Justin Miller

Texas Domestic Workers Face Trump Attack on Minimum Wage Advocates warn a proposed rule by the Department of Labor will deepen the country’s “crisis of care.”

Trump hastens plan to deny domestic workers the minimum wage. www.texasobserver.org/texas-domest...

Where are the Latino statewide Democratic candidates in Texas? www.texasobserver.org/latino-top-b...

Is a Strong Latino Candidate Texas Democrats’ Only Hope? The party is long-overdue for such a leader at the top of the ballot.

From @byjustinmiller.bsky.social in our magazine: At the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the largely unknown Julián Castro became an instantaneous political phenom and a seemingly inevitable rising party star.

But the party's traveled a rocky road since then ...

Texas GOP Says Flood Relief Is Priority. Here’s the Climate Policy They Won’t Pass. Republican lawmakers have for years refused to engage with precautionary climate resilience and disaster-response measures.

NEW: TX Rs blame decamped Dems for holding up flood response. They also argue a disaster-response bill they shunned in the regular session wouldn't have gone into effect until after the 7/4 flood.

Here's the climate bills they've ignored for over a decade now: www.texasobserver.org/texas-gop-sa...

Texas Lawmakers Push ‘Massive Secrecy Grab’ to Shield Police Files As public attention has shifted away from policing reform, legislators attempt to shove information into the dark.

Our top story, from @michellepitcher.bsky.social: Advocates for police transparency say a new bill would supercharge cops' ability to shield misconduct from the public. www.texasobserver.org/secrecy-g-fi...

Can Anything Halt the Gerrymandering Arms Race? Texas Dem quorum-breakers are seeking to protect voter rights nationwide, but they’re likely engaged in little more than a perfunctory game of chicken.

Can Texas Dems' quorum break halt a seemingly inevitable gerrymandering arms race? texasobserver.org/texas-house-... #txlege

Poetry Archives

#Celebration! I’ve been Poetry Editor for @texasobserver.org for a year! Please, please, share, repost and read up on the #Poetry section of the magazine!

I will create a thread of the poems that have made it into the mag while I’ve been editor! #PoetrySky

www.texasobserver.org/topics/poetry/

How Trump’s IRS May Unshackle Churches from Their Political Restraints As if everyday life in these United States wasn’t politicized enough, your local house of worship could soon become a part of the campaign battlefield.

My latest from @texasobserver.org: Christian right activists have long chafed at the Johnson Amendment, contending that it makes the IRS into “speech police” and chills the constitutional rights of religious leaders. A new IRS ruling may give them a big win www.texasobserver.org/trump-irs-te...

A Hill Country native reflects on her own family's harrowing flood experience on the Fourth of July 23 years ago. www.texasobserver.org/hill-country...

Some news for y'all: I'm now the News & Politics Editor for the @texasobserver.org , leading our coverage of the Lege, elections, and other Texas news. If you've got a pitch, a tip, or anything else, email is in the bio #txlege

Some news for y'all: I'm now the News & Politics Editor for the @texasobserver.org , leading our coverage of the Lege, elections, and other Texas news. If you've got a pitch, a tip, or anything else, email is in the bio #txlege

‘The House Got Rolled’: Gene Wu on the Trials of the 89th Texas Legislature “We can only play the hand that we're dealt.”

"Q: Do you think Democrats could have stood united in withholding support for [a speaker] longer in order to try to secure actual concessions?

A: Is it possible? Of course. Anything’s possible. I could suddenly turn into a fish." www.texasobserver.org/house-got-ro...

‘The House Got Rolled’: Gene Wu on the Trials of the 89th Texas Legislature “We can only play the hand that we're dealt.”

New from @byjustinmiller.bsky.social: The job of leading the minority party in the Texas House has long consisted, at best, of harm reduction and something like emergency room triage. Rep. Gene Wu tells us about trying to stop the bleeding this session.

Texas Quietly Downsizes Border Security Spending But outlays remain far above state funding prior to the Operation Lone Star era.

New from @byjustinmiller.bsky.social: Without fanfare or open debate, the GOP-controlled Texas Lege just effectively halved the amount dedicated to its multi-billion-dollar border security operations—from a proposed $6.5 billion down to about $3.4 billion.

Texas Quietly Downsizes Border Security Spending But outlays remain far above state funding prior to the Operation Lone Star era.

New from me: Texas quietly downsizes border security spending—mainly for state border wall—though still remains above pre-OLS levels www.texasobserver.org/texas-quietl... @texasobserver.org

His words from 2004 still hold up all too well

Needless to say, Dugger didn't bite and instead became a persistent thorn in LBJ's side as he rose to the presidency.

The obituary is a worthwhile read—if only for Dugger's account of his visit to LBJ's ranch in 1955, where the future president proffered a poolside quid pro quo. texasobserver.org/ronnie-dugge...

The @texasobserver.org's founding editor Ronnie Dugger has passed away at age 95. He forged the publication in the '50s and 60s into an independent organ of progressive muckraking and a bulwark against prevailing conservative forces that dominated the state then—and now.

Texas Set to Create State Bitcoin Reserve that Would Accept Private Donations The latest version of the bill includes a previously nixed provision to allow Texans to donate crypto to the fund.

From @byjustinmiller.bsky.social: The House approved the measure with overwhelming bipartisan support on a 101-42 vote, with no debate over the wisdom of getting the state into the business of investing in highly speculative virtual coins. Opponents included 21 Republicans and 21 Democrats.

The Lege’s 'Big Government Intrusion' into University Academics Expanding on last session's anti-DEI campus crackdown, Republicans are now going after gender and ethnic studies programs and faculty independence.

New today: Legislators have launched fresh attacks targeting gender and ethnic studies departments, programs, and courses, which some educators say threaten academic freedom and the prestige of Texas universities.

Carlton Carl, 1945-2025 Carlton was a patriot, feminist, Democrat, journalist, bibliophile, philanthropist, entrepreneur, art enthusiast, history buff, and more. He was a staunch supporter of his family and community, of org...

Remembering Carlton Carl: a patriot, feminist, Democrat, journalist, bibliophile, philanthropist, entrepreneur, art enthusiast, history buff, and more. He was a staunch supporter of his family and community, of organizations including the Observer, and of the town of Martindale.

Texas’ AI-Powered Surveillance Arsenal Has Ballooned. Proposed Laws Provide Few Guardrails. Operation Lone Star has turbocharged DPS’ surveillance capabilities. Lawmakers say they want to prevent Texas from becoming a police state but have filed only modest legislation to regulate use of AI.

Social media monitoring, cell tracking, facial recognition, and more—how Texas DPS has turbocharged its surveillance capabilities with Artificial Intelligence. Meanwhile, lawmakers offer few guardrails - by @francescadnunz.bsky.social #txlege www.texasobserver.org/texas-dps-su...

Texas’ AI-Powered Surveillance Arsenal Has Ballooned. Proposed Laws Provide Few Guardrails. Operation Lone Star has turbocharged DPS’ surveillance capabilities. Lawmakers say they want to prevent Texas from becoming a police state but have filed only modest legislation to regulate use of AI.

New from @francescadnunz.bsky.social: Under Governor Greg Abbott's multi-billion dollar border security bonanza, Operation Lone Star, the Rio Grande no longer holds back law enforcement efforts. Today's digital border reaches across Texas and beyond.

With support from @pulitzercenter.bsky.social

What Ever Happened to Ethics Reform? The House speaker battle wasn’t really about cleaning house.

It was one of Governor Abbott's top priorities in his first session. And for all the rhetoric around the Texas House leadership battle, it remains inert.

What ever happened to ethics reform? #txlege
@texasobserver.org
www.texasobserver.org/ethics-refor...

How Voucher Vendors Could Make Millions from ‘School Choice’ in Texas The Legislature’s current proposals put a handful of private contractors in the driver’s seat. Other states have already seen problems.

“The Legislature’s current proposals put a handful of private contractors in the driver’s seat. Other states have already seen problems.” @byjustinmiller.bsky.social @joshcowenmsu.bsky.social @texasaft.org @democracymoms.bsky.social www.texasobserver.org/school-vouch...

Gothams LLC is a poster child for the OLS contract windfall. The firm got a no-bid contract in 2021 to run the state's 2nd migrant processing center in Jim Hogg County at a cost of about $2m/month—even as OLS arrests slowed to trickle

Full story here: texasobserver.org/abbott-opera...

A top private contractor for OLS has close ties with Greg Abbott—the firm's founder has given $600k to his campaign, lent their private jet for travel to border photo opps, & hired the gov's top aide.

Take a look inside the Texas border contracting bonanza #txlege

Abbott’s Border Disaster Has Created a No-Bid Bonanza for Private Contractors There is now a powerful, well-heeled constituency that has built up around Operation Lone Star.

New from Justin Miller: This state of disaster has been continuously renewed, even as border apprehensions have fallen precipitously. Now four years old, the Texas Legislature has allocated more than $11 billion in funding.

Abbott’s Border Disaster Has Created a No-Bid Bonanza for Private Contractors There is now a powerful, well-heeled constituency that has built up around Operation Lone Star.

The base camps, migrant processing centers, & busing operations are big business for private contractors on Operation Lone Star. 2 of those firms have in turn doled out over $1.2 m to Gov Abbott's campaign, the RGA, & GOP PACs. My latest for @texasobserver.org www.texasobserver.org/abbott-opera...