“If we’re all sick, we can’t legislate”: Coronavirus cases at Texas Capitol put lawmakers further on edge
At least four Texas House members have tested positive for the coronavirus since the legislative session began this month. Full Story
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Alex Samuels is a political reporter for The Texas Tribune, where she helps with national campaign coverage, writes stories about the intersection of race and politics in Texas, and covers the hottest political news bubbling out of local communities. She is also one of the primary authors of The Blast, the Tribune’s subscription-only daily newsletter for political insiders. Alex was previously the Tribune’s community reporter, but she began her stint with the organization as a fellow in 2016. She graduated in 2017 from the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism. She originally is from Massachusetts and is the best pingpong player at the Tribune.
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![A state trooper stand guard outside of the door to the House chamber on opening day of the legislative session on Jan. 12, 2…]()
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Dan Patrick asks Texas to revise coronavirus vaccine distribution plan as eligible people experience frustration trying to locate a dose
The lieutenant governor's request comes as distribution of the vaccine in Texas has been beset with miscommunication and technical issues that have created confusion for patients and providers, even as Texas outpaces other states in administering the vaccine. Full Story
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![Long lines of people wait to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at Fair Park, where Dallas County opened its first "mega" vaccin…]()
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U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, hospitalized with cancer last year, tests positive for coronavirus
Wright, who was hospitalized in September while undergoing cancer treatment, said in a statement that he’s been in quarantine since Friday. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep, Ron Wright, R-Arlington, at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 28, 2018.]()
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Texas Republicans embraced Donald Trump for four years. Now they face a reckoning.
The president is leaving office Wednesday, but signs suggest his influence on the Texas GOP remains strong. Full Story
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![Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event in The Woodlands in June 17, 2016.]()
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick awards committee chair to Texas senator who previously faced sexual harassment allegation
State Sen. Charles Schwertner gave up serving as chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services in 2019. This year, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick named him chair of the Committee on Administration. Full Story
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![A committee hearing room featuring plexiglass dividers on Jan 4, 2021.]()
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Texas House member Joe Deshotel tests positive for coronavirus, forcing other state lawmakers into quarantine
State Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, told The Texas Tribune he tested positive Thursday — three days after lawmakers gaveled in for this year’s legislative session Full Story
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![State Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, during a State Affairs committee hearing in Austin on Feb. 27, 2019.]()
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Texas Senate changes rules so Republicans can still bring bills to floor without Democratic support
The resolution passed on a party-line vote. Full Story
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![The gallery is mostly empty due to social distancing as the Senate meets at the Capitol on Jan. 12, 2021.]()
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The Texas Legislature convenes for its 2021 session Tuesday. Here are 5 things to watch.
Much about the session — including how it will be conducted during a pandemic — remains uncertain. Full Story
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![House floor on April 11, 2019.]()
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After riot at the U.S. Capitol, Ted Cruz gets fierce blowback for his role in sowing doubts about Joe Biden’s victory
Wednesday’s chaos led to calls for Cruz’s resignation from Texas Democrats. But Cruz says he “ain’t going anywhere.” Full Story
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![U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during a committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in September of 2020.]()
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Texas politicians united in pleading for calm as Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol
The chaos began shortly after some GOP lawmakers, led by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, launched a dispute to the certification of Arizona’s electoral votes. Full Story
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![Pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. The j…]()
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Texas Congressman Kevin Brady says he’s tested positive for COVID-19
Brady, a ranking member of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, said he will begin treatment Wednesday. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, spoke on a panel for the Lincoln Reagan Dinner, at the Bayou City Events Center in Houston i…]()
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Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger tests positive for coronavirus
Granger tested positive for the respiratory disease after arriving in Washington, D.C. and is “asymptomatic and feeling great,” her office said in a statement. Full Story
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![Incumbent U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, speaks to supporters at the Blue Mesa restaurant in Fort Worth during the 202…]()
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Dan Patrick says senators will be tested for coronavirus, seating will be limited for opening day of the Texas Senate
An announcement of protocols for the Jan. 12 event did not mention masks. Full Story
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![Senate floor on Mar. 4, 2019.]()
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Donald Trump pardons former Border Patrol agent Gary Brugman, who was convicted of violating a man’s civil rights
Brugman’s case drew national attention among conservative figures who hailed him for working to secure the U.S. border. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Minden-Tahoe Airport in Nevada in September.]()
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Beth Van Duyne could be the GOP’s antidote to high-profile progressives when she joins Congress
The former Housing and Urban Development official will be part of the largest group of House Republican women ever elected to Congress in the same year. Van Duyne’s supporters expect she’ll bring her brand of outspoken conservative fire with her to the Capitol. Full Story
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![Ben Wear, transportation reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, moderated the “Tyranny of the Commute” panel featuring …]()
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After voting for Donald Trump, Texas electors ask swing states to reject results that assured victory for Joe Biden
Electors across the country affirmed Biden’s victory, but the Texas electors refused to admit Trump’s defeat. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Fayetteville Regional Airport in North Carolina on Nov. 2, 2020.]()
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Texas politicians flock to Georgia to aid in fight for U.S. Senate majority
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz; Texas GOP Chairman Allen West; U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston; and former presidential candidate Julián Castro have all traveled to the state — or plan to soon — to campaign in the Jan. 5 runoffs. Full Story
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![Senator Kelly Loeffler, R-Georgia, and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock, participate in a debate in Atlanta for the U.S…]()
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The devastating toll of COVID-19 on El Paso illustrates the pandemic’s stark inequalities
El Paso is far from the only predominantly Hispanic area that has been ravaged by the virus. Hidalgo and Cameron counties, both along the state’s southern border, have seen death tolls that rival larger and more urban parts of the state. Full Story
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![Restaurant guests inside Chico’s Tacos during the COVID-19 outbreak in El Paso. Nov. 15, 2020.]()
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How split-ticket voting might have saved two Republican Texas lawmakers in a blue county
Texas Republicans managed to avoid net losses in the state and U.S. House this election cycle in part because voters in key districts showed a willingness to vote Democratic at the top of the ballot and Republican lower down. Full Story
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![Voters at the polling place inside the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.]()
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Joe Biden defeats Donald Trump for the presidency
After a tense four days of vote-counting in battleground states, all of the country's major networks called the race Saturday after declaring that the two-term former vice president had won Pennsylvania. Full Story
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![Joe Biden at the National Education Association presidential forum in Houston on July 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune