Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio) is now on Wednesdays at 11AM (CT) on KPFT-HD2, Houston’s Community Station. You can also hear the show:

1. Live online at KPFT.org (from anywhere in the world!)
2. Podcast on your phone’s Podcast App
3. Visiting Archive.KPFT.ORG

Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig where we discuss local, state, national, and international stories. My co-host and show editor is Andrew Ferguson.

• An educated electorate is a prerequisite for a democracy.
• You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

1. Make sure you are registered to vote! VoteTexas.GOV – Texas Voter InformationTEXAS SoS VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT APPLICATION (ALL TEXAS COUNTIES) HarrisVotes.com­ – Countywide Voting Centers, (Election Information Line (713) 755-6965), Harris County Clerk
   1. Harris County “Vote-By-Mail’ Application for 2022
      1. Fort bend County Elections/Voter Registration Machine takes you to the proper link
      2. GalvestonVotes.org (Galveston County, TX)
      3. Liberty County Elections (Liberty County, TX)
      4. Montgomery County (TX) Elections
      5. Brazoria County (TX) Clerk Election Information
      6. Waller County (TX) Elections
      7. Chambers County (TX) Elections
      8. For personalized, nonpartisan voter guides and information, Consider visiting Vote.ORG.   Ballotpedia.com and Texas League of Women Voters are also good places to get election info.
      9. If you are denied your right to vote any place at any time at any polling place for any reason, ask for (or demand) a provisional ballot rather than lose your vote.
      10. HarrisVotes.com – Countywide Voting CentersHARRIS COUNTY – IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED FOR VOTING: Do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of these IDs?
          1. Fill out a declaration at the polls describing a reasonable impediment to obtaining it, and show a copy or original of one of the following supporting forms of ID:
          2. A government document that shows your name and an address, including your voter registration certificate
          3. Current utility bill
          4. Bank statement
          5. Government check
          6. Paycheck
          7. A certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes your identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
          8. You may vote early by-mail if:You are registered to vote and meet one of the following criteria:
             1. Away from the county of residence on Election Day and during the early voting period;
             2. Sick or disabled;
             3. 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
             4. Confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
             5. Make sure you are registered:
             6. Ann Harris Bennett, Tax Assessor-Collector & Voter Registrar
             7. CHECK REGISTRATION STATUS HERE
             8. CLICK How to register to vote in Texas
             9. Outside Texas, try Vote.org.
2. BE REGISTERED TO VOTE, and if eligible, REMEMBER TO FILL OUT AND MAIL YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT APPLICATIONS FOR 2022
   1. You can track your Mail Ballot Activity from our website with direct link provided here https://www.harrisvotes.com/Tracking
      1. May 7 Constitutional & Local Election
         1. 25Apr – First Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance (APPARENTLY EVERYPLACE EXCEPT BRAZORIA CTY, WALLER CTY (SORT OF. ELECTION CLERKS, YOU HAVE ONE JOB!)))
         2. 26Apr – Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received, not Postmarked)
         3. 03May – Last Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance
         4. 07May – Election Day & Last day to Receive Ballot by Mail
      2. May 24 Primary Runoff & Precinct Chair Election
         1. 25Apr – Last Day to Register to Vote
         2. 13May – Last Day to Apply by Mail (Received, not Postmarked)
         3. 16May – First Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance
         4. 20May – Last Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance
         5. 24May – Election Day & Last Day to Receive Ballot by Mail
3. ANNOUNCEMENT:
   1. CommunityImpact.com has a number of election-related articles, so I suggest checking them out.
4. KPFT is inviting you to a Zoom event “An evening with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!” which will also include Pacifica Executive Director Stephanie Wells and KPFT General Manager Dr. Robert Franklin.
   Join us Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 7 p.m. for this discussion with journalist Amy Goodman. To register and for more information go to kpft.org. 
5. MY THOUGHTS ON THE 2 PROPOSED TEXAS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
   1. For those of you who may be interested, I thought I would offer my ideas on Propositions One and Two as amendments to the Texas Constitution. I’ve provided a link on my website for today’s show at thinkwingradio.com, so that you can read the pros and cons and explanations of these propositions at the League of Women Voters of Texas website.
   2. Spoiler alert, I suggest voting no on both of them. Proposition One reads as follows. “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the resident homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled to reflect any statutory reduction from the preceding tax year in the maximum compressed rate of maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on a homestead.”
