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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.
“This is the only way to be sure that we’re not making everybody sicker,” said one restaurant general manager. “We wanted to be able to be an example.” Full Story
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Abbott’s approach has helped keep the peace across levels of government handling the response in Texas but has also raised questions about whether he’s being aggressive enough in responding to a virus that threatens thousands of lives. Full Story
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The orders represent some of the most stringent measures local officials in Texas have taken so far to address the colossal public health crisis. Full Story
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“If the virus has already been named by the [World Health Organization] as COVID-19, any renaming is highly politically charged and motivated,” said one researcher. Full Story
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The Republican Texas senator alluded to a now-debunked myth that the outbreak began after a woman ate bat soup. And he incorrectly cited China as the birthplace of two previous outbreaks. Full Story
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Local, state and national leaders are recommending people take a range of actions to protect themselves from the new coronavirus. But for those without homes, many of those measures are next to impossible. Full Story
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All residents of the retirement community will be tested, Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday. Full Story
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“Bloomberg was promising a long-term commitment to Texas regardless of who won the primary,” said one state representative. “It’s disappointing that with his defeat in the primary, the campaign has decided to reverse course." Full Story
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Advocates argue that paid sick leave would allow workers to stay home and avoid spreading the deadly virus. Policies have been blocked in two Texas cities. Full Story
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The 3-year-old in Collin County is among the youngest patients in the U.S. to have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Montgomery County officials declined to comment on whether a patient there was exposed during travel. Full Story
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Officials have said there is no evidence of community spread in Texas and all the patients were exposed to the virus in Egypt. Full Story
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“There’s been a lot of push against Sanders, and it makes me feel very helpless,” said one supporter. “There’s always going to be a faction of the party trying to stop him.” Full Story
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Biden had trailed in the polls leading up to election day, which pointed to Bernie Sanders as the frontrunner. Full Story
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There is a lot to monitor when the results come in Tuesday on primary election night. Here are five of the biggest things. Full Story
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“We need ranked-choice voting,” said one Texas early voter who cast a ballot for Pete Buttigieg before he dropped out of the race. Full Story
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Many black voters in the Lone Star State and elsewhere are wondering aloud whether to look elsewhere. If they do, his campaign could be in trouble. Full Story
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Most candidates are traveling to Texas — some of them twice — ahead of the state’s delegate-rich primary Tuesday. Full Story
Gohmert said he voted against the legislation because the penalty was not harsh enough. Full Story
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Recent polls suggest some candidates could miss the threshold to collect statewide delegates. That includes Michael Bloomberg, who has put more effort into the state than any other primary candidate. Full Story
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Turner’s endorsement comes amid controversy over Bloomberg's “stop and frisk” policy during his time as mayor of New York City. Full Story
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