Here's a look at who's interested in replacing Straus as House speaker
Despite all the focus on November, many in Texas politics are keeping a close eye on January. That's when the 150-member Texas House will pick its new House speaker. Full Story
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Abbott presses Congress for an extra $61 billion to rebuild after Harvey
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott flew to Washington to press the case for an additional $61 billion in federal disaster recovery money to rebuild public infrastructure after Hurricane Harvey’s devastation. Full Story
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![A load of evacuees in the back of Chris Ginter's monster truck in Houston on Tuesday, Aug 29, 2017. Ginter helped evacuate people from their flooded neighborhood near the Buffalo Bayou.]()
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TCEQ toxicologist, who has questioned ozone risks, appointed to EPA advisory board
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday it had appointed Michael Honeycutt, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's chief toxicologist, as chairman of the federal agency's Science Advisory Board. Full Story
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ACLU sues Trump administration, seeks release of undocumented girl with cerebral palsy
The American Civil Liberties Union announced Tuesday it is suing the Trump administration, seeking the release of an undocumented 10-year-old with cerebral palsy who is currently in federal custody in Texas. Full Story
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![Rosa Maria Hernandez, an undocumented 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, was taken into custody by federal Customs and Border Patrol agents after emergency surgery at a Texas hospital.]()
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U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, a Dallas Republican, says he won't run for re-election
U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, a powerful Dallas Republican who has served in Congress since 2003, announced Tuesday he won't seek re-election to a ninth term. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on February 13, 2017.]()
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The Brief: After former Trump campaign staffers' indictments, Texans react
Texans spent Monday reacting — or not — to indictments against three former campaign officials for President Donald Trump. Full Story
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![Des Moines, Iowa USA January 28, 2016: New York businessman Donald Trump rallies a crowd of veterans at Drake University while other Republican presidential candidates hold a final Des Moines debate prior to next week's caucuses.]()
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Texas insurers to cover advanced breast cancer screenings
A new law will require insurance companies to cover 3-D mammograms for Texas patients. The advanced screening technology allows for early detection of cancer and reduces false positives. Full Story
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![A new law will require insurers to cover 3-D mammograms at no additional cost to patients. Radiology technologist Shadak Kiankarimi works with a 3-D mammography machine at ARA Diagnostic Imaging in Austin. The computer screen shows the detail of the 3-D imaging.]()
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Open enrollment for health insurance brings new challenges in Texas
Open enrollment for health insurance, which begins Nov. 1, will be shorter this year, and President Donald Trump has slashed funding for subsidies and outreach. Full Story
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Amid opioid crisis, Texas subsidized drug distributor it's now investigating
In 2016, Gov. Greg Abbott announced a $9.75 million grant to McKesson Corporation. Now, Texas is among the states investigating the giant drug distributor's role in a growing opioid crisis. Full Story
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![Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at the grand opening of McKesson Corporation's campus in Irving on April 6, 2017. Abbott's office granted McKesson — the nation's largest drug distributor— $9.75 million to help build the campus. Texas has since joined a 41-state investigation into whether McKesson and other drug companies helped fuel an opioid addiction crisis.]()
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Med school on the cheap: Why becoming a doctor in Texas is a bargain
When Caitlin Comfort decided to go to medical school, the Yale grad had her heart set on the East Coast. But facing $90,000 per year price tags for tuition, she said no thanks, and started applying to schools back home in Texas. Full Story
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Texas delegation treads cautiously in reactions to former Trump campaign officials' indictments
Members of Texas' delegation reacted cautiously as they processed Monday's developments in the investigation into whether Trump campaign officials colluded with Russian intelligence. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio (left), and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court examines investigatory funding in Texas death penalty case
A 1995 murder of a Houston woman led a case to the nation's highest court Monday. The U.S Supreme Court heard arguments on the issue of federal funding in death penalty investigations during the appeals process. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 2017.]()
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The Brief: DA ends investigation of Paxton's legal defense gift; Abbott, Johnson discuss Confederate statues
From a meeting over Confederate statues to a Dallas-area psychiatric hospital under renewed scrutiny, here's what you may have missed over the weekend. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Texas Federation of Republican Women Convention in Dallas on Oct. 19, 2017.]()
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Kicking in doors and crushing credit: How a Texas-based retailer torments customers
Thousands of Rent-A-Center customers are complaining in growing numbers of harassment and wrecked finances after leasing furniture, electronics or appliances from the Plano-based company. Full Story
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![Olivia Quinn stands next to a dresser she bought as a part of a bedroom set from Acceptance Now, on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 in Newport News, Va. Quinn says a series of mistakes by the company led to a ding on her credit report, which cost her years of hassle and a mortgage.]()
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Analysis: The road to the Texas speaker’s office is longer than it looks
It's not hard to find predictions of what's going to happen in the race for Texas speaker now that Joe Straus is not running for another term. But nobody knows what's next — and they won't for at least a year. Full Story
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![The House Chamber at the Texas Capitol on August 16, 2017, the morning after the end of the special session.]()
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District attorney closes probe into Paxton legal defense gift
Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Wiley said her office had closed its investigation into whether Attorney General Ken Paxton acted illegally in accepting a $100,000 gift from a CEO whose company was under investigation for fraud. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton speaks at the Texas State Rifle Association General Meeting in Round Rock on Feb. 25, 2017.]()
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Legislators mull changing Texas law allowing criminal charges against rent-to-own customers
Texas lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said Friday they are mulling legislative reforms to criminal laws that allow rent-to-own companies to pursue felony theft charges against customers who default on payments for sofas, TVs and other merchandise. Full Story
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![A rent-to-own company threatened to file criminal charges against Austin resident Melinda Sandlin after she stopped making payments. Sandlin looks through her rental purchase agreement and other related documents at her Austin home on Aug. 30, 2017.]()
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Conflicting accounts follow meeting with governor over Confederate plaque
A meeting between state Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over Confederate monuments on Capitol grounds ended with the governor supportive of removing a controversial plaque, according to Johnson. Full Story
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![The "Children of the Confederacy Creed" plaque was highlighted in a letter state Rep. Eric Johnson sent to the State Preservation Board, asking that it be taken down.]()
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Vice President Mike Pence to headline fundraiser for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
Gov. Greg Abbott, already sitting on a massive war chest for his re-election campaign, is getting some fundraising help from Vice President Mike Pence. Full Story
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![Vice President Mike Pence (left) and Gov. Greg Abbott.]()
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The Brief: Abbott set to discuss the future of the Capitol's Confederate monuments today
The ball may move today on the conversation surrounding what should be done with Confederate monuments on Texas Capitol grounds. Full Story
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![The Confederate Soldiers' Monument on the south lawn of the state Capitol in Austin.]()
Credit: John Jordan for The Texas Tribune
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