   3. The second proposed constitutional amendment reads as follows.: “The constitutional amendment increasing the amount of the residence homestead exemption from ad valorem taxes for public school purposes from $25,000 to $40,000.”
   4. The reason I recommend voting against them is a simple one. They take away the power of local governments to tax as necessary to support the needs and programs of that community. What I have observed over the decades is the Republicans are very, very big on local control. They’re always complaining about the big, bad federal government or in some cases, the big bad state government, interfering with local control. They do that until they have federal or state power. And then the first thing they do is start imposing their will on local governments regarding local control. What these proposed constitutional amendments will do is further, limit the power that local governments in Texas have to raise taxes as they see fit for purposes that they feel are essential for their communities. The propositions sound good in theory. Who could be against tax breaks for old people or disabled people or veterans? Or, you know, just against taxes in general? But this is a power grab by the state government. Essentially, it’s the old premise by Grover Norquist of shrinking the federal government, or in this case, the state or local government, until it’s small enough to drown in a bathtub. I therefore recommend voting against these two proposed constitutional amendments.
6. Missouri City police first Texas police agency to adopt livestream 911 call technology, By Hunter Marrow | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 3:30 PM Apr 8, 2022 CDT
   1. The Missouri City Police Department has begun livestreaming 911 emergency calls directly to officers in the field, in real-time, marking the first Texas police agency to adopt the technology, according to a news release from the city of Missouri City on March 31. The new technology, called Live911, allows officers to hear the caller’s actual words and voice, and is designed to provide a sense of urgency, details that might not be shared otherwise and immediate updates on the situation, according to the news release.
   2. Live911 is designed to close the time gap between when 911 calls are received to when officers on patrol are dispatched by allowing officers to hear incoming 911 emergency calls in their geographical area, according to the release. The technology allows the officer to obtain more information for devising the appropriate response plan—including the use of de-escalation skills. …
   3. TAGS: Missouri City Police Department Sugar Land-Missouri City government Sugar Land-Missouri City public safety Brandon Harris
7. County Judge Lina Hidalgo defends three indicted staffers: ‘I will not cave to bullying or political dirty tricks’; Author: Michelle Homer, Jeremy Rogalski | KHOU.COM | Published: 12:48 PM CDT April 12, 2022, Updated: 5:32 PM CDT April 12, 2022
   1. Three indicted senior staffers from Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office made their first court appearances Tuesday morning, while their boss made her first comments. 
   2. Alex TriantaPHYllis, Wallis Nader and Aaron Dunn were indicted Monday following an investigation into an $11 million COVID vaccine outreach contract.
   3. Triantaphyllis, 38, is currently Hidalgo’s chief of staff. Nader, 36, currently serves as policy director, and Dunn, 35, is a former staffer. 
   4. All three face felony charges of misuse of official information and tampering with a government record.
   5. Hidalgo made her first public comments about the indictments Tuesday with a lengthy statement on Twitter.
   6. Full statement from County Judge Lina Hidalgo: “I’ve made my feelings known about this investigation which has dragged on for months. Various news reports have shown that it’s proceeding with what is, at best, a serious misinformation of the facts. I’m very confident that, when the facts are known, my team will be cleared. I’ve held myself to the highest ethical standards and that’s reflected in my unprecedented commitment not to accept money from anybody who does business with the county. The people I choose to serve in my office understand that code of ethics. 
   7. I ran against a style of politics that worked more for the individuals who held office than for the people who voted for them. I don’t play a game. And that’s threatening to the powers that be. I think the notion is that if they come after me on what is my strength — the ethics of this office and my own — that they can score political points. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that unfair accusations are being leveled against my team in the middle of my re-election campaign. 
   8. I do not, and will not, cave to bullying or political dirty tricks. I have not seen anything to suggest my staff did anything but work tirelessly for the people of Harris County. They will remain on my team.” …
   9. At issue is whether Hidalgo staffers gave Elevate Strategies LLC and its owner Felicity Pereyra insider information about the project weeks before a request for proposals was open to the public. 
   10. Staffers were said to also have worked to ensure another company didn’t win the contract, according to a search warrant.
   11. The contract was awarded to Elevate Strategies in June 2021 but was later terminated in September 2021 due to the company’s inexperience with public health outreach and alleged ties to local Democratic party officials. …
   12. Most recently, the Texas Rangers have looked into the Google accounts of six senior staff members of the Hidalgo’s office, as well as the judge herself. Investigators seized a total of 14 Google files relating to the vaccine outreach contract.
