Current and former heads of Texas’ prison system defended asking for lesser amounts to air-condition facilities during a federal trial on extreme heat in TDCJ facilities.
Alex Nguyen
Alex Nguyen is a general assignment reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Before joining the newsroom in 2025, she was a breaking news reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She previously was a reporting fellow for the Tribune and a reporting intern at Bloomberg News. A graduate of Columbia University’s Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, Alex was raised mostly in Vancouver, Canada, and she has reported for various regional and national outlets there. She speaks Vietnamese and conversational Spanish and will be based in Austin.
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Criminal Justice
Federal trial over air conditioning in Texas prisons set to start Monday
About two-thirds of Texas prisons are not fully air conditioned, and dozens of inmates have died in the sweltering heat.
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Health care
Measles spike in federal detention facility reaches the Texas public, records show
Most of the state’s measles cases reported so far this year are inside the West Texas Detention Facility in Hudspeth County, where four infected El Paso residents worked.
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State Government
Texas cities, state government cancel Cesar Chavez Day in wake of report on activist
The New York Times on March 18 published allegations that the labor rights leader had sexually abused women and girls.
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Health care
147 measles cases reported in Texas so far this year, most of them in federal detention centers
Local officials report that 108 of the cases originated in a contracted detention facility in Hudspeth County.
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Criminal Justice
Texas jails aren’t meeting deadlines to free inmates, costing some counties thousands in settlements
The state does not track the prevalence or provide guidance on the issue, leaving inmates to languish in jail and eventually sue counties for damages.
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Courts
Texas’ drag show restrictions take effect after years of court challenges
The law prohibits sexually explicit drag performances on public property or in front of children.
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Criminal Justice
Ex-Uvalde schools police chief sues CBP, seeking agents’ testimony in his criminal trial
Prosecutors and attorneys for Pete Arrendondo, who faces charges over the shooting’s botched response, have repeatedly requested U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to testify. The agency has refused.
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Immigration
Afghan man with pending asylum case dies in ICE custody in Dallas
Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal died Saturday morning at a Dallas hospital, one day after being taken into custody by ICE.
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Politics
Kamala Harris endorses James Talarico for U.S. Senate after supporting his opponent in the primary
After endorsing U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary, the former vice president called for the party to unite behind Talarico.