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The Texas Signal

@texassignal.bsky.social
1.9K followers 271 following 1K posts

Nonprofit newsroom devoted to creating truthful public interest reporting by and for the new Texas majority. Subscribe to our free newsletter: texassignal.com/newsletter

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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 5h
"It only contributes to a perception among a lot of voters, including Republicans, that he’s corrupt, not trustworthy, and is a highly flawed candidate that very well could bring down several other statewide Republicans"
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 21h
Q: There's a report that Ken Paxton was complaining about your midterm convention. He felt like it hurt him. What's your reaction? TRUMP: Well, I haven't heard that, but I can tell you that the convention was amazing. We had 107 million views. The NFL had 25m. We had four times what the NFL did
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Headquarters @headquartersnews.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Leaked audio of Ken Paxton: Q: Do you think Trump is a bit of a drag? Paxton: To be honest with you, when we did that midterm convention, it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped. Yeah. Not good.
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Jessica Montoya Coggins @jessicamcoggins.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Earlier today we got some distressing new updates from the attorney for Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. He had to be in front of federal court with a bullet still lodged in his back. His attorney is on Threads where she does regularly update on his condition.
Latest update about Wilber Rafael Garces Perez
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Should be welcome news for Texas Rep. Austin Pfluger, who led a congressional inquiry into the WNBA over their treatment of Caitlin Clark
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
INBOX: Agriculture Commissioner candidate @claytontuckertx.com touts new poll showing a "statistical tie" in race. “This race is a statistical tie because Texans are tired of watching the richest corporations in the world get whatever they want while working people are told to settle for less."
Announcement from Clayton Tucker campaign about Texas Public Opinion Research poll showing a statistical tie in Agricultural Commissioner race
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
😬😬😬😬
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Vice President JD Vance will be in Harlingen on Wednesday for a GOTV rally with congressional candidate Eric Flores
Poster for JD Vance at a rally in Harlingen on Wednesday
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"The debate appears to be the first to be announced between any two statewide candidates this election cycle, as Democrats at the top of the ticket are pressuring their counterparts to participate."
ksat.com
Jon Rosenthal says he and Bo French agreed to first major debate between Texas statewide candidates
The debate, which has not been confirmed by French, would be his first major public event since he attracted criticism over racist posts about UT students.
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Jane's Due Process may be getting a new name at their 25th anniversary celebration next month, but their focus on giving Texas teens access to reproductive care will stay the same
texassignal.com
A Texas Leader In Reproductive Rights Reaches Milestone
Jane's Due Process may be changing names, but their central mission: supporting Texas teens in accessing reproductive health care, remains the same
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"Recently, she said, the wife of the current district attorney, Phil Sorrells, knocked on her door and asked her if she would consider voting for him this year."
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"Finally, the system known as ICE, which has allowed a man to be tortured, should be disbanded."
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
When she first conceived of "Dear Thorns," Karen Olsson says it was a more surrealist work centered around an immigration enforcement facility. As she struggled to finish the book, she became intersected in ocelots.
texassignal.com
The Links That Bind Immigration And Ecology
A Texas author's latest book draws interesting parallels between ocelot conservation and immigration policy
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Jessica Montoya Coggins @jessicamcoggins.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The attorney for Wilber Rafael Garces Perez is on Threads and providing a lot of updates there. But this is the latest from her on his condition:
Condition of Garces Perez from his attorney
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"During the press conference, Garces Perez told reporters he didn’t receive any medical attention at Dell Seton. When he asked if the bullet would be removed, he said, the doctor told him 'they’re in a hurry to get you out of here.'”
houstonpublicmedia.org
Man shot by ICE in Austin says he has a bullet lodged in his back and was denied medical care | Houston Public Media
Mayor Kirk Watson said he wanted the Austin Police Department to be involved in the investigation of the shooting to offer a “clear-eyed, third-party look” at what happened.
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"The man was identified as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 29, of Venezuela, by his attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch. Lincoln-Goldfinch told NPR he is married to a woman who has legal status to be in the U.S. He called his wife to tell her he had been shot inside his car and was yelling in pain."
npr.org
Federal immigration agent shoots and injures man in Austin, Texas
The person shot is in serious but stable condition, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a press conference.
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Jessica Montoya Coggins @jessicamcoggins.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Casar also noted here that he has briefly talked with the victim’s family. He’s demanding an independent investigation, but also that the ICE officer responsible should not be allowed to leave Texas.
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"The unidentified man was in serious but stable condition at a hospital after being shot once in the torso on the capital city’s north side, Austin officials said... DHS, which oversees ICE, did not participate in the news conference and didn’t respond to repeated requests for details."
apnews.com
ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas, officials say
Local authorities say a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, where anti-ICE protesters gathered at the scene.
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Governor Abbott was just a little off with his prediction
A tweet from Greg Abbott on July 2 predicting gas prices in Texas would be below $2 before the end of summer
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"The plaintiffs, Walker’s family, are seeking a jury trial and pursuing both damages and a judgement finding that Texas’ abortion laws violate the state constitution."
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The Storytellers Foundation | The Storyteller's Shelf Podcast @tstorypodcast.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The secret is out! Storyrise was featured in @texassignal.bsky.social . We shared why writers need a place to write, find community, and maintain control over their work. Thank you to Jef Rouner for sharing our story! texassignal.com/two-authors-... #writingcommunity
texassignal.com
Two Authors Launch Platform For Writers To Thrive
Two authors with a Houston connection have launched a robust platform that connects writers in a trusting community
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Just days before Governor Abbott directed the acting comptroller to investigate school districts for "administrative bloat," an audit of the Texas Education Agency revealed a full-blown bureaucratic sprawl sitting inside the very institution positioning itself as the classroom-spending watchdog.
texassignal.com
Auditing The Auditors
The Texas School Districts Being Told to Cut "Administrative Bloat" While the State Education Agency's Own Management Costs Soared
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Chron.com @chron.com · 16/09/2026
One day after calling the viral video “hilarious,” the Texas QB acknowledged that his reaction caused harm.
bit.ly
ESPN reporter reveals private talk with Arch Manning after AI video backlash
One day after calling the viral video “hilarious,” the Texas QB acknowledged that his reaction caused harm.
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"According to University data for 2025, international students make up 4.3% of UT’s undergraduate student body, and 9.5% of total enrollment. Additionally, Texas law requires 90% of incoming freshmen to be Texas residents."
thedailytexan.com
UT community grapples with social media comments on student section racial makeup
Despite being a lifelong Austin resident and Longhorns fan, mechanical engineering senior Zaina Jafri had never been as close to the field as she was on Saturday.  Jafri said watching the Longhorn’s n...
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
From Rep. Venton Jones: "To the constituents of House District 100 - each individual I have the privilege to serve - and to every survivor of domestic and sexual violence, I extend my sincerest apology for the hurt, frustration, and pain my choices caused."
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
According to the whistleblower: - Agents have to investigate 40 voter records a day, leaving just 11.25 minutes per investigation. - Agents are using state voter registration in a way that may be illegal. - Agents are using source data that many think is completely unreliable.
The identity of the whistle-blower is not known to The Times. Democracy Defenders Fund said in its report that the whistle-blower requested anonymity because of “an extreme fear of retaliation but they feel an obligation to speak up about the misconduct and gross mismanagement they have witnessed.”

