Texas Observer

Our MOLLY Award Submissions are now OPEN! Our annual prize for investigative journalism is open to both print and digital outlets, with an annual award of $5000. Stories can be submitted until March 20. Find out how to enter your work here: texasobserver.org/molly-awards/t…

“What I’m seeing is the unfettered use of these very powerful tools and these very powerful statutes, absent any sort of norms or guardrails that normally would be in place to guard against overreach.” texasobserver.org/prairieland-an…

Our top story: Out of 309 climate-related court decisions issued between January 2018 and September 30, 2025 by circuit court panels that included Trump appointees, more than half—167 of those rulings—were clearly anti-environment. texasobserver.org/man-v-nature/

The latest from Texas Observer cartoonist Ben Sargent. See more from Loon Star State: texasobserver.org/topics/loon-st…

In books: On August 3, 2019, I was nearly 2,000 miles away in Washington, D.C., where I worked as a national political reporter in the bureau of The Boston Globe ... I was in a movie theater when my phone lit up with calls and messages. texasobserver.org/el-paso-book-j…

Previously: "We know where the checkpoints are. We warn one another when the Border Patrol is nearby. In public space, we adjust our bodies and behavior, attempting to go unnoticed, offering smiles of compliance as a way to disarm." texasobserver.org/texas-border-m…

“I think this is the worst-case-scenario verdict.” New from @stevanzetti: Late last week, feds notched a victory in an unprecedented and controversial trial that sought to tie alleged members of “Antifa” to domestic terrorism. texasobserver.org/prairieland-an…

Out today: To give into despair would be to fall for the administration’s bluff and willingly give up our power. That’s why embodied, communal practices such as singing, marching, and dancing together are so important at times like these. texasobserver.org/we-must-end-fa…

From Monday: Talarico—whose central message is that it’s about not left versus right, but top versus bottom—is going to have to meaningfully engage with and accept the critiques of Black voters and politicos and give those voters substantive policy. texasobserver.org/texas-talarico…

“If we get to the point where we have to declare a Level 1 Water Emergency, we need to be ready for that and we have no precedent to follow. There’s no manual, there’s no video. There’s a monumental task ahead of us to develop this.” texasobserver.org/corpus-christi…

New from Trudy Taylor Smith of @ChildDefender-Texas: ICE is detaining families under dangerous, life-threatening conditions. Since Trump took office, ICE has detained more than 3,800 children and the daily number of children in detention has exploded. texasobserver.org/we-must-end-fa…

From 2022: Now the commitments city officials made over the past five years are coming due. Exxon’s plastic plant started operations this year and will eventually consume 25 million gallons per day. texasobserver.org/corpus-christi…

Our top story: In Trump’s first presidential term, federal judges often blocked administration efforts to roll back environmental protections. But as he filled the courts with people who share his views, he faces fewer barriers to gutting protections. texasobserver.org/man-v-nature/

Join TPM and @TexasObserver on 4/8 in Austin as we talk all things midterms! @kateriga and @joshtpm will record a special episode of our flagship podcast, and we'll chat w/Observer editor @by_jmiller Get tix here: eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-w…

A reminder that it's free to syndicate our work ... we love to see it! 🤠

These measures promote one religion over others, and religion over non-religion, threatening to turn students, families, and teachers who don’t subscribe to Christian-nationalist religiosity into outsiders in their own public schools and communities. texasobserver.org/a-wall-thats-w…

New from @DylanBaddour of @InsideClimate News: “If we get to the point where we have to declare a Level 1 Water Emergency, we need to be ready for that and we have no precedent to follow. There’s no manual, there’s no video.” texasobserver.org/corpus-christi…

It's about as bad as one could have imagined; the preemptive reactions from UFW etc make total sense. (gift link) nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/…

“I addressed him thus: ‘Fellow citizen, you belong to the ground; you have never pretended to belong anywhere else. … I prefer being in your company to being in that of the governor of the state of Texas. Go about your business, and I’ll go about mine.” texasobserver.org/consider-the-r…

Out now: 69% of Americans believe the U.S. should never declare an official religion. Yet that’s effectively what Christian nationalists are attempting to do today. texasobserver.org/a-wall-thats-w…

Last week: Older residents in the small town of Ozona are thriving. Here's the unique way that wind energy is keeping retirees close to home, and giving them a better quality of life. texasobserver.org/rural-west-tex…