In regulating AI, Texas lawmakers face balancing act between its benefits and harms
A Senate committee discussed the potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence — and overregulating it. Full Story
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Pooja Salhotra
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Pooja Salhotra joined the Tribune in 2022 as its first-ever East Texas reporter based in Lufkin, where she covered a vast region that borders three states and stretches north to Texarkana and south to Beaumont. In late 2023, she relocated to Austin as a general assignment reporter to cover issues ranging from breaking news to developments in state agencies. Pooja was born and raised in the Houston area and graduated from Yale University. She also holds a master’s in fine arts from NYU’s journalism school.
Past Contributions
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![The Capitol Dome overlooks the city on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at the Texas Capitol Building in Austin.]()
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Transgender Texans blocked from changing their sex on their driver’s license
The Texas Department of Public Safety rule change surfaced in an internal email that also asks driver license staff to compile the names of people seeking a gender marker change. Full Story
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![DPS troopers make a traffic stop in southeast Austin on Aug. 7, 2023.]()
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When Texas jail standards push inmates to lockups in other states, oversight doesn’t follow
Jaleen Anderson’s mom is on a quest for details about her son’s death in a Louisiana prison that houses hundreds of Harris County inmates awaiting trial. Full Story
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![Sarah Knight cries at the gravesite of her son at the Paradise Funeral Home and Cemetery North on May 13, 2024, in Houston, Texas. Her son, Jaleen Anderson, died while being held in LaSalle Correctional Facility in Louisiana.]()
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Texas’ overcrowded and understaffed jails send people awaiting trial to other counties and states
Limits on who can be released without paying bail and difficulties hiring guards worsen the situation. Full Story
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![Sorcha Costigan holds up Jess Hampton’s army jacket in the bedroom of her home on Aug. 10, 2024 in Rosevine. “The goal is to get him out of jail, so he and I can both work on fighting this from the outside and get his name cleared,” Costigan said.]()
Credit: Hope Mora for The Texas Tribune -
DPS reinstates Texas Ranger fired for Uvalde shooting response
Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said he made the decision after the Uvalde district attorney found no criminal wrongdoing and asked that Ranger Chris Kindell be allowed to return to his job. Full Story
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![Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022, when 21 people — 19 children and two adults — were killed by a gunman. Kindell was fired by DPS Thursday and said he plans to appeal.]()
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Rural Texas officials and civic leaders discuss economic development, health care and water supply in smaller communities
The Tribune’s rural symposium highlighted the challenges the state’s far-flung regions face — and the opportunities they offer. Full Story
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Judge allows parental controls for Texas kids’ social media accounts, but blocks content moderation requirement
The rest of the law goes into effect Sept. 1. It’s been challenged by tech industry groups and a free speech advocacy organization. Full Story
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![FILE: A child uses a cell phone and a tablet on Oct. 18, 2023, in Madrid, Spain.]()
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Biden and Harris to visit Houston this week to pay respects to Sheila Jackson Lee
Biden will travel to Houston on Monday and Harris will attend a Celebration of Life Service on Thursday. The trip will mark Harris’ third visit to Texas in the past month. Full Story
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![On July 25, 2024 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, Vice President Kamala Harris gives the keynote speech at the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th national convention.]()
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El Paso County officials say it’s time the state pays for Operation Lone Star arrests
County officials issued a disaster declaration Tuesday, saying the state’s mass arrests at the border have cost the county millions of dollars and overwhelmed its criminal justice system. Full Story
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![An undocumented Mexican migrant waits to board the vehicle where he will be transported after being arrested for trespassing private property by State Troopers as part of Operation Lone Star in Kinney County, on Nov. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune -
Several Texas delegates coalesce behind Kamala Harris after Joe Biden abandons reelection
The vice president is not guaranteed the Democratic nomination and some delegates want an open nominating process. Full Story
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![President Joe Biden departs the White House in Washington on May 11, 2022 to attend to attend events in Illinois.]()
Credit: Chris Kleponis/PoolSipa USA via Reuters Connect