Daily Dispatch 5/2/24: Paxton Challenges New ATF Gun Show Loophole Rule, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: That new ATF rule requiring more background checks for gun purchases has been targeted by the state in a lawsuit: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-ken-paxton-sue-rule-background-check-private-gun-sale/3529691/ Police arrested 21 pro-Palestinian protestors at UT Dallas yesterday in what's become a familiar scene across the country: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/gaza-protest-encampment-university-texas-dallas/ ...The companies that protestors are demanding the UT System to divest from represent only about 1% of its total holdings: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/university-texas-system-investments-several-companies-with-ties-israel/287-dec3727c-d93a-4bda-8ae1-558c3682675f ...UT professor Jeremy Suri notes that conservative aggression towards college culture has exacerbated tensions during the recent protests: https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/29/opinions/campus-protests-university-of-texas-israel-gaza-suri/index.html A sitting member of the Federal Elections Commission, in charge of the complaint against Ted Cruz that his campaign is improperly profiting from his podcast, has a Ted Cruz campaign sign in his front yard: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/federal-elections-regulator-from-texas-has-ted-cruz-campaign-sign-in-front-yard/ar-AA1nZWTT?ocid=BingNews Bitcoin company Riot Platforms says they're set to make a bundle again this summer selling power back to the Texas power grid at a profit: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-01/bitcoin-miner-riot-riot-eyes-selling-power-in-texas-as-summer-nears Elon Musk "borrows" the phrase "Don't Mess With Texas" for a cheesy Tesla belt buckle: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/elon-musk-dont-mess-texas-19429328.php Mark your calendar for May 9 at 12 noon for our "Burning Issues" town hall on liquid natural gas (LNG) pollution in Texas: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/townhall_24 Also for your calendar: a public forum will be held on May 20 by the Texas Medical Board on proposed exceptions to Texas' near-total ban on abortion: https://x.com/hannahnorton89/status/1785054901661216800?s=12&t=Bt_w1MN2AlTfFkWGHJiOJg Progress Texas could use your help in funding our trip to June's Texas Democratic Convention in El Paso - thanks in advance! https://progresstexas.org/donate Early voting in the May 4 municipal elections ends today! https://progresstexas.org/blog/why-you-should-care-about-may-appraisal-district-elections ...And it will soon be time to vote in the May 28 primary runoffs! https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/26/texas-voting-2024-runoff-elections/ Progress Texas invites progressive candidates to share their views with us - which we'll then share with our statewide audience - via our Certified Progressive questionnaire: https://progresstexas.org/blog/progress-texas-certified-progressives-2024-progressive-values-questionnaire Instagram users: be sure to enable political content on that platform, which has begun opting users out: https://x.com/ProgressTX/status/1771276124498100667?s=20 Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at https://progresstexas.org/.