Texas GOP leaders paint Harris as a disaster on border security
Everything wrong with border security is the fault of the Democratic vice president, these Republicans say. Full Story
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Zach Despart
Enterprise and Investigative Reporter
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Zach Despart is an enterprise and investigative reporter focusing on state government. His work on a team investigating the flawed police response to the Uvalde school shooting was awarded the 2024 Collier Prize and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting. He led the Tribune’s effort to become the first news organization to determine where Texas has built 50 miles of border wall, a project that also found the state struggles with holdout landowners along the route. He previously covered Harris County for the Houston Chronicle, where he reported on corruption, elections, disaster preparedness and the region’s recovery from Hurricane Harvey. An upstate New York native, he received his bachelor’s degree in political science and film from the University of Vermont.
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![Vice President Kamala Harris speak about abortion rights with Mini Timmaraju, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Julieta Garibay, Senior Capacity Building Director for Groundswell Fund, at the LBJ Museum in Austin on Oct. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
House ethics chair says Paxton’s claim he’s being impeached again is meritless
Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday evening said the Texas House ethics committee, which scheduled a meeting for next week, is planning to recommend impeaching him a second time. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
“Always go out on top”: Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp will retire June 2025
Sharp leaves after having transformed the institution, embedding it into state government, expanding its reach and boosting its academic and athletic reputation. Full Story
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![Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp looks at a shelf with photos mementos outside his office on Monday, March 27, 2023 in College Station, TX.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas court finds Kerry Max Cook innocent of 1977 murder, ending decades-long quest for exoneration
The Texas Criminal Court of Appeals cited stunning allegations of prosecutorial misconduct that led to Cook spending 20 years on death row. Full Story
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![From left: Former death row inmates Kerry Max Cook, an American, and Sakae Menda, of Japan, attend a press conference during the First World Congress Against the Death Penalty on June 21, 2001 in Strasbourg, France.]()
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How Texas Speaker Dade Phelan turned the tide to keep his seat
After coming in second in the primary, Phelan was at a disadvantage heading into the runoff. With record breaking cash infusions, Phelan blanketed airwaves and hired an army of campaign staffers. Full Story
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![Dade Phelan listens while being interviewed after declaring victory on May 28, 2024 at JW’s Patio in Beaumont, Texas.]()
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House Speaker Dade Phelan wins runoff, surviving challenge by Texas GOP’s far-right forces
Business-minded Republicans spent millions trying to save Phelan, whose far-right opponent had the backing of Donald Trump, Ken Paxton and Dan Patrick. Phelan won by 366 votes, according to unofficial returns. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan celebrates after declaring victory over challenger David Covey on May 28, 2024 at JW’s Patio in Beaumont.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
It’s primary runoff election day in Texas. Here’s what we’re watching.
Texans are heading to the polls Tuesday to make their final selections for which Democrats and Republicans will run for various seats in the November election. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, surveys the chamber during a break in the action on deadline day May 11, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ Republican old guard mobilizes to protect Dade Phelan from the far right
Phelan’s primary has emerged as a last stand for the Republican Party’s business-minded establishment against an insurgency primarily motivated by social and cultural issues. Full Story
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![Dade Phelan addresses the floor after being elected for his second term as Speaker of the House on the opening day of the 88th legislature on Jan 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
UT-Austin’s Jay Hartzell praised by GOP leaders as university presidents nationwide take heat over protest response
Hartzell’s protest response has also resulted in condemnations from students and faculty. Full Story
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![The University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell on April 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott endorses U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales amid primary runoff attacks that he’s a RINO
Gonzales, 43, faces Brandon Herrera in the May primary runoff election for South Texas District 23. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, gives an interview in his office at Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. on April 28, 2023. Gonzales is a member of the House Appropriations Committees.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune