Politics & Policy
March 24, 2023
Why Is Donald Trump Kicking Off His 2024 Campaign in Waco?
During the thirtieth anniversary of the Branch Davidian tragedy, no less.
By
Dan Solomon
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News & Politics
Politics & Policy
March 23, 2023
Fearing That State Leaders Want Them “Eradicated,” Some Transgender Texans Embrace Firearms
As lawmakers consider bills targeting their livelihoods, queer Texans say more members of their community intend to defend themselves.
Politics & Policy
March 23, 2023
The New Streets of Laredo
As state politicians focus on danger and cartel violence, the border town's downtown is undergoing a renaissance.
Politics & Policy
March 22, 2023
Loathsome Dud: Jared Patterson’s School-Library Bill Would Ban Larry McMurtry’s Novel
The lawmaker from Frisco has rallied right-wingers by promising to remove “sexually explicit” books from shelves. But he may lose them by targeting a beloved Texan classic.
Politics & Policy
March 22, 2023
Texas Jails Are Crowded, Understaffed, and Dangerous. The Legislature Is Poised to Send Them More Inmates.
Two bipartisan bills would make it easier for judges to incarcerate defendants before trial. Criminologists say that’s bad for public safety.
Politics & Policy
March 21, 2023
A Republican Lawmaker Wants (Certain) Texans to Have a Lot More Babies
Taking a cue from authoritarian leaders, state representative Bryan Slaton has proposed property tax relief for some large families. White, straight, property-owning couples would be the primary beneficiaries.
Business
March 20, 2023
The GameStop Generation Would Like Some Respect
Long before it became a meme stock, the Grapevine-based video game retailer lodged itself in the hearts of a generation entranced by the storytelling it found inside those plastic boxes.
Business
March 20, 2023
The Ice Chests Cometh: How Igloo and Yeti Defined Texas Cold
The coolers we keep say something real about the state we’re in.
Business
March 20, 2023
Can SpaceX Rocket Past Mattress Mack in Our Brand Bracket?
The tech titan and the furniture maven are more alike than you may think.
News & Politics
March 17, 2023
Matamoros Was Once Relatively Safe for Texans. That Seems to Be Changing.
The recent kidnapping of four U.S. citizens in the Mexican border city appears to mark the end of a period of relative peace.
Politics & Policy
March 16, 2023
What Is the CIA Doing at SXSW?
Recruiting, mostly. But also trying to see New Order.
By
Dan Solomon
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Politics & Policy
March 16, 2023
Preaching to the Choir: Greg Abbott Tours Private Christian Schools (Exclusively) to Make the Case for Vouchers
The governor has promoted “school choice” at seven religious academies around the state. Why there?
Politics & Policy
March 15, 2023
Texas Lege Watch: A GOP Bill Would Put Greg Abbott in Charge of Houston Flood Control. What Could Go Wrong?
Senator Paul Bettencourt’s proposal would hand the Harris County Flood Control District over to unelected bureaucrats appointed by the governor.
The Stand Up Desk
March 15, 2023
Roar of the Crowd: April 2023
Reader letters published in our April 2023 issue.
The Stand Up Desk
March 15, 2023
The Creative Whiz Behind Our Award-Winning Photography
Meet Texas Monthly’s photo editor, Claire Hogan.
By
Dan Goodgame
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Politics & Policy
March 14, 2023
How a Right-wing Law Firm Shaped the Judge Who Will Rule on the Abortion Pill
Matthew Kacsmaryk cut his teeth at First Liberty Institute, a “religious liberty” law firm with Texas roots—and a growing national reach.
By
Mimi Swartz
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Politics & Policy
March 14, 2023
How Dan Patrick Made the Texas Senate in His Image
The lieutenant governor has consolidated power in the Legislature and exercises near-total control of his chamber. Will anyone challenge him?