According to the whistle-blower, agents are expected to complete at least 40 reviews in each eight-hour day, giving them scant time to determine each voter’s citizenship and voting history. The consequence of the investigation is potentially vast, according to the account, because each review is recorded in a database that could affect individuals’ immigration status or legal permanent residency.The agents plugged those names and personal data into public-facing state websites to find a subject’s voter history. Some states, such as Virginia, declare explicitly that only individual voters may use the search tool to look up their own records. Others, such as California, require specific information such as a driver’s license number or partial Social Security number in an effort to limit the use of the tool to individuals. Worried about the potential legal ramifications of such actions, the whistle-blower “expressed concerns” to those leading the investigation within Homeland Security’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, according to the account.

The office of the chief counsel at D.H.S. said it was permissible for agents to use the state databases for operations such as the Unlawful Voter Initiative. Yet leadership appeared to acknowledge the potential for legal liability, responding to internal questions that agents “are not personally liable for conducting these searches when done as part of their official duties and properly documented.”Core to the operation is a compilation of data on hundreds of thousands of voters from across the country, described to agents as “source data,” according to previous reporting by The Times. Agents were given little to no information about where the source data originated; at one point, D.H.S. officials said some immigration information had been added to their source data using “supplemental magic,” according to the whistle-blower account. The mysterious origins of the “source data” comes as voting rights groups and election officials have condemned the Trump administration’s many efforts to compile a national voter file and citizenship list.

The whistle-blower report, however, indicates that the data is likely filled with errors. According to a transcript of a training video included in the account, the investigation has relied on data from multiple sources, including public voter files obtained from states, Department of Justice data and queries of records compiled by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The data also includes what are known as alien identification numbers, the training video says, which are numbers assigned to a noncitizen that stay in their Homeland Security files permanently, even if they subsequently become citizens who are eligible to vote. If the investigation is using the existence of an alien number to flag that a voter is ineligible, many legal citizens are likely to be improperly ensnared as unlawful voters.
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French has previously served as Tarrant County GOP Chair and has a long history of making incendiary and racist claims.
texassignal.com
A Social Media Post About UT Students Draws Condemnation (From Some)
The reactions to Bo French's racist post came swiftly from some Texas Republicans, including Senator John Cornyn, but not all offered an outright condemnation
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gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
AT&T Stadium reportedly is one of the venues that opposed Macklemore being on Ed Sheeran's bill. Worth noting that AT&T is hosting Kanye West in November.
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Bo French's Democratic opponent @jon-rosenthaltx.bsky.social announced his campaign had their best fundraising day in the aftermath of the racist UT social media post
Announcement from railroad commissioner candidate Jon Rosenthal that his campaign had record online grassroots fundraising day in the aftermath of Bo French's racist social media post
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
State Representative @jon-rosenthaltx.bsky.social, who is running against Bo French for Texas Railroad Commissioner, issues a statement about his UT post:
I spent 25 years as an oil and gas engineer. Bo French spent Sunday morning sorting our student section by skin color.

