Josh Brodesky

When I reached out to former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus about a possible interview, I outlined four big topics: school vouchers, border security, rising antisemitism and addressing gun violence. Optimism was not in my pitch. But optimism is the focus of this column. Straus served as speaker of the Texas House from 2009 to 2019, and I was curious to hear his thoughts on these issues at such a tenuous moment. He is the longest-serving Republican speaker in Texas’ history, and yet in some ways…

Before the Dobbs decision in 2022, Kate Cox’s choice to have an abortion would have been private. It would not have been indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s business, or ours. It would have been a decision made between Cox, her husband and medical professionals. We would have no idea that Cox, 31, and a mother of two, recently learned that her fetus has trisomy 18, also known as Edwards syndrome, making the pregnancy nonviable. We would not know how doctors have said that carrying the p…

Daniel Perry will have to live with killing Garrett Foster in 2020. Gov. Greg Abbott will have to live with pardoning Perry for murder in 2024. It’s too soon to know how these decisions will ripple through their lives. Some prisons travel with us. Some people feel no remorse. It’s not too soon, though, to understand the implications of Abbott’s decision. To not only pardon a convicted murderer but to expedite a pardon through a swirl of political pressure is to put an official stamp on vigilanti…

Dear God: Thank you for another amazing school year. Thank you for fifth-grade promotions, senior walks, field days and a summer reprieve from the stress of standardized testing. Thank you for free and reduced priced school meals, bike rodeos, spelling bees, talent shows, art exhibits, choirs and orchestras. Thank you for helping parents and kids navigate those squirmy, awkward conversations about their bodies, teaching them how to embrace healthy relationships and avoid unwanted pregnancies. Th…

In many ways, it was fitting Gov. Greg Abbott was not in Texas when Hurricane Beryl slammed into the coast Monday. After all, Texas leadership has long denied the risks of climate change, and, in turn, the reality of more extreme weather in a warming world. Why stay home to face the consequences? There are many reasons, of course, for Abbott to have canceled his economic development trip to Asia. The most essential would have been to show those Texans pummeled by the Category 1 storm that he fel…

Reflections from the battlefield 161 years after Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and more than 1,600 miles from San Antonio. Here's what I left with.

Having been inside the recommendation process for a number of years — and not being aligned with either political party — I would like to provide some insight.

American voters place their trust in Donald Trump, charting a path that may lead to deep regret.

A new book about the Uvalde mass shooting, "Uvalde's Darkest Hour" also puts a spotlight on the importance of community journalism.

Why are so many districts closing schools when Texas and San Antonio populations are rising? What happens to communities and neighborhoods when schools close?