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Robert Downen

@robertdownen.bsky.social
57K followers 4K following 2.3K posts

Texas Monthly senior writer focused on the far right & Christian nationalism. Helped expose the Southern Baptist abuse crisis. Fan of Hip Hop and loud guitars. Send me music.

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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Brutal morning of headlines for Ken Paxton.
New York Times: Inside Ken Paxton’s Private Testimony About His Money
A leaked deposition from a fraud inquiry in 2014 provides insight into the Senate candidate’s growing wealth and his tactics for defending himself.ProPublica: Ken Paxton’s Security for Travel Cost Taxpayers Millions. Just 1 in 6 of His Trips Had a Stated Business Purpose.CNN: ‘He wants me to lose’: Paxton complains about lack of support from Cornyn in leaked audio
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
mom! I made the local paper!
Texas Monthly reporter Rob Downen posted on X that he was removed from the event after entering with a general admission ticket.

“I was also removed from the event as soon as I got through security,” Downen wrote. “I had a general admission ticket but was told by security that TPUSA had passed around a photo of me in order to kick me out.”

Earlier Wednesday, the Statesman reported that UT president’s office helped reserve LBJ Auditorium.

The reservation renewed criticism from some students and faculty members who have argued university leadership has exercised increasing influence over political events — while favoring conservative speakers — despite the university’s commitment to institutional neutrali
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
An Austin American Statesman reporter was eventually let in, but under some truly bizarre parameters in which she was told she was not to behave like a “reporter.”
A tweet from journalist Faith Bugenhagen: got in but late and I’ve been told I’m not allowed to operate as a “reporter” in general admission and that the event was “private” but “open to the public” — I’m in the crowd now but was told to “respect my non press capacity” + not document anything inside
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Huge news for my will to live
A screenshot showing that is 71 degrees in Austin.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Listening to Sade
Patrick Bateman dancing in his apartment
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Small but lovely addition to this website
a screenshot of the tag on threaded posts, showing what number in the sequence it is
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Interesting subplots happening right now in the (mostly on pause) fight between the Texas GOP far right v. moderate flanks: Charlie Geren, a well-respected GOP House member, is sharing anti-Paxton stuff; and State Sen. Paul Bettencourt is touting a meeting with Karl Rove, a major Paxton critic.
screenshots of Charlie Geren sharing posts about Ken Paxton's handling of various rape cases - including one from the Talarico campaign. A photo of Karl Rove and Paul Bettencourt. There is nothing like a lunch speech from the "Architect", per Bush 43, @KarlRove at @texaschemistry in Baytown! As usual you have to dish it out to keep up with him, especially whose Trumpster impression is best! Hard to compete with Karl's actual  @realDonaldTrump nickname of "Stone Cold (BLANK)", but you'll have to guess the right fill in the blank below in the comments! LOL Good update on historical politics and current politics, in this most "crazy" of election years. Karl and I agree it is the most "frothy" we've seen in our lifetimes.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"Blasphemy laws and blue laws are discussed far less often than how terrible Rabbinical Judaism is, how flawed democracy is, and female voting." In which a prominent Christian nationalist writer declares the Christian nationalist movement dead - for now. jonharris.substack.com/p/whatever-h...
Instead, increasingly, what separates the more popular online voices in the Christian nationalist movement, which is where it is most prominent at present, seems to be more more anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli, or anti-MAGA sentiments, particularly toward Christian members of the Trump coalition whom they perceive as more liberal or hypocritical. The focus on moral degeneracy has taken more of a backseat. Blasphemy laws and blue laws are discussed far less often than things like how terrible Rabbinical Judaism is, how flawed democracy is, and how, until conservatives grapple with the problems associated with female voting, progress is muted. It is not as though these discussions, especially in a historical or theoretical sense, are forbidden, but as priorities, they do not readily translate into practical politics. The average Christian is increasingly alienated from the reprioritization.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Per Texas media, it’s looking like +100K registrations were affected. Secretary of State is saying that it shouldn’t affect voting.
We reached out to 24 counties today to see the extent of the problem. Here's what we got back:
Collin County - 40,000+
Travis County - 32,000
Brazoria County - 9,000+
Hays County - 8,100
Cameron County - 5,000
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
New Marist poll has Talarico with 50% of the vote and, wait for it, with a 56-point lead among 18 to 29 year olds.
Crosstabs from the new Marist poll
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
WHAT

