Big 12 OKs football season, paving way for UT-Austin, Texas Tech, TCU and Baylor to play

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• Jay Hartzell named sole finalist for UT-Austin president

  by Reese Oxner 1 hour ago

  Hartzell, dean of the University of Texas at Austin’s business school, has served as interim president since April after former president Greg Fenves stepped down after five years at the helm. Full Story 

• $400 in extra unemployment benefits remain uncertain in Texas after Trump's executive order

  by Valeria Olivares, Matthew Watkins and Patrick Svitek Updated: 4 hours ago

  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. Full Story 

• Trump called the USMCA the best trade deal ever. Analysts say it's not likely to help Texas during the pandemic.

  by Meena Venkataramanan and Julián Aguilar 7 hours ago

  The COVID-19 pandemic has clobbered the Texas economy and trade with Mexico, clouding the trade deal’s potential impacts, experts say. Full Story 

• Analysis: The election won’t humble the coronavirus. It’s the other way around.

  by Ross Ramsey 9 hours ago

  When general election voting starts in two months, Texas voters will know some things they don't know today to help them make decisions, like what actually happens when you open public schools or allow college football to proceed. Full Story 

• White House acknowledges new unemployment assistance less than what President Trump originally touted

  by Jeff Stein, Tony Romm and Erica Werner, The Washington Post Aug. 11, 2020

  Under President Donald Trump’s directive, the federal government may only have enough money to pay the enhanced $300 weekly benefits for about five weeks. The extra federal benefit was previously $600 a week. Full Story 

• More than half a million Texans have tested positive for coronavirus

  by Texas Tribune Staff Updated: Aug. 11, 2020

  The state also reported 7,216 patients currently being hospitalized and 220 new deaths due to the coronavirus. Full Story 

• T-Squared: Okay, *this* is the best Texas Tribune Festival program ever

  by Evan Smith Aug. 11, 2020

  250 speakers. 100 sessions. 30 thought-provoking days. And you don’t have to leave your comfiest chair. Full Story 

• What losing football to COVID-19 would mean for Texas college towns: "It’s like losing Christmas"

  by Raga Justin and Reese Oxner Aug. 11, 2020

  Economists said canceling football would be devastating to local businesses that rely on the huge influxes of cash from home games. Meanwhile, athletics officials weigh whether they can risk the health and welfare of student athletes. Full Story 

• Local health authority resigns in Texas border county battered by coronavirus

  by Shannon Najmabadi Aug. 10, 2020

  Dr. Jose Vazquez resigned from his position as health authority after members of the commissioners court rejected increasing his pay from $500 a month to $10,000. Full Story 

• Coronavirus outbreak at Houston-area nursing home kills 17 residents

  by Meena Venkataramanan and Carla Astudillo Updated: Aug. 10, 2020

  The news comes as Texas resumes limited visitations in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities that meet certain requirements. Full Story 

• Coronavirus testing in Texas plummets as schools prepare to reopen

  by Edgar Walters and Emma Platoff Aug. 10, 2020

  Texas' low number of tests and large percentage of positive results suggest inadequacies in the state's public health surveillance effort at a time when school reopenings are certain to increase viral spread, health experts said. Full Story 

• ICE is making sure migrant kids don't have COVID-19, then expelling them to "prevent the spread" of COVID-19

  by Lomi Kriel, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica and Dara Lind, ProPublica Aug. 10, 2020

  The administration has used infection risk to justify expelling thousands of children without legal protections. But it’s only expelling kids who’ve tested negative. Full Story 

• Restaurants, bars and breweries scramble to reinvent themselves to get around Gov. Greg Abbott's bar shutdown

  by Reese Oxner Aug. 10, 2020

  Businesses that make up most of their sales with alcohol were closed down by Abbott's latest shutdown order, leaving them to maneuver through loopholes to reopen. Full Story 

• Analysis: The opening line in every Texas political debate

  by Ross Ramsey Aug. 10, 2020

  School openings, government hearings, going to bars, voting, shopping, even the doings at the Texas Capitol hinge on the same issues: whether it’s safe to gather, and how to go about it. Full Story 

• Texas State Sen. Pat Fallon wins GOP nomination to replace John Ratcliffe on November ballot, becoming Ratcliffe's likely successor

  by Patrick Svitek Updated: Aug. 8, 2020

  Fallon moves on to a November challenge with a Democratic opponent in the solidly red district. The vacancy was created when Ratcliffe was confirmed as U.S. director of national intelligence. Full Story 

• Out of work and behind on rent, this South Texas mom says the pandemic is taking a toll on her mental health

  by Alana Rocha, Justin Dehn and Todd Wiseman Aug. 8, 2020

  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. Full Story