Daily Dispatch 11/25/24: Mass Deportation Threatens Texas Construction Industry, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Leaders of the Texas construction industry - who are curiously mostly left out of right-wing panic over immigration - say their sector is existentially threatened by Donald Trump's mass deportation plan: https://www.tpr.org/economy-and-labor/2024-11-23/trumps-deportation-vow-alarms-texas-construction-industry The Texas State Board of Education approved the adoption of Bluebonnet Learning, the state-crafted elementary school curriculum that makes liberal use of Bible studies: https://www.keranews.org/education/2024-11-22/texas-state-board-education-sboe-approves-bible-story-curriculum-public-schools ...What takes root in Texas will tend to spread elsewhere: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/22/us/bible-curriculum-public-schools-texas-approved.html ...See excerpts from some of the Bible stories incorporated into Bluebonnet Learning: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2024/11/21/read-excerpts-of-what-texas-lessons-may-include-about-the-bible-christianity/ Ken Paxton has targeted an advertising group that Elon Musk has sued for directing its business away from Twitter: https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/21/texas-ag-opens-investigation-into-advertising-group-that-elon-musk-sued-for-boycotting-x/ ...John Cornyn becomes a founding member of the Senate Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE Caucus: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/cornyn-musk-vivek-doge-trump-19938477.php ...Musk's SpaceX faces a ramp-up of environmental activist opposition, who are presuming the company will face far less regulation and enforcement under Donald Trump: https://www.npr.org/2024/11/22/1214662580/spacex-starship-texas-environment ...Allegations surface that Musk once exposed himself to a SpaceX flight attendant and tried to bribe her into sex with an offer to buy her a horse (?!): https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-paid-250000-to-a-flight-attendant-who-accused-elon-musk-of-sexual-misconduct-2022-5 Among the giant pile of culture-war bills filed for the 2025 legislative session, a new push to reclassify abortion-inducing drugs as controlled substances: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/25/abortion-texas-pills-controlled-substance/ ...Dozens of bills targeting transgender Texans: https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/republicans-file-32-anti-trans-bills ...And of course, a renewed push for private school vouchers: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/texas-school-vouchers-choice-fight ...Which, we're reminded, will mainly help wealthy families who are already paying for private school: https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/commentary/article/voucher-fight-texas-19936562.php Our annual holiday fundraising parties approach! We'll be gathering both in Dallas and Austin this December, and there are sponsorship opportunities available and individual tickets are now on sale: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/progress-texas-holiday-parties-2024⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Project 2025 is no longer a warning: it's now the playbook of the next American administration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at ⁠⁠⁠⁠@progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.