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In a court hearing over the barrier near Eagle Pass, the U.S. Justice Department argued it was installed without proper authorization, while lawyers for the state said it notified the feds first.
Lawyers for the suspended attorney general argue that compelled testimony would violate Paxton’s rights, but House impeachment managers disagree. The issue may be settled in the trial’s opening hours.
A day after Patrick announced the appointment, Marc Brown declined it, citing a campaign contribution he made to Paxton’s GOP primary opponent in 2021.
Before 30 senators take on their role as impeachment trial jurors, they face a series of momentous votes on whether to dismiss the charges as requested by the suspended attorney general
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After Paxton’s lawyers sought to dismiss articles of impeachment as unsubstantiated, House managers responded by accusing the suspended attorney general of going to great lengths to cover up his relationship to the Austin real estate investor.
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Texas families and health care providers sued the state over Senate Bill 14, which restricts transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care. The groups are requesting an injunction from a state district court judge before the law goes into effect on Sept. 1.
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Amid ongoing wildfires, the governor’s disaster declaration for three-fourths of the state’s counties allows local governments to access state resources to fight fires.
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The university had asked the federal agency to dismiss sexual-harassment complaints by LGBTQ+ students, arguing that the claims infringed on the school’s religious tenets.
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The seven-months-pregnant officer reported contraction-like pains at work, but she wasn’t allowed to leave for hours. Soon after, her baby was delivered stillborn. But the anti-abortion state is fighting her lawsuit, in part by saying her fetus didn’t clearly have rights.
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Since the permitless carry law passed in 2021, Texans have not needed a license to carry a gun. But gun instructors and some gun owners still see the benefits in taking the classes necessary to obtain a license.
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Heading into the Democratic primary, the U.S. House member and state senator answer questions on guns, the border, abortion and other parts of their platforms.
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If successful, the flurry of legal filings would halt the suspended attorney general’s September impeachment trial before it truly begins in the Texas Senate.
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State District Court Judge issued a temporary exemption to Texas’ abortion ban. Hours later, the attorney general’s office filed an appeal, which blocked the order.
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State officials backing Senate Bill 12 have said they want to protect children from seeing sexually explicit performances. But a new legal challenge says the law is so broad and vague that it criminalizes constitutionally protected expression.
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The professor allegedly criticized Patrick during a lecture and was temporarily suspended after the lieutenant governor contacted Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp. The case has raised questions about political interference in the university’s academic affairs.
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More than a million people visited Texas’ 89 state parks in June. But in spots without bodies of water, park officials are warning people to not overdo it as triple-digit temperatures persist.
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Paxton’s legal team says removing him from office would “override the will of the people.” His attorneys have also requested that any evidence of alleged misconduct that predates his current term be excluded from his Senate impeachment trial.
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Legislation passed this month would raise the state’s homestead exemption to $100,000, lower school districts’ tax rates and put an appraisal cap on residential and commercial properties, among other measures. But voters must first approve a constitutional amendment.
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Escalating their fight over Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ handling of immigration at the southern border, far-right representatives say they will oppose any appropriations for his agency.
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Operation Lone Star originally targeted single men suspected of crossing the border illegally in mass trespassing arrests, but some claimed that not arresting women violated equal protection laws.
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At a time when the state has some of the nation’s highest property taxes, the initiative was a cornerstone of his 2022 reelection campaign.
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The U.S. Department of Justice made good on its warning last week that it would sue Texas unless the state agreed to remove the barrier in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass.
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Hart Blanton, the head of the university’s department of communications and journalism, also said then-President M. Katherine Banks interfered with the recruitment of journalist Kathleen McElroy.
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About 500,000 people have been removed from the rolls since continuous Medicaid coverage ended in April. Those helping low-income people with medical care say many don’t realize they’ve lost coverage yet.
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The women, believed to be the first to testify about an abortion ban’s impact on their pregnancy since 1973, are seeking to clarify when a medical emergency justifies an abortion.
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The Office of the Inspector General is investigating the claims, which include pushing small children and women with nursing babies back into the river and turning away a 4-year-old girl, who later passed out on the riverbank from the heat.
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“Prejudicial and inflammatory statements” from both sides have jeopardized the ability of senators to offer fair and impartial justice, Patrick says. Violators can be found in contempt, jailed and fined.
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Texas doctors fear a new era of government intrusion into medicine as lawmakers ban transition care for kids following prohibitions on abortion.
The families who are suing argue the new law, which goes into effect Sept. 1, violates their parental rights by stopping them from providing medical care for their children and discriminates against transgender teens.
The legislative package could make its way to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk before the week’s end. Voters must then approve the plan via a constitutional election in November for it to take effect in the 2023 tax year.
Drinking water frequently and resting in the shade are minimum safety measures for avoiding injury and death during triple-digit temperatures. But they are not applied to every job site.
The compromise would put more than $12 billion toward reducing the school property tax rate for homeowners and business properties, increase the homestead exemption, and create a pilot program to reduce taxes on certain residential and commercial properties. It’s expected to pass later this week.
State lawmakers passed the law after a North Texas homeowners’ association banned landlords from renting to Section 8 tenants. Most of the affected renters in that neighborhood were Black.
During the gunman’s sentencing, relatives of those killed nearly four years ago are telling him how he upended their lives.
After the U.S. Supreme Court ended President Joe Biden’s debt cancellation program, advocates for lowering student loan debt say the federal SAVE plan, an updated loan repayment program, could save Texans and other borrowers a lot of money in interest.
The Texas Senate could pressure Paxton to testify, but members of his defense team say they will fight such efforts.
The state law enforcement agency has been withholding nearly all of its records on police’s botched response to Texas’ deadliest school shooting. DPS will have the chance to redact the documents before they are released.
An impasse among Texas’ top GOP legislators has dragged on for months. On Wednesday, the House and Senate each advanced their own plans in the hopes to move the conversation forward.
Gov. Greg Abbott quickly called lawmakers back to the Capitol for round two, hoping to break an impasse that has outlasted the regular session and one overtime period.
The Florida governor calls for deputizing local law enforcement to police the border and deport migrants, saying his plan is “more aggressive” than the former president’s proposals.
The U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for major civil rights victories for queer Americans in the 2003 decision that decriminalized homosexuality. But progress for LGBTQ+ people, particularly trans people, has been uneven.
Advocates say they accept that abortion won't become legal again in Texas any time soon, so they are focusing on shoring up the safety net and playing the long game.
Organizers across state are increasing security at their celebrations of community after state lawmakers pushed a plethora of bills threatening to upend the lives of LGBTQ Texans.
Here’s a look at Senate members, ranked from most conservative to most liberal, based on votes cast during the 2023 regular session.
Gov. Greg Abbott has thrown his weight behind the idea being pushed by an influential conservative think tank. Many school leaders are worried.
Once high-ranking officials in the attorney general’s office, the four were fired after reporting concerns about Paxton’s behavior to law enforcement.
Two days after delivering a stillborn baby, an Austin Public Health employee was notified she would not qualify for the city’s eight weeks of paid parental leave.
Phelan announced the formation of a House committee that could set the tone in favor of school vouchers ahead of an expected special session on education. The move comes weeks after Abbott sided with Phelan on a plan to lower property taxes.
Threat assessment teams were created to prevent the next school shooting. However, confusion surrounds how these teams operate and what they even do with a child exhibiting threatening behavior.
The Austin real estate investor was a central figure in allegations that led the Texas House to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton last month. One of the charges against Paul has ties to the impeachment allegations.
The governor revealed plans for a floating river barrier at a Capitol signing ceremony for six new laws related to border security. The first 1,000-foot section will be set up near Eagle Pass.
Before Gov. Greg Abbott can review the budget that will direct the state’s spending for the next two years, the comptroller has to certify that it doesn’t spend more money than the state expects to bring in.
The quiet East Texas town of Jasper came together immediately after the racist murder of James Byrd Jr. in 1988. Now, Texas is leading the nation in incidents of white supremacist propaganda.
The refugee system in Texas and nationally is still recovering from major cuts under the Trump administration. The latest casualty is Texas’ largest resettlement agency, Refugee Services of Texas.
The bill would close a long-standing loophole in state law that allows officials to withhold law enforcement records if no one was convicted in a case. The measure was the only bill sent to the Senate that did not get signed and sent to the governor.
The Houston-based attorneys are legends in their own right, having participated in numerous high-profile criminal and civil matters.
Ken Paxton has been suspended from office until his impeachment trial before the Texas Senate so the agency will be run by Scott, a former deputy attorney general.
The move, basically telling the Senate to take the House bill or leave it, could exacerbate already heightened tensions at the Capitol.
Abbott noted many bills that were passed during the regular session, which ended around 6 p.m. Monday, but he added that “many critical items remain” and will require multiple special sessions.
The House voted 121-23 to suspend the attorney general and refer him to the Senate for trial on charges of bribery, abuse of office and obstruction. It was the first such impeachment since 1975.
Paxton, reelected last year by voters who shrugged off his scandals, now faces the prospect of impeachment by a House of Representatives chamber in which he may have few remaining allies.
Many allegations against Paxton were already known, but the public airing of them revealed the scope of the investigation by the committee, which has the power to recommend censure or impeachment.
Wednesday marks exactly a year since the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. The community continues to grapple with the trauma and pain, and for those who lost someone that day, they’re determined to keep the memories of their loved ones alive.
Texas lawmakers in Austin have been under pressure to do something about gun violence in schools and public places. This legislative session, they prioritized security plans over tightening gun regulations.
Three Treviño children have suffered from panic attacks and nightmares since a mass shooting at Robb Elementary a year ago this week left 19 of their schoolmates and two teachers dead. Their parents are striving to help their kids feel normal again.
Gov. Greg Abbott said he will sign Senate Bill 14 into law, which will make Texas one of over a dozen states that restrict transition-related care for transgender minors. Legal groups have already pledged to challenge it in court.
Senate Bill 15 would allow people to sue colleges or universities they believe violate the prohibition on trans athletes’ sports participation.
An influx of migrants crossing the southern border after the expiration of Title 42 has not happened. But the governors of Florida and Idaho have already heeded Gov. Greg Abbott’s call.
The House gave initial approval Friday to a bill that would ban doctors from providing transition-related care to children. This is the furthest point the measure has reached in the Texas State Legislature.
The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate has no interest in the bill, which Democrats consider too punitive. But some moderates view it as a launch pad for bipartisan reform.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle threw their support behind a new requirement that the border unit use only commissioned peace officers for enforcement actions.
Hundreds of migrants have waited on the U.S. bank of the Rio Grande for days to be apprehended. Others say they want to follow the rules to enter legally — if they could just get the government phone app to work.
The bill would raise the minimum age for purchasing certain firearms from 18 to 21. But it likely wouldn’t have been an impediment to the Allen gunman obtaining a weapon. The proposal will still face an uphill battle in the Legislature.
President Joe Biden confirmed Sunday that the shooter used an AR-15-style weapon in the attack.
The Royse City Republican, accused of having an inappropriate relationship with an employee, emerged from a room where a Texas House investigative panel was meeting.
Senate Bill 14 would prohibit trans youth from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy. When the bill came to the floor Tuesday afternoon, LGBTQ Texans and advocates started chanting, prompting House Speaker Dade Phelan to clear the chamber’s gallery.
The governor’s focus on immigration status, not the loss of life, draws rebukes from across the country.
The legislation is in response to elected prosecutors in Texas’ large, left-leaning counties who have said they will not prosecute abortion cases or have shown little interest in pursuing election fraud probes.
Prosecutors support shifting more youth into adult facilities as a way to help overworked prison guards and other kids in the state’s youth prisons. Youth justice advocates say Texas is giving up on the children who need the most help.
A bill advanced in the Texas House Wednesday would also help schools rehire retired teachers and offer other incentives in an effort to fight the state’s teacher shortage.
The Senate advanced a bill that could create such high financial risks for doctors and health insurers that they’d stop providing or covering gender-affirming care — even for adults.
Lawmakers have said school safety is a priority this session, but it is still unclear whether they’ll listen to Uvalde families who want to raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic guns from 18 to 21.
The legal challenge to mifepristone now returns to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
New moms would be able to maintain their health insurance for up to a year after childbirth under the proposal, which also passed the House last session. The Senate previously reduced it to just six months of coverage.
The families of Uvalde shooting victims waited hours to testify at a House committee hearing in support of House Bill 2744, which would raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic guns from 18 to 21.
City officials say the full scope of the legislation advanced Tuesday is still unclear, but it would limit their ability to issue worker protections, water restrictions and more.
Faculty say the decision to take a vote on whether to condemn Wendler was the final straw in a host of issues with him.
The plants would be activated during emergencies. Lawmakers haven’t decided whether to pay for them through state funds or higher charges to electricity customers.
House Speaker Dade Phelan has said tightening the appraisal cap is the best way to cut property taxes, but Senate tax-cut proponents, housing experts and business groups predict the move would have dire consequences.
Residential facilities did not refill medications in a timely manner, failed to follow psychiatric orders and, in several instances, violated state guidelines, court monitors documented after site inspections. The lawyer representing the foster kids said it could be “the tip of the iceberg.”
The resignation calls by Reps. Briscoe Cain and Steve Toth are noteworthy. The two are members of the staunchly conservative Texas House Freedom Caucus, which takes positions that usually align with Slaton’s.
The complaint came after an incident in which Slaton and the staffer allegedly met up at his Austin apartment last weekend. A separate staffer told The Texas Tribune that Slaton drank alcohol with an intern under 21 years old.
The bill will head next to the Senate, where lawmakers have been crafting their own version of the spending plan.
Facing a crowded field, Hollins, who served briefly as Harris County clerk in 2020, announced Thursday he will instead run to be Houston’s chief financial officer.
Critics say the bills could lead to untold billions in added costs to customers and minimal benefits while ignoring needed efforts to reduce electricity demand.
Passage of a school choice measure is anything but a sure bet, as there is little evidence that the governor has been able to convince rural Republicans in the Texas House — who have for years been a reliable firewall — to drop their opposition.
Among the fastest-growing segments of the Texas population, Chinese Americans fear their rights are becoming collateral damage as Texas officials seek to limit investment from China and ban a popular app that many rely on to keep in touch with family.
The authors of bills in both legislative chambers say their bills’ aims are simple: keep sexually explicit content off school bookshelves. But opponents say the legislation is so vague and broad that they could wreak havoc.
Senate Bill 14 would now allow trans children who are already receiving some transition-related treatments to continue getting that care. The Senate gave initial approval to the reworked legislation Wednesday.
Opponents of the bill call it a “power play aimed at making the lives of transgender children as difficult as possible.” The chamber is expected to vote on this legislation Wednesday.
Some local district and county attorneys have said they will not pursue abortion-related cases, or prioritize certain drug, property and election crimes.
Former president focuses his ire on political enemies and says he will have the back of supporters who have been wronged or betrayed.
Senate Bill 8 supporters say the legislation protects the rights of parents who don’t want their kids to learn about gender identity and sexual orientation. Critics say it could force schools to ignore the existence of LGBTQ people.
The proposals target the taxes homeowners pay by requiring school districts to lower their tax rates.
Students and First Amendment lawyers say President Walter Wendler’s portrayal of drag shows is off-base and the cancellation violates free-speech rights.
Senate Bill 14 would ban Texas doctors from providing kids with transition-related treatments that medical groups recommend for children with gender dysphoria.
In previously unreleased interviews, officers who responded to the Robb Elementary School shooting told investigators they were cowed by the shooter’s military-style rifle. This drove their decision to wait for a Border Patrol SWAT team to engage him, which took more than an hour due to their distance from the scene.
Anti-border wall activists are racing to find landowners along the Rio Grande before they sign contracts with the state.
Many of the illegal voting cases the Texas attorney general has boasted about are unraveling after a key court ruling. But Tomas Ramirez III said the pursuit of charges against him has taken its toll.
Lawmakers will decide whether to keep protections that shielded tenants from eviction — or to ban them.
The bill, which has the blessing of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the leader of the state senate, will create new rules on how gender and sexual orientation is taught. It will face a tougher test in the House.
Plagued by decades of scandals over sexual and physical abuse of children, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is at a crossroads.
In its first bill passed this session, the Texas Senate sought to ensure juvenile mental health hospitalizations are reported to the federal firearm background check system.
Five women announced a new lawsuit Tuesday, marking the first time patients directly affected by new abortion laws have sought to challenge the restrictions in court.
Texas lawmakers this year will debate whether to block transgender kids’ access to transition-related health care, classify businesses that host drag shows as sexually-oriented establishments and limit public school lessons on sexuality and gender identity.
The bill, introduced months after the Uvalde school shooting, also allocates more funds to the state’s school safety allotment, which is money given to districts to improve campus security.
Seventy-seven Republicans signed on as co-authors to Rep. Valoree Swanson’s bill extending restrictions on transgender athletes to college sports. Gov. Greg Abbott has expressed support for the legislation, which is also a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Republican lawmakers — backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — are working to reverse a change to state law they approved two years ago as part of a sweeping overhaul to Texas election law that included downgrading illegal voting to a misdemeanor.
A Chinese crime operation bypassed the password clues of Texas.gov by using stolen identity information to fraudulently obtain replacement driver’s licenses.
The yearlong review also recommends increasing the funds schools get per student, a measure already favored by lawmakers looking how to spend a historic state budget surplus.
Most of the state’s 19 mass shootings over the past six decades were carried out by men who legally possessed firearms, an investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found.
The UT system leaders’ decision comes weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to stop considering diversity in hiring. Texas A&M University also recently changed its hiring practices.
In an interview with the Tribune, the governor also backed criminalizing some health care treatments for transgender kids and shrugged off the idea that he’s in a conservative policy rivalry with Ron DeSantis.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that his fellow Republicans benefit politically from a sustained border crisis. The attack indirectly alluded to U.S. Rep. Chip Roy’s contentious border security bill.
Many relatives of Uvalde victims back bills that state Rep. Tracy King and Sen. Roland Gutierrez are pushing in the Legislature. But limits on gun access don’t fare well at the Capitol.
In 2021, Texas passed a law barring transgender student athletes from playing on K-12 school sports teams that align with their gender identity.
Advocates for domestic violence victims were stunned by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that continued a string of court decisions citing the Second Amendment to push back against gun restrictions.
In a memo written Monday and obtained by The Texas Tribune, Abbott’s chief of staff Gardner Pate told agency leaders that using diversity, equity and inclusion policies in hiring violates federal and state employment laws, and hiring cannot be based on factors “other than merit.”
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, wants to prevent communication breakdowns that occurred in the botched response to the Uvalde school shooting in May.
Austin City Council members will evaluate Spencer Cronk’s employment during their Thursday meeting. Cronk was hired in 2017.
Abbott declared disaster in seven Texas counties hard hit by this week’s winter storm. Austin has been the epicenter of a power crisis as tens of thousands wait for electricity to be restored.
More than 400,000 electricity customers statewide lacked power Thursday. Austin’s main power provider said it can no longer promise full restoration by 6 p.m. Friday.
Austin’s main power provider warned that outages could last through Thursday. More than 300,000 customers in Texas did not have power Wednesday because of localized outages, but the state’s main power grid remained stable.
School closures and hazardous road conditions are expected throughout a large portion of Texas, according to forecasts. State officials caution Texans about local power outages but expect the grid to stay up.
Power outages are a possibility during any severe weather event. But a local power outage is different from a larger power grid problem.
The judge warned the state could be held in contempt of court for not following through with three mandates: failing to inform youths of their rights, not adequately responding to abuse allegations and still having too many children without placement.
Abbott doubles down on his long-standing call to lawmakers to prohibit local governments from enacting mask and vaccine mandates.
A Texas Tribune analysis of state data found that at least 214 people in Texas were killed by heat last year, and a large portion of those deaths were likely migrants found after crossing the border.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a San Antonio Democrat, introduced a package of legislation that includes a bill that would end qualified immunity, which shields government officials from liability for constitutional violations.
In Maverick County, nearly 30 bodies pulled from the Rio Grande were buried without attempts to identify them. Teams of Texas State University students are trying to learn their names so their families can be notified.
The state has set a record for the number of employed people for 14 consecutive months, according to new data from the Texas Workforce Commission.
Two girls in the care of Child Protective Services were allegedly sexually assaulted in October after sneaking out of a facility run by the state agency. Advocates say it’s a symptom of the Texas foster care systems’ problems.
The preliminary budgets by House and Senate call for $130.1 billion in state spending over two years, even though tens of billions more are available to them. The bills do not bust state or constitutional spending limits.
Students and faculty will not be able to access the popular social media app while connected to university internet servers. It’s the latest step to limit access to the service after Gov. Greg Abbott directed state agencies to ban the app on government-issued devices citing cybersecurity risks.
The decision from the state’s highest court would allow the TEA to move forward with its plan to replace Houston ISD’s school board members over low academic scores.
Although no evidence of widespread voter fraud has been found, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been actively pursuing election-related crimes since he took office in 2015.
The department’s helpline is less than a year old. But advocates hope state lawmakers fully fund it as farmers and ranchers continue to face hard economic times and isolation.
Phelan defeated Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, for the House leadership position in a vote, 145-3. In cruising to victory, Phelan secured the support of Democrats as well as the most conservative members of his party.
Lawmakers begin work Tuesday for their biennial legislative session. They’ll debate over the state budget, school funding, border security and property taxes, among other issues.
President Joe Biden was greeted by Gov. Greg Abbott upon arrival at the El Paso airport. Abbott has been a chief critic of Biden’s immigration policies and has frequently called on him to visit the border over the past year as the number of migrant arrests has broken records.
Migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela will be allowed entry and given work permits. The administration will also expand the use of Title 42 to expel more migrants to Mexico.
The Title X program has long provided free, confidential contraception to anyone, regardless of age, income or immigration status. A North Texas federal judge ruled in December that the program violates Texas law and parents’ rights.
Three Texas Republicans, including Roy, voted three times so far against their party’s top choice for U.S. House Speaker on Tuesday in a historic move that helped block U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid.
While the Legislature will soon start its new session, some laws passed in 2021 are just now taking effect.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a former religious liberty lawyer, found that a federal program that gives teens access to birth control denies a parent “a fundamental right to control and direct the upbringing of his minor children.”
Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders say Texans should protect their homes and vehicles as large portions of the state will experience dangerously cold temperatures.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas expects sufficient electricity generation as much of the state will plunge into frigid temperatures.
With Title 42 ending next week, El Paso officials expect the number of migrants crossing the border could double. Declaring a state of emergency should open more options to provide migrants’ shelter from below-freezing temperatures.
A Fox News story described Mexican nonprofits aiding migrants, but did not allege any improper action by U.S.-based nonprofits.
Texas allows religious groups that are part of the state’s child welfare network to refuse to assist LGBTQ couples seeking to foster or adopt. That could put critical federal funding at risk.
The House passed the American Dream and Promise Act in March 2021, which would allow DACA recipients, or “Dreamers,” to apply for permanent residency and end the legal limbo that has repeatedly jeopardized their ability to stay in the United States.
The Texas basketball star was first detained in February and was recently moved to a Russian penal colony before her release Thursday.
The Texas basketball star was first detained in February and was recently moved to a Russian penal colony before her release Thursday.
Following the lead of several other GOP governors, Abbott said banning the social media platform, which is run by the Chinese company ByteDance, would protect state information from the Chinese Communist Party.
The legislative session is more than a month away, but fault lines are already emerging among Texas’ top two Republican leaders on two major issues.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the city of Uvalde says the district attorney is restricting information needed by its independent investigator. Uvalde wants a judge to compel the prosecutor to hand over all relevant investigative information.
A rural hospital hasn’t closed in Texas since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020. That could change as federal relief ends.
Changes to Texas’ power grid have improved ERCOT’s ability to keep power flowing during major winter storms, but in an extreme scenario, the grid could still face rolling blackouts.
Millions of Houston residents are expected to be under a boil water notice until Tuesday after a power outage at a water treatment plant. At least four school districts canceled Monday classes.
Extremism experts and historians sound alarms as politicians, media personalities and celebrities amplify antisemitic conspiracies that have historically led to the killing of Jews.
Extremism experts and historians sound alarms as politicians, media personalities and celebrities amplify antisemitic conspiracies that have historically led to the killing of Jews.
Extremism experts and historians sound alarms as politicians, media personalities and celebrities amplify antisemitic conspiracies that have historically led to the killing of Jews.