Spotify screenshot for new music from Jets To Brazil
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Honestly think that the whole Bo French stuff may be a turning point for the far right. They have fundamentally misunderstood why they won in 2024, and are now poisoning the one break that people have from a horrible economy with the most noxious part of their platform.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Next week: Come see me say things festival.texastribune.org/schedule
a screenshot for an upcoming panel at Texas Tribune Festival on threats to pluralism, featuring Robert Downen, David French of the NYT, religion expert Joseph Locke and Shariq Ghani of the Bridges foundation.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
💅💅💅💅
Article text: French has begun to direct his venom Rosenthal’s way. Texas Monthly’s Robert Downen, the foremost chronicler of French’s rise and the Texas far-right, recently reported on a fundraising email from the campaign that accused Rosenthal, who is Jewish, of “mocking Christianity” and compared him to the Bolsheviks who killed Russia’s ruling Romanov family—a trope with a deep antisemitic history.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Robert Morris, the former megachurch pastor and Trump spiritual advisor who just finished a sentence for sexual abuse charges, has an...interesting new photo on the sex offender website
A photo of Robert Morris with a gigantic black eye
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
After months of staying quiet on his gutter racism, top Texas Republicans are now condemning a post in which Bo French, candidate for Texas Railroad Commission, posted a photo of brown UT students at yesterday's game and said "the problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined."
Sen John Cornyn, quote tweeting Bo French: "This is the Republican nominee for statewide office. Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized.  This is how great political parties self-destruct.  Sad."Texas House Rep. Jared Patterson: This is racist. It is wrong. And I condemn it without reservation.

There is absolutely nothing Christian or conservative about looking at a crowd of young Texans at a college football game, seeing the color of their skin, and declaring that they are a “problem.” These are 20-year-old kids cheering for their university—not political props and not targets for racial attacks.

We can have serious debates about our nation’s immigration laws. I have strong views about immigration policy, and Americans have every right to demand changes to federal law. But opposing an immigration policy does not give anyone license to demean people because of their race or ethnicity.

And let’s be clear: the Texas Railroad Commission regulates our oil and gas industry. It does not set federal immigration policy. Texans deserve Railroad Commissioners focused on the responsibilities of that office—not using a statewide campaign as a platform for racial division.

This does not represent my Christian faith. It does not represent my conservative principles. And it does not represent the Republican Party I believe in.

As a Texas Aggie, I’m always happy to take a friendly shot at the Longhorns when the opportunity presents itself. That rivalry is part of what makes these two great universities so special. But this goes far beyond college rivalry. We should be willing to call racism wrong no matter who says it, what party they belong to, or how politically inconvenient it may be. This is wrong, and I want no part of it.Texas Rep. Jeff Leach: This is my son Brady at the  @TexasFootball game with his pledge class. Bo thinks it’s a “problem” they don’t all look like and have the same skin color as Brady. I think that’s racist — and it makes me sick.Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows: You can oppose immigration policy without demeaning people because of their race or ethnicity — this post has crossed the line.  Delete it @bofrench
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
A donkey named HeeHaw was fatally shot by Georgia police after "braying" at them during a 1AM search. Farm owners say police did not have permission to be there. www.fox5atlanta.com/news/donkey-...
a very cute donkey named HeeHaw wearing a diaper
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Increasingly looking like Adam Lazarra will be the only 2000s-era frontman left standing
Photo noting that Max Bemis of Say Anything has cancelled his tour. It came days after a young woman on Reddit detailed alleged grooming by him
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
lmao
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
gonna get so much mileage out of this if Talarico wins
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
New poll has James Talarico up six points on Ken Paxton, buoyed by majority support from independents (51%) and significant crossover from Republican voters (12%).
A poll showing vote splits: 