   13. No charges have been filed against Hidalgo or the other three senior staff members. …
   14. Court records show all three defendants have posted bond. Their next court date is June 8.
8. International trade halted at Texas border crossings as truckers protest Greg Abbott’s new inspections; By Mitchell Ferman, James Barragan, Uriel J. Garcia | THE TEXAS TRIBUNE via KHOU.COM | Published: 8:49 AM CDT April 12, 2022, Updated: 7:01 PM CDT April 12, 2022
   1. … Mexican truckers on Monday blocked north and southbound lanes on the Mexico side of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in protest of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to have state troopers inspect northbound commercial vehicles — historically a job done by the federal government.
   2. The bridge connecting Pharr and Reynosa is the busiest trade crossing in the Rio Grande Valley and handles the majority of the produce that crosses into the U.S. from Mexico, including avocados, broccoli, peppers, strawberries and tomatoes. On Monday, with trucks backed up for miles in Reynosa for the fifth day in a row, some produce importers in Texas said they have waited days for their goods to arrive and already had buyers cancel orders. …
   3. International bridges elsewhere in the Valley … have also seen delays, with many commercial products produced in Mexico — like electronics, vehicle parts and medical instruments — also held up. A similar protest appeared to be playing out in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Monday afternoon, affecting traffic into and out of El Paso, according to Border Report.
   4. In response to the Biden administration’s recent announcement that it plans to end Title 42 — a pandemic-era emergency health order that lets federal officials turn away migrants at the border without the chance to request asylum — Abbott on Wednesday ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to increase its inspections of commercial vehicles, which he said drug cartels use to smuggle humans and drugs into the United States. …
   5. At times, DPS troopers appear to be checking every commercial vehicle that crosses select international bridges, with each inspection taking between 45 minutes and an hour. [MIKE – But the inspections resemble traffic stops, checking things like tire pressure and tail lights, in the absence of “reasonable cause” for a deeper inspection.]
   6. Mexican news outlets reported that about 500 truckers are blocking southbound traffic into Mexico to prevent the entrance of U.S. trucks. Truckers told El Mañana in Reynosa that they had waited three to four days at the international bridge and were running out of fuel while they waited.
   7. One trucker told the news outlet that prior to Abbott’s order, he made two crossings into the U.S. a day. Now, he’d be lucky to have one or two a week given the long delays at the bridges. …
   8. Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. …
   9. Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez said he can’t remember a Texas governor upending international trade along the border like this.
   10. … Even without state troopers stopping vehicles, inspection times at international bridges have long been a source of delays due to federal staffing shortages as well as technology and infrastructure problems.
   11. “This is a very serious situation,” Cortez said in an interview. “Truckers on the Mexican side closed the bridge so nothing can come across. I mean, what has happened is idiotic. It really is.” …
   12. On Saturday, five [Democratic] state senators from the border region asked Abbott in a letter to reconsider his directive, saying the increased inspections were “generating delays and stalling the movement of goods at the ports of entry.”
   13. On Monday, state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, whose district includes the Pharr bridge, called the situation “a crisis and a mess that has been created, but it was not necessary.” …
   14. State Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, said a group of state House members from border communities also plans to send a letter to the governor. He said the governor’s announcement last week appeared to be purely political and the new inspections will have little effect on border security. …
   15. Abbott on Monday touted the state’s increasing border security efforts during a speech at the annual meeting of the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition in El Paso, saying it’s been successful in apprehending drug smugglers[,] and people previously convicted of murder. He said the Biden administration’s plan to end Title 42 next month could be “cataclysmic” for border communities because immigration officials are expecting up to 18,000 encounters a day with immigrants once Title 42 removals end. The current average is 6,000 a day.
   16. According to an investigation by The Marshall Project, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, the state had been including drug seizures and arrests for crimes far from the border to its Operation Lone Star tally — and later revised the arrest numbers. …
   17. REFERENCE: Delays, closures and chaos mount at Texas-Mexico border crossings from new state inspections – TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG
9. Finland and Sweden joining NATO could put Trump’s GOP in the hot seat; By Aaron Blake, Staff writer | WASHINGTONPOST.COM | Yesterday at 12:37 p.m. EDT
   1. For several weeks, there have been signs that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could backfire for President Vladimir Putin in one key respect: by bringing NATO closer to Russia’s doorstep.
