Cornyn calls for special counsel investigation into Obama’s handling of 2016 Russia probe
The Texas senator maintains that Russia did meddle in the 2016 election but that there was no collusion between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. Full Story
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Owen Dahlkamp is a Washington, D.C.-based reporting fellow covering political developments that affect Texans in the nation's capital. Hailing from San Diego, California, Owen will be a Brown University senior majoring in political science and cognitive neuroscience. He is the managing editor of the Brown Daily Herald, the campus newspaper, and his reporting has appeared in CNN, the Nation, NPR and more.
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![President Barack Obama is greeted by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and John Cornyn, R-Texas, as he arrives at the U.S. Capitol to meet with Senate Republicans, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 14, 2013.]()
Credit: Drew Angerer/Pool/ABACARESS.COM via REUTERS -
Texas Republicans, including Gov. Abbott, were reluctant to redraw the state’s congressional maps. Then Trump got involved.
The governor eventually agreed to include redistricting on his special session agenda after discussing the matter with the president on a phone call. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott at the state Capitol in Austin on June 11, 2025.]()
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As Trump looks to net five GOP seats through Texas redistricting, Democrats grasp for response
President Donald Trump said he thinks Republicans could flip a handful of congressional districts in Texas next year through “just a very simple redrawing." Full Story
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![From left, U.S. Reps. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, Greg Casar, D-Austin,and Al Green, D-Houston, attend a news conference with members of the Texas congressional delegation to discuss possible redistricting in the state at the Democratic National Committee offices on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.]()
Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Sipa USA vis REUTERS -
Trump defends federal government’s response to Hill Country floods during Texas visit
The president met with state and local officials, who praised the White House response, and lashed out at a question on whether aid and rescue efforts occurred fast enough. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott receive a briefing from first responders as they visit a scene of devastation along the banks of the Guadalupe River, after catastrophic floods, in Kerr County on July 11, 2025.]()
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Sen. John Cornyn outraises AG Ken Paxton by $1 million in first three months of Senate primary matchup — but there’s a catch
Cornyn will need to use his deep coffers to overcome an early polling deficit to Paxton, who is looking to deny the GOP incumbent’s bid for a fifth term. Full Story
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![from left: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton is challenging Cornyn in the Republican primary.]()
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Inside the negotiations on Trump’s GOP megabill, from the Lubbock lawmaker whose name is on the legislation
The House budget chair and lead sponsor of the GOP tax and spending bill recounts the months of negotiations needed to unite the fractious caucus. Full Story
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![House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, speaks during a press conference at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024.]()
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Ted Cruz was vacationing in Greece when the deadly Texas floods broke out. His office says he took the first flight home.
Texas’ junior senator was visiting Greece Friday when the Texas flood turned deadly. Cruz, who did not return until Sunday night, communicated with officials from Athens. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 30, 2025.]()
Credit: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Here’s what’s in Trump’s GOP megabill and how it will affect Texans
The wide-ranging bill is the vehicle for much of Trump’s domestic policy agenda, containing key changes that will affect daily life for millions of Texans. Full Story
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![House Speaker Mike Johnson with Republican leaders signs the Trump's One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 3, 2025.]()
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House Democrats, California leaders weigh tit-for-tat redistricting if Texas Republicans redraw maps
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s aides have signaled their boss’s willingness to counter Texas redistricting with a similar move to offset GOP gains, lawmakers said. Full Story
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![California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks next to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as he announces a $750 million film and TV tax credit to help boost one of California's hallmark industries and the local economy from The Ranch, a Warner Bros. production facility, in Burbank, California, U.S., July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake]()
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Texas Republicans vote to send GOP’s tax and spending megabill to Trump’s desk after threatening to tank it
Members of the state’s GOP delegation were among the loudest voices critiquing their own party’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” In the end, each of them voted for it. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) walks, as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon]()
Credit: REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon