Star law’ to Abortion: The New Rightwing Laws Taking Effect in Texas
Hundreds of new Texas laws come into effect today, including anti-LGBTQ measures, new state funding for anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers,” and other legislation Fellow Mark P. Jones calls a “smorgasbord of red meat for the Republican base.”
Is Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a Losing Battle Regardless of the Impeachment Trial Outcome?
“It’s especially a bad look if the end result is acquittal,” said fellow Mark P. Jones, following reports that Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who will preside over the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton, accepted millions from a pro-Paxton PAC.
Harris County Leads State in Fentanyl Deaths in 2023, Data Shows
Before fentanyl’s rise, overdose deaths were more limited to opioid and heroin users, fellow Katharine Neill Harris explains. But now, the risk has broadened to non-regular drug users, like someone trying cocaine for the first time or buying counterfeit drugs.
Solar a Bright Spot in Slow Progress Toward US Renewable Energy Goals
Solar shines amid slow US renewable progress: It’s now cheapest for new grid electricity. But grid linkage remains slow, notes Rice Faculty Scholar Daniel Cohan, in Texas “over 100 gigawatts worth of projects waiting their turn to be connected.”
Paxton’s Alleged Affair Takes Center Stage Ahead of His Impeachment Trial, Testing Christian Support
Ahead of Texas AG Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial, nonresident scholar David Brockman comments that Paxton’s approach is to “distract from the serious charges by claiming that he’s being persecuted by those who oppose his conservative beliefs and actions.”