Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

President Obama speaks to a crowd at the University of Texas on Aug. 9, 2010.

Your afternoon reading: Obama to give immigration speech during El Paso visit; House draws line in the sand over budget; Ron Paul nets $1 million from debate moneybomb

Enlarge photo by: Jacob Villanueva

Protesters march down Congress avenue towards to the Capitol for the Immigration rally on Feb 22, 2010.

Immigration legislation — mostly dormant so far this session — will see some action in the Legislature today.

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

President Obama speaks to a crowd at the University of Texas on Aug. 9, 2010.

Your afternoon reading: Obama to stop in El Paso before Austin visit next week; conservative think tank launches budget ads; Down syndrome group wants abortion sonogram change

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, speaks on the Senate floor against the state budget on third reading on May 4, 2011.

Democrats — stripped of power on Wednesday after Republicans skirted a Senate procedural tradition — may now be shut out of the budget debate entirely.

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Lt. Governor David Dewhurst listens to members after the Texas Senate voted, 19-12, to pass the budget on May 4, 2011.

Your afternoon reading: Senate tentatively approves budget; Cornyn, Perry take aim at White House for denying disaster relief; abortion sonogram compromise reached

Enlarge photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera

Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, listens to comments during floor debate on the state budget on May 3, 2011.

Amid a flurry of activity in the Legislature on Tuesday, the Senate quietly eyed a procedural oddity it may use today to pass the state budget.

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Nice to discover — belatedly — that Fast Company magazine named the Tribune one of the 10 most innovative media companies in the world in its March 2011 issue, which is all about the most innovative companies of 2011.

Enlarge photo by: Todd Wiseman

Your afternoon reading: senators battle over Alamo bill; panel targets Planned Parenthood; re-evaluating the legacy of George W. Bush

Enlarge photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera

With one major tweak, abortion sonogram legislation inched closer to the governor's desk Monday.

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It's exactly 18 months since we launched, and by now you know that we're in this for you — for Texas. If you believe in our brand of public service journalism, if you care about the big issues affecting every one of us, now is the time to become a member of The Texas Tribune.

Enlarge photo by: Todd Wiseman

Your afternoon reading: politics seen in bin Laden reactions; Senate OK pushes abortion sonogram bill closer to governor's desk; senators eye another Rainy Day proposal

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Karen Wood — user name: KarenJWood — who amassed 103,612 points in the month of April and takes home our big prize: a baker's dozen of books published by the University of Texas Press. Trust me: You're gonna love our May prize.

Enlarge photo by: Caleb Bryant Miller

The news Sunday night of Osama bin Laden's killing drew jubilation and solemn reflection nationwide, and at home here in Texas.

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For the latest installment of our unscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked whether the state should pay the costs if identities are stolen using state data, whether the state is can be trusted with data, and whether the comptroller will suffer politically for the latest data breach.