Talarico has 48% of total; 12% of Republicans; 94% of Dems; 51% of independents
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Falangists are planning rallies in Texas next month. Notably, the call to "stop the invasion" is no different than what many prominent Texas Republicans have said about Islam in recent months.
A promo for a Sept. 5 March on Houston with Christians and Falangists. A flyer for a 9/11 rally in Plano. "Stop the invation" it reads, along with a call to "stand with Texans and Falangist"
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Gorgeous but haunting story and photos here.
A photo of a man sitting cross legged in front of an uprooted tree stump that is 8-10 times his size.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller apparently took a lil nap yesterday
A screenshot showing Sid Miller asleep in his front seat during a Zoom call, with his cowboy hat covering his face
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Clemishire's attorney, Texas Rep. Jeff Leach, says the ruling gives "religious organizations sweeping immunity from civil accountability—even when they are alleged to have knowingly concealed, enabled, or protected child sexual predators."
The Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals made two rulings (here and here) Wednesday in litigation filed in an attempt to hold child sex predator Robert Morris and Gateway Church accountable for the sexual abuse of Cindy Clemishire that started when she was 12 years old and covered up for the decades following. 

This statement is from Jeff C. Leach, an attorney with Gray Reed, a Texas-based law firm that represents Cindy Clemishire. Leach also serves as a representative in the Texas House, chairs the House Judiciary Committee and is the author of Trey’s Law, which forbids the use of NDAs in sexual abuse cases. 

"The ruling issued late Wednesday by the Texas Court of Appeals has deeply troubling consequences for survivors and victims of childhood sexual abuse. If allowed to stand, it effectively grants religious organizations sweeping immunity from civil accountability—even when they are alleged to have knowingly concealed, enabled, or protected child sexual predators—simply because those actions occurred within a religious institution.

This case demonstrates the danger of such a rule. Robert Morris repeatedly sexually abused Cindy Clemishire beginning when she was just 12 years old. Rather than ensuring accountability, the institutions and individuals surrounding Morris allowed the truth about that abuse to remain hidden for decades.

The constitutional separation of church and state is a fundamental principle of our country, and religious institutions are entitled to the full protection of the First Amendment. But religious liberty was never intended to become a shield for concealing child sexual abuse or protecting those who perpetrate it.