Extremism experts and historians sound alarms as politicians, media personalities and celebrities amplify antisemitic conspiracies that have historically led to the killing of Jews.
Extremism experts and historians sound alarms as politicians, media personalities and celebrities amplify antisemitic conspiracies that have historically led to the killing of Jews.
Under Texas law, homeowners can claim a homestead exemption only on their primary residence. The GOP Senate candidate registered to vote in Georgia last year.
DPS is asking lawmakers to approve a $467 million active-shooter facility as a “down payment” for the training academy. “You play like you practice,” Director Steve McCraw said.
Some new home-schoolers disagree with how race and sex are taught at schools. Others cite safety concerns after the Uvalde shooting and poor academic outcomes.
The quake was the third largest in Texas history, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. An increase in seismic activity in Texas has been linked to injecting fracking wastewater underground.
Lt. Mariano Pargas was one of the nearly 400 law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting at Robb Elementary on May 24.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz voted for Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, to replace the long-standing leader of Senate Republicans after a poor midterm performance.
Abbott said Philadelphia’s mayor has “long-celebrated and fought for sanctuary city status, making the city an ideal addition to Texas’ list of drop-off locations.”
Abbott said Philadelphia’s mayor has “long-celebrated and fought for sanctuary city status, making the city an ideal addition to Texas’ list of drop-off locations.”
Abbott said Philadelphia’s mayor has “long-celebrated and fought for sanctuary city status, making the city an ideal addition to Texas’ list of drop-off locations.”
Thousands of bills are expected to be filed for the legislative session that begins in January. Lawmakers are expected to have a budget surplus when they return to Austin.
Thousands of bills are expected to be filed for the legislative session that begins in January. Lawmakers are expected to have a budget surplus when they return to Austin.
As public debate intensifies over how the state will divvy up billions in new money, community groups who treat children for mental illness fear they’re not a priority.
As public debate intensifies over how the state will divvy up billions in new money, community groups who treat children for mental illness fear they’re not a priority.
In conservative Kansas and Kentucky, voters turned out in droves and crossed party lines to support abortion access. In Texas — where candidates, not issues, were on the ballot — there was no such surge in support.
In conservative Kansas and Kentucky, voters turned out in droves and crossed party lines to support abortion access. In Texas — where candidates, not issues, were on the ballot — there was no such surge in support.
The governor prevailed after a tumultuous period that included the pandemic, a statewide blackout, restrictions on voting and abortion and the Uvalde school shooting.
The governor prevailed after a tumultuous period that included the pandemic, a statewide blackout, restrictions on voting and abortion and the Uvalde school shooting.
If you’re keeping a close eye on the results Tuesday night, you should follow one overarching rule: Don’t jump to conclusions.
If you’re keeping a close eye on the results Tuesday night, you should follow one overarching rule: Don’t jump to conclusions.
The inquiry will help determine whether criminal charges should be brought against responding officers.
Researchers are finding that not everyone denied access to abortions in Texas can travel out of state and more people than ever before are seeking ways to self-manage abortions with medication at home.
Audio obtained by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica and shows just how long police and dispatchers likely knew that children and teachers were in danger before taking action at Robb Elementary School.
School leaders are offering more money and paid training for potential bus drivers. Some routes still go unserved.
The latest infusion was among $874.6 million in “emergency” budget transfers requested by the Texas Legislative Budget Board, which is composed of GOP state leaders and budget writers.
At a public meeting where families that lost children in the school shooting said he should resign, McCraw said members of the Department of Public Safety made mistakes. But he said he’ll step down only “if DPS as an institution failed the families.”
In some battleground state legislative races, Republicans have been making overtures to those who believe the ban is too extreme. They have said they are open to revising the ban to include the exceptions — and even voiced confidence that the Legislature will do so when it reconvenes in January.
AT&T and Valero were among a handful of political action committees that donated to candidates this cycle who have denied the legitimacy of the 2020 election results.
Early voting runs until Friday, Nov. 4. The last day to apply to vote by mail is Friday, Oct. 28. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Department of Public Safety Sgt. Juan Maldonado is the first state police officer fired in the aftermath of a botched police response to the shooting. He was the highest-ranking state trooper to initially respond to Robb Elementary School.
Asian voters were most disproportionately affected by the new ID requirements included in voting restrictions passed by the 2021 Legislature, a Brennan Center for Justice analysis found.
Although there are laws on the books preventing certain people from possessing guns, there are few places in the state where the criminal justice system has programs to hand over firearms to law enforcement — leaving survivors at a heightened risk for gun violence.
That Paxton is so close to securing his reelection this November as the state’s chief legal officer is raising alarms from election experts about the impact he could have on future contested elections, particularly if Trump runs for president again in 2024.
With the 2022 midterms less than a month away, election administrators in Texas and elsewhere continue to face a level of harassment and threats that experts say had never been experienced before the November 2020 presidential election.
The three GOP candidates raked in a combined $4.3 million over the past three months, while their Democratic competitors got $2.4 million together, according to new campaign-finance filings.
The move clears a pathway for those people to get a special visa to stay in the country that they otherwise would not have received.
Jenkins, one of the state’s most prominent Democrats, says he painted his face in camouflage when he and some friends stormed female classmates’ apartment at Baylor University in 1983.
A state district judge in El Paso said Tuesday that he’ll wait to see what federal prosecutors decide in their case before moving ahead with a state trial for the man accused of killing 23 shoppers in 2019.
Gov. Greg Abbott said the school district knew the ex-trooper “had actions inconsistent with training and department requirements.”
Uvalde families say the school district hasn’t held five of its officers accountable for their part in law enforcement’s delayed action during the May 24 shooting.
Uvalde families say the school district hasn’t held five of its officers accountable for their part in law enforcement’s delayed action during the May 24 shooting.
The soldier is the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since its rapid expansion began in September 2021.
The soldier is the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since its rapid expansion began in September 2021.
John P. Scott, a former U.S. Secret Service agent, is tasked with ensuring Texas schools implement statewide safety policies and safeguard against school shootings.
John P. Scott, a former U.S. Secret Service agent, is tasked with ensuring Texas schools implement statewide safety policies and safeguard against school shootings.
The one-hour debate took place in Edinburg. It was the only scheduled debate between the two candidates before the November election.
The one-hour debate took place in Edinburg. It was the only scheduled debate between the two candidates before the November election.
The one-hour debate took place in Edinburg. It was the only scheduled debate between the two candidates before the November election.
The lawsuit says each defendant played a part in the shooting’s tragic outcome, from failing to comply with safety protocols to pushing dark marketing that pitches lethal weapons to young minds.
The lawsuit says each defendant played a part in the shooting’s tragic outcome, from failing to comply with safety protocols to pushing dark marketing that pitches lethal weapons to young minds.
In an affidavit, a process server said that the state’s top attorney tried to evade him as he attempted to deliver a subpoena from an abortion fund’s lawsuit against the state.
In an affidavit, a process server said that the state’s top attorney tried to evade him as he attempted to deliver a subpoena from an abortion fund’s lawsuit against the state.
As Texas continues to battle drought, groups are trying a market-based solution to help farmers and protect what little water is left.
As Texas continues to battle drought, groups are trying a market-based solution to help farmers and protect what little water is left.
Speaking at The Texas Tribune Festival, Cruz said armed security is a better way to keep schools safe.
Speaking at The Texas Tribune Festival, Cruz said armed security is a better way to keep schools safe.
The Oct. 8 event in Austin will mark the Biden administration’s highest-profile political appearance in Texas since President Joe Biden and Harris took office.
The Oct. 8 event in Austin will mark the Biden administration’s highest-profile political appearance in Texas since President Joe Biden and Harris took office.
The lawsuit alleges an elaborate scheme of people luring migrants with hotel rooms, McDonald’s gift cards, hundreds of dollars in cash and false information about their final destinations.
The lawsuit alleges an elaborate scheme of people luring migrants with hotel rooms, McDonald’s gift cards, hundreds of dollars in cash and false information about their final destinations.
Several other Republican attorneys general joined Paxton in bashing the Biden administration, largely over previous policy decisions they disagreed with.
Several other Republican attorneys general joined Paxton in bashing the Biden administration, largely over previous policy decisions they disagreed with.
Across the country, more books have been challenged and removed as religious and conservative groups target LGBTQ and race issues.
Across the country, more books have been challenged and removed as religious and conservative groups target LGBTQ and race issues.
The deposition is part of a lawsuit that is separate but related to the attorney general’s seven-year-old securities fraud indictment.
The deposition is part of a lawsuit that is separate but related to the attorney general’s seven-year-old securities fraud indictment.
For years, the state’s Hispanic population has grown significantly faster than the white population. The new census data is the first to reflect Texas passing a milestone in its cultural and political evolution.
For years, the state’s Hispanic population has grown significantly faster than the white population. The new census data is the first to reflect Texas passing a milestone in its cultural and political evolution.
The governor joined 21 other Republicans in denouncing the president’s plan as harming Americans who didn’t go to college.
The governor joined 21 other Republicans in denouncing the president’s plan as harming Americans who didn’t go to college.
A pregnant Texas woman said her fetus should count as a person in an HOV lane. That legal question is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the thorny question of “personhood.”
A pregnant Texas woman said her fetus should count as a person in an HOV lane. That legal question is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the thorny question of “personhood.”
The state’s top law enforcement agency also told USA TODAY that seven officers have now been referred to its internal affairs division, including two who are command staff.
The state’s top law enforcement agency also told USA TODAY that seven officers have now been referred to its internal affairs division, including two who are command staff.
A commission tasked by the Texas Legislature to recommend new ways to fund community colleges is suggesting the state fund schools based on how successful students are at completing programs in high-demand fields and transferring to universities to continue their education.
A commission tasked by the Texas Legislature to recommend new ways to fund community colleges is suggesting the state fund schools based on how successful students are at completing programs in high-demand fields and transferring to universities to continue their education.
A recent analysis of Oath Keepers’ membership rolls leaked last year found that Texas had more members of the far-right extremist group than any other state — and the most who worked as elected officials, law enforcement officers or members of the military.
A recent analysis of Oath Keepers’ membership rolls leaked last year found that Texas had more members of the far-right extremist group than any other state — and the most who worked as elected officials, law enforcement officers or members of the military.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers from several local, state and federal agencies have been heavily criticized for the delayed response in confronting the gunman during the worst school shooting in Texas history.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers from several local, state and federal agencies have been heavily criticized for the delayed response in confronting the gunman during the worst school shooting in Texas history.
On Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that nine migrants had died while trying to cross the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass.
On Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that nine migrants had died while trying to cross the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass.
Texas had more houses on the market in July than any time since late 2020 as home sales declined in the state’s major metros. Sellers have had to cut prices to entice buyers.
Texas had more houses on the market in July than any time since late 2020 as home sales declined in the state’s major metros. Sellers have had to cut prices to entice buyers.
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services leaders instructed employees to avoid written communications about the cases and barred low-level employees from handling the investigations, according to internal agency communications.
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services leaders instructed employees to avoid written communications about the cases and barred low-level employees from handling the investigations, according to internal agency communications.
Critics are skeptical about whether the new rules by the Railroad Commission will prevent another catastrophe like the power grid disaster in February 2021.
Texas Central has made little visible progress financing the high-speed rail project and acquiring property for the route in recent years. The company maintains that the bullet train is still being developed but declined to provide details about the path forward.
Texas Central has made little visible progress financing the high-speed rail project and acquiring property for the route in recent years. The company maintains that the bullet train is still being developed but declined to provide details about the path forward.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who cited the Second Amendment in his decision, stayed the ruling pending appeal.
The Grapevine-Colleyville district, between Dallas and Fort Worth, added two conservative members to its seven-member school board in May.
The Grapevine-Colleyville district, between Dallas and Fort Worth, added two conservative members to its seven-member school board in May.
Monica De La Cruz runs on a campaign against runaway spending and “socialist” policies, blasting Democratic measures to expand federal assistance amid the pandemic.
The largest fund for those affected by the May 24 massacre is still months away from distributing most of the $16 million it has raised. Some families are turning to smaller donations to get by.
Following a state report showing that almost 400 law enforcement officers showed up at the school on May 24, some Uvalde parents are doubtful over whether their kids will be safe in the district.
Following a state report showing that almost 400 law enforcement officers showed up at the school on May 24, some Uvalde parents are doubtful over whether their kids will be safe in the district.
O’Rourke confronted a heckler at a campaign event Wednesday who laughed while he was talking about the Uvalde school shooting, telling the person, “It may be funny to you, m*f***, but it is not funny to me.”
O’Rourke confronted a heckler at a campaign event Wednesday who laughed while he was talking about the Uvalde school shooting, telling the person, “It may be funny to you, m*f***, but it is not funny to me.”
The rate increase will help replenish a state fund to maintain and operate cellphone networks in rural Texas. A court determined the state’s Public Utility Commission needed to restore $200 million in overdue money to the fund.
The rate increase will help replenish a state fund to maintain and operate cellphone networks in rural Texas. A court determined the state’s Public Utility Commission needed to restore $200 million in overdue money to the fund.
Federal authorities would have needed to meet an extraordinarily high threshold for probable cause to sign off on such a high-profile, politically explosive operation, legal experts say.
A first-of-its-kind analysis reveals that soldiers in the Army are more likely to be locked up ahead of trial for drug offenses than for sexual assault under a system that gives commanders control.
In July, Abbott authorized state law enforcement to transport migrants to ports of entry. It’s unclear how and why migrants are being detained, raising civil rights concerns and questions about whether the state is overstepping its authority.
Private clinics offer abortions at a fraction of the cost in the United States. City public health clinics may be more difficult to navigate but offer abortions free of charge, including for noncitizens.
One of them is in Laredo, which has elevated rates of cancer, according to a recent state analysis. The findings come after reporting by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.
O’Rourke is hammering Abbott over vouchers on the campaign trail in rural Texas, where Democrats know they need to do better and where vouchers are a political hot potato for Republicans.
State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, said his intention was never to gloss over American history or have negative effects on teachers and administrators. His comments to the State Board of Education come as members consider new social studies curriculum.
The agency is so understaffed that teens have reported spending up to 23 hours locked in their cells, using water bottles to go to the bathroom. A staggering number have hurt themselves or been placed on suicide watch.
Two civil rights groups have expanded their request for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Operation Lone Star, citing evidence of risky pursuits and more frequent traffic stops of Hispanic drivers.
Two civil rights groups have expanded their request for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Operation Lone Star, citing evidence of risky pursuits and more frequent traffic stops of Hispanic drivers.
The law was made unenforceable by the Supreme Court in 2003, but Justice Clarence Thomas recently suggested that the court should reconsider it.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued its judgment Tuesday in the Mississippi case that revoked a constitutional right to abortion. That means Texas’ “trigger law” severely limiting the procedure will soon take effect.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued its judgment Tuesday in the Mississippi case that revoked a constitutional right to abortion. That means Texas’ “trigger law” severely limiting the procedure will soon take effect.
The bar, which licenses lawyers and offers training sessions, is suing Paxton in an attempt to sanction him for trying to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump.
While people consider deleting period tracking apps and worry about interstate travel restrictions, most pregnancy-related criminalizations start in a much simpler way: with a report from a health care provider.
Two proposed wind farms off the Texas and Louisiana coasts would join offshore oil drilling rigs in the gulf as the Biden administration tries to boost the country’s clean energy supply.
The school board plans to meet Saturday to vote on the proposal, days after a Texas House committee report highlighted widespread failures in the police response to the Robb Elementary shooting.
Texas’ abortion ban will go into effect around the start of the fall semester. The changing legal landscape is raising questions for public colleges about how to talk to students about reproductive health care options and creating hesitancy among students about whether they can trust their universities’ health centers.
The department’s officers made up nearly one-fourth of the 376 law enforcement members who responded to Texas’ deadliest school shooting. Announcement of the inquiry came one day after a report criticized police response to the massacre.
In total, 376 law enforcement officers descended upon the school, according to the most extensive account of the shooting to date. It says that better-equipped departments should have stepped up to fill a leadership void after the Uvalde schools police chief failed to take charge.
“I couldn’t say nothing seeing this man, who’s lost everything, maligned as if he was indifferent or actively malicious,” state Rep. Joe Moody, a member of the Uvalde House Investigating Committee, said on Twitter.
Texans have been asked to turn up their thermostats and avoid using large appliances from 2 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. The power grid operator said it does not expect rolling blackouts.
State Rep. Dustin Burrows will lead a private briefing for victims’ families in Uvalde on Sunday morning, allowing them to see the hallway video from a Robb Elementary School surveillance camera and discuss the committee’s preliminary report. Later, the footage will be released for anyone to watch.
The state’s grid operator asked that Texans voluntarily reduce their power use on Monday as the blistering heat continues — and said no rolling blackouts are expected this week.
For some parents of kids under 5 who want to vaccinate them, the wait has been excruciating, fraught with delays and close calls. Others are hesitant to have their young children vaccinated.
Immigration law enforcement is a federal responsibility. Abbott appears to be testing the limits of state authority by empowering state law enforcement to bring migrants to the ports of entry — stopping short of using state resources to expel migrants from the country.
The report by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center says authorities missed other opportunities to stop the gunman before he killed 19 students and two teachers in Robb Elementary.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez and Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin are asking Gov. Greg Abbott to remove the Uvalde County district attorney from overseeing the Uvalde Together Resiliency Center.
The ruling Friday night exposes abortion providers to fines and lawsuits even before the state’s trigger law goes into effect.
The Trump administration created the Migrant Protection Protocols, also called the “remain in Mexico,” program in 2019 before the Biden administration canceled it in 2021. The ruling sends the case back to a Texas federal court.
McCraw testified before a Texas Senate committee, laying blame on local police officers in Uvalde for not acting faster to save children in school shooting.
The senators said they would support proposals like raising the age to legally own an assault weapon from 18 to 21, creating red flag laws and regulating private gun sales.
A new Quinnipiac University poll shows that Gov. Greg Abbott’s 15-point lead has shrunk to 5 points over Beto O’Rourke as more Texas voters now say gun policies are a top priority.
The nine pages of blue ink on white lined paper, first published by the Houston television station KTRK, show how the governor prepared his remarks for a news conference May 25, the day after the shooting — presumably based on information being given to him.
House Speaker Dade Phelan is also asking for more money for mental health and school safety programs.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, was one of the lead negotiators for the proposal, which would expand background checks for people under 21 and encourage states to enact “red flag” laws. Biden and House Democrats had wanted to go further.
Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo and his attorney granted an exclusive interview to The Texas Tribune to detail his version of what happened inside Robb Elementary School on May 24, when a shooter killed 21 people.
Authorities have been criticized for waiting over an hour to enter the school and confront the shooter. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said law enforcement agencies have promised to cooperate with the federal inquiry.
The Texas actor spoke at a press briefing Tuesday after meeting with President Joe Biden about responding to mass shootings. A Uvalde gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school last month.
Since Texas launched the school marshal program in 2013, just 84 school districts out of more than 1,200 have armed school staff. Educators say the program’s lack of popularity shows that teachers don’t want to be the ones to defend schools from mass shootings.
More than 250 self-declared gun enthusiasts, including donors who have contributed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaigns, have signed on to an open letter supporting Sen. John Cornyn’s efforts at bipartisan gun reform legislation.
Hurricane season is here. City Cast Houston host Lisa Gray dives into how gulf coast residents can prepare with Hurricanes 101.
State Rep. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, said the commanding officer at the scene of the shooting was not informed about the calls that Uvalde police were receiving, calling the lack of coordination a “system failure.”
The district’s superintendent said students will be moved to other campuses but did not confirm reports that the Robb Elementary School building may be razed.
She wanted to be an art teacher. Her favorite color was purple. She was laid to rest three weeks after her birthday.
Residents of Uvalde, a deeply religious community, prayed, cried and embraced each other on the first Sunday since a gunman killed 21 people at an elementary school.
Officials clarified the timeline of the shooting Thursday after giving varying accounts. They refused to answer many questions about the tactics.
Top Texas Republicans also resist gun control and push for more armed teachers and police at schools in wake of Uvalde shooting
The governor said the shooter is also dead and is believed to have been killed by responding officers.
In 50 races in the March 1 primary, no candidate exceeded 50% of the vote, bringing about runoff races between the candidates who came in first and second.
The administration was set to end Title 42, a pandemic-era rule aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, on Monday. A lengthy legal battle is likely.
Cornyn is the most prominent Texas Republican to criticize the attorney general’s rocky record ahead of his runoff election against George P. Bush.
A group of lawyers says Cruz played an outsized role in the efforts to void the 2020 election results and accuses him of repeatedly making false claims about voter fraud.
Texas Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake and ERCOT President Brad Jones said the power grid is prepared for record-breaking summer electricity demand.
The federal emergency declaration is expected to last through at least mid-October and has kept states from dropping people from Medicaid rolls.
The early voting period runs through Friday. Mail-in ballots must be returned by May 24.
The court did not evaluate the law on its constitutionality but will allow it to go back into effect while a legal case plays out. Texas lawmakers passed the law, saying social media platforms have an anti-conservative bias.
In February, Cruz and Cornyn voted against a similar bill that was inspired after Texas passed its abortion restriction law.
More than a quarter of women of childbearing age are uninsured in Texas, the highest rate in the nation, and the state has chosen to cap Medicaid benefits for new moms earlier than other states.
The state’s high property taxes have taken center stage as Texas’ real estate market explodes and drives up home values.
In Tarrant County, conservative PACs animated about the teaching of race and sexuality are flooding school board races with hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Only 15% of respondents to a recent University of Texas at Austin poll said access to the procedure should be completely outlawed.
Politico said it obtained a draft Supreme Court majority opinion indicating the landmark abortion ruling will be overturned. Abortion is still legal in Texas up to six weeks of pregnancy.
Abbott said the money would be taken from the budgets of other Texas agencies, including nearly $210 million from the state’s Health and Human Services Commission over two years and about $160 million from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The decision to crowdfund the free bus trips for migrants is a new development since his initial announcement on April 6 that the rides would be paid for by Texas taxpayers.
Spc. Bishop Evans died after jumping into the Rio Grande to save migrants. He and other members of Operation Lone Star were not provided safety equipment. Texas Military Department said an order for buoys and ropes was made but has not been fulfilled.
The propositions on the May 7 ballot would lower property taxes by shifting more of the cost of public school funding to the state. But the measures’ language can be hard to understand.
Acknowledging substantive questions about Lucio’s guilt and the fairness of her conviction, the appeals court blocked her Wednesday execution so the case can be further investigated.
Rescue efforts have included search parties in boats and helicopters, as well as dive teams. The Guard member has not been found.
The governor ordered troopers to thoroughly inspect every commercial truck coming from Mexico in what he described as an effort to stop illegal drugs and migrants from being smuggled into Texas. His order for increased state inspections led to trade delays between the two countries.
Senior Kelly Neidert has repeatedly thrust the University of North Texas into the conservative media spotlight, most recently by bringing Texas House candidate Jeff Younger to campus. Her motive? It depends on who you ask.
About 30 people from Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua traveled to the U.S. capital as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s new plan in response to the end of Title 42.
Abbott’s new policy has resulted in hourslong delays and protest blockades at border crossings. The state’s agriculture commissioner criticized the measure as an “economy killing action.”
Importers said buyers have already canceled orders and the blockade could impact the flow of produce to restaurants and grocery stores around the country.
Texas law exempts a pregnant person from being charged with murder or any lesser homicide charge for an abortion.
It’s unclear whether landlords face any penalties by state agencies for improperly evicting tenants while receiving rent relief dollars intended to help those tenants stay housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abbott said he’s responding to the Biden administration announcement that it will lift a pandemic-era emergency health order that allowed immigration authorities to turn away migrants at the border, even those seeking asylum.
Texas Military Department leaders say they’ve addressed many of the issues that arose late last year when the mission ramped up to 10,000 service members — but more money is needed to run the mission at its current pace.
The Florida law prohibits teachers from teaching sexual orientation or gender identity to kids below the fourth grade.
The largest share of Operation Lone Star arrests were of people accused only of trespassing on private property. Many spend months in prison, but the strategy does not appear to have slowed immigration.
K-3 teachers in Texas have until 2023 to complete a 60-hour “Reading Academies” course to keep the job. It’s taking some 120 hours on their own time to finish.
Utility companies and key oil and gas transportation hubs are on high alert as Russian hackers have been probing energy infrastructure’s digital networks for weak points.
In Texas, schools are funded based on the number of students enrolled and the daily attendance on campus.
Budget hawks deride the fighter jet, built largely in Fort Worth, as a costly boondoggle. But with war in Ukraine, the F-35’s presence is being felt across Europe.
The money reimburses hospitals for the services they provide to Medicaid patients in Texas.
Climate change has made the Texas heat hotter and longer-lasting, enhancing drought conditions that set the stage for intense fires. More than 40% of the state is in an extreme drought.
The Texas law has proven largely impervious to judicial review. But lawyers representing abortion advocacy groups believe opponents may have given them an opening to challenge the law in a more friendly federal court.
At least 20 tornadoes were reported across the state and Oklahoma, which tore through homes and buildings on Monday. At least two dozen people were injured and a woman died, authorities said.
The statistics that Texas leaders use to boast about Operation Lone Star raise more questions than answers.
O’Rourke said the governor ignored longstanding problems that allegedly allowed foster kids, who had been victims of sex trafficking, to be abused by employees at a state-contracted facility charged with caring for children.
The dispatching of troops to wealthy private ranches, far from the border, raises questions about the use of National Guard troops, who have widely decried the mission as aimless, political and oversized, as the cost of the effort has already ballooned to $2 billion a year.
Although child care providers have mostly reopened, 8% have closed permanently since the start of the pandemic — and 57% of Texas counties still qualify as child care deserts.
The letter was also signed by Salesforce, Johnson & Johnson, Dow and Capital One. The companies said they do business, create jobs and serve customers in Texas and are committed to creating safe communities for LGBTQ people.
The children were sexually abused and neglected while at The Refuge, a facility located in Bastrop contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, according to a report from a current employee.
The appeals court’s decision allows a lower court to hold a hearing on whether Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive to investigate certain gender-affirming care as child abuse can stand.
Republicans are suing and Democrats want a full review after Harris County missed deadlines to have its votes tallied and failed to count 10,000 ballots in its initial returns.
Teaching demands during the pandemic have exacerbated the nation’s teacher shortage. Abbott wants a task force to investigate.
Students are forming banned-book clubs and distribution drives to contest restrictions that focus mostly on LGBTQ and racial themes.
We have something special for you today. It's an episode of City Cast Houston, a new podcast about Texas' largest city.
Ever since Gov. Greg Abbott directed the state’s child welfare agency to investigate parents who provide gender-affirming care to their children, LGBTQ+ affirming family lawyers statewide have been deluged with calls.
Taylor made the announcement hours after he finished his five-way primary with 49% of the vote. Former Collin County Judge Keith Self, who finished second, is now likely to become the next congressman for the 3rd District.
Decision Desk HQ called both Abbott’s and O’Rourke’s primary wins and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton could be headed for a runoff
Texas voters are heading to the polls Tuesday with a lot of decisions to make about who will represent their parties going forward into November.
Some experts doubt that classifying gender-affirming care as child abuse would hold up in court, but families still feel targeted by Gov. Greg Abbott’s new order
Texas has a history of a dismal turnout rate in primary elections. New political maps and voting law could create more obstacles.
Frustration, anxiety and anger prevailed in the survey responses obtained by the The Texas Tribune and Military Times. The survey includes responses from nearly 250 members of Task Force South, one of six units that fall under the umbrella of Operation Lone Star.
Paxton is targeting one of his challengers, Louie Gohmert, while another challenger, George P. Bush, is going after challenger Eva Guzman.
The whistleblowers made their first statement about Paxton’s decision to fire them since filing a lawsuit against the attorney general.
For the anniversary of the winter storm that staggered Texas, The Texas Tribune called dozens of Texans from around the state. They shared their experiences during the storm and how it continues to impact them. The storm brought days of subfreezing temperatures and widespread power outages, causing billions of dollars in damages and hundreds of deaths.
Many Texans still question the reliability of the power grid and wonder if state authorities have prepared for another storm like the one that left an indelible mark starting on Valentine’s Day 2021.
Patrick’s mass mailing urging voters to apply for mail-in ballots included return envelopes addressed to the Texas secretary of state’s office. The applications are supposed to be sent to local offices, but Patrick’s campaign says voters don’t trust election officials in Democratic counties.
The lieutenant governor vowed to ban the teaching of critical race theory at Texas’ public colleges and universities.
Disability rights advocates say the state has not provided enough guidance about the type of help people with disabilities can and can’t receive under new voting laws passed last year.
Transitioning the electricity grid to cleaner fuels is one of the best tools humanity has to fight climate change — which brings severe weather that taxes the grid. But a year after the winter storm, Texas leaders aren’t talking about decarbonizing.
This will be the first election in which Texans will be voting in new political districts.
Corbevax, a low-cost coronavirus vaccine created in Houston, could be a better weapon against COVID-19 by reaching the unvaccinated in poorer countries.
Experts say it’s unclear whether changes mandated by Texas lawmakers to prevent widespread power outages like those last February made a significant difference during a weaker winter storm.
The surge in seismic activity from increased underground pressure is shaking the West Texas ground and rattling longtime residents.
The City of Austin issued a boil water notice Saturday night due to what it called an “internal treatment process issue.”
Texas is expected to see more demand for electricity on Friday morning than previously projected.
The weather is not expected to be as severe or last as long as last year’s freeze. Texas leaders do no not expect systemwide blackouts, but they have warned that local power outages are possible throughout the state.
Gov. Greg Abbott said he could not guarantee power would stay on throughout Texas this week, just two months after he promised the lights would stay on this winter.
The governor has sent waves of troops to the border as Guard officials scramble to execute a massive mobilization that normally takes months to properly plan. Some Guard members say it's causing people to leave the service altogether.
The rally in the Houston suburbs put on full display how much of a grip former President Donald Trump still has on Texas Republican leaders.
A staffing shortage crisis and a surge in patients from the omicron variant have pushed the number of Texas intensive care unit beds to its lowest since the pandemic began. The shortage affects not just patients with the coronavirus, but every Texan seeking serious medical care.
The GOP-backed voting law — passed under the banner of ensuring election integrity — banned local election officials from sending out unsolicited mail-in ballot applications. But Crenshaw and other politicians can still do it.
He also reiterated he is not backing away from his bid for another term in the March primary. “Let me be clear: I’m running for reelection and I intend to win,” Cuellar said.
The new development ends the immediate threat that up to 400,000 customers could lose power, but the underlying financial dispute between two energy giants stemming from last February's winter storm remains unresolved.
An FBI spokesperson said the agency was present on two streets around Cuellar’s house in Laredo “conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity.”
The indictment comes as Miller seeks a third term as agriculture commissioner. Miller is up against two Republican challengers in the March primary, state Rep. James White, R-Hillister, and Carey Counsil, an economics professor at Blinn College.
News of Congregation Beth Israel hostages' safe escape is met with intense relief, but communities feel pain and fear over the latest in a series of antisemitic attacks and incidents in Texas and beyond.
The call for action from Texas Democrats comes as another service member based in the city of Pharr survived a suicide attempt on Sunday, according to an incident report obtained by Army Times and The Texas Tribune.
The Supreme Court is expected to make a decision soon that will shape the future of vaccine policies. But as litigation stands, federal mandates for Texas Army National Guard members and employers of large businesses are currently in effect.
In 2020, Democrats took their campaign efforts virtual. But they later admitted that the lack of in-person campaigning hurt them at the polls.
A federal lawsuit accuses Rice University of engaging in price-fixing in collaboration with other prestigious private schools across the country, inflating the cost of college for students who need aid.
The Republican Party of Texas’ meme that equated COVID-19 test wait times with waiting in line to vote is the latest example of a growing — and successful — political social media strategy, experts say.
Texas has among the highest number of residents charged in the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. At least five Texans have already been convicted.
Energy experts said the production drop during a relatively ordinary cold front could be a bad sign for the grid if the state is struck by extreme winter weather again.
Abbott’s political challenger said guard members deployed to Operation Lone Star are facing late pay, being exposed to COVID-19, experiencing supply shortages and dealing with added stress that has led to multiple suicides tied to the mission.
Officials added 36 to the estimate of lives lost in the disaster, which knocked out power in much of the state. Some experts place the toll even higher.
The governor asked the federal government for help opening test sites in Bexar, Cameron, Dallas, Harris, Hidalgo and Tarrant counties.
Portable generators are among the deadliest consumer products. Two decades after the government identified the danger, and as climate change leads to more power outages, people are left vulnerable by a system that lets the industry regulate itself.
The justices allowed the challenge against the law to proceed but mangled abortion providers' legal strategy and set the table for another elongated court fight. Meanwhile, abortion access in the state remains severely restricted.
They worry more migrants could be victims of violence as the Biden administration revives the "remain in Mexico" program.
State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who wrote the law, was dismissive of Newsom’s effort to restrict gun rights by using Texas’ legal strategy to ban many abortions. He said he didn’t think his enforcement mechanism would be “effective against firmly established constitutional rights.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the majority was straying from the court’s precedent to step in when state laws chill the exercise of constitutional rights while allowing other states to follow suit.
The fate of the statute remains uncertain. An appeal to the ruling is already underway, and an opinion on the law from the U.S. Supreme Court is still pending.
As state regulators and the companies that power the grid take steps to avoid another catastrophe like February’s winter storm, climate experts say this winter will likely be milder.
The Republican Party of Texas announced Monday it had launched a new Local Government Committee to work with county parties on backing candidates for nonpartisan local offices.
The department claims that despite rapid growth of Hispanic and Black populations, Texas lawmakers illegally discriminated against voters of color by drawing new political districts that give white voters more political power.
Cities have made some preparations in case of another severe winter storm. But keeping the lights and water on is far from guaranteed.
Beginning Thursday, a new law restricts abortion-inducing medication, the most common abortion method in Texas.
Texas has passed legislation that ensures abortion would be made a felony if Roe v. Wade is overturned “wholly or partly,” as the court considers Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban.
Gaps in student learning because of pandemic disruptions could impact students long term.
The court will consider Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban on Wednesday. Its decision on the matter could have great repercussions in Texas, where legislation passed this year ensures abortion would be made a felony if Roe v. Wade is overturned “wholly or partly.”
Natural gas powers the majority of electricity in Texas, especially during winter. Some power companies say the state’s gas system is not ready for another deep freeze.
For two months, providers have had to work in a sort of limbo as they wait to see if the new law passes the Supreme Court's review.
The most severe scenario considered by the state’s power grid operator for this winter — very high demand for power, extensive fossil fuel outages, and low renewable power production — does not capture the amount of power lost during February.
Gov. Greg Abbott says the wall of roughly 20 shipping containers will help prevent migrants from crossing the border.
The GOP slate for statewide office includes two high-profile Latinos and two Black candidates who have previously held state or federal office. Republicans are making a play to be more competitive with voters of color as the state’s electorate grows more diverse.
El Pasoans who have followed O’Rourke’s political career are excited about his run for governor. But his critics still remember his support of a development plan that could have displaced Mexican American residents from one of the city’s oldest barrios.
O’Rourke joins the 2022 gubernatorial race as Texas’ best-known Democrat, but he carries considerably more baggage after a series of political failures.
O’Rourke’s decision to challenge Gov. Greg Abbott ends months of speculation and gives Democrats a formidable campaigner at the top of the ticket — someone who transformed Texas politics with his blockbuster campaign against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018.
The judge said the governor's order impedes children with disabilities from the benefits of public schools’ programs, services and activities, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The funds will help advance existing plans, pay for much-needed repairs and launch other projects for roads, bridges, broadband access, electric vehicle charging stations and more.
The new state survey is the first time Texas health officials have been able to statistically measure the vaccine's true impact on the pandemic.
The ports of entry were closed for 19 months in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. Mexican nationals will need to present proof of vaccination to enter the U.S.
Republican Texas lawmakers passed sweeping legislation this year to further restrict the state’s voting process and narrow local control of elections.
The migrants were arrested for trespassing, but court documents failed to specify what property they allegedly trespassed upon. It’s the latest misstep in implementation of Greg Abbott’s border initiative, which has seen frequent violations of state law and disregard for due process rights.
Texas voters decided on eight proposed changes to the state’s Constitution. Voters in the San Antonio area chose a new Texas House member. And Austin voted down hiring more police officers.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday grilled attorneys for abortion providers, the federal government and Texas over the state’s near-total abortion ban — and possibly hinted at support for allowing at least one legal challenge to the law to stand.
The high court’s proceedings will focus on how Senate Bill 8 is enforced. It’s hard to predict what the court could decide, but its ruling will likely determine the future of abortion in Texas and shape the legal battles to come.
Genetic testing allows Texans to find out early if their baby has a fatal condition. But often by the time they do find out, they will no longer have the right to terminate that pregnancy under the new state law.
In 2017, conservative lawmakers failed to pass legislation targeting transgender Texans. Things were different this year.
The move opens the door to emergency use approval by the FDA. In Texas, about 2.9 million children would be newly eligible if that happens.
Texas lawmakers drew new maps for the state House and Senate, congressional delegation and State Board of Education. Here’s what Texans should know about the 2021 redistricting outcomes.
Many of Texas’ higher learning institutions, which have collectively received billions of dollars in federal contracts, are trying to figure out whether they need to require employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. An executive order from President Joe Biden that requires all federal contractors to get a shot goes into effect soon but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has already banned such directives in the state.
As secretary of state, Fort Worth attorney John Scott would oversee election administration in Texas.
In their latest push to lift state-level voting restrictions, Senate Democrats failed to secure the 60 votes required to break a filibuster on the Freedom to Vote Act.
With partisan fervor, Republicans drew new maps for Congress and the Legislature that dilute the power of voters of color. Now the lawsuits begin, as groups that feel marginalized battle for representation in the halls of power.
Lawmakers approved new political maps and decided how to spend COVID-19 relief money. But they didn’t pass bills about vaccine mandates or the criminal penalty for illegal voting.
Two proposed amendments — one regarding religious services and another related to nursing home visitors — stem from restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Early voting begins Oct. 18.
Huffines has been the most vocal fellow Republican taking on Abbott, pressuring him over his COVID-19 response, the border and other hot-button issues.
The department says it’s looking into whether the Texas Juvenile Justice Department provides “reasonable protection from physical and sexual abuse by staff and other residents, excessive use of chemical restraints and excessive use of isolation.”
Because of the way the law is written, it appears that clinics and doctors who performed abortions outlawed by the statute even while the block was in effect would now be vulnerable to lawsuits.
A University of Texas at Austin student who planned to apply to an Obama-era initiative for immigrants who came to America as children is stuck in limbo after a Texas judge halted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The ruling late Wednesday from a U.S. District Judge doesn’t protect providers who perform abortions while the Texas law makes its way through the courts.
It wasn't immediately clear how the order may affect access to abortions in the state. The law is constructed in a way that people who violate it could be liable to litigation if enforcement is reinstated.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Border Patrol insist the 11 men, arrested under Gov. Greg Abbott's border initiative, weren't set up for trespassing charges. But a county attorney decided the case was too muddled to prosecute.
Despite the objections of U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green, a Senate committee voted out a redrawn congressional map Monday without addressing the overlap in their Houston districts. The map heads next to the full Senate for a vote.
Two months into this school year, districts have reported 172,275 cases in students. But state data on school cases is incomplete and likely an undercount.
The Texas Legislature is in the midst of its third special session, which is dedicated to redrawing political maps based on the latest census data that showed people of color fueled 95% of Texas’ population growth over the past decade.
Adam Foltz, now on the Texas payroll, played a key role in Wisconsin's redistricting last decade. A federal court threw out some of the maps and called the effort Foltz was involved in "an all but shameful attempt to hide the redistricting process from public scrutiny."
The men were arrested by state troopers and held for weeks without facing formal charges, a violation of state law. It’s the latest misfire in Abbott’s hastily assembled effort to involve Texas in patrolling the border.
The proposed congressional map also increases the number of districts where Trump had a majority of voters over Biden in 2020 and protects Republican incumbents who might have been vulnerable by packing their districts with more Trump voters.
Defense attorneys have started asking courts to set migrants free because local justice systems, overwhelmed by arrests under Gov. Greg Abbott's border security push, are routinely violating state law and constitutional due process rights.
The Supreme Court had previously declined to block the law but didn't rule on its constitutionality.
Gov. Greg Abbott says the line of law enforcement and military vehicles is stopping migrants from crossing the Rio Grande into Del Rio, where the number of migrants camped under a bridge keeps dropping.
The U.S. Department of Education announced the inquiry days after the Texas Education Agency quietly updated its guidance to say school districts can’t require masks.
The lawsuit comes after Dr. Alan Braid said he performed an abortion prohibited by the law earlier this month. Braid said he was motivated by a “duty of care.”
Lawmakers must redraw the state's political maps to account for a decade's worth of growth, but the process leaves enough room for political manipulation. Here's how it'll work.
Parents remain divided over whether to require masks in the classroom. For Carmen Campbell, there’s just too much uncertainty right now to feel comfortable sending her son back. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
Abbott’s announcements come as thousands of migrants — mostly from Haiti — have gathered under an international bridge in Del Rio.
U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced the House will take up the Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 in late September, but the bill faces steep odds in the Senate.
The federal judge overseeing the decadelong lawsuit against Texas for conditions in its foster care system cut this week’s hearing short. She proposed all parties involved, including the governor, “cut to the chase” to identify solutions.
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration in three cities and 17 counties in the storm's path.
High vaccination rates, geography and a sense of community in the wake of Walmart shootings help keep El Paso’s delta numbers low, experts and locals say.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the Supreme Court's decision not to halt the law "an injustice" and Vice President Kamala Harris promised the administration would defend abortion rights.
President Joe Biden denounced the implementation of SB 8 saying his “administration is deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade.”
Senate Bill 1 rewrites Texas election laws to further restrict the voting-by-mail process and outlaw local voting initiatives meant to widen access, namely those pushed by Harris County that were disproportionately used by voters of color.
The law, which is one of the most restrictive in the country, will take effect Wednesday.
Democrats used every tool they had, fleeing the state en masse and forcing two special sessions, but a Republican bill to rewrite state election laws won initial approval in the House Thursday. Once the House and Senate work out some differences, it appears headed to the governor's desk.
The order comes two days after the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine. That raised questions about the fate of a previous Abbott order that prohibited vaccine mandates, but only for vaccines with emergency authorization.
Navigating the quorum break, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said he was especially mindful of not doing “un-repairable harm” to the chamber, indicating that could have happened if members were physically detained and brought to the chamber.
With the U.S. Food and Drug administration’s full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, Texas is in uncharted territory when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations.
Amid the heated rhetoric around an increase in migrants in the state, people on the Texas-Mexico border see the problems — and solutions — differently.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott wanted the high court to disallow mask mandates in Texas school districts. Justices dismissed their request on a technicality, without issuing a ruling on their legal arguments.
Biden said he will use the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights enforcement authority to deter states from blocking mask mandates in classrooms.
The governor spoke Monday night at a GOP event in Collin County, later tweeting photos of him addressing a maskless crowd.
Back-and-forth legal rulings have left some school districts with the choice of flouting Abbott and mandating masks — or waiting for the dust to settle.
Dallas and Bexar counties had approved mask orders despite Abbott's order banning such local mandates.
Sheyla Moraes – an intensive care nurse – says this latest surge of the coronavirus pandemic is particularly draining because it was preventable. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
The state’s Hispanic population is now nearly as large as the non-Hispanic white population, with Texas gaining nearly 11 Hispanic residents for every additional white resident since 2010. Those trends set up a pitched battle for political control when state lawmakers redraw legislative districts.
COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are pushing back against Gov. Greg Abbott's ban on mask mandates.
The local officials are asking for courts to rule that Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates is unenforceable.
Abbott's request was one of several steps to address rising coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations. He did not back down from his refusal to allow local mask mandates.
Both chambers convened at noon Saturday for a second overtime round ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott. The first 30-day stretch ended in an impasse after House Democrats left the state to block a controversial GOP elections bill.
Gov. Greg Abbott is standing firm on his ban against mask mandates in schools. Some parents are concerned for their children's safety as in-person classes resume.
The governor said Thursday the second special session will get underway at noon Saturday, with a 17-item agenda.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is the most recent official to defy the governor’s order. He announced Monday that the city’s nearly 22,000 city employees will be required to mask up inside city buildings where social distancing is not doable.
For some energy experts, the increase in donations for the officials at the close of the session looks like a reward for not passing more stringent regulations and raises questions about whether lawmakers let the oil, gas and the broader energy industry off easy for its massive failures.
There are two main groups within Texas’ unvaccinated population: white conservatives in rural areas, and Hispanic and Black people in big cities.
Republicans believe they have already compromised enough on the legislation, while Democrats are distrustful of both the policy driving the bill and of their GOP colleagues after seeing how they have managed the process around the proposal so far.
Hospital officials worry that “staggering and frightening” hospitalization rates will push facilities to capacity at a time when staffing is short and workers are exhausted.
As the safety net for Texas tenants behind on rent begins to disappear, a 19-year-old Houston organizer helps Hispanic residents apply for emergency financial assistance.
Texas Republican state leaders held their ground against allowing local schools and governments to require masks. The CDC guidelines are not mandates and have no weight of law.
The warrant to apprehend state Rep. Philip Cortez is the first one signed by the speaker since more than 50 House Democrats left the state to block Republicans from having the quorum needed to pass legislation during the special legislative session.
Officials in Dallas, Harris and Travis counties want residents to take stronger precautions as the delta variant drives an increase in coronavirus infections across Texas.
Despite promises from Abbott that transparency in the crowdfunding process for the border wall would be paramount, donor information released to The Texas Tribune for the first week of collections was bereft of any way to verify the identities of the majority of the donors.
Abbott reiterated Tuesday that Texas schoolchildren will not face mask requirements as they return to school later this summer.
The Texas House Democratic Caucus, which has said it plans to not identify lawmakers who test positive, has started additional precautionary measures, such as providing daily rapid tests.
The move comes after bills to do so were unsuccessful during the regular legislative session — and after Abbott did not include them on his agenda for the ongoing special session.
State officials and virologists say the highly contagious delta variant is causing the rise — and is particularly impacting unvaccinated people.
Gov. Greg Abbott wants to build Trump's wall at the Texas-Mexico border. But he will have to overcome hurdles previous officials couldn't.
Whose voices will be heard in Texas halls of power? That question beats at the heart of the Democratic quorum break that has brought the Legislature to a halt and focused national attention on GOP efforts to make voting in Texas harder.
The procedural move carries little apparent weight since the Democrats who fled the state to break quorum are beyond the jurisdiction of Texas law enforcement.
A majority of Democrats in the Texas House arrived in Washington, D.C., Monday evening in a bid to again deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass new voting restrictions with 26 days left in a special legislative session called largely for that purpose.
Authors of voting legislation in the House and Senate are moving to ban drive-thru and 24-hour voting options, enhance access for partisan poll watchers and prohibit local election officials from proactively distributing applications to request mail-in ballots. Both bills also include language to further restrict the state’s voting-by-mail rules, including new ID requirements for absentee voters.
Texas teacher Juan Carmona says it’s important to talk about the experiences of marginalized groups with students of color because they should see themselves represented in history books.
The lower chamber, led by House Speaker Dade Phelan, is trying to start off on a new foot with a controversial election bill that blew up during the regular session.
Abbott also put border security and restoring funding to the Legislative branch — which he vetoed last month — on the special session agenda.
The latest, most transmissible strain of COVID-19 is spreading rampantly in countries with low vaccination rates, and health experts are bracing for impact in Texas.
In a new court filing, the attorney general's office said the governor properly used his veto power when he nixed funding for the Legislature in response to House Democrats’ walkout over a Republican priority bill on elections.
The legislative branch budget includes funding for House and Senate lawmakers, their staffers and those working in nonpartisan legislative agencies. In total, more than $410 million was allocated in the 2022-23 fiscal budget.
The former president appeared at the border Wednesday with Abbott, who has promised to build a state-funded border wall.
Their Texas swing is part of a larger effort by senior administration officials who are fanning out across the country this week to encourage vaccinations ahead of the administration’s self-imposed goal of hitting a 70% countrywide vaccination rate by July 4.
Most of the money will be used to help Texas colleges and universities expand or add new programs in areas with employment shortages and provide additional aid to students.
The governor vetoed funding for legislative operations, including staff salaries, in retaliation to House Democrats fleeing the Capitol in late May to block passage of a controversial elections bill.
