On the road to 2020: I’m Patrick Svitek, and I cover politics for The Texas Tribune.
Texans need to know who’s vying to represent them and how their policies would affect people's daily lives. That's where we come in. Full Story
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Migrants on border face confusion and fear under "remain in Mexico" policy
Some asylum seekers sent to Mexico under the Trump administration's Migration Protection Protocols told a U.S. judge Thursday that they fear remaining in Mexico as their asylum claims are pending. Full Story
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![Dozens of migrants wait outside Ciudad Juárez's Centro de Atención a Migrantes waiting to see if they'll be able to enter the United States.]()
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Analysis: Unseating John Cornyn won’t come cheap, and MJ Hegar knows it
The senator's first serious official challenger has a good story, ran a good race in 2018 and has a good bank of loud supporters cheering her on. But the way to measure Hegar's race is the same way Beto O'Rourke's challenge to Sen. Ted Cruz was measured — by how much money she can raise. Full Story
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![MJ Hegar.]()
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Some lawmakers want Texas to release vaccine opt-out rates for each school, not just for districts
Texas tries to track the number of students with vaccine exemptions every year, but the data is incomplete and doesn't include the opt-out rates for individual public schools. Amid a recent rise in measles cases across the country, some in the Legislature are calling for more detailed reporting. Full Story
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![Medical assistant Patricia Jaramillo holds a vial of the meningitis vaccine, August 7, 2012 in Houston at Legacy Community Health Services. Each vial contains one dose.]()
Credit: Eric Kayne for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: A conversation on children’s health and vaccines
We're livestreaming our conversation in Houston on how and why the anti-vaccination movement has taken off in Texas, moderated by Tribune Editor-in-Chief Emily Ramshaw. Full Story
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House committee passes Senate property tax bill — after altering it to look more like the lower chamber's version
A House panel lowered the Senate's cap on how much school property taxes can grow without voter approval, a move billed as symbol more than substance. Full Story
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![Rep. Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City, and Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, listen to testimony at the Ways and Means hearing on SB 2. Feb 27, 2019.]()
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Oil or property rights: House panel clashes over which to favor as it weighs eminent domain reforms
Several bills meant to protect Texas landowners facing condemnation for oil pipeline construction and electric transmission projects generated heated debate on Thursday at a Capitol committee hearing. Full Story
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![A sign opposing the Trans-Pecos pipeline is shown outside the home of Suzanne Bailey and Tom Short in Alpine in June 2015. Their house sits a few feet from one of the first visible signs that the pipeline is coming: a 23-acre lot that's set to be a staging area for segments of the pipeline. The couple complained of frequent loud noise and shaking of their home as heavy machinery works to smooth the land.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune -
"This is freedom": Texas House moves to expand alcohol sales on Sundays and at breweries
The House approved the changes in amendments to a broader bill about the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's operations. The Senate still could strip the changes from the bill. Full Story
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![Beer stacked at a Keg 1 O'Neal beer distribution warehouse in Temple, Texas in April 2018.]()
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Judge temporarily blocks enforcement of Texas law banning contractors from boycotting Israel
The order came in a case brought by a Pflugerville school speech pathologist who was told she could only continue her contract work if she promised not to boycott Israel. Full Story
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![The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announces the filing of a lawsuit against Texas' "No Boycott of Israel" law, on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018 in Austin. Speaking at the press conference is plaintiff Bahia Amawi, a teacher in the Pflugerville Independent School District who was forced to sign a pledge against her beliefs in order to get paid. She later quit her job as a speech therapist in the district.]()
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TribCast: A legislative status report, and MJ Hegar throws in for U.S. Senate
On this week’s TribCast, Emily talks to Ross, Patrick and Jolie about the Legislature’s progress — or lack thereof — as we cruise into the last month of the session, former congressional candidate MJ Hegar’s bid for John Cornyn’s U.S. Senate seat and a Texas mental health program meant to help prisoners avoid solitary confinement. Full Story
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![MJ Hegar speaks to supporters and volunteers at an early vote rally at her field office in Austin on Oct. 25, 2018.]()
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Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina charged with orchestrating an illegal voting scheme
Molina has dismissed the investigation as politically motivated. Full Story
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![Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina surrendered to authorities on illegal voting charges on April 25, 2019.]()
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Texas leads the nation in traffic deaths. These proposed laws could make roads safer.
Bills aimed at making a dent in traffic deaths have gotten mixed results at the Texas Legislature this year. Full Story
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![Early morning oilfield traffic moving southwest on Highway 115 toward Kermit, Texas.]()
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Texas Sen. Larry Taylor unveils new school finance bill, adding $5,000 teacher pay raise
The bill differs in significant ways from the version the House approved this month. Full Story
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![Senate Education Committee Chariman and state Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, during a committee meeting on Mar. 5, 2019.]()
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Of the border, on the border: I’m Julián Aguilar, and I cover immigration for The Texas Tribune
It’s not my job to tell people what they should think about the border; their own perspectives, politics and histories should shape their perceptions. But it is my job to tell people what’s happening here, and I’m lucky to have the added context of actually being from here. Full Story
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Could Texas high-speed rail hit a speed bump this session?
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. Full Story
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![The Japanese Shinkansen is a high-speed train used by JR Central in Japan. A private company is planning to build a rail line between Dallas and Houston using the same trains.]()
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Texas executes John William King in racist dragging death of James Byrd Jr.
King and two other white men were convicted in the brutal East Texas murder of Byrd, who was black. King was the second man executed for the crime; another man is serving a life sentence. Full Story
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Democratic 2020 candidates pitch platforms to women of color, black mayors in early swing through Texas
Both Texans running for president were joined by their fellow Democratic candidates at forums hosted by She the People and the African American Mayors Association in Houston. Topics included voting rights, health care and criminal justice. Full Story
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![The audience listens at the She the People Presidential Forum at Texas Southern University in Houston on Wednesday April 24, 2019. Eight Democratic presidential candidates attended to answer questions.]()
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Texas House advances resolution to allow Texans to vote on daylight saving time
The Texas House passed a resolution that would scrap twice-a-year time changes and ask voters to decide the future of "Texas Time." Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol at night.]()
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Texas House votes to advance bill to shore up teacher pension fund
The chambers will have to negotiate exactly who will pay to shore up the pension fund and how big the one-time additional check will be for retirees. Full Story
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![State Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, speaks to the press about the House school finance bill on Mar. 5, 2019.]()
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Watch eight Democrats running for president speak at a forum in Texas
Eight Democrats running for the White House, including Julián Castro and Beto O'Rourke, are set to speak at a presidential forum in Texas focused on women of color. Tune in live here. Full Story
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![The 'She The People Presidential Forum' will focus on issues of importance to women of color.]()
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