Paul Bettencourt Named Texas Senate GOP Caucus Chairman
Senate Republicans unanimously selected state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, as the next chairman of their caucus at a meeting of the group Tuesday night. Full Story
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![Paul Bettencourt, now a state senator, is shown on Dec. 5, 2014, during the "What the Tea Party Wants" panel at a Texas Tribune event previewing the 2014 legislative session.]()
Credit: Charlie Pearce -
Cruz Sees a Heightened Urgency to Iowa Win
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and some of his allies are increasingly signaling that they see more urgency than usual in prevailing in the Hawkeye State, where a win by Republican rival Donald Trump could snowball. Full Story
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![Ted Cruz speaks with Iowans on Saturday in New Hartford, a small town near Waterloo. The stop was part of the first day of the Republican presidential candidate's last swing through the state before the Feb. 1 caucuses.]()
Credit: Patrick Svitek -
State Rep. Ruth McClendon Submits Letter of Resignation
State Rep. Ruth McClendon, D-San Antonio, has submitted a letter of resignation to Gov. Greg Abbott, effective Jan 31, the governor's office confirmed Tuesday. Full Story
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![Sen. Rodney Ellis and State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio, celebrate Gov. Abbott's signing of HB48 that establishes the Timothy Cole Exoneration Review Commission. In background is Cole's brother, Cory Session.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Nobel Laureate Becomes Reluctant Anti-Gun Leader
UT-Austin Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg has emerged as a leader, albeit a reluctant one, for faculty who oppose allowing guns in their classrooms after saying he will try to prevent students who want to carry handguns from taking his courses. Full Story
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![Nobel Prize-Winning physicist Steven Weinberg told the Faculty Council at the University of Texas at Austin that he will attempt to ban guns from his classroom this fall, regardless of UT's policy.]()
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Indictment Sheds Light on Planned Parenthood Sting
As more details come to light about the criminal charges against the videographers that infiltrated a Planned Parenthood facility in Houston, it appears anti-abortion activist David Daleiden was indicted for the very crime he accused Planned Parenthood of committing. Full Story
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Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
Texas Again Seeks to Bar Syrian Refugees
In the latest controversy over Syrians seeking refuge in Texas, the state’s top lawyer on Tuesday again asked a federal judge to halt the resettlement of people fleeing the war-torn country. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at an open government conference in San Marcos on Dec. 9, 2015.]()
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As Oil Prices Plunge, Hegar Asked if Budget Outlook is Too Rosy
While Comptroller Glenn Hegar tried to assure lawmakers that plummeting oil prices do not mean the Texas economy is headed for a nosedive, some worried Hegar was being overly optimistic. Full Story
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![Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is interviewed by Texas Tribune CEO and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith on Jan. 21, 2016.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/ Texas Tribune -
Rick Perry: Iowa Trip Aims to "Add to the Edge" Ted Cruz Has in State
Long accustomed to traversing Iowa with a cast of local Republicans, presidential candidate Ted Cruz received some new company Tuesday in the form of a fellow Texan: former Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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![Former Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz spoke to reporters on Jan. 26, 2016, in Albia, Iowa. Perry, a former 2016 candidate for president, endorsed Cruz's presidential bid on Jan. 25, 2016.]()
Credit: Patrick Svitek -
Open Carry Confusing for Police, Businesses and Public, Senators Hear
Continued uncertainty over the provisions of a new state law allowing the open carry of handguns may prompt future legislative tinkering, Texas lawmakers said Tuesday. Full Story
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![Members of Open Carry Texas at the state Capitol on Jan. 26, 2015.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Police Group Upset After DPS Director Says Cops Should "Just Take" Being Spit At
When asked about escalations with law enforcement, Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said last week that officers need to respond professionally and added, "Anybody that’s been spit at ... you just take it." Full Story
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![Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, is interviewed by Texas Tribune CEO and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith on Jan. 19, 2016.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/ Texas Tribune -
Facing Felony Charges, Anti-Abortion Group Cites Free Speech Protections
As more details about the charges against anti-abortion activists who secretly-recorded Planned Parenthood staff come to light, the videographers are vowing to fight back — setting up a possible legal battle over First Amendment protections. Full Story
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![The waiting room at Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast's ambulatory surgical center in Houston Friday, August 2, 2013.]()
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Analysis: Planned Parenthood Critics Trapped Themselves
What started as an effort to shame Planned Parenthood has set back that organization’s foes, when a Harris County grand jury looking at the organization's actions instead indicted its accusers. Full Story
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![A Planned Parenthood clinic in Austin is shown in 2015.]()
Credit: John Jordan -
Lujan Edges Uresti in HD 118 Runoff
Lujan becomes the 99th Republican in the Texas House, one short of a supermajority, but will need to win again in the March primary and November general election to serve in the 2017 legislature. Full Story
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![Republican Rep. John Lujan, (l) and Democrat Tomas Uresti face off again this election in state House District 118.]()
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Texas Lawmakers: Don't Single Out College Students Who Carry Guns
State senators on Tuesday urged Texas' six university system chancellors not to single out students who carry guns on campus when the state's new campus carry goes into effect this August. Full Story
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As Pope's Trip to Border Nears, Catholics Wonder What His Message Will Be
With Pope Francis scheduled to visit Ciudad Juárez next month, the area's Catholics are speculating whether the famously outspoken pontiff will bring up hot-button social issues such as immigration, poverty and corruption. Full Story
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![A cardboard cutout of His Holiness Pope Francis greets residents of Ciudad Juárez on January 16, 2016. Pope Francis will visit the border city in February as part of a six-day tour of Mexico.]()
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Lawmakers to Review Open Carry and Campus Carry Laws Tuesday
Supporters and opponents of two controversial new gun laws passed last year — open carry and campus carry — will update Texas lawmakers Tuesday on how the measures are working so far. Full Story
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An Updated Look at Who's Running in Texas' 2016 Primary Elections
The ballots for the state's 2016 Republican and Democratic primary elections have been finalized. Here's a look at who has filed to run in those primaries, which will be held March 1. Full Story
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The Brief: Planned Parenthood Videos Yield Indictments
An investigation in Harris County into allegations that Planned Parenthood was illegally selling fetal tissue yielded indictments on Monday against the makers of undercover recordings of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston. Full Story
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Va. Tech Engineering Dean Richard Benson is Sole Finalist for UT-Dallas President
Richard Benson, the engineering dean at Virginia Tech University, will almost certainly become the next president of the University of Texas at Dallas after being named the sole finalist for the job Monday night. Full Story
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Nobel Laureate Professor: I'm Banning Guns in My UT Classroom
A Nobel Prize-winning physicist at the University of Texas at Austin declared Monday that he will try to ban guns from his classroom this fall, even if university rules and state law say he can't. Full Story
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![Stephanie Odam of Austin marches in a campus carry protest in Austin, Jan 8, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich