We happened to sit next to Da’Taeveyon Daniels, a 17-year-old high school student from Fort Worth, at Monday’s panel on the book ban crisis – 1984 or 2024? Book Bans. Censorship. The Fight for Democracy.

As has been noted, South by Southwest is lousy with panels on artificial intelligence this year. One of those filled a conference room at the Thompson Hotel and kicked off with a useful definition from panelist Steven Rosenbaum of that ineffable ideal before which poets and philosophers have prostrated themselves since the time of Plato.

The ties of this year’s South by Southwest to weapons manufacturers supplying Israel have disrupted the festival in more ways than one.

During the 2023 Texas legislative session’s peak, thousands showed up at the Capitol to “defend their humanity and the rights of LGBTQ people,” said Ricardo Martinez, CEO of Equality Texas, an organization that advocates for the state’s LGBTQ+ community.

At 18-weeks pregnant, Amanda Zurawski developed a condition called cervical insufficiency and was told the baby she “desperately wanted” would not survive birth. But since the baby’s heart was still beating, Texas laws banned Zurawski from getting an abortion.

Oakland, Scranton, and Tulsa wouldn’t appear to have much in common. Geographic differences aside, their growth and housing trends aren’t all that alike: Oakland’s population is getting a little smaller with high housing costs, Scranton is growing some as housing costs are some of the lowest nationwide, and Tulsa is growing fast.

With Super Tuesday behind us, political campaigns around the country will be focusing their attention on the November general election. But as candidates for elected office and their campaigns focus on November, the amount of disinformation spreading online about those candidates and their campaigns could also surge.

One of the concerns shared by community advocates and elected officials during the four-day period during which controversial former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo almost became a high-level City Hall executive was the lack of transparency.

The Democratic primary election for Travis County district attorney has been contentious, but incumbent José Garza won resoundingly on Super Tuesday with 66% of the vote.