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Harper’s Magazine @harpers.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

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Christopher Hooks ( @hooks.bsky.social ), whose report on the United States’ 250th birthday celebration appeared in our July issue, spoke with Matthew Sherrill about “Dubya’s Texas,” the White House UFC fight, and his plans for the fourth. buff.ly/94krhKF

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Jonathan V. Last @jvl.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Every single paragraph of this 10,000 word piece is filled with stuff I wish I'd written. It's amazing. harpers.org/archive/2026...

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Brian Goodwin @bgoodwin.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

This is the best fucking thing I’ve read all year

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Harper’s Magazine @harpers.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

“The long-suppressed patriot in me started to experience a sinking sort of feeling. The main reminder I had in my own life that something was worth celebrating this year had been the American flag plastered across cans of Narragansett.” – @hooks.bsky.social

buff.ly

Harper’s Magazine @harpers.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

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In our July issue: Christopher Hooks on America250, William T. Vollmann on a free people’s government, Ann Manov on civic centers, Meghan O’Gieblyn on willpower, Clare Bucknell on Vermeer, Rosanna Warren on John Berryman, and a story by Padgett Powell. harpers.org/archive/2026...

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Harper’s Magazine @harpers.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

“The imperial capital has many beautiful buildings, and they are always kept tidy and clean. They have a quality that grates, though. The landscape is didactic, insistent. Somebody is always trying to teach you something.” — @hooks.bsky.social

buff.ly

Christopher Hooks @hooks.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

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For the July issue of Harper’s, I tried to work through my feelings about the United States at this particular moment by surveying the America 250/Freedom 250 industrial complex and otherwise driving around the Keystone State: harpers.org/archive/2026...

harpers.org

Harper’s Magazine @harpers.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

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Christopher Hooks (@hooks.bsky.social) reports on the United States’ semiquincentennial festivities and searches for something worth celebrating. harpers.org/archive/2026...

harpers.org

Brett Martin @brettmartin.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

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Allegedly the banned-for-life list from the soon to shutter Parkview Tavern.

A long list of names, typed and scribbled, including such figures as "Cowboy Hat Rich", Diabetic Darrell, Short Lawyer with Salt/Pepper Hair Has Salt with his beer, no tip, helps himself to stand-up cooler" and "Creepy Steve."

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Christopher Hooks @hooks.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

meet me at the Ghost of the First Piggly Wiggly in the next thirty minutes if you want an Ass Kicking

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Christopher Hooks @hooks.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

just a friendly reminder to everybody that gerrymandering does not play a role in the outcome of statewide elections

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Christopher Hooks @hooks.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

John Cornyn has been released from his waking nightmare. for Ken Paxton, poor devil, the trial continues

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gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

one thing that i think lets people like paxton and trump get away with so much is that they've had so many scandals that it really requires an attention to politics most people simply do not have anymore. when you're making an "indictment explainer" you've already lost

In 2018, a difficult year for Republicans, Mr. Paxton was re-elected — beating a former Supreme Court clerk for Sandra Day O’Connor despite ads against him that included an “indictment explainer” and a reminder of the time Mr. Paxton was caught on a security camera at a courthouse checkpoint pocketing a $1,000 Montblanc pen that wasn’t his (he gave it back).

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Frankendarling @futurehasbeen.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Just remembered this incredible chain by @hooks.bsky.social and friends.

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Sandi Villarreal @sandivillarreal.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

“Paxton can make one charge that is more powerful than anything Cornyn can pin on Ken, and which may well push the attorney general over the line on May 26: John Cornyn was in office twenty years ago.” —great analysis on state of Texas Rs by @hooks.bsky.social www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...

texasmonthly.com

How Texas Republicans Turned on George W. Bush

The man who delivered Texas to the GOP is now one of its chief targets.

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RoninMacbeth 🇺🇦🇵🇸🇻🇪 @roninmacbeth.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

I rediscovered this almost two year-old piece by @hooks.bsky.social on a convention of Habsburg...restorationists? Enthusiasts? Hobbyists? A convention in Plano which hosted members of the Habsburg-Lothringen clan, one of my favorites for how strange its subjects are. thebaffler.com/latest/feeli...

thebaffler.com

At the Habsburg Convention in Plano | Christopher Hooks

Emperor Karl I was the least successful and most tragic Habsburg monarch. A symposium in Texas makes the case for why he should become a saint.

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Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Since the headline is a bit confusing, the NYT is reporting that on the same day we hit the girl's school in Minab, we also sent a missile full of tungsten steel pellets at a girl's volleyball tournament hundreds of miles away in Lamerd. Twenty one dead. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/w...

nytimes.com

New U.S. Missile Hit Iranian Sports Hall and School, Analysis Shows

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Jason Aycock @alphajason.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Delighted to return from vacation to something I missed: a surprisingly comprehensive ranking of weird Texas political-battle music from @hooks.bsky.social www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...

texasmonthly.com

John Cornyn Released a Demented AI Ad of Ken Paxton Grooving to “Love Shack.” We Can’t Look Away.

