The Brief: April 16, 2014
Playing to the base trumped any middle ground in a hotly anticipated clash between two rising stars in their respective parties. Full Story
Playing to the base trumped any middle ground in a hotly anticipated clash between two rising stars in their respective parties. Full Story
As a major crude oil bottleneck moves from Oklahoma to the Texas gulf coast, many domestic drillers are ramping up their calls for the repeal of U.S. laws banning most overseas crude exports. Full Story
As they traded barbs during a televised debate on Tuesday night, Republican lieutenant governor candidate Dan Patrick and San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro covered a range of issues beyond the set topic of immigration policy. Full Story
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and lieutenant governor hopeful Dan Patrick went head to head on immigration and border security on Univision in a Tuesday night event. Full Story
After a Round Rock school police officer used a Taser to stop a fight Monday, some Texas youth advocates are urging Gov. Rick Perry to ban Tasers and pepper spray in public schools. Full Story
With last session's divisive abortion debate as a backdrop, Democrats are getting help from the newly created Planned Parenthood Texas Votes. Republicans, meanwhile, have their own group to tackle women's issues. Full Story
Not all political candidates are chosen in primary elections. Some get on the November ballot with the votes of fewer people than you might see at a local Tea Party rally. Full Story
Starting in the 2014-15 school year, eighth-graders in Texas public schools will be required to have graphing calculators or tablets for STAAR assessments. Some poorer school districts are concerned that the mandate ignores fiscal challenges they're already facing. Full Story
Supporters of a foster care redesign are hopeful that the program will improve the quality of care for children. But some advocates are raising questions about the program's oversight. Full Story
Julián Castro and Dan Patrick square off this evening in a San Antonio television studio in their long-awaited debate over immigration. Here are some things to watch for. Full Story
At an event in Austin on Monday, Democrat Wendy Davis accused Republican gubernatorial opponent Greg Abbott of proposing increased testing and denying equal access to pre-K education. Full Story
UPDATED: Lawmakers are unlikely to abolish the Driver Responsibility Program next year, but at a hearing Monday, they encouraged critics of it to submit recommendations for reform. Full Story
Allegations of potential criminal wrongdoing in the handling of private student information on the part of University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall have been referred to Travis County prosecutors. Full Story
Not everybody who is upset with property taxes wants them abolished. A new group that started in Houston wants to increase appraised values on commercial property. Full Story
Many conservative activists in Texas worry that when it comes to state water policy, Republican leaders have not focused on principles like small government, private property rights and local control. Full Story
Texas doctors who treat Medicare patients earned a combined $4.6 billion from the federal insurer of the elderly in 2012, with the state's ophthalmologists and oncologists raking in the most. Full Story
The Austin American-Statesman is reporting that Gov. Rick Perry has hired a defense lawyer to represent him in an ongoing investigation into his veto of funding for the Public Integrity Unit housed in the Travis County DA's office. Full Story
On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, I talked with host Jason Whitely and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy about embattled UT System Regent Wallace Hall, Greg Abbott's education plan and more. Full Story
As drillers produce millions of barrels of crude oil in shale plays in Texas and the Midwest, railroad companies are finding booming business in transporting the oil to Gulf Coast refineries. Full Story
At the Texas State Teachers Association’s convention in San Marcos on Saturday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis accused her Republican opponent, Greg Abbott, of retreating from his early education policy proposal. Full Story