Jeremy Schwartz

Hugely important story and brilliant reporting from @jsmithrichards.bsky.social

A Pair of Billionaire Preachers Built the Most Powerful Political Machine in Texas. That’s Just the Start. Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks are poised to take their Christian nationalist agenda nationwide.

“They want to get Christians in office to change the ordinances, laws, rules and regulations to fit the Bible,” said one GOP activist who knows the Wilks family personally.

(Published Oct. 2024)

Gun Companies Gave Customers’ Sensitive Personal Information to Political Operatives At least 10 gun industry businesses, including Glock, Smith & Wesson, Remington and Mossberg, secretly handed over names, addresses and other data to lobbyists, who used the details to rally firearm o...

‪After watching and reading comments about the horrific Minnesota shooting, it appears most Americans people missed our stories about the secret roots to the madness. I pray this repost helps. www.propublica.org/article/gunm...

Texas Overhauls Anti-Abortion Program That Spent Tens of Millions of Taxpayer Dollars With Little Oversight After a ProPublica and CBS News investigation revealed that Texas’ funding pipeline for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers is riddled with waste, nonprofits in the program must now provide a detai...

A ProPublica & CBS News investigation revealed that Texas’ funding for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers was riddled with waste. Now nonprofits must provide a detailed accounting of their expenses. / News tip? Contact: @jeremykohler.bsky.social or @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social

Helene’s Unheard Warnings As Hurricane Helene barreled toward Yancey County in North Carolina, communities along the Cane River in the Black Mountains were particularly vulnerable. But there were no evacuation orders, and few ...

We don’t talk enough about the nexus between weather forecasts and evacuation orders. @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social did so recently with this stunning story about Hurricane Helene’s unheard warnings in Yancey County, North Carolina

Here's a timeline of the catastrophic Texas floods NPR has compiled a timeline of when local, state and federal officials posted warnings on social media as well as the timeline of events as presented by local officials.

NPR has compiled a timeline of when local, state and federal officials posted warnings on social media as well as the timeline of events as presented by local officials.

Austin American-Statesman A1 story titled Broken Promises: How Texas Fails Migrant Farmworkers

The new law is a reminder that journalistic impact can take years, sometimes decades, to bear fruit. And also a reminder to support your daily newspaper!

YouTube video by Texas Impact Rep. Bernal lays out SB 243, regulating migrant labor housing facilities

On the floor of the House, State Rep. Diego Bernal of San Antonio detailed the decade-long fight for the bill, arguing it would help ensure clean, sanitary and safe housing for farmworkers. "This is pure humane treatment." www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc8H...

SB 243 - 89th Legislature Regular Session Relating to the regulation of migrant labor housing facilities; changing the amount of a civil penalty.

Texas Policy Research Action, a conservative legislative research organization, urged lawmakers to reject the bill, writing that while "the intent is commendable," the legislation substantially expands "government power" and "imposes new mandates." www.texaspolicyresearch.com/bills/89th-l...

The new legislation requires the state to spend over $1 million over the next two years to hire staff and create a more robust inspection program for migrant housing facilities and requires the TDHCA to conduct outreach to migratory farmworkers, educating them on their rights under the law.

Austin American-Statesman article from 2016 showing the findings of the newspaper's investigation.

The Austin American-Statesman investigation found state regulators hadn't levied fines despite failing inspections and that Texas spent far less than other states. While Michigan spent $1.1 million in 2015, Texas spent less than $2,500 on housing inspections.

The bill analysis for SB 243 by Senator Pete Flores

The bill's analysis cites the Austin American-Statesman's 2016 investigation into farmworker housing, which found migrant agricultural workers "subjected to inhumane living conditions" like shipping containers and homes flooded with sewage.

Similar versions of the bill, SB 243, died in past sessions. This time, Sen. Pete Flores of Pleasanton, the first Hispanic Republican in the TX Senate, passed the bill 31-0 in the Senate and by a wide majority in the House. Gov. Abbott let the bill take effect w/o his signature.

Webpage showing the bill's progress through the Texas Legislature. It takes effect on September 1.

In one of the more surprising moves of the just completed legislative session, Texas lawmakers significantly increased oversight and inspections of migrant farmworker housing, the culmination of nearly a decade of legislative attempts sparked by a 2016 Austin American-Statesman investigation.

Texas Legislature poised to implement sweeping restrictions on school libraries SB 13 vastly expands parents' control over the school library selection process and prohibits "profane," "indecent" and "sexually explicit" books.

NEW: The Texas House is poised to pass legislation to grant parents unprecedented control over school library book selection.

SB 13 would require schools to prohibit books that are "indecent," "profane" or "sexually explicit." #txlege

www.statesman.com/story/news/p...

A Houston megadonor is losing in the Texas Legislature after 30 years of wins Dick Weekley's lobbying group, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, has fierce opposition and lost allies in a clash with Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Congrats to @houstonchronicle.com for publishing the first piece out of our new collaboration w/ @texastribune.org and five newsrooms!
A Houston megadonor is losing in the Texas Legislature after 30 years of wins

Thursday, May 8, 2025 ProPublica management continues to deny steward representation Yesterday morning, ProPublica management confirmed that it will deny steward representation to at least two more bargaining unit members it plans to discipline next week through the issuance of Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs). This is part of a larger pattern: management has denied steward representation in every meeting where members were placed on PIPs. The plans are the first step in a disciplinary process that often leads to termination. We have raised this issue repeatedly. Last Thursday, more than 70% of our unit sent an open letter to ProPublica leadership, urging them to stop resisting core union protections including steward access, just cause and accountability in the disciplinary process. This week, managers informed two employees that they would be placed on PIPs in meetings next week. Shortly afterward, ProPublica’s general counsel told Guild leadership that stewards will not be allowed in those meetings. ProPublica’s disciplinary process remains opaque, inconsistently applied and shielded from scrutiny. Blocking stewards from these meetings is out of step with our industry and the principles of fairness and accountability the newsroom claims to uphold.

