From our March/April issue:

'Threats to deploy U.S. troops to Mexico ignore an appalling reality that has already been a disaster for both nations.' texasobserver.org/unwinnable-dru…

BREAKING: Ogg turns Hidalgo aides corruption case over to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office houstonlanding.org/ogg-turns-hida…

JUST IN: Our photographer has been charged with criminal trespassing. FOX 7 Austin

They accomplished their orders to generate footage for the nightly news. this ain’t the border, no OT (yet) for DPS campus crackdowns

There’s a tough but important story to do about how Texas DPS have become the shock troops of the governors office–on call for whatever’s helpful to Abbott. When I was a kid, they mostly did traffic stops and fumblingly tried to solve crimes.

Today, Governor Abbott said student protestors at UT Austin should be expelled, accusing the pro-Palestine group of being Antisemitic. In 2019, he signed a law protecting free speech on college campuses.

Will be interesting to see how these criminal trespassing charges play…

The SpaceX Land Swap Is Only the Latest Texas Public Park Giveaway.

New from Lise Olsen: texasobserver.org/spacex-tpwd-pa…

As many as 85,000 people behind bars in Texas don't have A/C — and the temperature in some prisons has been recorded at 149 Fahrenheit.

As many as 270, by one academic's estimate, have died as a result.

Michelle Pitcher with more:

NEW from Michelle Pitcher: “If cooking someone to death does not amount to cruel and unusual punishment, then nothing does,” a new complaint against TDCJ says. texasobserver.org/prison-heat-la…

TLR joins the #txlege Twitter ad wars with promoted post responding to Texas Scorecard, which been heavily promoting its anti-TLR crusade via paid ads for months

Why is the Lt. Gov so publicly pressuring regulators to kill block controversial cement plant in North TX?

Of note: Last year, the involved company hired as its lobbyist ex-state Rep Chris Paddie, with whom Patrick has big beef. #txlege