No church should receive less constitutional protection because it is a church—but neither should it receive greater protection from accountability when children are sexually abused.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Patrick was joined by Bonnie Wallace, a rightwing activist who has compiled a list of +2K books for removal. Like Patrick, she insists this is not about banning books (and goes out of her way to argue so, including on the back of her business card)
The back of a business card: It is not about Book Banning. It is not about Book Burning. IT IS ABOUT BOOK BOUNDARIES!!!
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Patrick ends by handing out copies of one book, passages of which his staff had flagged. “Butt plugs?” reads one. “Porn is a fun, sugary treat?” Reads another.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Happening now: After what he says was a widely watched episode of his podcast on the issue, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick vows to go after “filthy” books and the “leftist” American Library Association. “We’re not banning books,” he says. “Taking them out of our schools is not banning books.”
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
WHAT!
Ink & Dagger is a hardcore punk band from Philadelphia that was originally active in the 1990s. The two permanent members throughout the band's career were guitarist Don Devore and vocalist Sean Patrick McCabe. Other members included Ashli State, Terry Yerves, Ryan McLaughlin, Joshua Brown, Jennifer Layne Park, Dave Wagenschutz, Derek Zglenski, and Eric Wareheim. Band members frequently incorporated references to vampires in their music, painted their faces, and played with fake blood. Some members were previously in Crud is a Cult, The Mandela Strike Force and Frail.A lineup showing that Eric Wareheim, of Tim & Eric fame, played bass for Ink & Dagger from 1995-96.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
FWIW it looks like his involvement was strictly limited to shrot virtual (and Im assuming prerecorded) remarks. They definitely hyped a lot of big-name electeds for this who ended up having minimal involvement.
A list of people slated to give "additional virtual remarks," including Buttigieg, Kells, Talarico, Beshear and Abrams.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Put it in the museum next to the David Guetta “I Have a Dream” drop
A tweet from Shri Thanedar quoting Nelson Mandela:  "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Below, Thanedar gives a “hang loose” symbol and stands with a surfboard.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
It’s not going well.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Happening now at a “Democracy Summit 2026”: A debate between live streamer Destiny and Alex Stein, the internet troll most famous for calling AOC a “big booty Latina” who recently was pretending to be a poop-eating Indian at a Frisco city council meeting
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Context for the uninitiated/spared:
A Christmas Eve tweet from John Cornyn: "Brisket family tradition," it reads above a photo of the driest, reddest brisket you ever did see in your life.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Never seen this before: Gov. Greg Abbott's campaign just launched an app that gives people points for voter outreach that are redeemable at an Abbott "Swag Store." 10,000 points gets a Yeti Rambler. 15K gets a VIP invite to the Governor's Mansion. For 25K? A "whole brisket."
A Tweet from Abbott's campaign account touting the new "Abbott Impact App."A screenshot of the app showing the point distributions for knocking on doors, messaging neighbors and making phone calls via the appA list of prizes in the "Swag Store," including a Patagonia Jacket, Yeti Rambler, invite to the Governor's mansion and brisket.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
We are ~15 years away from the possible collapse of numerous American Christian denominations.
A graph from Ryan Burge showing that Baby Boomers account for nearly half of adults in most major denominations. Only nondemonational, Catholics and LDS are below 40%.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
I have watched this 5 times and laughed harder each time
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Here’s one of Paxton’s top advisors accusing Jesse Waters of fake news.
Michelle Smith on Twitter: What a fake news narrative @JesseBWatters is spreading about @KenPaxtonTX that he's silent. He's been across the state in 4 rally's just this week alone.
The largest one with over 800 people in Collin County. @jamestalarico was in Nantucket anyone ask how that vacation was? He's getting softballs from the liberal press. No one has the record of fighting for constitutional rights more that Ken Paxton. Stop listening to fake narratives.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
How things are going: This is how the recently former mayor of Southlake, a Dallas/Fort Worth suburb that was the epicenter of the CRT/book banning movement, is talking about the Paxton/Talarico race on his Substack.
Read that twice. A Democratic state representative from Austin is beating the Republican attorney general of Texas on Texas values by eleven points. He is beating him on honesty by nineteen. In a state Donald Trump carried by fourteen, a majority of voters look at our nominee and the word that comes to mind is
corrupt.
We win exactly one trait. Tough.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
An average of major polls shows James Talarico leading Ken Paxton by 2.7 points — and far outpacing where Beto stood over the same period. www.texastribune.org/2026/08/07/t...
A timeline of poll averages showing Talarico with 47.9% of the vote compared to Paxtons at 45.2
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The right wing has spent decades trying to redefine Islam as a political ideology as a pretext for the type of repression that inevitably leads to state sponsored violence. Texas lawmakers are now bragging about it. This should be a top national story.
At the conference Saturday, state Rep. Andy Hopper, a Republican who represents Wise County, detailed a slate of ideas he said lawmakers have discussed ahead of next year's legislative session to make Muslims' lives "miserable."
"There are so many ways and opportunities we can take to make life difficult for people who should not be here and are trying to thwart our existence," he said. "We have a lot of tools in the toolbox."
In addition to the bans on Islamic dress and halal foods, proposals include ramping up financial and regulatory investigations of Muslim organizations, shuttering Islamic charter schools, denying state contracts to companies that employ H-1B visa holders, and refusing to issue professional licenses to Muslims. The latter could affect thousands of physicians and healthcare workers.
Some Texas Republicans have floated the idea of banning halal foods in an effort to target Islam. Pictured, customers line up at a food truck at the Texas Halal Fest in Plano.
Faraz Ahmed
Hopper also said lawmakers should define Islam as a political ideology rather than a religion so it can be banned, and the state should take control of immigration enforcement from the federal government so it can forcibly remove people.
"How many of y'all want to bring back banishment as a form of punishment in Texas?" he said to applause.
It is not clear how likely some of these bills are to pass or whether they could garner widespread
Republican support.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
All-timer quote.
Kirbie, who voted for Paxton in the primary and intends to support him again this fall, said she was not deterred by the attorney general’s various peccadilloes.  “I’m not perfect either,” she said. “I’ve done things that I wish I didn’t do in my life. I can’t think of any one thing, but I’m sure I did.”
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
oh look, another banger
Article headline: In Houston, It Was Ken Paxton Versus the Emo Baddies
The U.S. Senate candidate shared a concert venue with an emo band. Their tones were remarkably similar.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Abbott has already started:
A tweet by Greg Abbott that says “Don’t El-Sayed My Texas”
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
"I call upon all the schools of hirer learning and all of the thinking branches of academia to do an immediate audit upon this false statement of 1 x 1 =(ing) 1" is still an all-time sentence. x.com/terrencehowa...
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Terrence Howard, of "Crash," not believing in the mathematical concept of zero and insisting that 1 x 1 = 2 fame, is apparently eyeing the University of Texas-RGV for his new "omnidirectional flight" company. “Imagine a drone that could move at any degree necessary,” his nephew said.
He is developing omnidirectional flight vehicles under his company “Lynchpin By Terrence Howard.” The company develops custom drones, aerial photography solutions, delivery systems, wireless transmission systems, UAS, UAV, and swarm technology.

His nephew, Josh Howard, of Edinburg, is the chief branding officer of Brand Geniuz and Social Fest co-founder, who says his uncle is looking for a new homebase for his tech company, which is currently located in California, and his meeting at the university was “very productive.”

“Imagine a drone that could move at any degree necessary,” Josh narrated. “It’s unlike any other.”
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Right now, for $25, you can get two years of Texas Monthly in print + two unlimited digital subscriptions + access to a half-century of online archives. For. Twenty. Five. Dollars. subscription.texasmonthly.com/servlet/Orde...
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Thank you to @allegrahobbs.bsky.social for letting me put "Ten-Gender Ken" in the newspaper
Article text: But general elections are a different animal. History tells us that “the economy, stupid” is and will always be the defining issue for most voters. Talarico’s campaign has understood that. And while he probably won’t ever campaign as “Ten-Gender Ken,” Paxton’s sudden shift to kitchen-table issues indicates that he knows who currently has the electorate’s pulse.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Here's a typical sermon from Mercy Culture pastor Landon Schott, a hardcore anti-vaxer who believes he's fighting warlocks and witches. We obtained personnel records that show Schatzline included Schott as a reference while applying to join Abbott's office. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
Article text:

Speaking from the main stage of his Fort Worth church last month, Pastor Landon Schott recalled a recent vision he’d had while praying near the U.S. Supreme Court, one in which a demonic serpent descended upon the Oval Office. 

“I see Jezebel circling the White House,” he said in December, referring to the biblical character often associated with idolatry and sexual impurity. “She’s in the form of a snake; her neck is a python. And I watch her slither around the White House twice. The first time going around was Hillary [Clinton]. The second one was Kamala [Harris]. And then I saw the hand of the Lord keeping her from the White House. There is a demonic attack, because Washington, D.C., is one of the greatest places of power in the world.”
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
For those wondering if this was supposed to be a hostile crowd: Ramaswamy is one of three people with a featured testimonial currently on the Young Americans For Liberty website. (Other two are Rand and Ron Paul.)
A screenshot of YAL's website with a quote from Ramaswamy, in which he says YAL "gives me great hope to see so many students that are fired up."
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