   2. As The Washington Post’s Ishaan Tharoor reports today, Finland and Sweden have taken steps toward potentially joining NATO, after decades of resisting such action. Ukraine might not be joining anytime soon (or at all), but including Finland in particular in the alliance would add more than 800 miles of NATO presence to Russia’s border. Russia’s western border north of the Black Sea would suddenly be all NATO countries except one: Belarus.
   3. The latest big news: As Finland has leaned in recent weeks into the prospect of joining NATO, Sweden’s Social Democrats, who have long opposed NATO membership, issued a statement indicating they are reevaluating that position. …
   4. … The conventional wisdom is that both countries would be welcomed with open arms. In the United States, that would require at least two-thirds of the Senate voting to ratify their membership.
   5. But exactly how that debate would go down could be quite interesting — especially in light of the GOP’s slight-but-significant Trump-era drift into more skepticism of NATO. And the looming unknown would be Donald Trump himself weighing in on the process. …
   6. The last two major NATO expansions came in 1999 and 2004.
   7. [In] 2004, when seven former communist countries and Soviet republics joined, [it] was utterly uncontroversial, with the Senate voting 96 to 0 to ratify their membership.
   8. [But from] when Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joined [in1999, there may be] some important lessons about how an addition of Finland and Sweden could unfold — and who might resist it. …
   9. The [1999] vote wound up being strongly in favor, 80 to 19, but there was plenty of uncertainty at the outset. Throughout the debate, senators from both parties worried that the move would be viewed as provocative by Russia. They warned about Russia perceiving the NATO expansion as an “iron ring” around its borders. …
   10. In the years afterward, plenty of prominent foreign policy observers questioned [Mike NOTE: See 4^th paragraph] the wisdom of the expansion …
   11. All of that plays into the looming debate over Finland and Sweden joining NATO. Expanding the alliance has been a consensus issue — and even a unanimous one in 2003-2004 — but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brings into stark relief the prospect of perceived provocation that critics had warned about. …
   12. Russia has made clear its strong opposition, saying that NATO “remains a tool geared towards confrontation” and that Finland and Sweden would face “serious military and political consequences” if they joined.
   13. While concerns about provocation historically have been bipartisan, the question today seems to concern how Republicans might respond. …
   14. As president, Trump claimed he supported NATO, but he regularly attacked other countries for not paying enough, and plenty of reporting indicates he wanted the United States to exit the alliance altogether in his second term. That’s a prospect that remains real and important if he’s elected in 2024. And it could also color his posture toward NATO expansion, especially since much of this lengthy process could play out when he’s a formally declared 2024 candidate.
   15. Layer on top of that Trump’s regularly Putin-friendly commentary, and it’s not difficult to see him adopting a view more in line with Putin’s desires — and in line with some of the skeptics of the 1999 NATO expansion. …
   16. … During the 2015 campaign, [Trump] offered an indifferent response about Ukraine’s potential membership.
   17. “I wouldn’t care,” Trump said. “If [Ukraine] goes in, great. If it doesn’t go in, great.” …
   18. Republicans did challenge Trump’s NATO skepticism during his presidency. In 2018, the Senate voted 97 to 2 to affirm support for NATO as Trump was attending a summit in Brussels — a pretty direct message to him on the eve of the gathering, as well as what became his infamous news conference with Putin in Helsinki. In 2019, just 22 House Republicans voted against a bill that would have prevented Trump from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO.
   19. Given those votes, and given that this would be in the hands of the Senate, where Republicans have been more likely to buck Trump on foreign policy, it’s not clear he could prevent his party from signing off on Finland and Sweden joining NATO. Nor would he necessarily try. But for a guy who made questioning NATO a calling card — and whose views on the subject were often outside the party’s mainstream — it would be an important development that could result in some uneasy dynamics in his party.
   20. REFERENCE: The Rachel Maddow Show, “The Winter War” (Putin lashing out at NATO backfires as interest in membership grows)
   21. REFERENCE: Why 30 percent of the House GOP voted against reaffirming NATO support; By Aaron Blake, Staff writer | WASHINGTONPOST.COM | April 6, 2022 | Updated April 6, 2022 at 11:42 a.m. EDT
   22. REFERENCE: NATO – Topic: Collective defence – Article 5
       1. Highlights
       2. Collective defence means that an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies.
       3. The principle of collective defence is enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.
       4. NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in its history after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States.
       5. NATO has taken collective defence measures on several occasions, for instance in response to the situation in Syria and in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine crisis.