Daily Dispatch 1/23/25: American Christians Forced To Grapple With Trump's Distortion Of Their Faith, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The welcome challenge to the MAGA distortion of Christianity by Bishop Mariann Budde during the Trump inauguration proceedings casts new light on attempts by Texas GOP lawmakers to force that distorted vision into public life in Texas: https://thebarbedwire.com/2025/01/22/texas-is-on-the-path-to-even-harder-right-christian-supremacy/ Budget drafts submitted yesterday by the House and Senate include billions for private school vouchers, a meager public school teacher pay raise, and NO drawdown of spending on Operation Lone Star: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/22/texas-budget-school-vouchers-teacher-raises-border-security/ ...They also include around $10 billion for infrastructure investment, while an independent report places the price tag for keeping up our water infrastructure at $150 billion: https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2025-01-23/texas-economy-stands-to-lose-billions-of-dollars-without-investments-into-its-water-infrastructure ...Corpus Christi, for example, is resorting to desperate measures to shore up its water supply, all while more and more private industry sucks up more and more of that limited, life-sustaining resource: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/23/texas-corpus-christi-water-emergency-reservoirs/ Texas is failing to provide a system for taking guns away from convicted abusers, falling short of both Federal legal standards and the wishes of the heavily-conservative U.S. Supreme Court: https://www.keranews.org/news/2025-01-23/the-supreme-court-says-domestic-abusers-shouldnt-have-guns-is-texas-listening Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has hired back as his chief of staff a man he recently let go after he pled guilty to bribery charges: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/article/sid-miller-todd-smith-20047308.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaG91c3RvbmNocm9uaWNsZS5jb20vcG9saXRpY3MvYXJ0aWNsZS9zaWQtbWlsbGVyLXRvZGQtc21pdGgtMjAwNDczMDgucGhw&time=MTczNzYzNTIzODUxOQ%3D%3D&rid=MTAxN2FkY2MtNWNjOS00NDYzLTk3OGYtZTQ4OWJiNTAyMzNl&sharecount=Mw%3D%3D Join us Saturday afternoon at 2 for our livestream of the first in-person Texas Democratic Party Chair candidate forum from the historic LBJ Ranch! We'll cover it via Youtube: youtube.com/@progresstexas The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Grab your goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.