Daily Dispatch 12/15/23: Cruz Cowers From Questions On Cox Case, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Senator Ted Cruz, sensing the volatility of the issue, continues dodging questions about developments in Texas surrounding our abortion bans: https://newrepublic.com/post/177569/ted-cruz-does-not-want-talk-texas-abortion-case ...In fact, the entire Republican Party appears queasy about it: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-struggle-defend-texas-abortion-law-cox-1234928770/ ...The Texas business sector, normally steering clear of hot social issues, weighs in in a Zurawski amicus brief: https://thehill.com/business/4360255-texas-abortion-challenge-businesses-economy-bumble-amicus-brief/ ..."Anti-abortion" and "pro-life" are seemingly no longer the same position: https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/4359376-texass-war-on-pregnant-women/ ...Conservative political strategist Matthew Dowd relates a difficult pregnancy and its impact on his abortion views: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/kate-cox-ken-paxton-texas-abortion-rcna129617 In spite of a fall full of worry, Governor Abbott and ERCOT officials are suddenly very confident that the lights and heat will stay on this winter: https://abc13.com/ercot-texas-weather-power-grid-in-2021-winter-freeze/14184473/ ...While climate disasters in Texas have led to an insurance crisis: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/carriers-reduce-coverage-texas-home-insurance-18491266.php And Iowa provides a clear example of why Governor Abbott's private school voucher scam won't play out well for middle and lower income Texans: https://www.kcrg.com/video/2023/12/05/private-schools-raising-tuition-costs-after-school-voucher-bill-passes/ Thanks for listening! Please consider making a donation to help us continue our important work at https://progresstexas.org/donate.