Texas Observer

@texasobserver

A nonprofit newsroom covering Texas through investigative journalism & narrative storytelling since 1954. Follow our journos: 🤠Learn more about us:

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Texas Observer@texasobserver· 7d

In photos: These 11 months of Robinson Gonzalez’s life are a microcosm of the immigrant experience—of resilience in the face of a contradictory system that welcomes your labor but not your full presence. www.texasobserver.org/american-ska...

Robinson Gonzalez, seen from behind under a dusky sky, carrying his skateboard as he walks across a grassy, sloping landscape. Photo credit: Monse Guajardo

Texas Observer@texasobserver· 8d

In photos: During anti-government protests in Caracas, an explosive device nearly severed Robinson Gonzalez's left hand. His home country now unsafe for him, he fled to the U.S., received asylum ... and found sponsorship from a skate brand. www.texasobserver.org/american-ska...

A young man, seen in silhouette, wearing baggy white clothes, takes a seemingly impossibly high jump on his skateboard, seemingly flying over power lines and into the sky with arms outstretched.

Texas Observer@texasobserver· 16d

Don't miss out ... Catch up with everything we've published from the July/August 2026 issue of our magazine: www.texasobserver.org/issues/july-...

The July/August 2026 issue of Texas Observer magazine features an illustration of a BIPOC boy in a classroom, holding a toy white school bus, while looking pensively out the window at barbed-wire festooned prison walls. Headline: The Texas School Arrests Crisis, How kids as young as 10 bear the burden of tough-on-crime policies, by Josephine Lee. Other headlines: An East Texas Love Letter by Dalyah Jones, The Houe That Youtube Built by Steven Monacelli.

Texas Observer@texasobserver· 29d

#ICYMI, the latest from Texas Observer cartoonist Ben Sargent. Read more Loon Star State: www.texasobserver.org/topics/loon-...

A burly Ku Klux Klan member in white robes with the signature red cross sits atop a heap of dirt marked The South, holding a noose in one hand and a copy of the Louisiana v. Callais decision of the United States Supreme Court. Next to him is a small crow, wearing a MAGA-red hat that's labelled "Jim." In big, evocative letters, the Klan member declares, "I'm Back Baby!!"

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Jul 12

Catch up with everything we've published from the July/August 2026 issue of Texas Observer magazine: www.texasobserver.org/issues/july-...

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Jul 4

In our magazine, the latest from Texas Observer cartoonist Ben Sargent. Read more from our July/August 2026 issue: www.texasobserver.org/issues/july-...

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Jul 3

"Not a woman and not a man: Conveying my experience of gender with words is clumsy at best. I find peace when I occupy the place in between." In magazine, the photos of Jo E. Norris: www.texasobserver.org/a-mirror-and...

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Jul 1

In our magazine, the latest from Texas Observer cartoonist Ben Sargent. Read more from our July/August 2026 issue: www.texasobserver.org/issues/july-...

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Jun 26

The Texas Observer office is closed next week for summer break. Thanks for your support in 2026! We hope you're having a beautiful and relaxing season wherever you are. 🤠 (📷 Krause Springs, Texas / Wikimedia / M1kmurph1 CC SA license)

An overhead view of a lush green "swimming hole" in the Texas hill country, with a clear-watered pond surrounded by trees and greenery. A small person can be seen relaxing on a float, arms outstretched.

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Jun 22

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Jun 18

Introducing the July/August 2026 issue of Texas Observer magazine, with cover story by @josephinelee.bsky.social, and art by Clay Rodery. Want to get our magazine, six times per year? Visit our site to become a member of the Texas Observer.

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Jun 7

In our magazine, Molly is back to share the latest, strangest news from Texas ... Read more Strangest State: www.texasobserver.org/topics/stran...

Strangest State: Notes from Far-Flung Texas, by Texas Observer Staff + Illustrated by Drue Wagner. Molly Ivins, holding a coffee cup, wearing a green jacket over a red top and khakis: "Howdy y'all, Molly Ivins here. Texas sure can be the strangest state. Let's see what happened since our last issue." A soldier and dog shoot down an alarmed-looking red balloon. "The federal government briefly closed El Paso's airport after what U.S. officials called a 'cartel drone incursion' though the flying threat turned out to be a balloon." A skeleton in trunks and a snorkel set holds a selfie stick. "An Amtrak train passenger reported a 'possible deceased person' floating in the Comal river, prompting a 911 call. Firemen were relieved to find a snorkeling afficianado who swims year round." Two Houston Rockets players hold a "spare change" sign and hat and a blind person's cane. "A fraudster convicted of bilking $4.5 million from three former NBA stars--including ex-Houston rockets--used the loot t

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Jun 5

In our magazine, Molly is back to share the latest, strangest news from Texas ... Read more from the May/June 2026 issue of our magazine: www.texasobserver.org/issues/may-j...

Texas Observer@texasobserver· May 23

The latest from Texas Observer cartoonist Ben Sargent. Read more Loon Star State comics: www.texasobserver.org/topics/loon-...

A man in overalls, red ballcap and work clothes labeled Abbott stands among industrial machinery that is shredding endless paper. He's talking on the phone to someone who says, "... And what if I don't want my vote suppressed?" Abbott responds: Too Late! We've already fed your name into the Trump-O-Matic Shredding Machine! Thanks for participating!"

Texas Observer@texasobserver· May 22

The latest from Texas Observer cartoonist Ben Sargent. Read more from the May/June 2026 issue of our magazine: www.texasobserver.org/issues/may-j...

Texas Observer@texasobserver· May 17

Are you a poet writing about Texas, or a poet rooted in Texas? Submissions are OPEN for our magazine's poetry section through May 31, 2026. Send in your best, previously unpublished poem of up to 45 lines. 1 poem per issue receives a $100 honorarium. poetry@texasobserver.org!

Image of a Texas roadway, leading out to mountains under a big sky. Are you a poet writing about Texas? Are you a Texas rooted poet? The Texas Observer wants your best poem. 1 poem selected per issue. $100 honorarium. Previously unpublished poems. Poem up to 45 lines. Submit your poem! Submissions close May 31, 2026. poetry@texasobserver.org

Texas Observer@texasobserver· May 10

Catch up on everything we've published, so far, from the May/June 2026 issue of our magazine: www.texasobserver.org/issues/may-j...

The cover of the May/June 2026 issue of Texas Observer magazine depicts a drawing of two androgynous track and field athletes running on a track. In the sky, stripes in the transgender pride flag colors run parallel to the track lanes. Headline: Let Them Play, How welcoming trans athletes can improve sports culture for all by Jessica Luther.

Texas Observer@texasobserver· May 5

The annual MOLLY Awards gala is tomorrow night in Austin! Don't miss out ... Tickets are still available, get yours today! www.texasobserver.org/MOLLY

An image of Skye Perryman in a dark top and pearl necklace. The MOLLYs National Journalism Prize Gala Guest Speaker: Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward, May 06 in Austin, Texas. Tickets at TexasObserver.org/MOLLY

Texas Observer@texasobserver· May 5

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Apr 22

Featured story from @gaigedavila.bsky.social: Meenu Batra, 53, is Texas' only licensed Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu legal interpreter. She once helped immigrants in the courts. Now she's languishing in a Raymondville detention center. She’s lived in America for 35 years.

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Apr 20

Introducing the May/June 2026 issue of Texas Observer magazine, with cover story by @jessicawluther.com and art by Adrià Voltà. Visit our site to become a member and receive our magazine, six times per year.

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Mar 22

Don't miss an article! Catch up with everything we've published from the March/April 2026 issue of our magazine: www.texasobserver.org/issues/march...

The March/April 2026 issue of Texas Observer magazine has a cover photograph of a coiled rattlesnake, its forked tongue tasting the air, against a stark bare background. Headline: In Defense of the Rattlesnake, Notes of a diamondback partisan, by Asher Elbein. Other headlines: The Hunt for Safe Military Housing by René Kladzyk. Time Comes for Castroville by April Maria Ortiz.

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Mar 21

The latest from Texas Observer cartoonist Ben Sargent. Read our latest political analysis and investigations: www.texasobserver.org/topics/polit...

Caption: Our wartime leader in his bunker, on the lookout for incoming explosives ...

In the comic, Pete Hegseth, dressed as an armored crusader, guards Trump in his bunker. The president is seen from behind, hunched over a radar screen, as a soldier behind him, armed with binoculars, declares, "Epstein files! Comin in HOT!"

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Mar 20

The latest from Texas Observer cartoonist Ben Sargent. See more from Loon Star State: www.texasobserver.org/topics/loon-...

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Mar 15

In the latest Strangest State, our pal Molly walks us through some of the bizarre news that makes Texas ... Texas. Read more from the March/April 2026 issue of our magazine: www.texasobserver.org/strangest-st...

Strangest State, notes from far-flung Texas. By Texas Observer staff + Illustrated by Drue Wagner. Molly Ivins is seen in a black cowboy hat, green jacket and white shirt, holding a coffee cup. "Howdy y'all, Molly Ivins here. Texas sure can be the Strangest State. Let's see what happened since our last issue. (A smiling truck careens on a highway during a police chase) A Houston thief swiped am military-style truck, smashing 10 cars and trying to ram cops during the chase. Ironically, musician Reuben "Papa Reu" Nero" bought that rig to ferry generators to the poor during disasters. (A man rides a bicycle with a basket overflowing with sea life and bottles) Coastal researcher Jace Tunnel rode an electric bike 2,800 miles on Texas beaches in 2025, finding fireworms, pink meanie jellyfish, and seven messages-in-a-bottle, all from the same sender.

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Mar 13

“The simple fact of the rattlesnake’s venom forces us to pause or accept the consequences. It is an assertion of space—of a right to be—that many of us cannot seem to make peace with.” Our cover story, by Asher Elbein, with photos by Brenda Bazán: www.texasobserver.org/consider-the...

A diamondback rattlesnake coils in its trademark slithering gait, against a stark background.

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Mar 13

There's so much weird stuff happening here, we can only conclude that Texas is the Strangest State! 🤠 Join our pal Molly as we look at some recent headlines. Read more from our March/April 2026 issue: www.texasobserver.org/issues/march...

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Mar 9

We’re proud to welcome to the Observer masthead Jesús Jank Curbelo as a special investigative correspondent, a freelance role helping us cover immigration and immigrant communities in Texas: www.texasobserver.org/home/staff/

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Mar 8

From our magazine, the latest by Texas Observer cartoonist Ben Sargent. See more Loon Star State comics: www.texasobserver.org/topics/loon-...

Two massive, miltiarized, masked ICE goons with smoking rifles and a baton stand over the bloody, broken body of Lady Liberty.

ICE 1: Of course we took 'er down!
ICE 2: She had a flaming torch!

Texas Observer@texasobserver· Mar 6

#ICYMI: You draw what others won’t say. Submissions are open for the inaugural MOLLY Prize for Political Cartooning & Comics Journalism. Political satire or comic journalism published in 2025? 🏆 $1,000 + engraved stein 🗓 March 20 deadline #LinkinBio #MOLLYPrize