Abbott’s office did not specify what legislative priorities will be included on the special session agenda and said in an advisory that such items “will be announced prior to the convening of the special session.”
Abbott vetoed 13 bills authored by Democrats and seven by Republicans. Twelve of the vetoes targeted bills that originated in the House, and eight were from the Senate.
The governor’s move comes after Democrats walked out of the House in the final days of the regular legislative session to block passage of Senate Bill 7, Abbott’s priority elections bill that would have overhauled voting rights in the state.
Gov. Greg Abbott opted Texans out of all additional federal unemployment aid starting June 26. But finding a job hasn't been easy for everyone.
The governor did not specify how long the wall would be or where it would be built. He directed the Texas Facilities Commission to hire a program manager to begin that research.
Abbott made national headlines with his announcement Thursday in Del Rio that Texas would build its own wall at the Mexico border, though he provided no further details and said he would lay out the plan this week.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says a large number of power plants are offline, but could not provide details as to what may be causing the "very concerning" number of outages. At the same time, the state is experiencing near record June demand for electricity.
The possibility that the vaccine won’t work — or that, as some worry, it could even hurt them — is a devastating blow after a year of sacrifice, isolation and waiting for protection against the virus.
The governor suggested more details would be released next week. The announcement Thursday of several initiatives is the latest in an ongoing conflict between Abbott, a Republican, and Democratic President Joe Biden's administration.
As he was fighting for the Legislature to change state bail laws, the governor continued his emergency order to restrict no-cost jail releases during the pandemic. At least several Texas courts have deemed the order unconstitutional.
Senate Bills 2 and 3 are aimed at overhauling the state’s power grid after the devastating winter storm in February and the widespread power outages that followed.
Critics say the fast-growing Alternatives to Abortion program is secretive and a “waste” of money. But the program has strong supporters in the Republican-controlled Legislature who say it helps those who decide to “choose life in difficult circumstances.”
Higher education officials are hoping to get a slice of the $16 billion in federal stimulus funding state lawmakers are expected to dole out later this year during a special legislative session.
The Tribune's Ross Ramsey breaks down the big takeaways from the 2021 Legislature. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
Bush made his challenge official Wednesday evening during an event at a downtown Austin bar.
All they could get was a temporary win. But the lawmakers said taking the extraordinary measure of breaking quorum was justified by the harm they felt their mostly Black and Hispanic constituents would face under the GOP's voting bill.
Members celebrated the end of the session, but also acknowledged that they'll be back sometime soon for at least one special session.
In a last ditch attempt to block a sweeping GOP voting bill, all Democrats walked off the House floor Sunday night, trying to prevent a vote on the legislation before a fatal deadline.
Alicia Reed, a Bedford mother of four, lost her job at the onset of the pandemic. She says she wants to return to work, but she cannot afford the cost of child care.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas would be opting out of federal unemployment assistance programs — including an additional $300 weekly stimulus check to those enrolled — to encourage those receiving benefits to reenter the workforce. Federal benefits will end June 26.
While Reed, who worked as a sales accountant before March last year, must apply to almost half a dozen jobs each week, she struggles to find positions with sufficient wages to support her family. She said many jobs available also lack flexible schedules, narrowing the types of child care options she can consider.
Tensions between the two chambers are peaking, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is putting pressure on Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session for unfinished business on conservative priorities
HillCo lobbyist Rick Dennis did not slip GHB into the drinks of two legislative staffers, an investigation found. But a history of complaints against him for inappropriate behavior raises questions about how seriously the Legislature takes misconduct.
The Democrats delayed and deflected as they tried to run out the clock on bills they oppose. Republicans strategized to push through bills they'd worked on all session
The Senate measure would require major counties hold an election before reducing their law enforcement budgets. The House bill would financially punish the state’s larger cities if they cut police funds.
House lawmakers expressed frustration Thursday that some of their priority legislation had not moved in the upper chamber, including a package of health care and criminal justice reform bills.
The signing of the bill opens a new frontier in the battle over abortion restrictions as first-of-its-kind legal provisions intended to make the law harder to challenge are poised to be tested in the courts.
While 30% of Texans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the vast majority of children are unvaccinated. The Pfizer vaccine was authorized last week for children as young as 12.
The unemployment rate in Texas was 6.9% in March, which is more than double the record low of 3.4% in May 2019. The extra $300 federal benefit will end June 26 for jobless Texans.
Bush has a unique history with Trump as the only prominent member of his famous political family to back the former president. Meanwhile, Paxton has tightly aligned himself with Trump in recent months.
House Bill 1927 would nix the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun.
The judge found the NRA was trying to use its move to Texas to avoid a lawsuit by the New York attorney general that accused the gun rights group of financial abuses.
The wide-ranging legislation would affirm the governor’s ability to suspend state laws during a pandemic and allow for overriding local orders issued by county judges or mayors if they’re inconsistent with state orders.
Nothing is truly dead until the session ends. But committee chairs in both chambers have blocked bills from getting hearings, and supporters have dim hopes that Republican leaders will revive it in time.
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, Juanita Raji says she could have used more time on Medicaid postpartum and supports lawmakers' efforts to extend coverage for new moms.
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House Bill 1927 would nix the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun.
Texas voters have a strong preference for politicians from their own parties, but overall, the president is as popular here as the governor or either of the state's U.S. senators.
On some of the major issues facing the Texas Legislature — police behavior or allowing unlicensed carry of handguns — voters and lawmakers aren't always in sync.
Proposition B on that city’s ballot will also criminalize panhandling at certain places and during certain times.
They used their car to stay warm when a winter storm brought down the Texas power grid. In a state that doesn't require carbon monoxide alarms in homes, they had no warning they were poisoning themselves.
The former president is set to appear on a tele-town hall Thursday to get out the vote for Wright in Saturday's contest.
While proponents of the ordinance view abortion as an "inconceivably wicked action," detractors say it would be immediately challenged in court and that battles over abortion access are best fought at the state and federal levels.
Texas will have 38 congressional seats as a result of the latest U.S. census. The state’s political heft has been growing steadily for decades, gaining at least two seats after every census since 1980.
The news comes a day after state health officials said that a Texas woman who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been hospitalized with blood clots and whose condition was being investigated by the CDC as potentially connected to the vaccine. No other details were released.
After months of testing for COVID-19 and treating patients, Dr. Carolyn Salter is determined to mitigate the spread of the virus in the region. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
House members filed nearly 240 proposed tweaks to the massive spending plan and spent hours taking votes on controversial issues ranging from Medicaid expansion to border security.
Before moving to Minneapolis, Floyd had been a longtime Houston resident. That city's mayor says he and the Houston Police Department would be announcing police reforms next week.
Equality Texas CEO Ricardo Martinez said Texas has filed more anti-LGBTQ bills this session than any other state legislature.
Texas Competes, which is made up of more than 1,450 Texas employers, chambers of commerce, tourism bureaus and industry associations, is advocating the “economic case for equality.”
The push to steel Texas against new federal rules comes amid several recent incidents of gun violence nationwide — including shootings in Bryan and Austin. Democrats are calling for an assault weapons ban and stronger background checks, among other changes.
*Editor's note: This audio story contains a statement that some listeners may consider to be graphic in nature.
Lisa Stanton and her daughter, Maya, say the slate of anti-trans bills afoot at the Legislature could force them to move out of state. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
The state's grid operator included extreme weather scenarios in its early summer assessment and found that a combination of a severe drought, heat wave and low winds could lead to more power outages. Experts warn this summer could be hot and dry, enhanced by climate change.
Daily new cases and the positivity rate have leveled off over the past month, while deaths and hospitalization have gone down substantially.
At the state's three FEMA vaccination sites in Dallas, Arlington and Houston, officials said that vaccine efforts would continue but that officials would not be administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Texas lawmakers have filed six bills that target transgender students’ sports participation — and two of those bills would affect colleges and university sports in addition to K-12.
An outraged Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick castigated those implying that GOP efforts to restrict Texas voting are racist. But the state has a history of marginalizing voters of color, and many business leaders, voting rights advocates and Democrats see the proposals as taking another step down that path.
Patty Young, a middle school language arts teacher, says the state assessments are just causing kids unnecessary stress. Listen in the weekend edition of the Brief podcast.
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The shootings began at Kent Moore Cabinets, and one Texas Department of Public Safety trooper who was later shot is in serious, but stable condition. The shooting occurred the same day that President Joe Biden released a list of executive orders to address gun violence.
The governor did not know the identities of those who alleged assault, nor did he provide many details. He said he was concerned more than one child may have been assaulted.
Texas officials mandated that students take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness in person this year at monitored test sites, although millions of students are still learning remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The momentum follows a shake-up in House leadership and comes as the practice is gaining traction in statehouses across the country. Meanwhile, gun control advocates are sounding the alarm about making it easier to carry guns after recent mass shootings.
Members of the Texas Railroad Commission were quick to blame renewable energy for power outages across the state.
Although the iconic theater chain is currently facing bankruptcy, League is optimistic about the future of his Texas-born business. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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Senate Bill 7 is at the forefront of Texas Republicans’ crusade to further restrict voting in the state after last year’s election.
The new emails reveal more powerful donors and alumni than were previously known who mobilized on the issue in June right after the student athletes went public with their demands to get rid of the song.
Senate Bill 3 would require all power generators, transmission lines, natural gas facilities and pipelines to make upgrades for extreme weather. Its prospects are uncertain in the House, which is scheduled to take up a series of related, standalone bills on Tuesday.
It still may be hard to secure a vaccine appointment, but doctors hope increasing supply will help meet demand.
Learn more at trib.it/VaxQA
Nancy Gallegos says she's endured debilitating job stress, but the San Antonio nurse has managed to find a few silver linings amidst the pandemic. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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The newly revised number is nearly twice the 57 that state health officials had estimated last week and will likely continue to grow.
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The Texas Tribune joined several other news organizations in an effort to obtain copies of emails and text messages that Paxton sent or received while in Washington for the rally.
The Texas Department of State Health Services is asking providers to prioritize appointments for people 80 and older, and to prioritize walk-ins from anyone in that age group who shows up without an appointment.
Images released by a Democratic U.S. representative show settings similar to those that Democrats hammered former President Donald Trump over two years ago, when that administration encountered an increase of migrant apprehensions
Hearings are set to begin today on the first major bill in a push by Republican lawmakers to further tighten the state's already restrictive voting rules and raise new barriers for some voters.
White Texans are being vaccinated at nearly twice the rate of Hispanic Texans and more than six times the rate of Black Texans, according to state data.
Plus, the latest on the fallout
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The governor asked the federal government to let Texas law enforcement interview migrant children in FEMA shelters to investigate human trafficking.
The deaths occurred in at least 25 counties. And 25 of the fatalities occurred in Harris County. Some Texas deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and medical equipment failure.
Senate Bill 2142 had not even been filed when the day started Monday, but lawmakers suspended their rules to hastily push it through the Senate.
In cities with diverse populations, people of Asian descent say they continue to be encouraged to help their fellow Texans weather the health crisis. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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The bill, which also includes billions in aid for state and local governments, now awaits President Joe Biden’s signature.
Before the Wednesday announcement, between 10 million and 13 million people — more than one-third of Texas’ population — were eligible, according to state health officials.
Texas’ statewide mask mandate has ended as of March 10. Businesses are also now allowed to operate at full capacity as long as the hospitals in their region haven’t been treating a large share of patients for COVID-19. Here’s a look at what the loosened restrictions mean for Texans.
After COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked, the number of Texans dependent on home oxygen equipment was at “an all-time high” when a winter storm overwhelmed the state’s power grid in February, leaving many struggling for air.
Monica Jimenez is still weathering the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic that started with her husband losing his oil field job. But the Brownfield native says she’s managed to find a few bright spots along the way. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
One woman whose husband died said Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to end the mask mandate makes the convenience of not wearing a mask seem more important than loss of life. Abbott's spokesperson says he “joins all Texans in mourning every single life lost.”
The change in eligibility comes the day after the Biden administration urged all states to prioritize teachers.
The change, which comes as the seven-day average of new coronavirus deaths remains above 200, will go into effect March 10.
On Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for PUC Chair DeAnn Walker and Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO Bill Magness to resign.
The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday approved the vaccine, the first that requires one dose instead of two.
Debbie Gosnell, city manager of Cross Plains, said it could take months for her community to recover from the winter storm. Without approval for federal aid, Gosnell worries the town's budget will not cover the numerous broken pipes and damaged buildings.
Catastrophic Texas power outages prompt finger pointing and blame shifting at legislative hearings.
The historic winter storm wiped out most of South Texas' citrus crop and halted dairy processing in the Panhandle for days. Consumers will likely continue seeing short-term shortages, producers say.
Five board members, including the chair, who do not live in Texas will resign. A candidate for another position on the board has withdrawn his application. The vacancies will not immediately be filled.
Texas sustained between $45 and $50 billion in damage and economic loss from the storm, according to AccuWeather. So far, people in more than 100 counties can begin applying for federal assistance.
The meeting came after numerous reports of Texans receiving exorbitant electric bills despite not having power during the storm
After days without power or running water, many Texans say they're frustrated, but determined to overcome the latest challenge thrown their way. We caught up with several people to hear about what they endured as a historic winter storm with catastrophic consequences swept across the state.
There's Victoria Forton, a new mom trying to keep her baby warm in Pflugerville. And Sara Deraud, a Grapevine woman concerned about her grown son five hours away.
Jose Cabral cozied up with his wife and pets in Salado to stay warm. The lights went out on Lorraine Patino in Manor, leaving her and her husband with little more to eat than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Marcus Wilson lost power in Houston and with it, the ability to work virtually. And Astrid Lang, a Houston Independent School District teacher worried about her less fortunate students, and her parents, who risked missing their second COVID-19 vaccine doses because of the weather.
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Texans of color have not only been more devastated by death and unemployment during the last year, but also tend to live in disinvested neighborhoods, with older homes and less food options to withstand the cold temperatures and outages.
A massive winter storm in Texas has brought widespread power outages and transportation problems.
As Texas utility operators and politicians squabbled over responsibility for "load shedding" and "rolling blackouts" Tuesday, many residents scrambled simply to stay warm and alive.
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Utility companies that deliver electricity to Texans are telling customers that power outages could last well into Tuesday
A court filing documents what Paxton’s whistleblowers believe led to an alleged “bizarre, obsessive use of power.”
Combined, the three sites are expected to administer more than 10,000 shots per day, with doses supplied by FEMA.
Judge Drew Tipton originally issued a 14-day suspension of Biden’s moratorium on Jan. 26. The pause in deportations was part of Biden’s attempted day one overhaul of several of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Wright, a Republican from Arlington, had been living with cancer for years. He was hospitalized for COVID-19 about two weeks ago.
Home health workers, most of whom are women of color, could start losing their jobs if they aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19. Many are more afraid of the vaccine than the virus, but health experts and public officials widely agree that the vaccine is safe.
Jackie Tidwell, a 6th-generation Texan living in Seattle, made it her mission to get her 90-year-old grandfather in Corpus Christi vaccinated for COVID-19 and hopes others “have persistent grandkids like me.” Listen, in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
With assignments out, legislation that has been filed can begin getting referred to committees for potential hearings. The committees overseeing public education, budget writing and redistricting are among those with new chairs.
At one point in January, half of the city’s hospital patients were admitted because of COVID-19 — the highest percentage in the nation. That's caused intense debate about what the city can, and should, do next.
The executive orders will also include a review of Donald Trump’s restrictions on legal migration and the “remain in Mexico” program.
Gov. Greg Abbott designated five emergency items, which are matters the Legislature can vote on within the first 60 days of the session that began Jan. 12.
Medical experts say the state will struggle to immunize enough Texans to halt the chain of transmission through vaccination. But they hope to soon see evidence that vaccination efforts are helping to take pressure off the health care system.
The virus has overwhelmed hospitals in the border town. One medical worker says the COVID-19 vaccine is giving people hope. Listen to her story in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
The Harris County sheriff has pleaded for help from a federal judge to make room at the “bursting” jail in Houston, where six inmates and two employees have died from COVID-19.
National Guard teams will visit DeWitt, Marion, Real, Sherman and Starr counties as part of a newly created State Mobile Vaccine Pilot Program.
The deportation moratorium was part of a package of immigration-reform measures the new administration proposed on Inauguration Day.
The violent storming of the U.S. Capitol prompted some states to reconsider allowing firearms in their statehouses. Not Texas.
President Joe Biden issued an executive order calling for a 100-day moratorium on some deportations as part of a sweeping review and reset of immigration and enforcement policies.
The new weekly test requirement is possible with the help of a new multimillion-dollar, on-campus lab that produces test results in less than 24 hours.
The incoming president also plans to send a comprehensive immigration reform plan to Congress after he takes office.
Some 78% of the 1.7 million coronavirus doses already shipped to providers have been used, including second doses, Gov. Greg Abbott said. Texas is set to receive another 333,650 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The state's health commission gave Planned Parenthood's Medicaid patients until Feb. 3 to find new doctors. Experts say there are limited places low-income patients can go, in part because Texas already has a shortage of doctors who accept Medicaid, due to the state’s low payment rates.
Hospitals in the Abilene, Bryan-College Station and Laredo areas have run out of intensive care unit beds. State health officials are “greatly concerned” about high numbers of hospitalized people throughout Texas.
Odus Evbagharu says that like many of the thousands of people employed at the Capitol, he’s nervous he might catch COVID-19. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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In a lawsuit, four former Paxton aides claim they were wrongfully terminated for reporting alleged criminal behavior on his part. Paxton’s agency wants a judge to quash subpoenas and depositions, saying that as an elected official Paxton is exempt from state whistleblower protection laws.
Texas Democrats have been unanimous in their support for impeachment. Many Republicans from the state have been opposed.
Lawmakers gathered for the start of the 140-day session Tuesday as the coronavirus continues to rage in Texas.
Much about the session — including how it will be conducted during a pandemic — remains uncertain.
State health officials said Sunday that 28 hubs will be getting 158,825 doses this week.
Steve Johnson, 75, says trying to get his first COVID-19 vaccine dose in Wise County highlighted the shortcomings of the distribution plan. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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Wednesday’s chaos led to calls for Cruz’s resignation from Texas Democrats. But Cruz says he “ain’t going anywhere.”
As U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and others began challenging the Electoral College votes that made Joe Biden the president-elect, pro-Trump rioters swarmed the U.S. Capitol and forced Congress to evacuate.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas are at record levels, while just under half of the vaccine doses shipped to Texans have been given out, according to state numbers.
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered that all procedures not immediately medically necessary be postponed in March to contend with the coronavirus. In April, the number of abortions performed in Texas dropped 38% compared to the previous year.
Joining several other U.S. senators, Cruz is calling for an emergency audit of election results in “disputed states,” despite no evidence of widespread election fraud.
The dedicated teacher, soon-to-be former bar owner, grieving daughter and COVID long-hauler say they’re all ready for this year to be over.
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The move comes after Congress passed a stimulus bill Monday extending the federal moratorium on evictions through the end of January. The moratorium order was set to expire at the end of the year.
The bill will reinstate supplemental unemployment benefits of $300 per week, and extend eviction protections through the end of January. The legislation also allocates another $284 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program.
By the end of the month, the state expects to distribute 1.4 million vaccine doses to hospitals, long-term care facilities and a host of other locations.
Spend a day with Isabel Suarez, an 18-year-old Pflugerville High School senior who's taking on the challenges of virtual school as well as tutoring her two younger siblings during the pandemic.
Gov. Greg Abbott said he has not yet gotten the vaccine but will “at the appropriate time."
Universities across Texas and nationwide are seeing an increase in online cheating since the start of the pandemic, as students take more virtual courses and test remotely with less supervision.
Electors across the country affirmed Biden’s victory, but the Texas electors refused to admit Trump’s defeat.
Four Texas sites received a total of 19,500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, the first phase of a rollout that will put a quarter-million doses into 109 Texas facilities this week — with more on the way next week.
The lawsuit challenged election results in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The high court said Texas did not have standing to bring the case.
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, Gwen McMillan Lawe reflects on the challenges she and other Black and LatinX voters faced at the polls in November.
Donald Trump's legal team filed to intervene in the Texas lawsuit contesting the election results on Wednesday. The president asked U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz to argue the case before the U.S. Supreme Court, if it agrees to hear it.
One of the board members said the state needs to be more cautious about getting back to normal — especially with a new legislative session set to begin next month.
The shake-ups come in response to an independent review of the Texas base’s command climate and are an effort to correct a yearslong culture of sexual assault and a pattern of violence there.
More than 2.5 million households in Texas didn't always have enough food to eat in November, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. About two-thirds of those households were either Hispanic or Black.
Residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, among others, were added to the priority list that already included hospital staff working with COVID-19 patients.
Jessica Tyson, an out-of-work hairdresser, says Congress cannot delay passing a second stimulus package. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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Mayor Steve Adler said he did not violate his own order or orders by Gov. Greg Abbott and took multiple steps to ensure the safety of his guests, including rapid COVID-19 testing.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also called for the Supreme Court to hear one of Donald Trump's election lawsuits.
Among the task force’s recommendations: Officials in Texas should significantly reduce capacity in indoor spaces, including those that are privately owned.
Keith Nielsen won the job in March, but as he prepared to take office this summer, he faced widespread condemnation for posting a Facebook graphic juxtaposing a Martin Luther King Jr. quote with a banana
More than 50 election-related bills have been filed in the House and Senate in the three weeks since the election. About half of them are aimed at increasing voter access, which lawmakers said became a more urgent issue during the pandemic.
In exchange for the guilty plea, two charges related to the incident — abuse of official capacity and official oppression — are being dropped.
Hospital-based nurses, doctors and custodians are among the state's "first tier" of vaccine recipients once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves one or more for the public.
The Texas Education Agency declined to take action, saying it's up to local enforcement. A county official tried to intervene but said it should be up to TEA to enforce.
El Paso is one of several Texas cities facing budget shortfalls because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected the border area. The president’s team still owes the city a 2-year-old debt of more than half a million dollars.
The last time case numbers were this high, the governor closed bars and urged Texans to avoid summer holiday gatherings. This time, he's staying the course, relying on a 2-month-old blueprint to claw back reopenings regionally based on hospitalizations.
West has protested outside the Governor's Mansion and called the likely next speaker of the Texas House a "political traitor." The upcoming legislative session will put his influence within the party to the test.
The inmates working in the morgue will earn $2 an hour. They are low-level offenders who are part of the detention facility's trustee program.
Few Texas universities — some of which have been identified as coronavirus hot spots — have explicitly encouraged students to quarantine for 14 days before Thanksgiving or required exit testing, despite staggering rises in case counts across the state and country.
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, hear from a student who says that because he's immunocompromised, he's worried that students aren't taking the pandemic seriously when off campus, making him feel trapped in his home.
State lawmakers argue that the tax revenue and jobs created by a retail market for cannabis could help the state devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Although Democrats didn't flip any congressional seats, experts said that demographic growth is still fueling a change in counties like Fort Bend, Collin and Williamson.
Texas argues the entire law must fall after Congress zeroed out one critical provision. Several justices seemed unconvinced.
Thousands of bills are expected to be filed during the legislative session, when lawmakers will tackle issues including the next state budget and redrawing the state's political maps.
Bush, who also served as Texas governor, called Biden "a good man, who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country."
Democrats once again won a large number of counties along or near the Texas-Mexico border, but by narrower margins than in recent elections. That showing played a big role in disappointing results for the state’s Democrats.
Texas’ top Republican congressional leaders are mostly staying silent after President Donald Trump prematurely and falsely declared victory early Wednesday morning as votes continue to be counted in multiple battleground states.
The GOP thwarted Texas Democrats' ambitions for several races up and down the ballot. Though the presidential race was unusually tight, Republicans won all statewide races and kept control of the Texas House.
Texas is playing host to a series of high-stakes contests up and down the ballot, from a presidential race that could be the state's closest in a generation to the fight for the Texas House majority.
A handful of GOP activists and candidates had asked the state's highest civil court to rule Harris County's drive-thru voting locations illegal, and invalidate votes that have already been cast. The challenge has also been filed in federal court.
This is a special episode of our podcast all about the Texas Legislature called Point of Order. Hear Evan Smith and Ross Ramsey discuss the contours of the speaker’s race.
The Democratic vice presidential nominee and U.S. senator from California will visit Rio Grande Valley, Fort Worth and Houston during Texas campaign swing Friday.
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Cornyn expressed worry about the Democratic money coming in to support MJ Hegar but stressed on a bus tour of the state that he represents Texans' values.
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Forty-six percent of registered voters in Texas had cast their ballots through Monday. In 2016, the percentage was 43.5% for the entire early voting period.
Joe Biden is not faring as well among Latino voters in the polls as Hillary Clinton did in 2016. But Democrats in Texas are working to shore up Latino support.
Thompson would be the first woman elected speaker. She filed less than two weeks before an election in which Democrats hope to gain control of the chamber.
Mike Wright says nothing made sense, and even the poll workers couldn’t explain it. But like millions of Texas voters this cycle, Wright says he was determined to cast his ballot. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
Texas' two senators were among the 12 Republicans who participated in the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Barrett. A vote by the full Senate is scheduled for Monday.
The request is the latest chapter in a scandal-plagued recent history for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, which has experienced high turnover rates among staff and leadership.
Several school districts are trying to accommodate teachers with health conditions who want to work from home, but many are being called back in as more students return to classrooms.
Experts say Texas is more prepared to handle another wave. But they fear that if the state fails to control the outbreak, it could quickly spiral out of control.
Abbott said Friday that the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Division of Emergency Management sent surge resources to the Panhandle and South Plains.
In addition to greater capacity limits for nonessential businesses, visits to nursing homes and elderly care facilities will be put on hold.
Voters in Harris County shattered the record for in-person ballots cast on the first day of early voting, with more than 128,000 people voting, according to the county elections office.
A noisy election year from the presidential race at the top of the ballot to the congressional and legislative races all over the U.S. has reached the decision point and n-person early voting in Texas has begun.
Aides in the Attorney General’s office have said their boss used the power of the agency to serve the financial interests of Nate Paul, an Austin investor and donor. Paul’s attorney said his client has been the victim of agency “dysfunction.”
As the pandemic has dragged on in Texas, the distance between Abbott's approval and disapproval ratings from voters has narrowed, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, listen to Brittani Castle detail how the coronavirus has come to dominate her life.
The president leads the former vice president 50%-45% in Texas, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
The Texas Supreme Court ruled against several GOP officials who pushed to keep early voting to a two-week period during the pandemic.
The Texas Rangers’ preliminary investigation found that Wolfe City police officer Shaun Lucas’ use of deadly force against Price was not “objectively reasonable.”
"For the good of the people of Texas and the extraordinary public servants who serve at the Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General Ken Paxton must resign," Roy said in a statement.
Seven senior officials said in a letter obtained by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE that they have reason to believe Paxton should be investigated for "abuse of office, bribery and other potential criminal offenses."
Texas is among the states that has accepted the most refugees within its borders since 2002. But those numbers have dropped under the Trump administration.
Conservative activist Steve Hotze [pronounced HOHT-zee] and a number of Republican candidates and officials are asking the Texas Supreme Court to shorten the early voting period and limit drop-off locations for absentee ballots in the state’s largest Democratic county.
Last year, Williamson County sheriff's deputies held Ambler down and stunned him four times with a Taser before his body went limp. It was filmed for a police reality TV show.
No House members have declared their candidacy for speaker. Many say they have their sights set on November first as Democrats aim to flip the lower chamber.
Both of Texas' Republican U.S. senators have indicated they support moving forward with the Supreme Court confirmation process less than two months before the election.
Carrie Mansfield says while more relief from the government would be welcomed, more than anything she’s ready to get back to work. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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The limited move, ordered by a federal judge, marks the first time Texans have been able to register to vote online.
State party chairman Allen West, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and members of the Texas Legislature were among those who filed the suit against Abbott.
In counties where four-year college students make up at least 10% of the population, cases have grown 34% since Aug. 19, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. That’s compared with 23% in counties with a smaller proportion of students.
Just days after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Republicans and Democrats are already engaged in an expensive and divisive fight over the future of the U.S. Supreme Court.
If the U.S. Senate confirms a nominee of President Donald Trump, it could secure a conservative influence on the high court for a generation.
Restaurants, retail stores and office buildings will now be able to operate at 75% capacity, Abbott said. Three regions — the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and Victoria — were excluded from the loosening of restrictions, however.
Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department inspectors general are investigating allegations that ICE guards assaulted detainees in camera blind spots.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said it will now rely on a calculation that takes into account the date on which a coronavirus test was administered, rather than when it was reported.
A bipartisan group of 88 state lawmakers said in a letter that a statewide broadband plan is well overdue.
After marathon meetings over three days, the Republican-dominated board also rejected efforts to teach students about consent. It is expected to take a final vote in November.
Jimmie Arnold's mother-in-law and mother were in the same nursing home in Bryan when Gov. Greg Abbott barred all visitation to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, listen to why Arnold says after six months, it’s taking its toll.
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency notified state officials Wednesday that the payments for out-of-work Texans have ended, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, which handles unemployment claims.
The pledge is the governor's latest political move in an election season consumed by debates on policing reforms and funding.
Public health experts say colleges need to dramatically ramp up testing in order to catch “silent spread” fueled by students who are infected but don’t have symptoms.
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, listen to why a University of Texas at Austin sophomore says attending in-person labs during the pandemic is worth the risk.
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The coronavirus pandemic has steered the economy into a recession. In Texas, the state’s unemployment rate remains more than double what it was at the start of the year, and nearly 3.4 million people have filed for unemployment relief since mid-March.
Coronavirus cases are inevitable as Texas schools reopen. The challenge for administrators will be preventing large-scale outbreaks.
One Central Texas superintendent estimated that up to 7,000 students in his district struggled to access virtual learning, and new iPads are not likely to arrive before October. In South Texas, students share computers, phones and spotty internet with siblings.
The secretary of state's office threatened legal action against Harris County if it goes ahead with a plan to send applications for mail-in ballots to more than 2 million registered voters.
A budget document shows funding for the anti-abortion program would be maintained, but reduced for doctors and clinics that provide reduced-cost contraception and health screenings.
Gov. Greg Abbott cautioned that the state is not out of the woods yet, as a true damage assessment has yet to be conducted.
Not all of Harris County’s registered voters will ultimately qualify. Texas is among a handful of states with strict eligibility requirements to vote by mail.
Texans receiving less than $100 in weekly unemployment benefits do not qualify for the extra $300 weekly payments the Trump administration is distributing to Texas and other states.
Students grappling with financial upsets and a hurting economy say tuition should be lowered at their Texas universities. But some colleges are adding new fees related to an increase in distance learning.
Some bar owners are planning to reopen in defiance of the moratorium, a desperate attempt to generate income — and draw Gov. Greg Abbott’s attention.
Amy Mason says there are just too many unknowns for her to feel comfortable sending her four-year-old to school, at least not yet. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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In Texas' major counties, almost 99% of mail-in ballots were counted during the July primary runoff election, a Tribune analysis shows. But election officials say postal service disarray and a record number of requests mean people should ask for their absentee ballots well before November's Election Day.
The school allowed up to 675 students into its indoor Johnson Coliseum to watch comedian Tiffany Haddish on the first day of classes.
In announcing their legislative plans, the state's three top elected leaders fiercely criticized Austin officials, who cut one-third of their police department's budget last week.
New Jersey, New York and California have also exceeded 10,000 known COVID-19 fatalities. Experts say official death tolls are all but certain to be undercounts.
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Dallas-area lawmakers, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and State Rep. Victoira Neave, are set to speak Tuesday received bit roles in Tuesday night's lineup of the four-day convention that gets underway today.
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, listen to why Ambra Hernandez felt compelled to launch a Facebook group to help teachers fulfill their longer-than-normal wish lists.
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Gov. Greg Abbott said Austin officials' vote “puts the brave men and women of the Austin Police Department and their families at greater risk" — and vowed that the Texas Department of Public Safety will "stand in the gap."
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State Democrats see Harris as someone who can excite key voting groups but who won’t alienate more moderate voters.
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The order could face legal challenges, and Texas might have to chip in a quarter of the cost. State leaders have not said how they'll respond.
Hospitality businesses that make most of their money through alcohol sales were closed down by Abbott's latest shutdown order, leaving them to maneuver through loopholes to reopen.
The nonbinding opinion comes as housing experts and advocates fear that the COVID-19 recession will prompt a surge in evictions across the state.
Anna Garza says that since losing her job in late May, her anxiety and depression have made it "very difficult to try and keep it together." Listen to her story in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
The university plans to test all of its campus residence hall students by the beginning of September. It will continue to conduct random testing and identify individuals or groups on campus strategically to test those at a higher risk of disease spread.
The Census Bureau on Monday lopped a month off the time people have to respond to the 2020 count. Texas is already lagging behind the country in response rates, with low-income and Hispanic Texans at high risk of being missed.
Thousands of migrant children have been expelled by the Trump administration since March. Some have been held in hotels without access to lawyers or family. Advocates say many are now “virtually impossible” to find.
Texas collected $2.98 billion in sales tax revenue in July — 4.3% more than in July 2019. Comptroller Glenn Hegar said the number was "better than expected."
Saturday marked another night of demonstrations against police brutality in Austin, but tensions were heightened because of last week's shooting death of Garrett Foster, a 28-year-old protester, by a man who has not been charged.
Officials are unsure of the motive behind the unsolicited packets but suspect that they are part of an online scam.
Gohmert, 66, said in a televised interview that he wonders if he may have caught the virus from wearing his mask. Medical experts, however, overwhelmingly recommend masks as a means of preventing the virus.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that Texas students must take the state standardized test next spring, but fifth and eighth graders can graduate without passing it.
A new study from the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University warns that droughts in the latter part of this century could be the worst on record.
A section of the Texas coast already reeling from thousands of coronavirus cases will continue to feel the effects of the storm, which was the first hurricane of the season.
Elisa Soliz says she’ll retire before subjecting herself again to driving a busload of kids, many of whom lack access to health care. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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With the safe reopening of schools this fall in doubt, parents with the resources are setting up "learning pods" or seeking other options. But the do-it-yourself approach to education threatens to leave behind students of color and poorer families.
Without money to pay rent, facing pressures from landlords and afraid of courts, people without legal immigration status have limited options.
City leaders are asking for more spending flexibility to address the financial shortfalls caused by the pandemic.
Early pandemic hot spots have been eclipsed by new regions in crisis. Now that so much of Texas is battling major coronavirus outbreaks, some severely ill patients have to travel long distances to receive the care they need.
Doctors and nurses at local hospitals across South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley have been working a number of extra shifts as their hospitals near capacity.
Darcy Vogt Williams says districts want flexibility deciding how and when to start the new school year, given the pandemic. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
Conflicting mandates pingponging between state and local officials are frustrating many parents, students and teachers trying to plan for a fall semester during a raging pandemic.
Most in-person voting Tuesday ran smoothly, but thousands of voters who sought to vote by mail may not be heard. And returns from the secretary of state's office were balky.
Many Texas hospitals are no longer accepting transfer patients in order to maintain space for a surge that’s expected to come. In some parts of the state, it’s already here.
President Donald Trump now claims this privately funded border wall in the Rio Grande Valley — touted as the "Lamborghini" of fences — was built to "make me look bad," even though the project's builder and funders are all Trump supporters.
Many Texas Education Agency employees are working from home, but the agency is requiring schools to open five days a week for in-person instruction this fall. Teachers say that mandate has grave implications for their health.
Chris Bergeron is one of more than 30 bar owners who've filed suit against Gov. Greg Abbott, arguing his latest order that forbids Texans from visiting their establishments in an attempt to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus, "picks and chooses winners and losers" and effectively sentences their bars to bankruptcy.
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State health officials are providing little detailed information on the spread of coronavirus in Texas child care facilities, and experts aren't sure to what extent children spread the virus.
The Texas Workforce Commission said that incorrect filings and fraud can lead to overpayments, but the money must be paid back even if it was the state's mistake.
As local officials express concerns that their hospitals could be overloaded with coronavirus patients, some are urging Gov. Greg Abbott to empower local governments to issue stay-at-home orders.
Hotze, a staunch critic of Abbott's coronavirus response, left a voicemail with the governor's chief of staff in early June with the incendiary instruction.
Nationwide, coronavirus transmission rates among children have appeared to be low, which has informed the push to reopen schools. But Texas day cares are seeing cases increase quickly.
One day after The Texas Tribune reported that the Texas Medical Association was a sponsor for the indoor Republican convention that is expected to draw 6,000 people, the doctors' group announced it was calling on organizers to cancel.
Abbott has said the actions of his executive order "are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health."
At the beginning of the pandemic, local officials across the state implemented stay-at-home orders for their regions. But now, with cases across Texas' metros surging, those leaders say Abbott has stripped them of the authority to reinstate the same measures.
Months into the pandemic, demand for coronavirus tests in Texas is soaring. Residents across the state report problems with almost every facet of the process, starting with glitchy websites and unanswered phone lines to long delays in receiving test results.
Two years ago, Tiffany Bunton’s uncle, Christopher Lowe, died in Fort Worth police custody. Now, Bunton — an officer with the department and a leader in the police union— is hopeful that the national reckoning over the police killing of George Floyd can spark change in departments like hers.
In early May, Gov. Greg Abbott pointed to the positivity rate — a ratio of positive COVID-19 tests to all tests — and said anything over 10% was cause for alarm. As of Wednesday, Texas exceeded that mark for the first time since April.
The governor also moved to allow the tightening of two kinds of restrictions that had been eased under his reopening plan.
As cases surge in Texas and the pandemic rages on, the representatives said ICE should release all detainees who are not a safety risk and who are more vulnerable to contracting the virus.
State Rep. Tan Parker also said that he will file a bill in the upcoming legislative session to extend to-go alcohol sales past the coronavirus pandemic.
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, Fran Watson — a Houston attorney who is a lesbian and represents LGBTQ clients — explains how it feels to finally be protected in the workplace.
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President Donald Trump had tried to end the program, but the court ruled Thursday that the administration had not followed the proper procedure to do so.
A new ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court makes clear that firing an employee on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation is a violation of federal law. Now Texas lawmakers want to guarantee similar protections for LGBTQ Texans in housing, health care and other spheres.
The state reported Tuesday that the number of people hospitalized who are confirmed to have the coronavirus has reached a new peak of 2,518.
Texas has no laws on the books explicitly protecting people from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but the Supreme Court's ruling on Monday now gives federal protections.
While Howell says he’s pleased Austin police have vowed to stop using such tactics in crowds, he hopes his brother's story sparks real change. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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Some of Texas' biggest cities appear headed in different directions with police budgets during nationwide calls to cut law enforcement funding.
The figures come a little more than a month since Gov. Greg Abbott's stay-at-home order expired and about two weeks after Memorial Day.
The lawmakers said they are acting in response to the death of Houston native George Floyd.
The Wynne Unit in Huntsville has had at least 10 deaths connected to the new coronavirus. In letters, inmates said conditions were unsanitary and disorganized, and sick men often went untested.
Former President George W. Bush — and some other prominent Republicans — won't be voting to reelect Donald Trump, The New York Times reports.
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, Ashton P. Woods says this moment stands out because “no one can look away" from what happened to George Floyd.
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The North Texas city is among several that RNC officials are looking at after the president's announcement that Charlotte, North Carolina, won't work out.
Members of Congress and staff worry that the country's political dysfunction has rendered the federal government incapable of addressing police violence legislatively before the November elections.
Significant declines in sales tax receipts were evident in all major economic sectors, with the exception of telecommunications services," Comptroller Glenn Hegar said in a statement.
Floyd, who was raised in Houston's Third Ward, was killed in Minneapolis by police. Officer Derek Chauvin has been fired, and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Rallies and protests are happening all over the nation, including in several Texas cities.
Sara Sullivan wishes every Texan who wanted a mail-in ballot could get one, especially now during the pandemic.
Starting Friday, most Texas counties will be able to host in-person crowds for outdoor professional sporting events. But capacity will be limited to 25%.
The Texas Panhandle, where a workforce of Hispanics and immigrants powers several meatpacking plants, is home to the highest rates of infection in the state.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation Tuesday adding a few types of businesses to the list.
Latonya Stott is excited to return to work full time, but she wants to wait a couple of weeks before sending her two youngest children to day care again. She explains why in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
The congressman from Heath will oversee 17 intelligence agencies. His appointment creates a vacancy in one of Texas' most conservative districts.
Most of the money is expected to go directly to local districts to help vulnerable students during the coronavirus pandemic.
A child care subsidy program for essential workers will stop taking applications after Wednesday, and on June 1, low-income parents will stop getting an extra subsidy they have been receiving to help during the pandemic.
Child care opens immediately, bars can open Friday and sports will be allowed to return at the end of the month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday.
Gov. Greg Abbott says the cases were detected by targeted testing at meatpacking plants.
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, listen to the 17-year-old describe the backlash she says she faced from customers when enforcing the governor's social distancing guidelines.
The appeals court ruled against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who argued that a lower court ruling expanding who can qualify for an absentee ballot during the coronavirus pandemic should have no effect while he appeals it.
Paxton's office said that there could be litigation if cities do not pull back coronavirus restrictions related to masks, sheltering in place and religious services.
Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick told The Texas Tribune that a global price war and the coronavirus pandemic will continue hampering the state's economy and budget.
Coronavirus infections continue to rise at migrant detention facilities in towns with limited resources. Some local governments want details on what’s being done to safeguard the public.
The Texas energy sector has helped insulate the state's economy during national downturns. This time, experts say the industry could hold the economy back.
Odessa native Erik Mancha says this latest downturn in crude prices is unlike any other, largely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Listen to his account in the weekend edition of The Audio Brief podcast.
Abbott also referenced Ana Isabel Castro-Garcia and Brenda Stephanie Mata, who were arrested and charged with violating Laredo’s emergency management plan.
As Gov. Greg Abbott continues lifting restrictions on Texas businesses and activities, coronavirus infection rates are exploding in Panhandle communities near meatpacking plants.
Reps. Briscoe Cain and Steve Toth said there's no reason to continue banning businesses from operating as long as they follow CDC guidelines. Such restrictions, they said, are hurting the Texas economy.
Restaurant, retail and movie theater workers may be called back to work as soon as Friday. But licensed child care remains open only for children of "essential" workers.
f a business reopens and an employee chooses not to return to work, they become ineligible for unemployment, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
"Just as we united as one state to slow COVID-19, we must also come together to begin rebuilding the lives and the livelihoods of our fellow Texans,” - Gov. Greg Abbott
Abbott said he is seeking approval from medical advisers on the business reopenings and that they will reopen under new standards to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
With most Texans staying at home and not driving, the demand for gas has fallen off. But refineries would stop producing before giving gas away for free.
The Department of State Health Services is looking into outbreaks at JBS Beef in Moore County and Tyson Foods in Shelby County.
Patrick went on Fox News on Monday evening to defend comments he made last month that he would rather die from the new coronavirus than see the economy destroyed for his children and grandchildren.
Texas officials closed down campuses in early March and are losing millions of dollars as they pay students back for housing, parking and other unused services.
Texas unemployment claims continue to rise as Texans struggle to file them. The Texas Workforce Commission is expanding its call centers, servers and staff, but many still face delays.
The Railroad Commission, which oversees the state's oil and gas industry, took more than 10 hours of testimony about whether the agency should lower production as the coronavirus lowers demand.
Relatives of Texas prisoners approved for parole question why their loved ones have to stay in disease-prone facilities while completing programs they say could be done virtually and from home.
He says he'll outline his plans this week, but it won't be a "rush-the-gates, everybody-is-able-to-suddenly-reopen-all-at-once" situation.
The Government Accountability Office found that the government spent $66 million in taxpayer money over five months to hold an average of 28 people per day at the tent encampment near El Paso.
The numbers are early — but incomplete — indicators of how dramatically and suddenly the state's economy has collapsed under social distancing orders officials issued to curb the still growing public health crisis spurred by the novel coronavirus.
Families and advocates for nursing home residents are calling on Texas officials to release the numbers and names of facilities where coronavirus infection has been reported, as other states have done.
The physician and nursing home medical director who prescribed the drug is a campaign surrogate for President Donald Trump.
The Labor Department has urged employers to “be judicious” in exempting their workers. Critics say the exemption hurts nurses and doctors, who have already complained about their lack of protective equipment.
Gov. Greg Abbott promised that all those who need a coronavirus test “will get one,” but near the border tests are scarce, and the death toll is beginning to rise.
With elective procedures canceled, hospitals are reassigning staff. But even the best-laid plans may go awry if clinicians themselves fall ill in large numbers.
With schools closed statewide to halt the spread of the new coronavirus, hourly workers like custodians and bus drivers worry how long their paychecks will keep coming. Substitute teachers aren't finding paid work at all.
That timeline, which could be extended later, was established in an executive order Tuesday.
Abbott's order bans release without paying bail for inmates who are accused of or have been convicted in the past of violent offenses. Defendants with cash could still walk free.
With Gov. Greg Abbott resisting calls for a statewide stay-at-home order, local officials are tasked with deciding which businesses and employees are essential.
The Texas Public Utility Commission approved an order Thursday that would ban disconnections of water and power service for Texans financially impacted by COVID-19 and put them on deferred payment plans. But advocates and experts say the real winner might be utility providers.
The efforts to quickly add capacity come after Gov. Greg Abbott waived hospitals’ occupancy restrictions Sunday and ordered healthcare providers to postpone surgeries that are not “immediately, medically necessary.”
By the end of Tuesday, residents in at least four of the state's five biggest cities — Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth — are expected to be under such orders. The only possible holdout is Houston, the state's most populous city.
Abbott said he would applaud some local authorities for issuing such an order, while he would remain flexible on strategies as the new coronavirus continues to spread.
A Texas Railroad Commission official said no decision has been made yet and the agency is looking into options.
The National Guard was last activated during Hurricane Harvey, the 2017 disaster that devastated the Houston area.
In separate calls with superintendents and lawmakers Sunday, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said decisions on extended school closures would be left up to locals.
The state is experiencing a public health disaster as community spread has been discovered, at least 68 cases have been disclosed and people in each of the five largest urban areas have tested positive.
The accuracy of the count in the state will go a long way toward determining its economic, social and political future.
Montgomery health officials said it's unclear where the patient caught the new coronavirus, but he did not recently travel outside of Texas. Other cases identified in Texas have been linked to international and domestic travel.
Texas has the highest share of uninsured residents of any state, with nearly 18% of people lacking health coverage, and many are unable to take paid sick leave from work. Experts say that makes it harder to contain an outbreak.
Roughly 90 Texans are among the passengers heading to Lackland Air Force Base from a ship that had 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19. In Fort Bend County, officials have reported three new travel-related cases.
The Texas Democratic Party released delegate counts Wednesday evening based on unofficial election results. Texas doles out 228 delegates in the state's Democratic primary election.
Biden had trailed in the polls leading up to election day, which pointed to Bernie Sanders as the frontrunner.
Voters in Houston, in Dallas and at Texas State University reported facing wait times that extended past two hours after polls closed.
The San Antonio patient is back in quarantine, and local health officials are working to identify who they came into contact with.
Abbott has long opposed extending state-funded health coverage to 1.5 million Texans under the Affordable Care Act. But a spokesman for the governor did not rule out a possible coverage expansion under a new Trump administration block grant policy.
The lawsuit takes aim at towns that have declared themselves "sanctuary cities for the unborn."
Webb County hasn’t seen the buildup of barriers that El Paso or the Rio Grande Valley has since 2006. But change is coming, and it's coming quickly.
The Democratic presidential candidate swung through Texas this weekend as he enjoyed a resounding victory in the Nevada caucuses and eyes another big win March 3.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued TPC Group on Friday, citing a slew of environmental violations at its Port Neches facility, including ones connected to a Nov. 27 explosion.
Fourteen Democrats are competing for seven seats on the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals. How do you win when no one knows your name?
U.S. Judge Loren A. Smith threw out a case brought by Houstonians whose properties flooded as a result of releases from Addicks and Barker dams.
Sanders now leads the Democratic presidential candidates among Texas voters, but Donald Trump maintains a slight lead over each of the top Democrats in the race, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
More than half a dozen health plans are appealing the contract decisions for STAR+PLUS, the state's privatized insurance program for elderly, blind and disabled Texans.
Legislation passed last year increases university transparency and strengthens the state's definition of hazing. But advocates say when it comes to enforcement, kicking fraternities off campus isn't enough.
The question facing Texas Democrats: Can the party capitalize from the energy he brings out of his supporters, while minimizing the counter-energy he seems to provoke from the right?