Greg Abbott said Bo French would "wreck" our oil and gas industry. A man who can’t tell a Longhorn from a foreigner has no business regulating anything in TX.
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A post by Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French has been called out by a handful of Texas Republicans like John Cornyn and Dustin Burrows, but Governor Abbott has yet to weigh in
Twitter post from Bo French showing UT students and saying its a "problem"
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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Ted Cruz is aggressively booed in Austin, Texas: “Ted, you suck!”
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
While Republicans held court at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, many Texas Democrats offered counter programming to the unconventional midterm convention
texassignal.com
Competing Messages Around A Midterm Convention
While Republicans held court at the American Airlines Center, many Texas Democrats offered counter programming to the unconventional midterm convention
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Gabe Ortíz @tusk81.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
LULAC, the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization, sues DHS to keep armed ICE officers out of America’s polling places: lulac.org/news/pr/LULA...
lulac.org
LULAC SUES DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO KEEP ARMED ICE OFFICERS OUT OF AMERICA'S POLLING PLACES
Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Leads Federal Lawsuit to Guarantee Every Eligible Voter Can Cast a Ballot Free of Intimidation
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"Regardless of his comments, the trans community and our allies must coalesce behind Talarico. Not for who he is, but because of what he stands for: a rebuke of Paxton and the pain he’s inflicted."
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Just yesterday James Talarico's campaign announced the grocery drive he organized collected 20,000 pounds of groceries for Texans across 26 counties
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
😬😬😬😬
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
* Financially, the president is saying this has been the most successful two years financially (and in many other ways)
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Talarico is receiving broad pushback for these remarks:
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"The biennial report has historically been released on Sept. 1, but lawmakers were informed last week that it would not be completed by then. The Department of State Health Services said the report will be finished by Dec. 1 under a new deadline the state Legislature approved last year."
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
It's tough out there in Dallas -- especially with a heat index in the triple digits
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Thomas Seal @twseal.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Proclamations on bans are here. Details are in annexes. Booze: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential... Dairy: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential... Motor vehicles: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
whitehouse.gov
Excluding Certain Canadian Products from Importation into the United States in Response to Continued Discrimination Against the Commerce of the United States with Respect to Dairy
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION 1.  In Proclamation 11047 of July 20, 2026 (Imposing Additional Duties To Offset Every child deserves a safe and nurturing home where th...
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Having a disabled veterans property tax exemption seems like a no-brainer. However, for some places, the exemption has done significant financial harm due to a lack of proper reimbursement from the Texas legislature.
texassignal.com
Inadvertent Harm From State Veterans Exceptions
In most cities, the veterans property tax exemption accounts for very little financial burden. But for cities like Killeen and El Paso, which are next to major military installations like Fort Hood, t...
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Allen AC @allenac009.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“According to the Miss America Organization, Hutsell is also ‘the first woman of color to win the Miss America crown while wearing her natural hair.’ Hutsell, 25, is the first Texan to win the Miss America crown in more than 50 years, after Shirley Cothran was crowned in 1975, according to….”
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Faith Archambeau, Gallery Manager at Abilene’s Center for Contemporary Arts, didn’t initially set out to make a horror show with her sculpture exhibition, but when creepy, weird stuff started arriving she rolled with it.
texassignal.com
Abilene Art Show Accidentally Unleashes The Sinister
Drawing on sculptures across the state, the exhibit at the Center for Contemporary Arts, is designed to be seen from every angle while celebrating one of humanity’s oldest symbols
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
"Texas school lessons would mention radical Islam, not Al-Qaeda, as motivation for 9-11. They also depict Islam’s founder as a warring, military and violent leader..."
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
It looks like this prediction from Greg Abbott was a bit off:
A tweet from Greg Abbott predicting gas prices would be below $2 before the end of summer
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Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.com · 03/09/2026
For context, Abbott polling average advantage right now is 3.4 points; O'Rourke (by average) never got closer than 5, and that was at the *start* of the race.
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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
INBOX: Lieutenant Governor candidate @vikkigoodwintx.bsky.social has sent this letter (complete with a debate hotline number) requesting Dan Patrick participate in three debates
A letter sent to Dan Patrick's campaign this morning by Vikki Goodwin, along with a debate hotline phone number ( 210-529-7808 ) requesting for him to participate in three debates
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Candice Bernd @candicequestions.com · 03/09/2026
No Dem has served on the TX Railroad Commission in over 30 years. Will one of the most extreme candidates running on the GOP's statewide ticket change that? I interviewed the man who hopes to stop an open "Great Replacement" theory proponent from helming the RRC www.texasobserver.org/railroad-com...
texasobserver.org
Who Stands Between Texas and a Fascist Railroad Commission?
This man here—and a plurality of voters if he can find them
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