Politics & Policy
March 14, 2023
The Craddicks’ Gushers of Cash: How a Powerful Texas Lawmaker and a Key Regulator Profit From the Industry They Oversee
Former house speaker Tom Craddick and his family—including his daughter, Railroad Commission chairman Christi Craddick—earned about $10 million last year from oil and gas rights.
Politics & Policy
March 13, 2023
Tracking All the Ways Texas Republicans Are Trying to Further Restrict Abortion
After banning almost all abortions in the state post-Roe, GOP lawmakers have proposed eighteen new ways of limiting access to the procedure.
By
Dan Solomon
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Business
March 13, 2023
Elon Musk Came to Texas to End the Oil Age
It took him a while to get here, but now he’s out to transform our state with new technologies—if our leaders’ hostility toward renewable energy (and his Twitter misadventures) don’t get in the way.
Politics & Policy
March 10, 2023
Don’t Be Fooled by the Legislature’s Tough Talk About Ken Paxton
Texas lawmakers say they won’t let the attorney general settle a lawsuit using taxpayer money, but they’re letting him avoid oversight.
Meanwhile in Texas
March 10, 2023
Meanwhile, in Texas: Two Goats Made a Target Run in Spring
Plus, a man stole tamarin monkeys from the Dallas Zoo and creepy-looking snapper eels turned up near Port Bolivar.
Politics & Policy
March 9, 2023
How the Texas GOP Became the Party of Big Government
Under Governor Greg Abbott and a Republican-dominated Legislature, Texas has experienced an unprecedented expansion of state power over municipalities.
Health
March 8, 2023
The Fight for Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients in Texas
Twelve states require that insurers pay for egg and sperm freezing before cancer treatment. Attempts to add Texas to the list have failed twice, but now lawmakers are trying again.
By
Rose Cahalan
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Business
March 7, 2023
How Community Impact Built an Oasis in the News Desert
The Pflugerville-based chain of local newspapers has somehow managed to thrive even as its industry struggles to survive.
By
Tom Foster
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Politics & Policy
March 6, 2023
The Texas Right’s Newest Target: Transgender Juvenile Offenders
A bill would require that detention centers house kids based on the sex listed on their birth certificates, contradicting federal guidelines.
Politics & Policy
March 6, 2023
Can a Park Stitch Oak Cliff Back Together?
It’s intended to reconnect a corner of Dallas divided long ago by a highway, but without the right policies enacted, some fear it will displace residents who've lived there for decades.
News & Politics
March 6, 2023
He Once Represented Vanilla Ice. His Radical New Idea? A Boarding Program for Underprivileged Kids.
For underprivileged kids, the biggest obstacles to success—homelessness, hunger, violence—reside outside the classroom. Dallas businessman Randy Bowman, who grew up poor himself, is betting on an unconventional fix.
Politics & Policy
March 2, 2023
Fleeing for Your Life? There’s An App for That.
The Biden administration has replaced key elements of our 50-year-old asylum system with “CBP One,” a smartphone application. It looks like the future—but potentially a dystopian one.
Politics & Policy
March 1, 2023
Cars Spun Doughnuts in Austin, And Greg Abbott Got Furious, Fast
Why has the governor lasered in on teenagers doing donuts and causing a ruckus in the capital city?
Politics & Policy
February 28, 2023
A Federal Judge in Amarillo Could Effectively Ban the Abortion Pill. Why Does He Get to Make That Call?
A mysterious group with a Tennessee mailing address has filed a suit in the Panhandle city—guaranteeing it would be heard by Matthew Kacsmaryk, a longtime religious-right activist.
The Stand Up Desk
February 28, 2023
February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn?
You’ve had all month to read the latest issue of Texas Monthly. Take this monthly quiz and we’ll tell you how you stack up at the end.And if you got this quiz from a friend: Hello! We hope you enjoy it. If you do: become a subscriber today, and we’ll send
News & Politics
February 28, 2023
Wendy Davis Returns to the Texas Capitol and a Whole New Political Landscape
Ten years after her historic filibuster, the former Democratic state senator will lead Planned Parenthood's political efforts
Politics & Policy
February 28, 2023
Linda Coffee Argued Roe v. Wade. Now She’s Auctioning Off Her Archive.
