Gov. Greg Abbott and local officials are fighting several legal battles over mask mandates. Here’s what you need to know.
The Texas fight over mask mandates is confusing. We’re here to help. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott holds a press conference in Dallas on unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border on March 17, 2021.]()
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Texas’ ban on school mask mandates draws federal investigation for possibly violating the rights of students with disabilities
The U.S. Department of Education announced the inquiry days after the Texas Education Agency quietly updated its guidance to say school districts can’t require masks. Full Story
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![Fifth graders at Jacob’s Well Elementary School in Wimberley work from behind desktop barriers meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on Sept. 4, 2020.]()
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John Cornyn eyes Senate GOP leadership role, says House will flip easier than Senate in midterms
Texas’ senior senator was reelected to a fourth term last year. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in November of 2020.]()
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After losing to a Democrat in 2020, former GOP state Sen. Pete Flores seeks election in newly drawn Republican district
Within hours, Flores got the endorsement of Sen. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway, who is vacating the seat to run for land commissioner, and then Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate. Full Story
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![State Sen. Pete Flores, R-Pleasanton, on the Senate floor on April 9, 2019.]()
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Watch Peter Hotez and Leana Wen discuss the coronavirus pandemic at The Texas Tribune Festival
Hotez is co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital. Wen is a professor of health policy and management at George Washington University. Full Story
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![Leana Wen and Peter Hotez.]()
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Texas’ near-total abortion ban caps a decadeslong war by conservative legislators to block access to the procedure
Getting an abortion in Texas has become more difficult than anywhere else in the nation. Full Story
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![An ultrasound machine sits next to an empty patient's bed at Whole Women’s Health of Austin on Sept. 1, 2021.]()
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Watch Texas lawmakers Larry Taylor and Harold Dutton discuss education and the Legislature at The Texas Tribune Festival
Taylor, a Friendswood Republican, chairs the Senate Education Committee. Dutton, a Houston Democrat, chairs the House Public Education Committee. Full Story
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![State Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, and state Rep. Harold V. Dutton Jr., D-Houston.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Watch Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar discuss polarization in Washington, D.C., at The Texas Tribune Festival
The former presidential candidate will also talked about why she thinks breaking up big monopolies is good for America. Full Story
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![Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator from Minnesota, speaks with Steve Kornacki at the Texas Tribune Festival in downtown Austin. Kornacki is a political journalist from NBC.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune