Kathleen Thompson

@elonmusk on X: Macrohard or Digital Optimus is a joint xAI-Tesla project, coming as part of Tesla’s investment agreement with xAI. Grok is the master conductor/navigator with deep understanding of the world to direct digital Optimus, which is processing and actioning the past 5 secs of real-time computer screen video and keyboard/mouse actions. Grok is like a much more advanced and sophisticated version of turn-by-turn navigation software. You can think of it as Digital Optimus AI being System 1 (instinctive part of the mind) and Grok being System 2. (thinking part of the mind). This will run very competitively on the super low cost Tesla AI4 ($650) paired with relatively frugal use of the much more expensive xAI Nvidia hardware. And it will be the only real-time smart AI system. This is a big deal. In principle, it is capable of emulating the function of entire companies. That is why the program is called MACROHARD, a funny reference to Microsoft. No other company can yet do this. 10:17 AM · Mar 11, 2026 · 42.1M Views

"That is why the program is called MACROHARD, a funny reference to Microsoft."

— Elon Musk, comedian

In Progress: Trump And Cornyn Are Testing The Fences Around YOUR Right To Vote Podcast Episode · Progress Texas Podcasts · March 13 · 31m

This week on In Progress, we're talking about attacks on our most fundamental freedom: your right to vote.

Listen to In Progress on the radio in Houston every Friday at 10am on KPFT 90.1 and again on Sunday 11am—or everywhere you stream Progress Texas Podcasts.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

Together, we can usher in a new day in Texas. Thousands of Texans came together to protest against ICE and the Trump administration, listen to the full rally featuring speakers like @ginafortexas.bsky.social and more, everywhere you stream Progress Texas Podcasts.

On Monday, @juliejohnsontx.bsky.social introduced the Qualified Immunity Accountability Act to protect our communities and hold ICE accountable.

Listen to our full conversation on the latest episode of the Progress Texas Happy Hour, everywhere you stream great podcasts.

Texas Attorney General Candidate Debate - Hosted by RAD and Dallas College Richland Campus SGA YouTube video by Richardson Area Democrats

LIVE NOW - Texas Attorney General Democratic Candidates Debate!
www.youtube.com/live/wO4Cvwz...

la-la-la Luke and Lorelai
#gilmoregirls #happyhalloween

2025 Texas Statewide Ballot Guide Here’s our convenient, easy-to-follow election guide for the November 2025 Constitutional Amendment elections. After you read this, pass it on!

There’s only a week until early voting begins, so the @progresstexas.bsky.social team has prepared another edition of our popular voter guide just for you!
(Downloadable, printable version included, so you don't have to memorize.)
progresstexas.org/blog/2025-te...

Not so special session, primaries, the general—at @progresstexas.bsky.social, we’re looking forward to the fight. If 10% of our audience gave $10 a month, we'd reach our goal quickly and fund our operations for the next year!

In 2016, Ken Paxton had the audacity to sit at my table and break bread with my family knowing full well that my son is trans, then SIX YEARS LATER wrote an opinion stating that families like mine shouldn't exist. Within days, a CPS investigator was in our home threatening to remove our children.🧵

Public Safety Should Trump Politics; The High Cost of Republican Posturing Disaster Recovery Administrator Finds Repeated Failures

"The government didn’t do enough to protect those kids. Or the staff. Or the nearby families. Not because the tools didn’t exist, but because they chose not to use them." progresstexas.org/blog/public-...

Texas Flood Death Toll A Result Of Long Term Infrastructure And Policy Failures July 4th Weekend Turned to Disaster Response in Kerr County

To insist that politics don’t relate to this situation is simply not consistent with the reality in which it exists. And in Texas, that reality has been crafted by three decades of decisions made by Republican officials. progresstexas.org/blog/texas-f...

Pentagon will no longer share satellite data that tracks hurricanes overnight Scientists were initially given less than a week to prepare for the loss of microwave observations that are key in detecting rapid intensification of storms.

Ah yes, I remember all those boisterous 2024 campaign events where Trump and all the Trump Republicans rallied crowds and voters with their inspiring pledges to destroy storm tracking and weather forecasting in America!

USA! USA!

www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025...

What Can Texans Learn from Zohran Mamdani’s Political Earthquake? More Than You’d Think. Working Texans face many of the same issues that galvanized voters in New York. What if a Texas politician embraced tangible policies to help the everyday citizen — and not the billionaires who have b...

“Young people are motivated if they’re turned on by a candidate and...by public policy that really speaks to them...the last time Texas raised the minimum wage was 2009 and it’s $7.25 an hour. That’s a joke.” @stevanzetti.bsky.social @kathleenthompson.bsky.social thebarbedwire.com/2025/07/01/p...

“Democrats shouldn’t be afraid of public policy that works for the working class,” Thompson said. “They should embrace it.”

I love how to Democrats it's considered some kind of novel odd strategy to campaign on issues people care about and propose popular things people want.

And for those who don’t, it’s our job to cut through billionaire-back disinformation. Democrats need to know the clock is ticking. The Cornyn vs. Paxton primary began two months ago. Campaigns need time, money, and people and you can’t get more time. Let’s go!

In interview w/ @politico.com about #TXSEN, I said ’26 will be the best opportunity for #TXDEMS since ’18.
Texans know their costs are going up thanks to the Trump tax, ppl disappeared in the streets, school programs cut.

“The very question of America is being called and we’ve got to answer it,” @betoorourke.bsky.social told me. Hear more on The Daily Dispatch from @progresstexas.bsky.social.

Brandon Friedman discusses Dallas Police Department collaboration with ICE YouTube video by Brandon Friedman

Here is the full video of my remarks to the Dallas Police Oversight Board about ICE. As I said about halfway through, "y'all, this is fascist behavior."

Please feel free to spread the word.

Brandon Friedman addressing the Dallas Police Oversight Board

I could go on. I have a whole list of these I don’t have time to go through. Each one is horrible. But I’ll spare everyone. In my view, these stories demonstrate a clear pattern of state-sponsored violence and abuse. When ICE launches raids, they do so masked, like cowards. They do so without judicial warrants. They go to arrest children while wearing more body armor than I wore in Iraq and Afghanistan. And while they are terrorizing some of our most vulnerable residents, the Department of Homeland Security is threatening to have opposition party leaders arrested for speaking out against it. This is not hypothetical. As I mentioned a moment ago, the Democratic mayor of Newark was arrested last week for attempting to conduct oversight of a privately-run ICE detention facility. Y’all, this is fascist behavior. As we wait to see whether DHS will follow through on the threat to arrest more Democrats, it is apparent that this is not just an issue for undocumented immigrants. This is an issue for anyone who might speak up to suggest that maybe, just maybe, these people – people who came here seeking a better life – shouldn’t receive a life sentence in a Salvadorian concentration camp without due process.

Immigrants don’t come here to make our lives harder. They come here to contribute and, often, they come because they are desperate. Because this is the only safe haven they can reach, whether they’re fleeing cartel violence in northern Mexico, gang violence in Honduras, a collapsed economy in Venezuela or poverty in Haiti. And in almost all cases, they make our country better. We should not pull up the ladder. We should help them. Because that’s what public servants do. When I think of public servants, I think of postal carriers, park rangers, VA doctors and nurses, homelessness counselors, firefighters and the many helpful police officers I’ve met in Dallas. I think of all the people I worked with in the military, at VA and at HUD. Moreover, I think of the helpers Mr. Rogers talked about. You may remember that he once famously said, “when I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” That’s what I think of when I think about public servants. But ICE isn’t helping. They’re not helping anyone. They’re not making us safer or more prosperous. With every new headline, I find it harder to understand what role they’re playing that would allow us to even call them public servants. What I’m seeing are masked thugs terrorizing communities across America.

And I don’t want to see that here. Not in my city. If there is one thing I could express to Chief Comeaux as he navigates DPD’s role, it is that his first job, his job above all else, is to protect Dallas residents and to keep them safe. I read that on DPD’s website in its Mission Statement. It said the Department’s goal is to [quote] “help people and provide assistance at every opportunity.” [end quote] It says nothing about acting as an enforcement arm of an out-of-control federal agency based in Washington, DC. So, my personal hope is that our local law enforcement will do whatever it takes to protect all Dallas residents, even if it is from the federal government. I believe that is the police chief’s job. Therefore, my view is that it’s important that we formally express our dissatisfaction with his willingness to collaborate with ICE and we express our desire to see all Dallas residents protected, especially those in our community who feel justifiably threatened by ICE. His decision will determine what we, as a city, stand for as protests and raids escalate this summer.

Last night, representing District 14 on the Dallas Police Oversight Board, I spoke about the department's willingness to collaborate with ICE here in Texas. It's something I feel strongly about.

I've included some text highlights below and will also share the full video.

Good morning to everyone except Patriot Mobile and their losing candidates. ☀️

Rep. Julie Johnson in Dallas tonight: "If you don't do politics, politics will do you." @juliejohnsontx.bsky.social

“What can we do?” Rep. Julie Johnson opens her packed town hall with a Q. Answer: “Legislate, litigate, communicate, and agitate.” Other messages tonight: “Don’t despair. Have hope and courage, and vote.” Early voting in local elections starts April 22! #resist #TXDems@juliejohnsontx.bsky.social

Governor Greg Abbott and his Republican minions, in shoving private school vouchers through without a public vote, have done a massive disservice not only to today's Texas kids, but to those of our future. Podcast: progresstexas.org/podcast/prog...

“We live in challenging times, but we’re up for the challenge” with leaders like @gabbygiffords.bsky.social. TY, @giffords.org for bringing your fight for common sense gun safety laws to Texas.

Screenshot of LWT w John Oliver. He’s quoting a Texas Tribune article (Klibanoff 2024) where the head of the American Principles Project says that after losing the gay marriage fight, “we pivoted to the sports issue ... It's been wildly successful."

I really appreciated this in-depth coverage. Thank you, @lastweektonight.com. +

This week’s main story is about trans athletes, where the conversation around them is coming from, the nuances around competition and safety, and where it looks like things might be going. Full segment at the link in our bio.

At Progress Texas, we don’t just deliver rapid response on WHAT is happening, but we also deliver the WHY.
👉 Follow, listen, and share our peerless work. And donate if you can: progresstexas.org/donate

Trump Tariff Cold Open - SNL YouTube video by Saturday Night Live

OMG… #SNL nails it 🎯 on the 6-min video below ⬇️

#MAGA is now #MAGDA…

Make America Great Depression Again 😡

youtu.be/VEle3pZRqmI?...

Spotted at #Dallas #HandsOff protest of the chaos, corruption and criminality of the Trump/ Musk administration.

“Cruelty and incompetence. Welcome to Trump 2.0. Elect a clown, expect a circus. 🤡 Stop pretending your racism is patriotism.”🪧✊