In Baldwin, most recently known for his recurring portrayal of President Donald Trump on ”Saturday Night Live,” Tzintzún Ramirez has found a generous financial supporter and an informal adviser.
Patrick Crusius, the alleged gunman in the Aug. 3 massacre at a Walmart store, already faces state capital murder charges for the racially motivated shooting spree that also wounded dozens.
An environmental nonprofit has released an analysis of first-of-its-kind air monitoring data that shows benzene levels at 10 U.S. petroleum refineries exceeded limits established in an Obama-era environmental regulation. Six are in Texas.
President Donald Trump touted economic and military successes. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin was among Democrats who walked out. Afterwards, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar rebutted Trump's speech from El Paso.
As the governor latches on to violent incidents to criticize Austin city leaders, people experiencing homelessness say he's painting them with too broad of a brush.
Texas A&M-Commerce confirmed three gunshot victims at a residence hall on campus. There are two confirmed deaths. A baby at the scene was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The decision on witnesses comes after two weeks of arguments inside the Senate chamber from Democratic impeachment managers and the president's defense team.
After the federal government required TPC Group to install air monitors at its Port Neches plant, the company detected a significant increase in the number and size of butadiene emissions in the months leading up to multiple blasts at the plant on Nov. 27.
Democrats had hoped the race would build momentum for their push to take control of the Texas House in November.
The Democratic presidential candidate is expanding its efforts in the state a little over a month before Texas' delegate-rich primary.
It's the second false alarm for coronavirus in Texas. Last week, officials also said a suspected case of coronavirus in Brazos county came back with negative test results.
A letter from the attorney general's office threatened to sue the city of Galveston if the regulations on gun stores weren't repealed.
Much of the sudden spike in popularity is thanks to a Texas law last year that legalized hemp, the plant from which CBD is derived.
"Resettlement funding cannot simply be reallocated to other problem areas such as homelessness," said the CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
Texas has seen two mass shootings in churches in three years, which has some churchgoers exploring training programs to take down an attacker.
The president also exuded confidence that Texas will remain in Republican hands in 2020, despite some political watchers suggesting it's more purple than it has been in years.
The decision comes just days after Gov. Greg Abbott became the first state leader to opt out of the program. The move drew a harsh rebuke from the Texas' Catholic bishops.
The other impeachment officers are: U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff of California, Jerry Nadler of New York, Zoe Lofgren of California, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Val Demings of Florida and Jason Crow of Colorado.
Texas’ Catholic bishops issued a sharp rebuke of Gov. Greg Abbott following his decision Friday to ban refugees from initially settling in Texas.
The focus is on the early states, but candidates are also paying attention to Texas. Early voting starts here before the Nevada and South Carolina primaries wrap up.
The decision comes after more than 40 other governors said they would opt in to the federal program.
The White House called the initial decision to block the use of military funds for the border wall "illegitimate" and hailed the appeals court decision as a victory.
The man had told a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper that his truck contained hemp, not weed. He was released from detention after a federal crime lab tested the cargo.
Over 3,000 people, including McKinney’s mayor and three members of the City Council, have signed a petition to recall La’Shadion Shemwell. He is the lone black member on the council.
It's still unclear if Abbott will join nearly 40 other governors who have decided to stay in the program.
After Texas legalized hemp and threw marijuana prosecution into chaos last year, prosecutors filed far fewer criminal charges, police departments paid for private testing and public crime labs were struggling to catch up.
Castro’s departure means there will be no Texans competing in the Democratic presidential primary.
From migrants to mass shootings, coal plants to property taxes, we look back at some of the Texas Tribunes best work of the year.
The committee took no further action on the report and said the investigation is now closed.
U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel rejected the district's argument that ousting the Houston school board would disenfranchise voters.
One of the proposed rule changes could make SNAP recipients ineligible if their vehicles are valued at more than $4,650.
Caught off guard by the increase in teen vaping, schools are grasping every tool at hand, including expulsions and suspensions. In some districts, students can face harsh discipline and jail time for having a vape pen in their backpack.
Recovery workers in the area say the Texas General Land Office owes hurricane victims more time to apply for assistance after losing their paperwork, but the agency says the claims are baseless.
Two Trump administration initiatives have driven down traffic, locals say: the “remain in Mexico” program requiring people to wait out their asylum cases south of the border, and the threat to slap tariffs on Mexico unless it cracked down on migrants crossing through it.
In what promises to be a tumultuous and competitive election year, races for the Texas House are going to be a lot more interesting than those for the Texas Senate, writes The Texas Tribune’s Ross Ramsey.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Yolanda Waters, the chairwoman for Galveston County's Republican party, is facing pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott, Land Commissioner George P. Bush and James Dickey, the state party chairman.
“Not running for senate,” O’Rourke told The Texas Tribune in a text message Thursday night, saying that nothing has changed regarding that decision.
The incidents have fueled a growing protest movement on campus, with students demanding more transparency in the university's handling of sexual misconduct cases. "We don't know who we're in the classroom with," one student says.
State Representative Rick Miller has dropped his reelection bid after he sparked a firestorm this week for saying two of his opponents were challenging him because they are Asian.
The Sugar Land Republican faced fast and fierce backlash after he accused his opponents of running against him because they are Asian in a district with a sizable Asian population.
Commissioner of Education Mike Morath wrote that Georgia Clark did not waive her First Amendment rights when she signed her contract with Fort Worth ISD.
The Southeast Texas chemical manufacturing plant has a long history of environmental violations and been out of compliance with federal clean air laws for years.
President Donald Trump has set an aggressive goal: building more than 400 miles of new barrier by the end of 2020. That will require quickly seizing lots of private land in Texas.
The 60-second spots will air on broadcast television in the Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, El Paso, Harlingen-Weslaco, Houston and San Antonio markets.
Some Democrats hoped U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, a moderate Republican, would defect from his colleagues in the House Intelligence Committee. He came close but made clear he's not ready to impeach.
In Laredo, border landowners are receiving letters from the federal government, requesting permission to enter their land for surveying. "Hell no, we're not signing anything," one recipient said.
Gordon Sondland testified Wednesday that Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, pushed a quid pro quo between the American and Ukrainian leadership. The ambassador confirmed he worked closely with Perry, the outgoing energy secretary, on Ukrainian policy.
Spending on each of the last two inaugurations eclipsed that of any other in Texas for at least 40 years, even when adjusted for inflation. A spokesman for the governor has said no state dollars were spent on the festivities.
The ruling came hours after the Texas parole board recommended that Gov. Greg Abbott delay Reed’s death for 120 days.
The document says that the envelope had Nevárez's official House seal and held “four small clear baggies” containing a substance found to include cocaine.
See what the Texans in Congress are asking the witnesses in today's public impeachment inquiry hearing.
The state's announcement that it will seize control of its largest school system has been met with notable silence from Houston ISD administrators and local elected officials.
While Texans remain split on gun laws, state lawmakers have largely loosened gun control. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has joined the call for state officials to take another look at Rodney Reed’s murder conviction. And is Kay Granger in trouble?
Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath informed Houston ISD of those plans in a letter Wednesday. He also sent letters saying the state would take over Shepherd and Snyder ISDs.
Vote counting continued through Tuesday night. When results were released Wednesday morning, the incumbent was short of the total he needed to avoid a runoff.
One proposition could make it harder to create a state income tax while another could secure more funding for state parks. Go to texastribune.org for the latest election results.
Voters have 10 proposed constitutional amendments on their ballots. And in three special elections, some Texans will elect new state lawmakers.
The former congressman from El Paso also says he will not run for the U.S. Senate next year. Meanwhile, Trump leads all Democratic presidential candidates in Texas.
The governor’s decision to force homeless people from under state overpasses drew the ire of city leaders and homelessness experts, who criticized Abbott’s “fear-based approach.”
An investigation by The Texas Tribune and Grist shows that regulators in the Lone Star State have given a hand up to struggling coal companies as they face millions of dollars in mandated land restoration costs.
The Texas Legislative Budget Board is hemorrhaging staff and has been without an executive director for a year.
A bitter child custody dispute became a flashpoint in the state’s culture wars this week as Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged state involvement.
"That was crazy. That was absolutely crazy," said one Texas Democrat after a day of partisan unrest in the U.S. Capitol.
About 222,140 Texans ages 60 and older had student loan debt in 2017, carrying a median load of $15,754, according to government data.
By Tuesday morning, more than 30 House Republicans had either called for the speaker's resignation or had stated they no longer supported him.
Voters have 10 proposed constitutional amendments on their ballots. And in three special elections, some Texans will elect new state lawmakers.
The two Texans vying for the Democratic presidential nomination initially got little attention during Tuesday’s debate before taking on opponents over taxes and gun control.
Bonnen also spoke disparagingly about multiple Democrats, calling one House member “vile” and suggesting that another’s “wife’s gonna be really pissed when she learns he’s gay.”
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas
Tribune.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott presented Austin Mayor Steve Adler with an ultimatum Wednesday: “Demonstrate consequential improvement in the Austin homelessness crisis” by November 1 — or the state will step in.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas
Tribune.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas
Tribune.
"Let us be prayerful. Let us be solemn. Let us try not to make it further divisive," Pelosi said at The Texas Tribune Festival. "But we cannot ignore our oath of office to defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic."
For people affected by Imelda to get FEMA aid, there has to be at least 800 flooded homes that weren't insured — and it could be weeks before Texans know if that threshold is met.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas
Tribune.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas
Tribune.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas
Tribune.
President Donald Trump and Texas’ senior U.S. Senator John Cornyn were in Houston on Sunday for the Howdy Modi event with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I urge all those in the path of this storm to take the necessary precautions and heed all warnings from local officials," Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas
Tribune.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas
Tribune, where we’ve kicked off our annual fall member drive. This month we’re aiming to rally 400 new members to join our nonprofit newsroom. Can we count you among those who value our public interest journalism enough to support it with a donation? Join now at texastribune.org/give to help us reach our goal.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas
Tribune, where we’re kicking off our annual fall member drive. Before the month ends, we’re aiming to rally 400 new members to join our nonprofit newsroom. Can we count you among those who value our public interest journalism enough to support it with a donation? Join now at texastribune.org/give to help us reach our goal.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas Tribune.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas Tribune.
I’m Justin Dehn with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and policy from The Texas Tribune.
In a state with a long history of discrimination, Texas lawmakers are kicking off the 2021 round of political mapmaking — the first in nearly half a century without federal oversight.
In writing about the heated process of drawing political maps, The Texas Tribune’s Alexa Ura describes how a Supreme Court ruling stood as the culmination of a chain of events that changed how political mapmaking in Texas will be scrutinized and overseen for years to come.
In 2018, the high court overruled a lower court’s ruling that lawmakers had drawn districts back in 2013 with discriminatory intent.
Ura writes that while state lawmakers face an incredibly pivotal and politically charged moment in 2021, they will have much more freedom to set those political lines.
The state party has high hopes and ambitious goals in a new document outlining their path to turning the state blue.
A federal judge on Friday was visibly frustrated as he suggested that putting state officials into uncooled cells might be the only thing to get their attention after breaking a settlement agreement to keep some inmates in air conditioning.
Responding to last month’s mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa, Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday issued eight executive orders. The orders focus largely on improving reporting channels when members of the public or law enforcement agencies worry that a person might become violent.
Members of the House minority say they want to consider legislation “closing the background check loopholes” and “banning the sale of high-capacity magazines.”
The governor tweeted Monday night that Texas is “working on a legislative package” and that “expedited executions for mass murderers would be a nice addition.”
Officials say the shooting began with a traffic stop in which the gunman shot a state trooper. Police say the gunman acted alone and was shot to death outside a crowded movie theater
The governor’s comments come after reports emerged of a two-page fundraising mailer that warned of a liberal plan to "to transform Texas — and our entire country — through illegal immigration."
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So far, federal agencies have managed to erect about 60 miles of replacement barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump’s determination to build the barriers as quickly as possible has not diminished his interest in the aesthetic aspects of the project, particularly the requirement that the looming steel barriers be painted black and topped with sharpened tips.
Plus, local, state and federal officials convene in El Paso for the second and final meeting of the Texas Safety Commission – the panel Gov. Greg Abbott created to devise policy solutions in the wake of the deadly mass shooting in the border town earlier this month.
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The white suspect in the racist massacre told El Paso police he picked up the legally purchased gun from a Dallas-area store. Experts say guns imported from overseas are often cheaper than ones originating in the U.S.
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Hoping to avoid an undercount of thousands Hispanic and black Texans, Dallas, Harris and Hidalgo counties believe getting children engaged can bring families to participate in the 2020 census.
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The pastor, Frank Pomeroy, said Sunday he will run as a Republican for District 21, currently held by Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo.
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A federal court ruled last week that the U.S. government could reject asylum seekers who failed to seek protection in other countries first — but only applied the ruling to Texas and New Mexico. Will that push migrants to try their luck in Arizona and California?
Plus, the Trump administration moves to terminate court agreement, hold migrant children and parents longer. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services will issue a new rule Friday to withdraw from the Flores Settlement Agreement, the federal consent decree that has set basic standards for the detention of migrant children and teens since 1997.
www.texastribune.org
Acknowledging that lawmakers can do little to legislate the hate away, some Latinos say they are looking for a new type of understanding among the state’s mostly white leaders of the way in which the pain of a racist past in Texas is now intersected with its present. For them, that starts with a change in the words state leaders use.
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The other Texan running for president, Beto O’Rourke, has already qualified for the Houston debate.
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Ruth Ruggero Hughs replaces David Whitley, who failed to receive Senate confirmation after his office questioned the voter eligibility of thousands of naturalized citizens.
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One House lawmaker is resigning from a key post amid allegations of targeting Republicans and – across the aisle – a long-time Democrat has announced an early retirement.
Plus, a look at whether the billions of dollars more that Texas put into schools to raise teachers’ pay and improve pre-K programs will be enough to help one high-poverty district, in San Antonio, turn a corner.
And after losing his wife in a mass shooting, one man invited all El Pasoans to her funeral. Hundreds showed up.
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The spending in the traditionally red state is raising questions about whether he's simply shoring up his support — or treating Texas as potentially up for grabs in 2020.
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After May's 40 homicides, Gov. Greg Abbott deployed state troopers to Dallas. Despite some drops in violent crimes, city officials say they've done more harm than good. Meanwhile, there's still no consensus on what's driving the increase as victims' families are left to grapple with grief.
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The ad speaks to President Donald Trump directly — linking his rhetoric toward immigrants and people of color to that of the shooter in El Paso who killed 22 and left more than two dozen wounded.
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Two new laws will free up alcohol access in Texas starting Sept. 1. Certain breweries will now be allowed to sell their suds to go, and more restaurants will be able to deliver beer and wine to customers.
But first, state lawmakers have asked the Texas Rangers to investigate allegations against House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. At issue is whether Bonnen, an Angleton Republican, and state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, offered hardline conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan media credentials for his organization in exchange for politically targeting a list of fellow GOP members in the 2020 primaries.
www.texastribune.org
A conservative political activist accused Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen of making a deal at a June meeting to target 10 GOP lawmakers. Bonnen has denied the allegations, but several Texas House members who have heard a recording of the meeting in his office support the activist's account.
www.texastribune.org
Migrants have been bused to Monterrey and, they say, Chiapas under an ever-changing and often brutal “remain in Mexico” program. The policy is being carried out up and down the border by the Trump Administration in a controversial partnership with the Mexican government.
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In the wake of shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, the president and Congress are discussing laws blocking access to firearms for people considered an imminent threat. But here in Texas, bills that would do that have made little traction.
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Several Democratic officials have urged Trump not to visit El Paso, a city of about 683,000 with a largely Latino population, in the aftermath of Saturday’s anti-immigrant attack at a Walmart Supercenter that left 22 dead.
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The number of fatalities from the massacre is nearing the total number of homicides the border city experienced in all of 2018. FBI officials, meanwhile, say they fear potential copycat shootings.
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A mass shooting at a Walmart in this border city killed 20 people and left more than two dozen others injured Saturday, and police arrested a 21-year-old North Texas man who they said may have written a manifesto revealing that the crime was racially motivated.
Land Commissioner George P. Bush linked the shooting with "white terrorism," while U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz called it a "heinous act of terrorism and white supremacy."
Police say the suspect is a white male in his 20s from the Dallas area who was arrested without incident. Police are investigating whether it was a hate crime.
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President Trump's recent racist comments had weighed on Hurd, the last black Republican in the U.S. House. He was the only Texas Republican who voted to condemn Trump's recent racist comments about four congresswomen.
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Several Democrats put the former vice president on the defensive. But Castro landed one of the most personal blows as he criticized Biden's stance on immigration. The stakes were high for the Texan, who has yet to qualify for the next debate.
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O'Rourke was most confident when bringing up his home state and his near victory in the 2018 Senate race in making his case for electability.
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The second round of Democratic presidential primary debates get underway Tuesday in Detroit.
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President Donald Trump is said to have been pleased by the Texas Republican's admonishment of former special counsel Robert Mueller in last week's House Judiciary Committee hearing.
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O'Malley Dillon is building a conventional campaign around an unconventional candidate, and some Democrats say she's O'Rourke's best hope.
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The panel ruled that such an action wasn't warranted, though it previously ruled that state lawmakers discriminated against voters of color when they first drew new maps in 2011.
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The change has re-upped a perennial debate over how to help teachers manage aggressive or violent student behavior — without increasing the chances that the state's most disadvantaged kids will be disciplined and then drop out.
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The former state senator is running for office for the first time since her unsuccessful campaign for Texas governor.
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The Democratic field seeking to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, keeps growing.
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An invitation obtained by The Texas Tribune says the event is "in support of her campaign for Texas CD 21."
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Houston councilwoman Amanda Edwards jumps into Democratic primary in hopes of unseating Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Edwards joins an increasingly crowded field vying for the Democratic nomination for one of Texas' U.S. Senate seats. The eventual nominee will face an incumbent who already has a $9 million war chest.
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Some Texans of color have spent much of their lives working through how racist attacks left them feeling less American. Now, those attacks are coming from the president.
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Trump made the comments on Twitter on Sunday morning, writing that the four members — U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan — "who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe," should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."
All four members are citizens; only Omar was born outside the country, in Somalia.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she'll call for a vote condemning the president's racist words.
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Houston was among U.S. cities where raids were expected. Police Chief Art Acevedo said it was "all quiet" in the state's largest city Sunday, but he expects ICE to conduct removal operations this week.
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In its first enforcement action under a controversial new law, Texas sued San Antonio last year, alleging that the city had broken the law in December 2017.
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El Paso's backlogged immigration court recently halted programs designed to aid asylum seekers as they navigate a complicated legal system. "The confusion in the courtroom is palpable," says one advocate.
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Seeking to make college more affordable, the University of Texas will use some of its oil money to dramatically expand the financial aid it offers to low- and middle-income undergraduates on its flagship Austin campus.
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On Tuesday, after a legislative session that seemed to have no room for issues other than property tax reform and school finance, Texas will ask a federal appeals court in New Orleans to end the Affordable Care Act in its entirety — without offering a replacement plan.
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Many school districts are seeing smaller gains from the state's school finance law than they predicted. Teachers are fighting to get bigger raises anyway.
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The Senda de Vida shelter in Reynosa is over capacity, filled with migrants and refugees from around the world. U.S. officials will only let a handful at a time cross the border.
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A man who claimed he was a substitute teacher at Santa Fe High during the 2018 shooting told a harrowing story of survival. But the school district says he never worked there.
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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday, saying the Trump administration had provided a “contrived” reason for wanting to add a citizenship question to the once-a-decade count questionnaire.
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Home-state tensions flared between the two Texas Democrats running for president as America's debate about immigration centers around the ways federal agencies respond to and care for a surge of Central Americans crossing at the southern border.
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The two Texans will join eight other Democratic candidates vying to take on President Donald Trump in 2020 for night one of the party's presidential debates.
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Hundreds of children have been moved from a Border Patrol facility near El Paso after reports surfaced that they spent nearly a month living with substandard food, water and sanitation.
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One attorney said running water is so bad that mothers save any bottled water they can to mix with baby formula. The stories she heard from people in the shelter echo tales at other facilities, where people say conditions are substandard.
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Lawyers told the Associated Press that a group of 250 children were living in dangerous and unsanitary conditions at a migrant detention facility outside of El Paso.
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New census estimates show Texas' Hispanic population growth continues to surpass white population growth, with Hispanics on pace to soon represent a plurality.
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“We are, I think, no longer the reliably red state we have been,” says the U.S. senator, who has emerged as a top target for Texas Democrats in 2020.
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Texas is growing and becoming much more ethnically and racially diverse. Texas voters differ as to whether those are positive or negative trends, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
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Texas voters are split when asked about reelecting the president, and Joe Biden and Beto O'Rourke are their favorites for the Democratic nomination to challenge him, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
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The governor cited Texas' continued recovery from Hurricane Harvey as a reason why he was issuing an executive order to continue the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, which was on track to shut down.
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Democrats are nine seats away from controlling the lower chamber. They’re planning to fight to protect — and potentially build on — their recent gains, while Republicans push to take back seats and head off the worst-case scenario: A Democratic-led House heading into the 2021 redistricting process.
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Texas has resisted recent attempts to change its vaccine laws, allowing parents to get their children exemptions for "reasons of conscience." Use our lookup tool to see how exemption rates have changed in school districts and private schools across the state.
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As an El Paso City Council member, O'Rourke favored a redevelopment plan that called for an arena in heavily immigrant Duranguito. Now, remaining residents want his help to stop the wrecking ball from destroying their historic barrio.
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The city had 40 homicides last month, the highest monthly total since the 1990s.
Plus, find out the results of the weekend mayoral runoff elections in Dallas and San Antonio.
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Texas police can seize money and property with little oversight or transparency. So we got the data ourselves.
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Some gun rights groups want Gov. Greg Abbott to veto a line item in the Texas budget that puts $1 million toward a public safety campaign on gun storage. But one powerful bloc isn't actively opposing the measure: the National Rifle Association.
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The bills aim to create a "hostile environment" for human trafficking in Texas and address sexual assault, said Gov. Greg Abbott at a bill signing ceremony Tuesday in Dallas.
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Our Heat Index shows how competitive your district was — and is. To explore the question of whether Texas really is a swing state, we looked at nearly 20 years of election data to assess the competitiveness of every congressional and legislative district in the state. Take a tour of some of the state's hot spots and then type in your address to find out the lay of the land in your districts.
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Congressman Chip Roy, an Austin Republican, was the first to block the routine vote from happening earlier, when much of the House had already left town.
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The conservative Texan and liberal New Yorker agreed over Twitter to partner up on a bill banning members of Congress from becoming corporate lobbyists after they leave office.
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All but one of Texas' six U.S. House contests that national Democrats are targeting will feature candidates who ran last time.
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The former vice president was making a two-day swing through Texas, with stops planned in Houston and Dallas.
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Completing negotiations that have taken place over the last few months, Texas House and Senate lawmakers approved a compromise on a state spending plan for 2020-21.
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Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced they have finalized the details of the three bills that will accomplish their top policy goals.
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If the House approves changes made by the upper chamber, the bill will head to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.
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Senate Bill 10, focused on connecting children to mental health services, was knocked out of contention with a parliamentary maneuver Tuesday night but was revived as an amendment to another bill hours later. It's one of several measures the state's GOP leaders championed in the wake of the deadly shooting last year at Santa Fe High School.
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The Guatemalan teenager, who hasn’t been identified, was found unresponsive Monday morning at the Border Patrol station in Weslaco.
Plus, listen to the latest from the 86th Texas Legislature.
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As lawmakers in Austin work to pass a sweeping school safety bill, many Santa Fe survivors and their loved ones say they’re focused less on what’s happening at the Capitol and more on what can be done to rebuild and uplift their community.
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The measure moved quickly through the Senate after the LGBTQ Caucus killed a near-identical proposal on a procedural motion last week in the Texas House.
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Lawmakers are pushing more measures than ever before that could delay the Dallas-Houston bullet train project — and there’s even a special subcommittee tackling the topic.
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The bill already passed the Senate but will require another vote in the upper chamber due to minor changes made in the House.
Plus, Gina Ortiz Jones has announced plans to again challenge Republican Congressman Will Hurd, R-Helotes, in 2020.
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The measure, which had yet to advance in the Senate, was swiftly voted out of a surprise committee hearing Monday, days after companion legislation in the House died on the floor.
