Daily Dispatch 1/29/24: Trump, Russia Celebrate Abbott's Border Crisis, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The standoff between Texas and the Biden Administration is verging on unprecedented - outside of the leadup to the American Civil War: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-refuses-federal-agents-access-shelby-park-eagle-pass-border/ ...Governor Abbott's legal position parallels those asserted by Confederate states as they left the Union, all thoroughly debunked: https://www.thedailybeast.com/texas-border-stunt-is-based-on-a-confederate-legal-theory ...It also relies on the patently absurd equivalency comparing migrants seeking work to an invading foreign army: https://www.cato.org/blog/explaining-border-standoff-between-texas-federal-government ...Houston State Rep. Gene Wu suggests that Abbott follow the law, just as he asks pregnant rape victims to do: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/inside-politics/texas-politics/gene-wu-texas-us-mexico-border-razor-wire-supreme-court-scotus-ruling/287-bcbf2a26-52a6-4933-8cde-6a795952f767 ...While Donald Trump claps with glee and eggs Abbott on: https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-immigration-texas-border-mexico-f2c1f03d902734521ab6e23f02ed9fa3 ...And Russia looks on with interest, hoping the Texas border crisis will end American interest in and aid for Ukraine: https://www.newsweek.com/russia-state-tv-texas-border-control-greg-abbott-joe-biden-donald-trump-1864605 ...While an Indian source points out that footage covering the "Army Of God" truck convoy is actually that of a COVID convoy from 2022: https://www.indiatoday.in/fact-check/story/fact-check-convoy-heading-towards-texas-for-border-control-no-this-video-is-from-2022-2494924-2024-01-29 What may end up the only debate between Democratic hopefuls to challenge Ted Cruz in November was held yesterday: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/28/texas-senate-democratic-debate/ ...Listen in its entirety here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/happy-hour-143-the-u-s-senate-texas-democratic/id1552998795?i=1000643297735 Ken Paxton hassles another out-of-state clinic for the private medical records of trans kids, this one in Georgia: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/26/texas-attorney-general-trans-documents-georgia-ken-paxton/ Snopes finds that yes - Norwegians really do use the word "Texas" as slang for insane, chaotic situations: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/texas-slang-crazy-norway/ Thanks for listening! Discover our web store and other ways to support our ongoing mission at https://progresstexas.org/.