Plus, a definitive ranking of the many weird installments in the surprisingly varied genre of Texas-politics music.

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Philip Gourevitch @pgourevitch.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

feels telling about American foreign policy punditry that while many decry the aimlessness of Trump’s monstrously wrong Iran war there were far more outraged columns over the harm done to US power and influence and standing and interests and example when Biden rightly withdrew from Afghanistan.

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Christopher Hooks @hooks.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Personally and in his politics, he’s definitely closer to Paxton. But it’s tricky because some of the people voting for him may be right wingers who’ve already decided they can’t vote for Paxton for moral reasons. So I don’t know how his vote breaks down.

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Christopher Hooks @hooks.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

i talked to the folks at nyt opinion about the primary last night and what's next: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | He’s No Beto, but Can Talarico Win? A Texas Writer Weighs In.

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Another shocker: Bo French and his "We Are All Rhodesians Now" Platform gets him a runoff berth with the incumbent. Little polling on this race but it had French way behind

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Senate's done. Elsewhere, some really weird stuff. Pretty shocking result in R AG: Roy was talking tough about avoiding a runoff and he's more than 12 points down with Mayes Middleton in a really comfortable position. Did not see this coming at all.

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Cancel that: Some Williamson polls open till 10, now, and there's a legal fight about Dallas ballots.

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It will, though, give Cornyn better material to make his electability pitch to Texas Rs over the next two months. And he's a little bit closer to 50% than I expected:

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Online, this was an extremely petty and mean-spirited campaign. Crockett was goaded into running by Rs, jumped in too late, and ran half a campaign. Among actual Texas voters, I don't think this is likely to leave any lasting scars.

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I'm bad at math and can't responsibly call anything. But Talarico's gonna win, and I bet calls start coming soon after Dallas and Williamson end voting (in two minutes)

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Talarico is winning several of south Texas counties that have been making Dems scared the last decade by about a 2-to-1 margin, something that Cornyn is likely to point to in his runoff. Up 15 in Bexar so far. Up 7 statewide.

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I realized that after 12 years, I don't actually know who or where Ken Paxton's base is. When he did poorly in hometown DFW I was worried my strongest warrior had missed a step. But he's only 2.5 points shy now and I'm less impressed by Big John

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Very early in TX-23, but runoff territory for Gonzales, who has been having Problems recently.

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Christian Menefee, in Houston, has a chance at avoiding a runoff with Al Green, casualty of redistricting. Another incumbent down, maybe, sort of.

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Im learning now that Ronny Jackson, Trump's former doctor, drew a primary challenge from a person named Chasity Wedgeworth. God bless.

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Mealer ahead (she got a late trump endorsement) but she's gonna get a runoff with Briscoe Cain. Prove me wrong, Briscoe. nothing would make me prouder

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Alright, lets do some downballot. Dan Crenshaw looks a lot like he's going to get turfed out by stalwart state rep. Steve Toth, one of the great That Guys we have on offer. One incumbent down.

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Greg Abbott is perfectly safe in his primary, of course. but his handpicked comptroller won't even get a runoff. Dunked in the toilet. Abbott's pick for ag commissioner cleared the bar, though, most likely. RIP Sid Miller :(

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Cornyn running a little bit stronger than I would have expected but doesn't seem realistic to hope for 50%. Middleton, though, maybe? Seems like the attacks on chip roy really hit home

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James Hell Brooks @kleinman.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Talarico putting up Bashar Assad numbers in central Texas—winning Travis, Hays, Williamson by 50 points. Expect San Antonio to be good for him. Feels like an early-ish call is coming.

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That's the worst news Crockett's gotten all night. She probably had to keep his margin under 20% there

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Talarico is winning early vote in majority Hispanic counties that contain Laredo and Corpus Christi almost 2 to 1, which if it holds generally across south Texas is a massive boost (Webb here)

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Early vote filtering in on TT/NYT counter is disproportionately from DFW area, which seems to be benefiting Crockett and Cornyn/Middleton. gonna be a while before we get better picture from across the state

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esouthard @esouthard.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

if we all hit refresh at the same time it could jog them loose

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Can’t believe you withhold this insight from the folks here

Christopher Hooks
@cd_hooks What to look for on election night in the
#TXSen Dem primary: 1) Votes. The more each candidate gets, the better. And that's likely to determine the
winner of the entire ballgame. 2) The map. Votes from outside Texas aren't likely to count at all-unless they were mailed
in.
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