In this week’s episode, we discuss the half-million people booted from Texas’ Medicaid rolls and the state’s deployment of razor wire and buoys along the border in Eagle Pass.
July 2023
Posted in
Politics
Political dominoes could fall in Houston as 2 longtime Democrats campaign for mayor
State Sen. John Whitmire, first elected in 1982, and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, in office since 1995, could be vacating seats that haven’t been open for decades. The election calendar, however, may bring a tough decision for one or both.
Posted in
Health care
“Scared out of my mind”: A family scrambles after their disabled 3-year-old loses Medicaid
When Texas started scrubbing people from Medicaid after a three-year pause on removals during the pandemic, one family lost the insurance coverage that helped provide all treatments for their medically complex child.
Posted in
Climate Change in Texas
One in five Texans lives in a floodplain, state’s first-ever analysis shows
As it prepares a statewide flood prevention plan, the state found that almost 6 million Texans live in an area susceptible to floodwaters.
Posted in
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Texas nixed child ID kits after our investigation. Now a bill to spend taxpayer money on the kits in Pennsylvania is in trouble.
Legislation that would require purchasing the kits is facing key opposition after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found no evidence that they’d ever been used to find a missing child. The probe previously spurred Texas to strip millions in funding.
Posted in
Higher Education
Faculty worry about Texas A&M’s future after controversies over higher ed politicization
The university has been rattled by two cases in which university officials were apparently rushed into making faculty employment decisions due to political pressure.
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Politics
Texans in Congress lead bipartisan efforts to allow fentanyl test strips
The legislation comes after a bill to decriminalize the test strips passed the Texas House but died in the Senate despite support from Gov. Greg Abbott.
Posted in
Politics
U.S. House Republicans from Texas target federal funding unless Homeland Security chief is removed
Escalating their fight over Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ handling of immigration at the southern border, far-right representatives say they will oppose any appropriations for his agency.
Posted in
Politics
U.S. Capitol Police to open Texas field office, citing rising threats against members of Congress
Offices also will open in Milwaukee and Boston “due to the increased threat environment,” the police chief says.
Posted in
Politics
State Rep. Ryan Guillen finds himself in the middle of the action in his first term as a Republican
The longtime Rio Grande City representative, who switched parties in 2021, has played a key role in gun and immigration legislation this year.
