Beto O’Rourke swings harder at Ted Cruz in second debate
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and his Democratic rival, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of El Paso, faced off for their second — and maybe final — debate Tuesday night in San Antonio. Full Story
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Matt Zdun
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Matt Zdun was a reporting fellow at The Texas Tribune in 2018. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he studied journalism and economics. Before joining the Tribune, Matt worked at CNBC, where he wrote breaking news stories and produced segments for the midday show. He has also covered criminal justice for the Medill Justice Project, climate change for the Medill News Service and economics for the Northwestern News Network. In his free time, Matt plays piano and guitar and enjoys finding new places to eat mac and cheese.
Past Contributions
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![U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, left, faces U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in debate at the KENS 5 Studios in San Antonio on Oct. 16, 2018.]()
Credit: Tom Reel/POOL/San Antonio Express-News -
Democrat challenging Ken Paxton targets loophole used by Paxton to fund legal defense
Justin Nelson, the Democrat running against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, said his plan to "clean up Texas government" includes ending an exemption in state bribery law that Paxton has cited in accepting "gifts" toward his legal defense. Full Story
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![Democratic candidate for Texas attorney general Justin Nelson at the Texas Democratic Party convention in Fort Worth on June 22, 2018.]()
Credit: Joan Brook for The Texas Tribune -
Two conservative groups are suing Austin over its nondiscrimination ordinance. LGBTQ advocates say they're not worried.
The advocates say lawsuits challenging the city's code prohibiting employers from discriminating against an "individual’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or disability" won't hold up in court. Full Story
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Credit: John Jordan / The Texas Tribune -
Texas wants schools to pay for ACT and SAT exams. Local districts say that’s unreasonable.
School districts say the state — not local districts — should pick up the estimated $5.45 million annual tab for the tests. Full Story
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Sexual misconduct allegation jolts Texas Sen. Charles Schwertner's district
Schwertner has denied the allegation, revealed Tuesday in a news report, but his challengers on the November ballot think it may prompt voters to give the race a second look. Full Story
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![State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown (center) is being challenged by Democrat Meg Walsh (left) and Libertarian Amy Lyons (right).]()
Credit: Facebook campaign pages: Walsh and Lyons/Thomas Meredith: Schwertner -
Anti-nuclear waste tour kicks off in Houston
Organizers of the "Protect Texas from Radioactive Waste Tour" plan to travel to five Texas cities over the next week in protest of a proposed plan to store used nuclear materials in West Texas. Full Story
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![Modular concrete canisters containing nuclear waste are shown at the bottom of a storage pit near Andrews, Texas.]()
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Texas' violent crime rate increased in 2017, while the number of police per resident shrank
Experts cautioned against saying the slight increase in crime was due to the decreased police-to-resident ratio. Full Story
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![Fort Worth police cars took over a downtown Houston street Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017.]()
Credit: Fort Worth Police Department Twitter -
Texas’ Teacher Retirement System will not raise health premiums for retired teachers
The decision means TRS will need to ask the state for $238 million to keep the health insurance program running through 2021. Full Story
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
3D-printed gun designer Cody Wilson is wanted on charge of sexually assaulting an underage girl
Police say Wilson left the country before he could be interviewed. His last known location is Taipei, Taiwan. Full Story
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![Cody Wilson, gun maker and founder of Defense Distributed, a Texas-based company developing and publishing open source gun designs for 3D printing and manufacture, in his office on August 1, 2018. Wilson has been charged with sexual assault.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
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