Pink Floyd - In the flesh (Part 1 & Part 2)

TX-SEN: Rep. James Talarico raises $7.4 million in first six weeks of 2026 in bid for U.S. Senate

State Rep. James Talarico raised over $7.4 million in the first six weeks of the year, already outpacing his fourth quarter figure and bringing his total for the cycle to over $20 million.

The haul is the latest — and largest — in a string of strong fundraising performances for the Austin Democrat. Talarico raised $6.2 million in the first three weeks of his campaign and nearly $7 million from October through December. The Talarico campaign said donations have come from every county in Texas and all 50 states throughout the cycle.

“We have a moral imperative to win this November — because if we don’t win, we can’t help people,” Talarico said in a statement. “With the help of more than 290,000 of our neighbors, we’re building a campaign that can stand up to the billionaire mega-donors and far right extremists hurting working people all across Texas and the country.”

Talarico has built a strong small-dollar donor network — his campaign says he’s received over 500,000 donations from over 290,000 individuals since launching his bid in September — and has a cash advantage over his primary opponent, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas.




https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/12/james-talarico-fundraising-2026-seven-million/

TX-10: Former Elon Musk lawyer emerges as frontrunner in GOP primary for Michael McCaul's congressional seat

WASHINGTON — In the race to replace Rep. Michael McCaul in Congress, Republicans in Texas and Washington are consolidating behind prominent GOP attorney Chris Gober, who served as chief lawyer of Elon Musk’s super PAC and has raised more than $1 million for his campaign.

McCaul, an Austin Republican who has represented Central Texas’ 10th Congressional District for more than two decades, announced in September he wouldn’t seek reelection. Gober is one of 10 Republicans competing to succeed him in the red-leaning district, which covers all or parts of 13 counties spanning from Austin to East Texas.

While the district added more residents of liberal Travis County under Republicans’ redrawn congressional map, it also now stretches farther into bright-red East Texas. Nearly one-third of the seat’s population remains situated in Brazos County, home to Texas A&M University and College Station. The district would have given Donald Trump about 60% of the vote had it existed during the 2024 presidential election.

Gober, an Austin-based lawyer, currently runs a law firm called Lex Politica, which he told The New York Times last year that he wants to be “synonymous with the conservative movement.” Gober founded the firm after serving as director and chief lawyer of Musk’s America PAC in 2024 and defending a legal challenge against Musk’s $1 million payouts to swing state voters.




https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/12/texas-10th-congressional-district-gop-primary-chris-gober-trump/

Tennessee Republicans advance bills targeting LGBTQ+ residents

Legislation (HB1473/SB1746) by Rep. Gino Bulso of Brentwood and Sen. Janice Bowling of Tullahoma — both Republicans — that says: “private citizens and organizations are not bound by the Fourteenth Amendment or by the Supreme Court’s purported interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment in Obergefell v. Hodges,” the Supreme Court’s ruling. While state government is bound by the the decision, private companies and individuals are not, Bulso said;

The “No Pride Flag or Month Act” (HB1474/SB1746) by Bulso and Sen. Joey Hensley, a Republican from Howenwald. The act would ban pride flags, emblems and observances, including Pride month, by “any employee, volunteer, or agent” of the state.

The “Banning Bostock Act” (HB1472/SB1745) by Bulso and Bowling to bar state anti-discrimination laws from applying to LGBTQ individuals. The bill would largely apply to companies with fewer than 15 employees who are not bound by the Supreme Court’s Bostock decision establishing that LGBTQ employees cannot be fired due to their sexual orientation. An independent fiscal analysis of the bill found it could jeopardize future federal funding.

Legislation (HB1666/SB1665) by Rep. Aron Maberry of Clarksville and Sen. Paul Rose of Covington, both Republicans, adding honorifics such as “Mr.” or “Ms” to an existing state law that says public school employees are “not required to use a student’s preferred pronoun.”


https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/02/12/tennessee-republicans-advance-bills-targeting-lgbtq-residents/

Senators debate moving Michigan primaries earlier, raise questions on specific proposed dates

The Senate Elections and Ethics Committee heard testimony on Wednesday on a package of bills that would move Michigan’s primary elections from early August to early May starting in the 2027 election cycle.

Melanie Ryska, city clerk of Sterling Heights, said that these changes would be extremely beneficial for election administrators, who currently have less than 100 days between the August primary and November general election. In that time, clerks must complete canvassing certification, finalize ballot content, test voting equipment, and print and proof ballots.

