The Brief: July 11, 2013
As strict new abortion measures advanced in Texas, attention shifted briefly to Washington, where the fate of immigration reform was thrown into question. Full Story
As strict new abortion measures advanced in Texas, attention shifted briefly to Washington, where the fate of immigration reform was thrown into question. Full Story
UPDATED: The University of Texas System's Board of Regents on Wednesday approved a nearly $50 million land deal for the new school's Brownsville campus. Full Story
Your evening reading: House gives final approval to abortion bill; Abbott reports nearly $5 million raised after session; George W. Bush calls for "positive resolution" to immigration fight Full Story
Attorney General Greg Abbott's campaign is reporting it raised $4.78 million in the last two weeks of June, an amount his representatives are calling a record haul. Full Story
Republican leaders in the U.S. House have publicly rejected the U.S. Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill, calling it a rushed-through measure with too many flaws and not enough security guarantees. Full Story
Reeve, Emily, Ben and Jay gab about Gov. Rick Perry's legacy in light of his decision to not seek re-election, forecast the political dominoes falling as a result of the open governor's seat and check in on the abortion-related protests at the Capitol. Full Story
UPDATED: House leaders are piecing together a version of the transportation bill that includes elements from several different proposals, and said they have not convinced their Senate counterparts to go along. Full Story
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said he is confident abortion restriction legislation will pass during the current special session after an hours-long filibuster killed the bill during the first special session. Full Story
UPDATED: The House voted 96-49 on Wednesday to give final approval to proposed abortion regulations in Texas. House Bill 2 now heads to the Senate. Full Story
Texas voters are concerned about public ethics, and about some of the issues that have attached to the governor over the last 12 years — but they're partisan about it, and that has made all the difference for Rick Perry. Full Story
State Sen. Wendy Davis raised her public profile with a filibuster on an omnibus abortion bill, but the Fort Worth Democrat didn't necessarily make herself more electable — at least in 2014. Full Story
As the debate on immigration reform advances, immigration attorneys fear that an emphasis on strict border enforcement will make an already difficult task more strenuous for asylum seekers. Full Story
Michael Morton’s ubiquitous presence and lobbying spurred lawmakers to tackle criminal justice reforms. But the increased presence of Tea Party Republicans also changed the Legislature’s attitude toward law and order. Full Story
Texans and, in particular, the state’s Hispanics are in the dark on the new health care law because outreach efforts are focusing on states that have partnered with the Obama administration to roll it out, federal officials say. Full Story
A day before House Republicans in Washington planned to meet to hash out a strategy on immigration legislation, a group of protesters descended on the Texas GOP headquarters to urge Republicans to support reform. Full Story
As a bus tour took the debate to Texas' largest city, strict new abortion regulations still drawing national attention moved another step toward becoming law. Full Story
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: With Gov. Rick Perry announcing that he won't seek a fourth term, GOP candidates are quickly making plans to try to move up the statewide political ladder. Full Story
Your evening reading: House shooting down amendments to abortion bill as debate continues; Davis, Planned Parenthood begin statewide bus tour; Pauken challenges "divine right of succession" Full Story
Former Texas Workforce Commissioner Tom Pauken, who is running to replace Gov. Rick Perry in 2014, says that people shouldn't automatically anoint Attorney General Greg Abbott as the "chosen one." Full Story
For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about the implosion of the first special session, its effect on Wendy Davis and David Dewhurst, and whether it will have a lasting impact. Full Story