The Brief: Sept. 22, 2014
Texas politics was the big conversation in Austin and even outside the state with this weekend's Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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Texas politics was the big conversation in Austin and even outside the state with this weekend's Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
At the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival, Gov. Rick Perry answered an audience question about controversial abortion legislation by citing the recent death of comedian Joan Rivers. Full Story
At the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival, George P. Bush, the Republican nominee for Land Commissioner, said he wouldn't endorse his father, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, should he decide to run for president in 2016. Full Story
On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics with host Jason Wheeler, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy and Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey, it's all about the November elections. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry, speaking on Sunday at The Texas Tribune Festival, said he still supports a Texas law that grants in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. He also said he would not decide whether he was going to run for president until 2015. Full Story
Greg Abbott, the Republican nominee for Texas governor, is trying to break the Democrats’ near lock on deep South Texas. The Democrats are dismissive of his effort, but it underscores the importance both camps are attaching to Hispanics this year. Full Story
While the aggressive transformation of the University of Houston has drawn praise, it has also prompted questions about the college’s role in both the community and the university system. Full Story
At the Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday, state Sen. Wendy Davis said that if elected, she would consider using “executive action” to expand the state's Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. Full Story
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz hinted that he would make a decision on a run for the White House in the first half of 2015 but that his focus for the next six weeks would be on helping Republicans take back the Senate. Full Story
During a heated debate Saturday on women’s health, state Rep. Dawnna Dukes revealed that she has had an abortion. The revelation comes two weeks after state Sen. Wendy Davis revealed she terminated two pregnancies for medical reasons. Full Story
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said on Saturday that he lamented his party’s contribution to what he said was a dysfunctional government, and he criticized the Obama administration's handling of the current crisis over the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Full Story
The stark differences between state Sens. Dan Patrick and Leticia Van de Putte, the Republican and Democratic nominees for lieutenant governor, were front and center Saturday as they appeared at the Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
Speaking at the University of Texas at Austin on Saturday, House Speaker Joe Straus said he's "awfully sick" of the drama between regents and legislators that is making it the "only campus in the state of Texas that gets this much attention." Full Story
A proposed high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston, already the subject of a federal environmental review, will soon be the focus of public meetings in Texas, according to the president of the firm looking to build the line. Full Story
With the first debate of the Texas governor's race held Friday night in the Rio Grande Valley, we begin this week's playlist based on Texas political and policy news with "Showdown" by Electric Light Orchestra. Full Story
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Immigration track. The sessions include panels on border security, Latinos and the Republican Party, the comprehensive immigration reform debate, and what to do with the DREAMers. Full Story
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Public Education track. The sessions include panels on education reform, the new math requirements for high school graduation, early college high schools, and insight from superintendents. Full Story
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Health Care track. The sessions include panels on mental health, the Affordable Care Act, medical education and women's health. Full Story
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Justice track. The sessions include panels on criminal justice reform, the Texas Supreme Court, same-sex marriage and the death penalty. Full Story
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Energy track. The sessions include panels on the state's power grid, the potential impact of energy reform in Mexico on Texas, the debate over hydraulic fracturing and a deeper look at the state's drilling boom. Full Story