“Michigan clerks are known for making the impossible happen. We will do what it takes to meet deadlines, serve voters and deliver accurate results,” she said. “But the legislature should not have to rely on miracles as an election administration strategy, especially when the law includes important safeguards and options that require time to carry out properly.”

State Sen. Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), the sponsor of the primary bill in the package, SB 691, said that in talking to county clerks, he had been told that from their perspective May was an ideal time to host primaries, especially given other changes to Michigan election laws on early voting.




https://michiganadvance.com/2026/02/12/senators-debate-moving-michigan-primaries-earlier-raise-questions-on-specific-proposed-dates/

9,200 advance mail ballots sent for Wichita sales tax election

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Sedgwick County Election Office has sent out over 9,200 mail ballots for the Wichita sales tax question.

Eligible voters can still request an advance ballot by returning an application by Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Per state law, all mail ballots must be returned by 7 p.m. on election day, March 3, to be counted.

Ballots can also be dropped off at seven election drop boxes, the election office or a polling place.


https://www.ksn.com/news/your-local-election-hq/9200-advance-mail-ballots-sent-for-wichita-sales-tax-election/

Voters approve two propositions for Spiro Public Schools in Feb. 10 election

SPIRO, Okla — LeFlore County voters approved two bond propositions for Spiro Public Schools during the Feb. 10 election in Oklahoma. All seven precincts reported results as of Election Day.

Proposition No. 1 allows the district to issue $1,850,000 in bonds to construct, equip, repair, and remodel school buildings and acquire school furniture and fixtures.

According to the Oklahoma State Election Board, the measure passed 212-116.

Proposition No. 2 authorizes the district to issue $300,000 in bonds to purchase transportation equipment. It passed 226-105.




https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/voters-approve-both-propositions-spiro-schools/527-d8505781-f9e4-4038-93bc-602e2406c655

Are you one of the thousands of NC voters who need to 'fix' your registration? Here's how to do it.

More than 70,000 North Carolinians remain on a list of voters whose registration is incomplete, according to the state Board of Elections. Voters who don’t update their registration before going to the polls this year could be forced to cast a provisional ballot, triggering a review of whether their vote should count.

The issue stems from a voter registration form North Carolina had been using for decades, which did not make it clear that new voters had to provide either a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number. The Trump administration sued the state over the problem in 2025.

The state board started reaching out to voters with faulty registration in August with instructions about how to update their records, an effort they called the Registration Repair Project.

Meanwhile, there are 241,000 other voters who have what the board calls “unvalidated identification numbers” on their registration. These are voters whose registrations do have ID numbers, but they “did not validate against other government databases,” according to the board. These voters are not part of the Registration Repair Project, but they were sent letters last week asking them to update their information. These voters will not have to cast a provisional ballot at the polls.


https://ncnewsline.com/2026/02/11/are-you-one-of-the-thousands-of-nc-voters-who-need-to-fix-your-registration-heres-how-to-do-it/

Hidalgo County elections department reminding residents of redistricting changes

Early voting for the March primaries starts next week, and new congressional maps have changed some precinct boundaries in Hidalgo County.

The most significant change involves District 28, currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar. The district includes parts of Hidalgo County that used to be in District 15, which is currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz.

The Supreme Court approved the new map for use in this year's elections following a legal challenge claiming the new map discriminates based on race.

Some Rio Grande Valley lawmakers argued the map was redrawn to increase the number of Republicans in Congress.



https://www.krgv.com/videos/hidalgo-county-elections-department-reminding-residents-of-redistricting-changes/

2026 special election: RiverCom proposition passing

Ballot boxes closed Tuesday night, and the first round of results for the 2026 February special election are in for voters in Chelan and Douglas counties.

RiverCom 911 had a proposition in both counties, asking for a 0.1% sales tax increase to purchase additional radio towers, radio equipment, updated information technology systems and more space for 911 dispatchers.

In Chelan County, the proposition is currently passing with 73.73% or 9,959 "yes" votes, compared with 26.27% or 3,548 no votes.

In Douglas County, the measure is also passing with 69.84% or 3,291 "yes" votes, and 30.16% or 1,421 no votes.




https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/politics/elections/2026-special-election-rivercom-proposition-passing/article_b13c1eb7-1978-4867-b756-e1366986b1aa.html