• New 1,000-Bed ICE Lockup Set to Open on Site of Notorious ‘Tent City’ in South Texas
   
• ‘Dumbfounding’ Ruling on Texas’ Gerrymandered Maps Steers Supreme Court Away From Race

• In a System that Encourages Corruption, Prison-Bound Senator Carlos Uresti was Inevitable
   
• Williamson County Votes to End Contract with Detention Facility Holding Separated Mothers

The Lede
The Interview: Veronica Escobar is Poised to Make History

• While all eyes are on Beto O’Rourke’s bid to unseat Senator Ted Cruz, the race to take over O’Rourke’s El Paso congressional seat has gotten much less attention. Veronica Escobar, the El Paso county judge, decided to step down from her post and run. 
   
• Escobar handily won her primary, which, in this deep-blue district, almost certainly means she’ll win the general. If she does, Escobar will make history as the first woman to represent Texas’ largest border city in Washington, D.C., and, alongside state Senator Sylvia Garcia of Houston, likely the first Latina elected to Congress from Texas.
   
• “Every group — whether you’re a Latino or female, it doesn’t matter — you need to be inspired, and you need a reason to head to the polls, and being frustrated by Donald Trump is not enough,” Escobar said. “We need candidates who are willing to inspire people and who will talk about the issues that are important to us.”

• In 2017, Texas Union Membership Rose at the Highest Rate in Over Three Decades
   
• As a Pediatrician, I Know There’s No Way to Jail Migrant Families Without Hurting Kids

• Four Takeaways from the Texas Democratic Convention
   
• A Vampire Book That Does Not Suck

From the archives
Reckoning With Rosie

• In 1977, a young woman in McAllen died of an illegal abortion. Today her story is more relevant than ever.
   
• From the 2015 story: “Once Rivera and the friend were inside the home, a worn wooden house, the midwife took them into a separate room and locked the door. There was a bed and a cot, and Rivera spotted medical instruments sitting in a jar of dirty water. By then, she was crying out of nervousness and anger. Nine months earlier, her best friend, Rosie Jimenez, had been treated by Pineda with disastrous consequences.”

What’s Happening at the Observer

• The Texas Observer has a brand-new merch store! Here you can find all kinds of new ways to show your support for the work we do. Show the world your love for independent investigative journalism, and help pay for it all at the same time!
   
• The first "State of Drought" event took place in Austin this week. Want to join the conversation? We're launching a Facebook group dedicated to a deep dive discussion of Texas' convoluted and outdated water policy. To join, follow this link and answer a simple screening question.
   
• Submissions are now open for the eighth annual Texas Observer Short Story Contest. Enter by July 30 for the chance to win $1,000 and publication in our October issue.