A conversation on abortion rights with the Dallas lawyer whose argument against Texas’s abortion law changed the course of history.
Politics & Policy
February 28, 2023
Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for ‘Chicken Freedom’
Briscoe Cain wants all Texans to have the right to gather eggs in their backyards, local ordinances be damned.
News & Politics
February 27, 2023
How Is TikTok Planning To Avoid a U.S. Ban? Enter “Project Texas.”
The U.S. government has an eye on TikTok. With its $1.5 billion plan aimed at battling mistrust, TikTok has an eye on . . . Texas?
Politics & Policy
February 27, 2023
Inside the Karaoke Bar Where Texas Lawmakers Serenade Each Other
Legislators and staffers have been cavorting in one of Austin’s most dimly lit establishments.
By
Ben Rowen
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Health
February 24, 2023
Why Doctors Aren’t Taught Much About Nutrition
A UT Southwestern program highlights how physicians can and should be better trained to discuss healthy eating with their patients.
Politics & Policy
February 23, 2023
American Dream Deferred: Two GOP Bills Would Block Some Legal Immigrants from Buying Texas Property
Asian Americans across the state are rallying against the legislation, saying it’s racially motivated and could have unintended consequences for the Texas economy.
Politics & Policy
February 22, 2023
Trans Kids Have Been a Focus of Right-wing Lawmakers This Year. Now Trans Adults Are Too.
Bob Hall has long sought to outlaw gender-affirming treatments for minors. Now he seeks to effectively ban care for consenting adults.
By
Dan Solomon
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Politics & Policy
February 21, 2023
A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessa’s Municipal Government. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits.
In the three months since city council elections, at least twenty staffers have resigned, retired, or been fired, including the city manager, city attorney, and fire chief.
News & Politics
February 20, 2023
Red McCombs Turned Old San Antonio on Its Head
The larger-than-life, redheaded émigré from Spur, Texas—who died at 95—seemed intent on making the town his own. And he did.
By
Mimi Swartz
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Politics & Policy
February 16, 2023
No Media, No Cellphones, No Questions: Greg Abbott Finds a Safe Space for His State of the State Speech
In an address that resembled a campaign ad, the governor issued seven priorities for the Legislature, including a push for “school choice.”
Politics & Policy
February 16, 2023
What’s Driving the Texas Right’s Campaign Against Transgender Youth and Their Parents
A handful of bills target gender-affirming medical care. Some families have fled the state and others are ready to follow.
The Stand Up Desk
February 15, 2023
Roar of the Crowd: March 2023
Reader letters published in our March 2023 issue.
The Stand Up Desk
February 15, 2023
Meet the Writer Behind Our March Cover Story
Mimi Swartz’s latest epic is a must-read tale of a decades-long attempt to sabotage Texas’s public schools.
By
Dan Goodgame
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Texas History
February 14, 2023
The Killing of José Campos Torres
Decades before the recent police violence in Memphis, a brutally beaten Latino man was tossed by officers into a Houston bayou and drowned. The protests that followed continue to echo in the city to this day.
By
Mimi Swartz
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Politics & Policy
February 14, 2023
How a Brazen School-Voucher Scheme in Texas Got Derailed
Internal documents offer new insights into an unprecedented ploy in Wimberley to divert public-education dollars to private schools.
News & Politics
February 13, 2023
The Campaign to Sabotage Texas’s Public Schools
What seems like an outbreak of local skirmishes is part of a decades-long push to privatize the education system.
By
Mimi Swartz
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Politics & Policy
February 10, 2023
Attorney General Ken Paxton Agrees to Apologize and Pay $3.3 Million to Whistleblowers
Paxton and the four whistleblowers asked the Texas Supreme Court to defer consideration of the case until they can finalize the settlement, after which they’ll move to end the case.