1/ 🚨 Yesterday, @propublica.org management confirmed that it will again deny steward representation at disciplinary meetings. Our full statement 👇

The Texas House has approved a $1 billion private school voucher bill — the culmination of more than three decades of work by Christian conservative donors.

@jschwartzreporter.bsky.social explains how we got to this moment (published 2024):

Texas Is the Largest GOP Stronghold Without Pro-School Voucher Legislation. Gov. Abbott Is on a Crusade to Change That. Greg Abbott has campaigned against members of his own party who do not support voucher programs. This fall, he may finally get the votes needed to pass a bill — a win for the Christian conservative do...

How we got here: Inside the 30-year push to bring school vouchers to Texas, an effort that was revived by the pandemic and allegations of “indoctrination”: www.propublica.org/article/texa...

If you look at item 7b in these meeting minutes, you'll find the textbooks and the chapters: meetings.boardbook.org/Documents/Cu...

Page in textbook contains the lines: "Culturally competent teachers use self-reflection to examine their own unintentional and subtle biases" and "Teachers working toward cultural humility and competence in teaching diverse students are willing to commit the time and energy it takes to learn new ideas."

Here are the lines in the "Teaching" textbook that came under scrutiny in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD:

Experts believe the far-right school board's move will resonate in other conservative-controlled districts as the fight over textbooks moves from State Board of Education to local school boards.

A Texas School Board Cut State-Approved Textbook Chapters About Diversity. A Board Member Says Material Violated the Law The decision to strip chapters from books that had already won the approval of the state’s Republican-controlled board of education represents an escalation in how local school boards run by ideologic...

NEW: Leader at the 3rd largest school district in Texas considers chapters in a textbook that discuss how to teach diverse learners, and that raise the concept of cultural competence for aspiring teachers, to be unlawful under the state's landmark "anti-CRT" bill. @propublica.org @texastribune.org

Texas GOP Lawmakers Propose Amending Abortion Ban Linked to Deaths and a Rise in Sepsis Cases The bill comes after ProPublica’s reporting on the deaths of three Texas women. It specifies that doctors don’t need to wait until an emergency is “imminent” to terminate pregnancies but leaves in ste...

"The legislation comes in response to a @propublica.org investigation last fall that revealed how three Texas women died after they did not receive critical procedures during miscarriages." www.propublica.org/article/texa...

A Political Power Grab Redirected Funds for North Carolina’s Sexual Abuse Survivors. Women in Crisis Paid the Price. The move, which led to disruptions in services for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors, provides a glimpse of the consequences when a branch of government assumes unprecedented control.

1/ A year ago, I was examining North Carolina’s budget when two unusual items caught my attention–spurring an investigation that reveals how political and religious favoritism by lawmakers can harm some of society’s most vulnerable people. #ncpol @propublica.org

www.propublica.org/article/nort...

How Texas Conservatives Use At-Large School Board Elections to Influence What Students Learn In six Texas districts that used at-large voting systems, ideologically driven conservatives successfully helped elect school board members who have moved aggressively to ban or remove educational mat...

Power. Politics. Race. Schools. Kids. This story is so important.

How Texas Conservatives Use At-Large School Board Elections to Influence What Students Learn
@jschwartzreporter.bsky.social and Dan Keemahill w/ @texastribune.org

How Texas Conservatives Use At-Large School Board Elections to Influence What Students Learn In six Texas districts that used at-large voting systems, ideologically driven conservatives successfully helped elect school board members who have moved aggressively to ban or remove educational mat...

I'm a huge supporter of ProPublica's excellent reporting.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...

How Texas Conservatives Use At-Large School Board Elections to Influence What Students Learn In six Texas districts that used at-large voting systems, ideologically driven conservatives successfully helped elect school board members who have moved aggressively to ban or remove educational mat...

“What you’re seeing happening in Texas is how at-large districts make it easy for somebody to come in, usually from the outside, and hijack the process and essentially buy a board."
www.propublica.org/article/texa...

The Way Texans Elect School Board Members Plays a Key Role in What Students in Diverse Districts Learn In six Texas districts that used at-large voting systems, ideologically driven conservatives successfully helped elect school board members who have moved aggressively to ban or remove educational mat...

"In six Texas districts that used at-large voting systems, ideologically driven conservatives successfully helped elect school board members who have moved aggressively to ban or remove educational materials that teach children about diversity."

www.propublica.org/article/texa...

The Way Texans Elect School Board Members Plays a Key Role in What Students in Diverse Districts Learn In six Texas districts that used at-large voting systems, ideologically driven conservatives successfully helped elect school board members who have moved aggressively to ban or remove educational mat...

On paper, the school districts in Keller and Richardson, Texas, look a lot alike. But they have followed divergent paths in culture war battles. One has been taken over by a conservative school board that is banning books. The other hasn't. @jschwartzreporter.bsky.social explains what's going on.