Daily Dispatch 10/19/23: Allies Press Against School Vouchers, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A coalition of progressive groups gathered at the Capitol for a news conference stating opposition to school vouchers yesterday: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2023/10/18/our-taxes-shouldnt-be-paying-for-discrimination-activists-speak-to-equity-support-concerns-in-school/71232595007/ Jim Jordan is even further short of the votes he needs to become Speaker of the House - trailing Democrat Hakeem Jeffries - with three Texas Republicans still holding out: https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/17/politics/republicans-who-voted-against-jim-jordan/index.html A plane took off from Harlingen yesterday carrying the first U.S. deportees to Venezuela in several years: https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-migrants-deportation-texas-biden-immigration-1115aa224f1fa79fb88bd991a8ed705a A member of Ken Paxton's impeachment defense team will run against a House Republican who voted to impeach the AG: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/paxton-impeachment-defense-lawyer-to-launch-bid-for-texas-house/ Texas will recieve multiple millions of the historic $3.5 billion Biden administration spend on energy infrastructure improvements: https://www.aol.com/biden-announces-3-5b-projects-200449856.html#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16977101832878&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aol.com%2Fbiden-announces-3-5b-projects-200449856.html The City of San Marcos will pay a group of four passengers on a Biden campaign bus - including former Senator Wendy Davis - who city police failed to help as they were accosted by Trump supporters in 2020: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/17/trump-train-san-marcos-lawsuit-settlement/ Also in San Marcos: a pre-school teacher's aide has been fired and is in legal trouble after a 4-year old student found a gun in their backpack: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article280681745.html The Texas GOP is fracturing over fears that its leadership is tolerant of antisemitic elements: https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/texas-gop-antisemitism-18431798.php The New York Times podcast "The Daily" covers regrets of Eagle Pass residents two years after embracing Operation Lone Star: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/podcasts/the-daily/texas-immigration.html Thanks for listening! Check out our voter guide for the November election, and consider making a donation to support our continued work, at https://progresstexas.org/.