The AI Boom Goes Nuclear
Clean-energy startups could regain the public’s trust and help address the climate crisis. But their alliance with data centers is making them a target of grassroots backlash instead.
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Molly Ivins on Ann Richards’ Legacy
As another Democratic woman heads for the governorship, the Observer shares an archival piece looking back at the last.
Texans Are Losing Their Democracy, School by School
In the exact system charged with instilling our civic values, voter input is being stripped out with each legislative session.
Politics ⋆
In Texas, the Glass Ceiling Shattered in a Gas-and-Groceries Cycle
Quietly—at least in the lead-up—voters ushered in a series of historic firsts.
Reviews ⋆
The Texas Ocelot in a World ‘Propelled Toward Algorithms and Bottom Lines’
Karen Olsson’s latest novel, about a biologist and the rare cats, marks the third installment in a trilogy of blighted idealism.
Politics ⋆
Bobby Pulido, the New Scion of South Texas Democrats
The Tejano star ousted a two-term Republican incumbent, but now that the music’s over, what kind of congressman will he be?
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Politics
‘We Just Took Back Texas’: Watching the Blue Tsunami from Talarico’s Victory Party
In a thoroughly historic night of statewide electoral upsets, led by the Democratic Senate candidate, Texans rejoiced.
Far From Abbott’s Promised ‘Dark Red,’ Harris County Drives Democrats to Victory Up and Down Ballot
Texas’ largest county cemented its status as a staunchly blue stronghold.
Yep, Texas Got Dummymandered
Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting—fueled by hubris and fealty to Trump—bit them in the ass.
Border and Immigration
What Will It Take to ‘Get ICE the Fuck Out of Austin’?
Shootings by federal agents are proliferating since Donald Trump took office in 2025, several of them in Texas. To stop it from happening again, local elected officials and prosecutors are hunting for options that aren’t already foreclosed.
Santa Ana’s Last Stand
Congress repeatedly shielded the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge from the border wall. Now, construction has begun—and an irrigation district lawsuit may be the only option left to buy time for lawmakers to act.
ICE Contractor for Controversial Camp East Montana Is Trailed by Fraud Allegations
To continue running the deadly El Paso detention center, the feds turn to a company that’s faced numerous lawsuits from labor unions and former employees and is actively fighting a whistleblower in court.
Culture
‘Earth Has No Sorrow’: Visions of a Caldwell County Long Gone
The Observer resurfaces a 50-year-old collection of fine arts photography and unique oral history.
Houston’s ‘Living Archive’ of Migration
At Fresh Arts, photographer Violeta Álvarez created a space where immigrant families in Houston can see their own histories reflected back to them.
Houston’s Historic Black Theater at 50
For five decades, the Ensemble has brought Houstonians together to laugh, cry, and talk back to plays representing all aspects of African-American life.
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November/December 2026
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