Tag Archives: Mexico

Feds to sue over Abbott’s river wall

Posted on July 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but you’ll forgive me if I keep my expectations low. The Department of Justice is ready to sue Gov. Greg Abbott over the floating buoy barrier he deployed in the Rio Grande to block migrants from crossing the river from Mexico … Continue reading →

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More World Cup events on tap for 2026

Posted on March 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. The 2026 World Cup soccer tournament is expanding by 24 games, and Houston is prepared to handle any added games. FIFA voted Tuesday for a change in format to the 48-team event by adding games. The total of 104 … Continue reading →

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A win for butterflies

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure this will end up in court, but it’s still a good thing. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday declared the prostrate milkweed an endangered species and mandated new habitat protections for the plant, closing a chapter … Continue reading →

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Egg smuggling

Posted on January 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We live in strange times. As the price of eggs continues to rise, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials are reporting a spike in people attempting to bring eggs into the country illegally from Mexico, where prices are lower. The jump in … Continue reading →

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Abbott is now attacking immigration-focused non-profits

Posted on December 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Always be finding a new enemy, that’s the motto. Gov. Greg Abbott called Wednesday for the state to investigate whether nonprofit organizations have helped people enter the country illegally, adding another talking point to his border hawk arsenal and another … Continue reading →

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Kemp’s ridley turtles making a comeback

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We deserve a little good news. For the first time in 75 years, hatchlings of the world’s smallest sea turtle species have been discovered on the Chandeleur Islands, a chain of barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico off the … Continue reading →

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Acompañamiento

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Great story about the abortion access community in Mexico, which arose while abortion was criminalized there and continues now that it is legal in much of the country, and how it is starting to help women in the US, especially … Continue reading →

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Houston wins its bid to be a 2026 World Cup host

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. The World Cup is coming to Houston. FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, chose Houston as one of 16 sites for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, the first edition of the tournament to be co-hosted by three nations: the United … Continue reading →

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We will learn Houston’s fate as a World Cup site this week

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been a long road. On June 16, FIFA will announce its host cities for the 2026 Men’s World Cup set to be held within the U.S., Canada and Mexico. If Houston is one of the 16 locations chosen for … Continue reading →

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Texas misses the train

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott’s border hostage-taking has a cost. The Mexican government said it intends to shift long-range plans to build a trade railway connection worth billions of dollars from Texas to New Mexico in the wake of Gov. Greg Abbott’s stepped-up … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A roundup of border and lawsuit stories

Posted on April 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Too much news, not enough time… New federal lawsuit seeks to halt Texas’ border trespassing arrests, give more than $5 million to illegally detained migrants. In a new challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial border security crackdown, a lawsuit filed … Continue reading →

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Looks like Texas didn’t even have to sue to keep Title 42 from ending

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A different Trump judge already put it in the bag for them. A federal judge in Louisiana plans to temporarily block the Biden administration from ending Title 42, a pandemic-era health order used by federal immigration officials to expel migrants, … Continue reading →

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Texas sues to stop the end of Title 42

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just another day at the office of destruction for Ken Paxton. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration on Friday to halt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from lifting Title 42, a pandemic-era … Continue reading →

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Keeping the world safe from low tire pressure

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Such a visionary. State troopers ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott to inspect every commercial truck coming from Mexico earlier this month — which clogged international trade with Mexico — found zero drugs, weapons or any other type of contraband, according … Continue reading →

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Abbott ends his border hostage-taking

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I cannot get over how stupid and cynical this was, and yet it may be politically successful. Gov. Greg Abbott reached a fourth and final deal — this one with Tamaulipas’ governor on Friday — to end state troopers’ increased … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott is still a threat to international trade

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is at best window dressing. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott relented Wednesday, agreeing to ease the additional safety inspections of trucks at the busiest border entry point near Laredo in exchange for promises of more border security by Mexican officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Even Sid Miller thinks Abbott is being an idiot

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I mean… Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called on Gov. Greg Abbott to halt his recent policy of additional commercial inspections at the border, calling the measure “political theater” and predicting it will leave grocery store shelves empty within weeks. … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott is a threat to international trade

Posted on April 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We live in such strange times. Commercial traffic at a key South Texas border crossing has stopped after Mexican truckers on Monday blocked north- and southbound lanes on the Mexico side of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in protest of Texas … Continue reading →

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Last chance to make a good FIFA impression

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Coming to the end of this very long process. Houston’s diversity is being played up in the city’s recent push to host the 2026 men’s World Cup. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner joined forces with … Continue reading →

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The home stretch for the World Cup

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We will soon learn whether or not Houston gets to host 2026 FIFA World Cup games. Houston’s bid to be one of the 10 host cities in the U.S. for the 2026 World Cup is entering the stretch run. Since … Continue reading →

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Still waiting to see which cities will get to host World Cup games

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s right in the mix, and after that we’ll see. This time last year, former Houston Dynamo president Chris Canetti began to find his stride after leaving the team in late 2018 to lead the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid … Continue reading →

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FIFA World Cup update

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Still a year away from a decision. Houston is among 17 American cities vying to become one of 10 host cities selected when the finalists are trimmed by 2021. The 2026 World Cup will also include 10 games each in … Continue reading →

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How legal pot affects Texas

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It has many effects. In just two weeks in October, the legal landscape for marijuana use in North America changed dramatically. First, Canada opened sales of legalized pot for recreational use, and then Mexico’s high court delivered a definitive ruling … Continue reading →

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Trump administration denying passports to US citizens born near the border

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is infuriating. On paper, he’s a devoted U.S. citizen. His official American birth certificate shows he was delivered by a midwife in Brownsville, at the southern tip of Texas. He spent his life wearing American uniforms: three years as … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Here comes the FIFA World Cup

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Three cheers for the three nations. In a long-anticipated vote on Wednesday, the joint bid of the U.S., Mexico and Canada defeated Morocco, its only challenger, as 200 national soccer federations cast their ballots to cap FIFA’s annual Congress. The … Continue reading →

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Time for an update on that other high speed rail line

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been awhile. Backers continue to move along on plans to build a bullet-train route between Dallas and Houston, but it’s not the only high-speed passenger rail project on Texas drawing boards. With a proposal to run between cities such … Continue reading →

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Houston makes final cut for FIFA 2026 bid

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Now it’s up to FIFA. The Houston Dynamos might have to make some room: Space City has been included in the bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. On Thursday, officials announced that Houston is one of 23 cities … Continue reading →

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Houston part of bid for 2026 FIFA World Cup

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Houston and NRG Stadium are on an official list for cities and venues that may be considered to host a FIFA World Cup match if the event comes to North America in 2026. The United Bid Committee of the … Continue reading →

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The border tax effect on your food

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

You’re gonna pay more. Any questions? The idea of a tariff on Mexican imports or a radical change to the North American Free Trade Agreement — another Trump promise — worries many Texas agriculture industry leaders, who say it is … Continue reading →

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Houston’s tourism business

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

People like to spend money here. In particular, people from Mexico like to spend money here. Mexicans are the largest group of international tourists who visit Houston – and recently, their numbers have grown. In 2015, Houston received 2.5 million … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick and the wall tax

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, you know who’s going to pay for Dear Leader’s wall? You and me and everyone else in the country. The Trump administration sparked widespread surprise Thursday by announcing it intended to implement a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports … Continue reading →

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The coming legislative border battle

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. House Republicans on Wednesday said they aren’t backing away from recent efforts to secure the southern border despite an incoming president who made beefed-up immigration enforcement a hallmark of his campaign. And as a final admonishment … Continue reading →

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Another bad year for Kemp’s ridley turtles

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This does not look good. The nesting season for the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is ending with zero nests found on either Galveston Island or the Bolivar Peninsula for the first time in at least a decade, although the … Continue reading →

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Alignments proposed for Oklahoma City-South Texas passenger rail

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Check ’em out. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) have released 10 service and route options for new and improved conventional and high-speed passenger rail service connecting Oklahoma City, … Continue reading →

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