From those who planted the seeds of Trump’s strategy to try to challenge the election, to others who sowed doubt and anger by spreading baseless election-fraud conspiracy theories, Texans played major roles in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol two years ago.
Robert Downen
Robert Downen was a reporter covering democracy and the threats to it, including extremism, disinformation and conspiracies. Before joining the Tribune in 2022, he worked for five years at the Houston Chronicle. As a Hearst Media fellow, he developed what would become "Abuse of Faith," a landmark investigation into child sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention that prompted a Department of Justice investigation. Before coming to Texas, Robert was a business reporter in New York's capital region and the managing editor of six newspapers in his home state of Illinois. He is a 2014 graduate of Eastern Illinois University.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Texas GOP lawmaker hires Christian nationalist who called for drag show attendees to be executed
State Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, hired Jake Neidert, 22, last month as his office’s legislative director amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ violence and rhetoric and ahead of an impending legislative session that is expected to focus heavily on anti-trans bills.
Posted in
Demographics
Jewish Texans see surge in antisemitism as a precursor to fascism
Extremism experts and historians sound alarms as politicians, media personalities and celebrities amplify antisemitic conspiracies that have historically led to the killing of Jews.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
Texas avoided election violence. Advocates say voters still need more protection.
Citing thousands of complaints received throughout the midterm cycle, voter advocacy groups want the Texas Legislature to bolster voter protection and education measures, and revisit recently passed laws that empowered partisan poll watchers.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Texas Secretary of State John Scott says our elections are secure, but he sometimes muddles that message
Heading into the midterm elections, Scott has repeatedly insisted that Joe Biden is the rightful president and that Texas’ elections are free, fair and secure. But his delivery has been at times ambiguous and given oxygen to election misinformation.
Posted in
Politics
Joaquín Castro y grupos latinos advierten sobre la desinformación en español a pocas semanas de las elecciones
Los grupos declaran que las compañías de redes sociales no están haciendo lo suficiente para frenar las falsedades que se esparcen en sus plataformas.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, Latino groups warn about rampant misinformation targeting Spanish speakers ahead of the elections
The groups say social media companies are not doing enough to curb the spread of falsehoods specifically targeting Latinos.
Posted in
Demographics
At Houston youth summit, young conservatives weary of GOP infighting
The event came as a younger, more diverse generation of Americans increasingly flocks to the left of the Democratic Party.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
How the debunked conspiracy film “2000 Mules” became Texas Republican orthodoxy
Watchdog groups fear the film will fuel chaos in the upcoming midterm elections and could be a pretext for more restrictive voting laws in the future.