GOP Law Blamed as Nearly 40% of Mail-In Ballots Rejected in Houston Area

“Mail ballots are people’s votes,” said a Harris County elections administrator who is “very concerned” about the anti-democratic effects of the Texas GOP’s new voter suppression law. As early voting continues in Texas’ primary election, pro-democracy advocates are sounding the alarm over the high rate at which mail-in ballots are being rejected as a result of

Alarm as Texas quietly restarts controversial voting program

Program asks people on voter rolls to prove citizenship, sparking concern that eligible voters could be wrongfully targeted Texas officials have quietly restarted a controversial program to ask people on the voter rolls to prove their citizenship, sparking alarm that thousands of eligible voters could be wrongfully targeted. The Texas secretary of state’s office has

Russia blows up a satellite, creating a dangerous debris cloud in space

The field of debris may be passing by the International Space Station This morning, Russia destroyed one of its own satellites with a ground-based missile, creating thousands of pieces of debris that have spread out into Earth orbit, according to the US State Department. The US has identified more than 1,500 trackable pieces of debris

Martin Luther King III, Al Sharpton to hold nationwide march against voter suppression

Martin Luther King III and the Rev. Al Sharpton will hold a nationwide march against voter suppression on Aug. 28 — the 58th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. The event, dubbed “March On for Voting Rights,” comes as legislatures across the country move to tighten up voting rules. Just under 390 bills have been introduced across

‘Woke up sweating’: Some Texans shocked to find their smart thermostats were raised remotely

Some said they didn’t know their thermostats were being accessed from afar until it was almost 80 degrees inside their homes. Some neighbors in the Houston area said their homes have been much warmer this week, even while they are running their air conditioners. Many of them claim someone has been turning up the temperature

GOP Texas state Sen. Bob Hall appeared on the program of a white nationalist, pro-Hitler outlet that denies the Holocaust

The Barnes Review is a white nationalist outlet that publishes pieces such as “In Defense of Adolf Hitler,” “Why the Holocaust Story Was Invented,” and “Defending Dixie.” Texas state Sen. Bob Hall (R) recently gave a long radio interview to the outlet in which he complained about critical race theory and encouraged listeners to get

Polling places for urban voters of color would be cut under Texas Senate’s version of voting bill being negotiated with House

Voters in some urban, Democratic areas of Harris and Tarrant counties would see a drastic drop in polling places under the Senate version of Senate Bill 7, a Texas Tribune analysis shows. The number of Election Day polling places in largely Democratic parts of major Texas countieswould fall dramatically under a Republican proposal to change

‘Mask off’ party to celebrate Texas lifting Covid mandates blasted by Houston officials

“This is a dangerous, irresponsible event that is literally a slap in the face of our health care workers that are risking their lives,” state Rep. Ann Johnson said. A Houston night club’s “mask off” party, set for early Wednesday to celebrate Texas lifting statewide Covid-19 mandates, has local leaders fearing another spike in coronavirus cases.