If you’ve tried to buy groceries, fill up your tank, or pay rent recently, you already know: life is getting absurdly expensive. And for millennials and Gen Z, it’s starting to feel like the world expects us to survive on vibes and direct deposits that disappear the second they hit our accounts.

At last week's Texas After Dobbs panel, at the Texas Tribune Festival three leading voices in the reproductive rights movement — State Senator Carol Alvarado, State Representative Rhetta Andrews Bowers, and Mini Timmaraju, President/CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All — offered an unfiltered look at what abortion access truly means in Texas

Cuts to SNAP aren’t just budget decisions; they’re empty refrigerators, skipped dinners, and lost childhoods. No one should have to starve in one of the wealthiest countries on Earth.

As the government shutdown stretches on, millions of Americans who rely on SNAP to buy groceries are caught in political crossfire — and with the holidays approaching, food insecurity is about to get even worse.

What is Prop Q? And how will it affect the city of Austin? one side pushing for more funding, the other pushing back against higher taxes. Proposition Q has become more than a policy issue; it’s a test of trust in how Austin takes care of its own.

Latinas in Tech make up only 2% of the computing workforce in the United States, and they deserve more than surface-level recognition during Hispanic Heritage Month. We deserve an honest look at barriers that continue to silence us in corporate America.

Soy morena por mi papá, and I carry that with pride. His journey mirrors countless others who crossed borders for a better life. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we honor the immigrants whose resilience is not just part of America’s story—it is America’s story.

There are many companies that have caved to the administration’s ideology this year out of fear, and there are also companies that have done and continue to do genuinely great work for the community. Both things can be true. But remember: if you want to support the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, and all year round, spend your money at a local queer-owned business rather than a trillion-dollar company.

America, what have we become?

Treating our neighbor with such neglect, as if we are gold and they are the crumbs beneath our table. We label entire families “illegal” for daring to cross oceans and borders in search of hope. And forget that most of us descended from Ellis Island entries, handshakes, and paper promises.

Politics used to feel like something that happened far away—behind closed doors, in rooms full of men in suits, saying things that didn’t always feel like they were for us. But that’s changing.

Everything I am, everything I’ve done, is a direct result of my parents' sacrifices and hard work. Both of my parents came to this country for one thing: better opportunities for themselves and their future family.

PBS KIDS is not the mainstream media’s way of indoctrinating the nation’s youth. It is simply a channel that, for over half a century, has made space to demonstrate how easy it is to display basic moral values, as well as learn science, math, history, etc. Often, the two are combined. Now, the network is by no means perfect––is any major corporation, really? There are always issues to be addressed, no matter what one is talking about. However, I can’t find adequate justification for cutting $23 million from the network––a proportionally minuscule amount to the federal government––while raising Homeland Security spending by 65%

Not everyone wants faith to be part of our everyday lives, regardless of affiliation. Some of us believe that the church and the state shouldn’t be connected. If enough people continue to challenge this, we could go down a slippery slope. Perhaps we already have. But perhaps it’s not too late.

In the midst of this chaos and uncertainty, it is important we don’t lose hope, though it may seem impossible at times. Attend protests. Share your stories. Listen to others. In not so long, this era of American history will appear in textbooks. What side do you want to be on?

While the LGBTQ+ community is currently under attack by the very people it looks to for protection, there is hope. There is always hope. For anyone reading this who has been personally touched by these actions, we see you, we stand with you, and we love you. You will never be erased.

In late January, President Trump signed an executive order that authorizes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to raid “protected areas” such as schools and churches for undocumented individuals. The University of Texas is no exception. UT has been designated a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2022, which means that at least 25% of its full-time undergraduate population is Hispanic. This amount has increased all the way up to 28.2% in 20124. Ever since the order was signed, mass deportations have swept across the country, including various cities in Texas which include Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio. Which strikes the real question: could Trump’s executive order halt campus life as we know it?