State Rep. Steve Toth in 2023 filed a blatantly unconstitutional bill that would not just ban abortion-inducing drugs but make it illegal to “provide information on how to obtain an abortion-inducing drug.” The bill failed. It’s a good guess even other Republicans in the Lege realized the First Amendment prevents the government from issuing blanket bans on people discussing topics that culture warriors don’t approve of. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Jonmallard

Texas Republicans’ increasingly petty culture wars certainly had readers’ attention this week.

Among the Current‘s most-read stories was an Assclown Alert column looking at a bill filed by Houston-area State Rep. Steve Toth that would ban people from discussing how to obtain abortion medication online. Little surprise that free-speech advocates argue Toth’s proposal — which would even punish Internet service providers who allow such information to be posted — is a gross violation of the First Amendment.

Readers also flocked to a story about U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s publicity machine labeling him a “bestselling author” ahead of his new book decrying — wait for it, you won’t believe this — “wokeness.” The claim about Teddy Boy’s ability to move masses of books comes despite media reports that his prior tome only hit the bestseller list because his own campaign spent $153,000 in donor cash to buy up copies.

Meanwhile, plenty of readers checked out a piece on the GoFundMe account set up to aid a child critically injured by a fallen tree branch at the San Antonio Zoo and a study showing Texas workers were owed nearly $14 billion in unpaid overtime.

Read on for more, news hounds.

10. Kendall Batchelor trial postponed due to mountain of evidence submitted by state prosecutors

9. New American Indian cultural center to open in San Antonio this Friday

8. Marijuana and abortion will be on the ballot in San Antonio, Texas Supreme Court rules

7. San Antonio rental prices rise 7% as interest rates push residents out of the housing market

6. Co-owners of dogs that mauled elderly Air Force veteran on San Antonio’s West Side are out on bail

5. Ted Cruz calling himself ‘bestselling author’ despite dropping $273,000 to buy his own books

4. Texas Republicans push bills that would strip cities of ability to pass worker-protection ordinances

3. Texas workers are owed $13.8 billion in unpaid overtime, according to study

2. Assclown Alert: Destroying free speech with Texas State Rep. Steve Toth

1. Family of girl critically injured by falling tree branch at San Antonio Zoo launches GoFundMe

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This article appears in Mar 22 – Apr 4, 2023.