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Once knocked as detached, the governor has become more involved in a legislative session hinging on two big-ticket items he's prioritized: school finance and property tax reform.
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The LGBTQ Caucus, formed this year, notched a major victory Thursday evening, defeating a controversial measure as the Texas House raced toward a midnight deadline.
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Two months into his campaign, the Democratic presidential candidate is pressing forward with an aggressive campaign under a dimmer spotlight.
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Tuesday’s decision means the program will continue and that hundreds — if not thousands more asylum seekers — will be sent back across the U.S.-Mexico border pending further hearings.
Plus, get the latest news from the Texas Legislature.
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The Texas House and Senate chambers will need to negotiate how to give teachers pay raises, whether to adjust how students take standardized tests, and how to provide long-term property tax relief for Texans.
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Today the Texas Senate takes up House Bill 3 – the lower chamber's proposal to reform the state's school finance system.
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A panel of three judges heard arguments in the high-stakes fight that could return Texas to the days of federal supervision of its political maps.
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Lawmakers must reconcile major differences in their proposed two-year budgets, including funding for public schools, teacher salaries, women’s health, prison guard salaries and more.
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Black students, who are already overrepresented in disciplinary referrals, say their fears come as lawmakers consider a slew of bills to expand the state's school marshal program in response to a deadly shooting last year.
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The House vote Monday is the first time the lower chamber approved such a measure, marking significant progress. But the opposition of the lieutenant governor remains a major hurdle.
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The San Antonio congressman is slated to announce next week whether he'll run against Republican U.S. Sen John Cornyn. That will follow weeks of frustration from within his own party over a perceived delay in a decision.
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The Senate unveiled a new school finance bill Thursday – one that includes $5,000 teacher pay raises and several ideas the House had already nixed from its version.
Over in the House, the Ways and Means committee laid out a revised version of SB2 – the Senate’s property tax proposal – and renamed it the Texas Taxpayer Transparency Act.
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Lawmakers are pushing more measures than ever before that could delay the Dallas-Houston bullet train project – and there’s even a special subcommittee tackling the topic.
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Until now, O’Rourke, who denies trying to flee the wreck, was the only person present at the scene of the collision to speak out publicly about what happened that night. “I believe we have contradicting stories here,” says the officer who arrested him.
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Prisoners who volunteered for a mental health diversion program say promises of therapy and time out of their cells weren't fulfilled. And Texas prison officials aren't regularly tracking success rates — even as they ask lawmakers to fund an expansion of the program.
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Texas cities have been debating state lawmakers over property taxes, sick leave, scooter regulation and now, over whether the cities can charge cable TV companies for using public property to connect their networks.
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Construction of the facilities, commonly referred to as a “tent cities” is a response to the ongoing crush of migrants, mainly from Central America, who continue to cross into Texas after traveling through Mexico.
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New population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show Texas dominated in growth, with suburban counties leading the way as the fastest growing.
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Top Republican leaders have proposed raising the sales tax and using the money to lower local property tax rates. Wealthier Texans and businesses would likely benefit, while poorer Texans would likely pay more.
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After a key Republican holdout agreed to bring a priority bill to the floor, the upper chamber increased an election trigger on revenue increases from 2.5% to 3.5%. But now both chambers must reconcile how they want to tackle rising school district taxes.
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This week is one of the busiest shopping seasons on the border, but after hundreds of federal agent were diverted from international bridges to help with a surge of migrants, retailers and other businesses are fretting about how hours-long wait times will impact them.
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State Rep. Jeff Leach said a bill that criminalizes abortion will not advance beyond the committee he chairs.
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The state's "Big Three" unveiled the proposal in a joint statement. The idea would need approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate and a majority of Texas voters.
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Trump is also set to speak at a union hall in Crosby to announce some executive orders related to pipeline and energy production.
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The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is opening an office in Austin as the committee aims to flip six U.S. House seats in Texas next year.
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Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke has reversed positions on a controversial vote he cast on offshore drilling in 2016. "He wouldn’t cast that same vote today with all that he knows and all that he has heard from people," said a spokesman for the former Texas congressman.
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Dennis Bonnen called the man's move "gutless," according to media reports. The Angleton Republican was in Austin when the man visited his home.
Plus, Vice President Mike Pence visits Texas today to meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement the surge of migrants that continues to cross at the Texas-Mexico border.
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The legislation would increase per-student funding, mandate $1,850 teacher pay raises and reduce "Robin Hood" payments made by wealthy districts.
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Republican state senators passed a resolution that would declare a crisis at the Texas-Mexico border and request Congress to fully fund border security measures. Democratic senators say they never saw the measure until it hit the floor.
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The University of Texas System Regents are expected to vote on Wilson's nomination today amid growing backlash. Student activists, professors and community members have rallied to oppose Wilson's nomination, citing her anti-LGBTQ voting record.
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It would take “something dramatic” in the coming days to persuade President Trump not to close the U.S.-Mexico border, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Sunday.
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Patrick Murphy was one of the escaped convicts sentenced to death for the murder of Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins during a robbery. The high court stopped his execution because Texas officials wouldn’t let a Buddhist priest into the death chamber with him.
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The agency's chief said 750 agents will be reassigned indefinitely from across the southwest border to aid the El Paso sector, where agents apprehended more than 1,000 immigrants Monday.
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House members have proposed more than 300 amendments to the chamber's spending plan. The proposals that pass could have major implications for hundreds of other issues regulated by the state.
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Disability advocates want the Texas Legislature to invest in pay raises for home care workers. Even in a year of surplus, it's a difficult battle.
Plus, debate over a Texas abortion bill prompted tears, frustration and a boycott from Democrats. The hearing on a bill regarding "the rights of a living child born after an abortion" was delayed Monday morning due to a lack of a quorum.
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For years, Diane Wilson has tried to get Formosa Plastics Corporation to stop discharging plastic pellets from its sprawling petrochemical complex on the central Texas coast. This week, she's getting her day in court.
Plus, get the latest from the 2020 campaign trail.
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Hear from naturalized citizens whose voter eligibility was questioned as part of the state’s flawed review of the voter rolls.
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The director of the El Paso-based Annunciation House said he needs more help from the city to ensure the migrants, most of whom are seeking asylum, don’t end up on the streets.
Plus, get the latest on Beto O'Rourke's campaign fundraising disclosures as he vies for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
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Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Bliss, Fort Hood and the naval reserve center in Galveston could all lose funding for construction projects if the president's plan to divert money from the military to a border wall succeeds.
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In a statement Monday afternoon, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said air quality monitoring "had not detected any immediate health concerns at ground level" amid a multi-tank fire at a petrochemical storage facility near Houston.
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By the second day of his Iowa debut, O'Rourke was fully submerged in the buzzsaw that is a presidential campaign.
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The newly minted presidential candidate kicked off a three-day tour of Iowa on Thursday, shortly after making his 2020 bid official.
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The former Democratic congressman from El Paso is jumping into the crowded race to take on President Donald Trump following his closer-than-expected loss to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in November.
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According to court documents, Michael Center accepted $100,000 to help a student gain admission to the university through the tennis program. He is one of dozens of people named in a growing national college bribery scandal. "He is innocent," his lawyer said.
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A now-erased provision in Senate Bill 15 explicitly said a potential new state law would not supersede local non-discrimination ordinances. Without that language, many LGBTQ advocates fear Texans could be exposed to some discriminatory employment practices.
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During a screening of a documentary that chronicles his failed U.S. Senate bid, the former Democratic congressman's camp sent an email to supporters alerting them to an impending 2020 decision.
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State Rep. Stephanie Klick's bill would give Texans with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and spasticity access to medical cannabis oil.
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The list of Democrats openly mulling a bid against the U.S. senator in 2020 continues to grow. The latest addition: Joseph Kopser, who ran for an open congressional seat last year.
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So far this fiscal year, detainments of families on the U.S.-Mexico border have more than tripled from the same period last year.
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Given the choice between reelecting President Trump or choosing someone else, a narrow majority would like to see a change in 2020, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
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Texans want local governments to get permission for property tax hikes over a set amount, and don't think such a restriction would hobble services, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
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Texas executed Billie Coble, 70, on Thursday evening. Coble was convicted in a 1989 triple murder near Waco. Coble's son and friend were taken outside and handcuffed after they began yelling, punching and kicking at others in the viewing room during the execution.
Plus, catch up on the latest from 86th Texas Legislature.
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The former El Paso congressman and 2018 U.S. Senate candidate has said he'd make up his mind on his political future by Thursday.
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The San Antonio Democrat portrayed the resolution as a defense of the separation of powers between government branches. While Sen. John Cornyn said he will oppose the resolution, Sen. Ted Cruz was less clear on his stance.
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After state officials conceded that at least a quarter of a list of nearly 100,000 Texas voters flagged for citizenship review should never have been questioned, a federal judge said, "I wish all of this could've been done back as the original effort."
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The Republican leader is proposing across-the-board $5,000 raises for teachers. But educators have been skeptical of him in the past.
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A newly elected Democratic judge made the decision in the legal challenge to Houston's policy extending benefits to municipal employees' same-sex spouses. An attorney for the plaintiffs said they will appeal and noted that the country's highest court has become more conservative since a landmark federal marriage rights ruling.
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While Beto O’Rourke keeps the political world guessing about a potential presidential run, fellow Texas Democrat Julián Castro has been on the 2020 trail for weeks. Today though is his first time in the early battleground state of Iowa since he declared his run in early January.
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An assistant attorney general said counties should have reviewed their lists of flagged voters to determine whether they had reason to believe the voters were ineligible before requiring them to prove their citizenship.
Plus, Beto O'Rourke is keeping up suspense with days until anticipated 2020 decision. The former congressman and U.S. Senate nominee is still hoping to make up his mind about the presidential race by the end of the month — which is eight days away.
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In hopes of saving money on data storage, legislators are considering downsizing the state's data centers and relying more on private tech companies.
Plus, the latest from the Texas-Mexico border.
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The president looks poised to sign a bill that will avert another government shutdown, then use an emergency declaration to instruct the military to build his wall. From Congress to the border, Texans react.
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Brewers and distributors struck a deal this week that could end a years-long political fight.
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The military veteran and unsuccessful 2018 congressional candidate is considering running for U.S. Senate in 2020, as well as challenging U.S. Rep. John Carter again.
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As the president kicked off his re-election campaign and tried to marshal support for his border wall, one of his possible 2020 opponents spoke to thousands across the street in a counter-rally.
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The rally comes as O'Rourke enters the final stages of deliberation over a potential presidential campaign.
Look for live coverage at www.texastribune.org starting tonight at 7 p.m. MST.
At his confirmation hearing to be the next Texas Secretary of State, Whitley faced tough questioning from state Democrats over his decision to erroneously question the citizenship status of tens of thousands of voters.
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Republican David Whitley faces questions from state Democrats about how he handled an attempt to review the citizenship of 95,000 registered Texas voters.
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O'Rourke, the former Democratic congressman and U.S. Senate candidate, discussed his 2020 deliberations Tuesday during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
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Gov. Greg Abbott will address lawmakers and the state at 11 a.m. Tuesday. The main thing to watch out for: what Abbott declares as emergency items.
Watch live at texastribune.org.
Attorney General Paxton's office has asked lawmakers for millions more in funding and expanded jurisdiction to go after certain crimes. Critics say the requests are aimed at political gains.
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In response to a call from Pope Francis for transparency, all 15 dioceses have released lists going back decades.
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Even outspoken critics of Robin Hood, the controversial program that redistributes money among school districts, acknowledge that they need it to avoid future school finance lawsuits.
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After flagging tens of thousands of registered voters for citizenship reviews, the Texas secretary of state’s office is now telling counties that some of those voters don’t belong on the lists it sent out.
Officials in five large counties — Harris, Travis, Fort Bend, Collin and Williamson — told The Texas Tribune they had received calls Tuesday from the secretary of state’s office indicating that some of the voters whose citizenship status the state said counties should consider checking should not actually be on those lists.
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The Texas Tribune reached out to 13 of the 15 counties with the most registered voters on Monday; only Galveston County indicated it would immediately send out letters asking voters for proof of citizenship.
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The list compiled by the Texas secretary of state contains 95,000 names. It’s unclear exactly how many of those individuals are not actually U.S. citizens and whether that number will be available in the future.
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Tonight Fox News stages a town hall on border security in San Antonio. Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton are set to sit on a panel of experts, border patrol agents and local lawmakers.
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A former staffer in the congresswoman's office claims Jackson Lee fired her after the staff member reported a rape by a supervisor at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Jackson Lee was the foundation's board chair before stepping down Wednesday.
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After five years, the fight over identifying a pharmacy that provided execution drugs in 2014 is in front of the Texas Supreme Court.
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The closure of a temporary shelter in Tornillo led to a decline in the number of migrant children housed in Texas — and nationwide.
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Federal appeals court lifts order blocking Texas from kicking Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid. Texas moved to exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid years ago after a highly-edited video from an anti-abortion group suggested abortion providers sold fetal tissue.
And, a Travis County court says Austin must allow guns in its city hall, siding with Ken Paxton. The court ordered Austin to pay a fine to the state for each day it prevented investigators from the attorney general's office from carrying their firearms.
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The former Democratic congressman from El Paso, facing calls to run for president, says he's "been stuck lately" and hopes a road trip will help clear his mind.
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Leaders of the Texas Senate are proposing giving schools $3.7 billion to provide $5,000 pay raises to all full-time classroom teachers — on the heels of a House budget proposal that includes $7 billion more for public education.
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After winning re-election in November, both Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are embarking on their second, four-year term. Watch their swearings-in and inaugural speeches here.
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Julián Castro, the former U.S. housing secretary and San Antonio mayor, made his run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination official Saturday: He's running for president. Castro chose Puerto Rico for his first campaign trip following his weekend announcement.
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President Donald Trump says Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick offered Texas' help building the border wall. It's unclear how serious the president is about the idea, but Gov. Greg Abbott expressed skepticism for such a plan since the federal government isn't committing the billions of dollars Trump wants.
Plus, Tarrant County party officials overwhelmingly rejected attempts to remove Shahid Shafi because he's Muslim. The 139-49 vote in his favor came after the state's top Republican officials denounced the failed move to oust the trauma surgeon.
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President Donald Trump is visiting the border Thursday to meet with folks on the ground in McAllen, TX.
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick missed the first day of the Texas Legislature on Tuesday to attend a border security meeting at the White House, where he helped with President Donald Trump's nationally televised address from the Oval Office.
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The 140-day sprint to the finish line will finally begin today, when state lawmakers convene in Austin to convene the Texas Legislature's 86th regular session.
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Lawmakers have coalesced behind school finance and property taxes as top priorities, a stark contrast with the hot-button social legislation that headlined the 85th Legislature in 2017.
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U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took back the chamber gavel amid a gloomy partial government shutdown.
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The Texas Tribune interviewed seven of the nine Texas members departing Congress and asked them to reflect on their time in Washington. U.S. Reps. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, and John Culberson, R-Houston, declined requests for interviews.
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As Congress prepares to begin a new term, most of the Texans returning to the U.S. House will by adjusting to a new reality – either as a member of the majority or the minority for the first time.
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The board unanimously voted for former state Sen. Kevin Eltife to chair the prestigious panel, which oversees UT’s 14 academic and health institutions across the state – and one of the largest university endowments in the country.
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by Shannon Najmabadi Dec. 20, 2018
Appointed to the University of Texas System's Board of Regents in 2017, the Republican has been an outspoken critic of system-level spending
This year alone, 18 states increased their minimum wage and 30 states now have a minimum wage that exceeds the federal government's $7.25-per-hour rate. Many of Texas' major cities have boosted pay, too. Will the state follow suit?
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The University of Texas has ended its investigation of state Sen. Charles Schwertner, concluding that the “available evidence does not support a finding" that the Georgetown Republican, accused of sending sexually-explicit text messages to a graduate student, had violated university policy and the federal gender equity law Title IX.
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Tuberculosis is a rare disease, but public health experts are urging Texas legislators to invest in expensive medication, nurses who can help patients and supporting local health departments to test and treat people who may have been exposed.
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“Premature and inaccurate statements undermine the integrity of the investigation,” attorneys for the family of Jakelin Caal Maquin said in a statement over the weekend. The seven-year-old Guatemalan girl died after being taken into the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol.
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The company will reportedly receive as much as $25 million from a state job-creation fund.
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The former U.S. housing secretary and San Antonio mayor took another step toward a 2020 presidential run Wednesday.
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Gov. Greg Abbott's pitch is one of a long list of recommendations a state school finance panel will send to lawmakers later this month.
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Only one person of color has ever served on the Richardson ISD school board. Now, he's suing the district over its method of electing school board members, alleging it denies people of color a fair say in who represents them.
Plus, get the latest on Congress' unfinished business that could cost Texas millions and find out why voters in a Houston-area district are heading to the polls.
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Migrant children are not supposed to be detained for more than 20 days in unlicensed facilities. Texas may be able to license two family detention centers, in Dilley and Karnes County, after an appeals court ruling last week.
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The Public Utility Commission is considering measures to ensure Texans don't lose power in the hot summer months. A plan generators are pushing would cost $4 billion — and lead to higher electric bills.
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The 41st president will be remembered at a funeral service in Houston and buried at his presidential library in College Station.
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In a case that alleges overzealous business regulation, Spec's, the state's largest liquor chain, is suing the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for “wrongfully and maliciously” trying to impose huge fines and sanctions on the retailer. The state says it's immune from such suits.
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To stem the exodus of students to private and charter schools, San Antonio ISD is redesigning dozens of schools that now offer popular educational programs. Families and educators at those schools are thrilled, but people at other schools feel left out.
The story is part of our 'Dis-integration' series that focuses on the challenges school communities have faced in integrating their schools. Read more now at texastribune.org.
An influential GOP group voted Thursday to select Kay Granger, the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Texas, to be the party's ranking member on the budget-writing panel once Democrats take over control of the chamber.
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Today The Texas Tribune launches a four-part series that takes readers into the struggle for equality and equity in Texas classrooms well after federally mandated integration orders have been lifted.
Sure, it’s the story of Texas, but it’s also the story of the country’s shifting demographics and the issue of public education. What’s ahead for students of color who attend school districts with histories of inequality?
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Immigration lawyers say border agents are again removing children from their parents. The explanation? They’re protecting kids from criminal dads and moms. Immigration advocates say it’s zero tolerance by another name.
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U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, said at a town hall in El Paso Monday that he and his wife had "made a decision not to rule anything out."
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Craddick, who is best known for his iron-fisted grip on the gavel during his six years as speaker of the Texas House, has not lost any interest in serving in the Capitol.
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The temporary restraining order halts President Donald Trump’s effort to automatically deny asylum to migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
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President Trump derided Bill McRaven, who recently left his post as chancellor of the University of Texas, as a “Hillary Clinton fan” and an “Obama backer” before suggesting that the four-star admiral should have caught Osama bin Laden faster.
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Winning an election by just a little bit can make a candidate a target in the next election. And this year's ballots in Texas were full of close finishes.
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U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela of Brownsville is one of more than a dozen Democrats who claim they have the votes to deprive Nancy Pelosi of another term as House Speaker. They might be right.
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Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Base Camp Donna in South Texas Wednesday, weeks after President Trump dispatched thousands of active-duty forces to the border in anticipation of a Central American migrant caravan.
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A leading anti-vaccine group claims that day cares are breaking the law by denying kids who haven't been vaccinated. Experts say the group is misinterpreting the law.
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After a politically-charged September meeting, the State Board of Education meets this week to approve "streamlined" social studies curriculum standards. Teachers' responses are mixed.
Plus, the latest on the race for Speaker of the Texas House.
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Trump administration moves to deny asylum for immigrants who enter the U.S. between ports of entry. The emergency rule change comes as a caravan of Central American migrants is slowly making its way to the United States' border with Mexico.
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In Williamson, Hays, Collin and Fort Bend counties, Republicans saw their dominance falter on Tuesday.
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The race between Cruz and O'Rourke emerged as one of the hottest in the country, with Democrats hopeful that O'Rourke could break the Texas GOP's iron grip on statewide offices.
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From the intense battle between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke to hard-fought, well-funded races lower on the ballot, what happens on Election Day could reset — or reaffirm — the trajectory of Texas politics.
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and his Democratic rival, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of El Paso, made their closing arguments Saturday as they embarked on their last weekend of campaigning in the hotly contested race.
Turn to www.texastribune.org as your source for election information before and after the polls close and results roll in. Find out where the candidates stand on issues important to you and do your homework by re-watching our Split Decision virtual debate series. Find all six videos now at trib.it/splitdecision.
President Donald Trump on Thursday doubled down on his intent to militarize and fortify the border against a caravan of Central American asylum-seekers slowly making their way toward the United States, saying his administration recently did away with "catch and release" for undocumented immigrants and plans to erect tents to hold future border crossers — including their children — until their immigration cases are resolved.
Trump offered no details on how his administration would be able to indefinitely hold families for long periods and still comply with a court settlement known as the Flores agreement that limits how long undocumented minors can be detained by the government. He also didn't provide details on the number or location of the tents but said they're necessary to stop a coming "invasion" of migrants.
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Months before he was arrested on allegations of mailing bombs to several prominent Democrats, Cesar Sayoc sent threatening messages over Facebook to U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, a spokesman for O'Rourke's U.S. Senate campaign confirmed Wednesday.
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President Donald Trump said in an interview with Axios that he plans to sign an executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of noncitizens. Legal scholars question whether that's constitutional. Here's what Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke have said.
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Officials say the deployment will include three helicopter units, mobile command and medical units, military police and more.
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As of Friday, more Texans had voted early in the 30 counties where most registered voters live than they had for the entire two-week early vote period during the last midterm election in 2014. Several large counties are on track to surpass early voting turnout during the 2012 presidential election.
Early voting continues this week, through Friday, Nov. 2.
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Amid allegations that Hays County has suppressed the college student vote, a civil rights group is threatening to sue.
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Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz leads U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, by 5 percentage points among likely voters in a new Ipsos online poll released Wednesday in conjunction with Reuters and the University of Virginia. A September Ipsos poll showed O’Rourke ahead of Cruz by 2 percentage points among likely voters.
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In the first day of early voting, 474,938 Texans cast in-person ballots and 214,675 cast mail-in ballots in the 30 counties where most registered voters in the state — 78 percent — live. That turnout equals 34.3 percent of the total votes cast in those counties during the entire two-week early voting period in the last midterm election in 2014. So far this year, 5.6 percent of the 12.3 million registered voters in those 30 counties have voted.
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President Donald Trump, speaking Monday evening in Houston at an uproarious rally, cast his 2016 battle with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz as a thing of the past and blasted Cruz’s Democratic challenger, Beto O’Rourke, as a “stone cold phony.”
Early voting in Texas starts today and runs through Nov. 2. To help Texans navigate early voting, we’ve compiled an overview of everything you need to know about casting a ballot in the 2018 midterms.
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After the wettest September in Texas history, multiple Central Texas reservoirs are completely full. That has forced officials to consider releasing a historic amount of water down the Colorado River.
Plus, a federal appeals court finds Texas foster kids were endangered, but strikes down some attempts at reform.
And, in politics, Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, said Thursday evening he was not "totally comfortable" with having used the nickname "Lyin' Ted" against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in their recent debate.
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In a series of tweets following Tuesday night's debate between U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, President Donald Trump said O'Rourke would "blow it all" if elected.
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and his Democratic rival, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of El Paso, faced off for their second — and maybe final — debate Tuesday night in San Antonio.
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President Donald Trump is headed to Texas on Oct. 22 to hold a rally at NRG Arena in Houston. Trump had promised to visit the state before Election Day to campaign with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in his re-election bid.
Cruz faces a tough re-election fight against El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke. And tonight the pair will debate for the second and final time ahead of the November election.
Tonight’s hourlong debate in San Antonio will cover domestic and foreign policy issues. Tune into www.texastribune.org at 8pm central for a livestream of the debate, courtesy of WFAA-TV.
Early voting for the midterm elections starts one week from today.
Texans will weigh in on hundreds of races.
But only a few are worthy of the Tribune’s hotlist.
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Advocates and lawyers on both sides of the border say this increased immigration enforcement from Mexican officials may be the result of cartel influence, politics or the United States itself.
Plus, the latest on the U.S. Senate race between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke.
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The Democrats running against Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and Attorney General Ken Paxton outraised the incumbents in the most recent fundraising period.
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This week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security gave notice that it plans to waive environmental laws to install gates along a stretch of border fence in the Rio Grande Valley.
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Vice President Mike Pence visited Dallas on Monday to spur Republican support. He cast the midterm elections as a "choice between a party that’s committed to moving our nation forward and a party that’s committed to the politics of destruction."
Today is the deadline to register to vote. Not sure if you’re registered? Visit votetexas.gov and enter some identifying information to verify your voter status.
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Demographics, income and location all play roles in the difficulties Texans face finding an affordable home in a neighborhood they like.
Plus, get the latest news from the campaign trail.
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The legal battle played out at a federal appeals court Wednesday, with the two sides debating whether Texas' decreased spending on kids with disabilities years ago violated federal law.
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And in just a few days, Vice President Mike Pence will be Texas bound to also campaign for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Congressman Pete Sessions of Dallas. They’re two of the state’s most competitive federal races in the midterms.
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Former President Barack Obama gave his support Monday to nine additional candidates in Texas as part of his second wave of midterm endorsements.
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After repeatedly making headlines for eclipsing U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the incumbent, in money raised for his campaign, Beto O'Rourke declined to give Tribune CEO Evan Smith a firm answer on his fundraising total in the third quarter of this year, which ended Sunday.
“I honestly don’t know, but it’s a lot,” he said.
Instead of questioning Christine Blasey Ford personally, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz delegated their time to sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, whom committee Republicans hired to ask questions of Ford for the GOP senators, a move widely viewed as saving the panel's 11 Republican men from the optics of questioning a woman who has alleged sexual assault.
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In the face of a sexual harassment allegation, state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, has hired two Austin attorneys and denied sending “any inappropriate texts as alleged” — “Period.” — in a new statement Wednesday from the attorneys.
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A spokesperson said Schwertner "categorically denies any knowledge of the accusations leveled against him" and added that the senator "is eager to cooperate with the University of Texas and hopes to make clear he played no part in the behavior described.”
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Although migrant families separated at the border this summer are getting a second chance to make their case for staying in the country, immigration lawyers say the Trump administration is working overtime to upend the nation's asylum process.
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Funding for crucial safety net programs for thousands of Texas farmers expires Sept. 30. Congress has four working days to act.
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New data shows the number of migrant children held in privately run shelters in Texas reached a new high in September, even after the Trump administration said it would reunify families separated under the now-paused “zero tolerance” policy.
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Beto O’Rourke leads Ted Cruz by two among likely voters in U.S. Senate race, new poll finds. O’Rourke has been closing the gap over the last several months, but this is the first poll that puts him ahead of Cruz.
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Republican Pete Flores defeated Democrat Pete Gallego on Tuesday night in the race to replace convicted former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio.
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Both U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman who has accused him of sexual assault are set to appear next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Texas' senior senator and the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, called for "bipartisan participation" in addressing the allegations, but stopped short of calling for Kavanaugh's accuser, California professor Christine Blasey Ford, to testify before the committee in public.
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Juan David Ortiz, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, has been accused of killing four women, including one transgender woman, and kidnapping a fifth woman, who escaped and alerted law enforcement.
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After the bodies of 10 immigrants were pulled from a trailer in San Antonio, U.S. Border Patrol agents launched Operation Big Rig to combat immigrant smuggling by truck drivers.
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In a preliminary budget request, the Texas Education Agency revealed it expects the state to put less money into public education next year because of fast-increasing local property values.
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The shelter will grow to 3,800 beds. It will now stay open through at least the end of the year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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A forthcoming report by the Texas Campaign for the Environment Fund says the standards Texas uses to determine how much — and whether — to clean up abandoned industrial facilities and other contaminated sites are 'significantly weaker' than those of neighboring states and the federal government, in part because it tolerates a higher cancer risk.
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At a closed-door meeting with Republican donors, President Donald Trump's budget chief said likability "still counts," The New York Times reported Saturday.
The report came the same day Cruz and Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke hosted rallies in Harris County – the state’s biggest, most competitive county.
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The campaign of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke says some eyebrow-raising texts that surfaced Wednesday were not "approved" by the campaign.
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The ruling comes after a five-day trial in July at which patients, health providers, state agency officials, cemetery directors and religious leaders got on the witness stand.
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On day one, the exchanges were limited to opening statements on the part of nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the committee's senators. U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz each made it known that they believed their Democratic colleagues were engaging in political posturing.
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In a tweet Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he’d be coming to Texas in October to participate in “a major rally” for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican incumbent facing a tougher-than-usual challenge this year against Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of El Paso.
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The report claims fecal bacteria at Texas beaches, rivers and lakes frequently reached unsafe levels in 2017.
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Texas sees more than $40 billion in total trade with Canada every year. Canada's potential exclusion from any new U.S. trade deal could result in the nation implementing costly tariffs that would hit Texas business, a trade expert says.
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After more than 13 hours of deliberation, jurors convicted former Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver of murder in the fatal shooting of an unarmed, 15-year-old black teenager.
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The toddler from Guatemala died six weeks after leaving an ICE family detention center in Dilley. She had not yet turned two years old.
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Harris County voters overwhelmingly approved a bond measure that would finance an array of flood control projects in the Houston area. Saturday's vote came on the first anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, which brought one of the worst urban floods in U.S. history to the Houston region.
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A video of Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, expressing support for NFL players kneeling during the national anthem has gone viral, earning national attention.
Plus, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick agrees to a debate, with Geraldo Rivera.
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A new poll showed the U.S. Senate race between U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke is tight, just as the fall campaign is about to begin.
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Texas' Republican leadership cheered the announcement of the so-called Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule, which will give states broad authority in determining how to regulate pollution from coal-fired power plants. Along with coal-friendly West Virginia, Texas led a coalition of about two dozen states that sued over the rule's predecessor, calling it federal overreach.
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Following backlash, the A&M System is banning relationships between undergraduate students and faculty or staff. Meanwhile, the flagship campus in College Station is implementing nearly a dozen changes to the student disciplinary process.
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The Justice Department asked for the order to ensure that migrant parents who would otherwise have been detained can’t “bootstrap a right to release” just because they’re reunited with their children.
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In a strongly worded letter, McRaven, the former chancellor of the University of Texas System, asked President Donald Trump to revoke his security clearance so he could be included on "the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency."
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For the first time Wednesday, Texas school districts received official ratings that show their performance on a scale from A through F, perpetuating a debate on whether the new system is more accessible for parents.
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Even as federal officials were supposed to reunite separated immigrant children with their parents, the number of children in Texas' privately run shelters fell by only 88 between July 13 and Aug. 7.
The Trump administration said it would reunify families separated under the now-paused “zero tolerance” policy, but new data shows the number of children held in privately run shelters in Texas remains higher than normal, and has fallen by less than 2 percent in the past month.
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Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, announced Monday he will start airing TV ads in his race against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.
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The plan places a heavy burden on the American Civil Liberties Union, the advocacy group that successfully took the government to court this year to order the reunifications.
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The Trump administration has promised to phase out the Obama-era immigration program. But the president himself has also expressed sympathy for "Dreamers."
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There were more than 100,000 pending U.S. citizenship applications in Texas at the end of March, opponents of the state’s voter ID law say the years-long case is settled, and education officials are set to release the first official grades for school districts next week.
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Texas has sued to end Obama's landmark health care law before. But this time, it has support from the Trump administration, changes to the tax code and a potentially sympathetic judge.
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A head-spinning sequence of events appears to have put the Trump administration right where it started: running a "catch-and-release" immigration system in which families crossing the border illegally stay in the country as the government processes their asylum claims.
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, hit the campaign trail Saturday with amped-up warnings that his re-election is anything but a sure thing in November. The incumbent's comments came a day after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott brushed off assertions of a "blue wave."
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A mother of three U.S. citizens says she believed all her life she was an American. But after she helped put away a relative who sexually abused her child, her life unraveled. She's languishing in immigration detention.
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A poll from Quinnipiac University released Wednesday gives U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz a 6-point lead over his Democratic challenger, Beto O'Rourke.
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Some 400 parents were sent back to their native countries without their children. As an official with the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency, put it, “we don’t keep track of individuals once they’ve been deported to foreign countries.”
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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has warned U.S. Border Patrol that it could be forced to shutter a beloved state park on the southern tip of the state if President Donald Trump builds his border wall through it as proposed.
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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke is accepting a proposal by GOP incumbent Ted Cruz to debate five times over the next three months, though O'Rourke would like to add a sixth debate in El Paso.
The government says about 120 migrant parents chose not to be reunited with their children by Thursday's deadline. Lawyers who interviewed these migrants say they're on that list by mistake or worse.
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A federal judge has ordered immigration officials to reunite all migrant children 5 and older with their parents by Thursday — but officials' own data shows that will be near impossible.
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The government’s primary “reunification and removal” site also went on lockdown for several hours Sunday after losing track of a male migrant, according to two lawyers and a Salvadoran woman released from the facility Monday.
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A federal judge has ordered immigration officials to reunite all migrant children under 5 with their parents by Thursday — but officials' own data shows that will be near impossible.
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On the brink of being released from detention and reunited with children separated from them sometimes months ago, migrant parents are held at a South Texas facility in a sort of limbo — not free to leave, but without access to phones or commissary accounts that regular detainees get.
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The uptick in the number of Democrats running across Texas this election cycle has exposed a weakness in the party’s statewide apparatus: a shortage of experienced operatives equipped to run campaigns.
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At least 70 infants have been ordered to appear in immigration court after being separated from their parents.
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President Donald Trump's performance alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday is drawing sharp reactions from some Texans in Congress and muted ones from others.
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Candidates for Congress recently filed their second-quarter fundraising reports. In some districts, Democratic candidates raised more than double what the Republican incumbents reported.
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State and reproductive rights attorneys are scheduled to be in federal court again today to argue whether Texas should make health providers cremate or bury fetal remains. Also in today's podcast, a Salvadoran mother and her 16-year-old daughter — separated by U.S. authorities in mid-May — were finally reunited in Corpus Christi Friday. Tears dissolved into smiles as the two walked out of the Bokenkamp Children's Shelter.
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The federal government completed its first round of family reunifications, but 45 percent of the children involved were not reconnected with the adults who brought them into the United States.
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Beto O’Rourke, the Democrat working to unseat Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, said Wednesday night he raised a whopping $10.4 million in the second quarter of 2018. The El Paso congressman’s biggest money haul yet. Listen for more on the latest in Texas state economic and revenue growth.
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Despite the federal government's Tuesday deadline, dozens of immigrant children under 5 years old remain separated from their families. Also in today's episode, professors with the University of Texas at Austin plan to argue before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on the effect that guns on campus have on free speech. Listen for more.
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At a federal court hearing in California on Monday, a government lawyer said that nearly half of the 100 migrant children the federal government plans to reunite with their families won't be reunited by the Tuesday deadline.
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It will be especially difficult to reunite toddlers with parents who may have been released into the interior United States or even deported back to their home countries, government attorneys argued.
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As the humanitarian crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border comes more into focus, Trump administration officials insist that there is a "right way" for families fleeing persecution to seek asylum in the United States: Come to an official port of entry. But such families are still finding themselves in a lot of trouble.
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador, 64, had been running on an “anti-American campaign for a long, long time.”
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Poland and Texas have comparable populations, conservative governments and stringent anti-abortion policies. But they differ significantly in how health care is delivered for women — and in the role they allow midwives to play in the childbirth process.
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Many Rio Grande Valley residents have farmed land along the border fence for decades. On hot summer days, they mow their lawns and repair trucks, take care of ailing relatives and sip coffee at local convenience stores. What they don’t do, they say, is worry about a crisis at the border.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton demanded Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent Scribner turn over a copy of a sixth-grade health curriculum that includes lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity.
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The state's two U.S. senators are likely to play pivotal roles in what is expected to be a politically explosive confirmation process.
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The federal court said all children must be returned to their families within 30 days. Children under 5 must be reunited with parents within 14 days.
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A group of undocumented immigrant parents released from federal custody on Monday told reporters that despite the government's glossy spin on how families will be reunited, they aren't too optimistic they'll see their children anytime soon.
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Joined by a senator from New Mexico, the two Texas congressmen got a short tour of the detention camp and said nearly 300 minors are there, including some whose parents have been deported to their home countries. The tour came hours before the Trump administration said it has a plan to reunite more than 2,000 migrant children still in federal custody.
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More than 2,000 children have been separated from their families at the border. Here's the latest on what's happening at the border, in Washington and among Texas politicians.
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Male Republicans support separating families trying to cross illegally into the U.S. from Mexico, but most other groups — and Texas voters overall — do not, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
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There is increasing political and policy concern at the U.S. Capitol over the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the Texas-Mexico border.
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ProPublica has obtained audio from inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in which children can be heard wailing as an agent jokes, “We have an orchestra here.”
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Days after a tent city went up near El Paso, demonstrators near the facility took aim at the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children from parents who were seeking asylum.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Thursday it has selected Tornillo as a site to house immigrant children separated from their parents under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy.
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Vice President Mike Pence, speaking Dallas Wednesday, promised the Trump administration would not be fooled by North Korea's recent promise to work toward denuclearization.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is considering several Texas military bases as sites for tent cities to house thousands of immigrant children separated from their parents, per McClatchy.
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“The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes — such as domestic violence or gang violence ... cannot itself establish an asylum claim,” U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ruled Monday.
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The Texas Senate’s new committee on school violence and security meets today and tomorrow. Lawmakers will hear invited and public testimony both days.
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The lawsuit filed against the Santa Fe shooting suspect's parents aims to hold gun owners responsible for the way they store their firearms around their troubled children. Experts say it fits into a nationwide pattern of gun liability cases that aspire to keep gun owners and manufacturers accountable through fear of high-cost lawsuits.
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"We are ready, and we are taking steps on a daily basis to make sure we will be able to address any challenge coming our way," Abbott told reporters after a briefing President Donald Trump and federal emergency officials.
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With the help of two Texas border Democrats, lawmakers are just three votes shy of having the number needed to bypass House Speaker Paul Ryan and force a vote on “Dreamers.”
On Tuesday, Democratic U.S. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Filemon Vela announced they would in fact sign onto the petition another border congressman Republican Will Hurd, originally spearheaded.
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President Donald Trump tweeted Monday that he has “the absolute right to pardon himself," should he be charged as a result of the investigation into possible Russian collusion with his 2016 presidential campaign. But one constitutional scholar — Texas' own U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz — was at a bit of a loss for words when asked about it on capitol hill.
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The San Antonio-area Republican says he has the votes to bring multiple immigration bills to the floor of the U.S. House for debate; a move he expects to happen this month.
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A coalition of Texas-based lawyers filed an emergency request Thursday to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to order the Trump Administration to stop separating immigrant parents from their children at the border.
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President Donald Trump will meet with the families of the victims of the Santa Fe High School shooting when he travels to Texas on Thursday, according to the White House.
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Gov. Greg Abbott will unveil a plan Wednesday to make the state's schools safer in light of the recent shooting rampage in Santa Fe that killed 10 people.
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Following last week’s discussions with law enforcement, legislators and victims of recent mass shootings in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick vowed to work through the weekend to lay out a school safety plan before the next school year gets underway in August.
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Texas suburbs claimed the top of the list of fastest-growing cities in the nation while San Antonio added the most people of any city in the country, according to new census estimates.
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The Republican governor said he could get behind a few proposed regulations that arose from the second day of discussions on school and gun safety after a fatal shooting in Santa Fe.
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Democrat Lupe Valdez will face off against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the fall. Two incumbents in the Texas House lost their runoffs. And more moderate Republican candidates largely fended off challenges from hardline conservatives.
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Following the state's first-in-the-nation primaries in March, Texas voters will decide more than 30 primary runoffs Tuesday, including a statewide Democratic fight for that party's nominee for governor, and several contentious congressional runoffs.
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After a deadly school shooting in Santa Fe, Democrats called for swift action on guns. Gov. Greg Abbott said he'd convene roundtable discussions. And Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said schools have "too many entrances and too many exits."
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Early voting totals for the 2018 primary runoff in Texas have been hovering around 2-percent in the 30 counties with the most registered voters. In Travis County, the county clerk Dana DeBeauvoir sent out an email blast early in the week asking voters simply, âWhere are you???â
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The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement had previously indicated it would allow continuing education credits for John Guandolo's "Understanding the Jihadi Threat to America" course. Guandolo had called Islam "barbaric and evil." News of the course spurred complaints from advocacy groups.
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The Texas Attorney General's Office says Purdue Pharma fueled "the nation's opioid epidemic by deceptively marketing prescription painkillers," including OxyContin.
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Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders have shown resistance to expanding gambling in the state in recent years.
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As early voting begins in Texas' Republican congressional runoffs, just about every race has devolved into a battle over which candidate supports President Donald Trump more.
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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez and her runoff opponent, Andrew White, will meet on May 11 in Austin to debate.
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Fed up with a long stretch of inaction on immigration in the U.S. House, U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, and some of his Republican colleagues declared Wednesday that they'll try to force the House to vote on a series of bills addressing the status of undocumented immigrants brought into the country while they were children, among other immigration measures.
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U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, the highest-ranking House Republican â and Texan â on national defense issues, said President Donald Trump should have given "our European allies a few more months to strengthen the deal."
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"If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law," U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a speech to law enforcement officials Monday. "If you donât like that, then donât smuggle children over our border."
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In a long speech, Trump declared his support for Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Attorney General Ken Paxton, and decried the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller.
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Smith, executive commissioner for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, will step down at the end of May after weeks of intense scrutiny over how the commission handles contracts.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez has agreed to debate her runoff opponent, Andrew White, on May 11 in Austin.
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The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing to fight an Obama-era immigration measure that protects hundreds of thousands of immigrants nationwide from deportation.
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"This weekend, I fell short," Valdez said in a lengthy statement. "A young woman asked me a question at a forum over the weekend regarding my track record, and she did not get the answer she deserved. I am sorry, and I understand why people are disappointed."
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The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Texas' voter identification law, reversing a lower court ruling that found it discriminated against voters of color.
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The Texas native's nomination went into free fall as reports emerged that alleged Jackson led a hostile work environment, over-prescribed drugs and possibly drank on the job.
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In a letter Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott told former U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold he should return $84,000 that he used to settle a sexual harassment claim to taxpayers by funding a June 30 special election to finish his term.
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U.S. District Judge John D. Bates allowed for a 90-day hold on his ruling âto afford [the Department of a Homeland Security] an opportunity to better explain its view that DACA is unlawful.â
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The U.S. Supreme Court this week will hear a case over whether Texas' congressional and state House maps were drawn with the intent to discriminate against Hispanic and black voters.
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United States presidents, first ladies and Texas governors gathered Saturday in Houston to honor the life of former First Lady Barbara Bush, who died Tuesday. A motorcade after the service transported Bush to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, where a private family ceremony was held at her burial site.
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All the Democratic men in the U.S. Senate â plus Ted Cruz â signed a letter urging an overhaul of Congress' sexual harassment policy. Cruz, a Texas Republican, is at the forefront of revamping the U.S. Senate's internal sexual harassment policies. Last year he joined a New York Democrat in introducing legislation proposing such an overhaul.
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A new Quinnipiac University poll of Texas voters finds 47 percent support Cruz, the Republican incumbent, while 43 percent back O'Rourke, an El Paso Democrat.
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Barbara Pierce Bush, matriarch of an American political dynasty that has produced presidents, governors and other high officials, has died in Houston. She was 92.
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With the Corpus Christi Republican out of Congress, members of both parties have little leverage to convince him to repay taxpayers.
Last year, federal judges ruled that when Texas lawmakers redrew the 27th Congressional District in 2011, they did so in a way that diminished the political clout of Hispanic voters. As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in a redistricting case that includes CD-27, take a closer look at what's at issue in the district.
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Former first lady Barbara Bush has endured a series of hospitalizations and has decided to halt treatment for her failing health, according to a statement from her family Sunday.
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A federal jury in Houston has ruled that Steve Stockman, a conservative Republican, is guilty of all but one charge in his federal fraud trial.
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The decision could spur Republicans in Texas to seek leadership positions. Fundraising in the state and elsewhere could also be affected.
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Both U.S. Senators from Texas questioned the embroiled Facebook CEO about the content on the social networking site. Cruz accused Zuckerberg of engaging in "bias and censorship."
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Some of the stateâs top health experts released a report in the medical journal Obstetrics & Gynecology on Monday that used a new method for counting â and found that the number of women who died dropped from 147 to 56.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in a part of New Mexico that's included in CBP's El Paso sector will mark the official start of construction of a border wall.
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Candidates for state office in Texas have spent more than $120 million so far in the 2018 election cycle, with 82 percent of it benefitting Republicans and about a third of it spent on advertising.
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The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday announced the National Guard will once again be deployed to the countryâs southern border in an effort to stop illegal immigration into the country.
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U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, says he raked in over $6.7 million for his U.S. Senate bid in the first quarter of 2018. It's an eye-popping number that poses a new category of threat to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.
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"Texans aren't afraid," U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said Monday morning in Beaumont. "Texans are strong. Texans are free...Texans are tough." The rally marked the beginning of a 12-city, three-day tour of Texas to kick off Cruz's re-election bid.
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Today U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz makes his re-election bid official at an event near his hometown of Houston.
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People often use a shorthand to describe Austin: It's weird; itâs a progressive city; itâs a blueberry in a sea of tomato soup. But a sort of alternate reality exists for many residents of color. There have been moments over the past month that have highlighted this racial divide.
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The announcement comes after weeks of speculation that another Texan â Energy Secretary Rick Perry â might land the post.
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School officials are accessing other grants, pulling from local taxpayer dollars and diverting funding from different parts of their budgets to meet state pre-K requirements. Theyâre making things work for now, but they anticipate problems.
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Come 2020, Census takers will see a question about their citizenship status on the survey.
In a release late Monday, the U.S. Commerce Department announced it would be reinstating the controversial inquiry to collect citizenship data and help enforce the Voting Rights Act.
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âThis is a defining moment for our city, our state and our country,â Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told rally attendees at the city's Tranquility Park Saturday morning, just one of several rallies in Texas that drew tens of thousands of attendees.
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After the decision, leaders of the West Texas university affiliated with Churches of Christ said their âfirst instinct is not exclusion but to love.â
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Authorities have identified the man as Pflugerville resident Mark A. Conditt. They say he died Wednesday in one of his own bomb blasts as they were trying to arrest him.
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Police say a suspect died by his own explosive device early Wednesday morning as they attempted to arrest him.
Two more Austin residents were injured Sunday evening in an apparent bombing, local police confirmed Monday. This marks the latest in a series of explosions that has kept Texas' capital city on edge.
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As Texas' school finance commission is set hold its next hearing, some members and policy experts are arguing the hearings seem set toward a predetermined outcome â making schools do more with the funding they have.
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Lambda Legal has settled with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in the case of Passion Star, a transgender woman who claimed prison officials didnât protect her from sexual and physical abuse while incarcerated in male prisons.
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As a national debate swirls after the mass shooting in Florida, students across the nation join National School Walkout Day. With most Texas students on spring break, some did their walkouts last week.
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As the case over Senate Bill 4 plays out, the U.S. 5th Circuit of Appeals ruled Tuesday that most of the immigration enforcement legislation can remain in effect.
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Nearly a year after a series of self-inflicted wounds led to a purge of the agency's upper management, a new commissioner and new executive director have launched a series of reforms â and the businesses they regulate say they've seen a big change.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say the detention center where the bites occurred is being inspected.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said in a Thursday interview he thought it was "outrageous" that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had come out against Moser before the primary.
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Texas women candidates won or made it to the run-offs in more than 50 primary races statewide amid a surge in interest in running for office among women around the country.
More election coverage available at www.texastribune.org.
While Beto OâRourke easily won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, his share of the vote is surprisingly low given his aggressive campaigning and fundraising. Both of his lesser-known primary rivals won in multiple counties.
The 2018 Texas primaries are here â the nine-week sprint campaigns started running after candidate filing closed are crossing the finish line.
We will have complete live coverage Tuesday evening.
Visit texastribune.org for up-to-the-minute election results and analysis from our reporters on the key races and trends this cycle.
Democratic turnout more than doubled from four years ago, while Republican turnout rose less than 15 percent. Election day is Tuesday, Mar. 6.
Keep up with the latest campaign news at www.texastribune.org.