Immigration and Customs Enforcement directed prosecutors in June to use discretion when placing illegal immigrants in deportation proceedings. But attorneys for immigrants facing deportation say the new rules haven't filtered down to the ground level — the U.S. Border Patrol. Full Story
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Rick Perry, set to debate tonight for the first time as a presidential candidate, now faces the downside of leading the pack: sky-high expectations. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry heads into tonight’s nationally televised Republican debate — his first on the presidential campaign circuit — as the front-runner. And with a target on his back. Full Story
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Federal authorities arrived in Bastrop on Tuesday to assist with the wildfires that have killed two, charred more than 30,000 acres and destroyed at least 600 homes. Matt Largey of KUT News reports that the crisis has stretched fire crews to their breaking point. Full Story
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As Gov. Rick Perry gears up for his first GOP presidential debate tonight, here's a look back at some key moments in gubernatorial debates past — in 2002, 2006 and 2010. Full Story
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The state's new political maps are now in the hands of the federal government. An army of lawyers lined up before the start of federal hearings on Tuesday, lugging boxes of papers and briefcases bulging with the scribbled notes and other arguments they'll present over the next two weeks. Full Story
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Rick Perry's front-running presidential campaign went on the attack a day before the Texas governor is scheduled to appear at his first nationally televised debate. The campaign hit both Mitt Romney, Perry's main challenger, and Ron Paul, who unveiled a new attack ad against the governor. Full Story
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Lawyers for death row inmate Hank Skinner filed a motion Friday seeking DNA testing under a new Texas law that expands access to such testing. And they have asked the state to withdraw the Nov. 9 execution date set for Skinner. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading: Perry knocks federal response to wildfires; redistricting case under way; Perry's electability Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry held a press conference in Austin's Steiner Ranch this morning, thanking firefighters for their help in trying to contain the wildfires that have ravaged Central Texas for the past two days. Full Story
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The early results of the latest leg in a key fundraising race for Texas universities seeking tier-one status are in — and the University of Texas at Dallas is in the lead. But there's still more than $1.2 million up for grabs this biennium. Full Story
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Details of a Super PAC's multimillion-dollar push to help Rick Perry clinch the Republican nomination have surfaced. Full Story
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In a new ad, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Surfside, hits Gov. Rick Perry for his support of Al Gore's 1988 presidential bid. Paul calls Perry a "Texas cheerleader" who worked to help Gore "undo the Reagan revolution." Full Story
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Rick Perry missed his first opportunity to appear on a national stage with his Republican rivals, but the absence of the presidential front-runner did not keep him out of the conversation. Full Story
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Because — as both Democrats and Republicans know well — the drawing of congressional, legislative and State Board of Education district lines determines, to a large extent, the outcomes of future elections. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry appeared Monday morning at a town hall meeting in Conway, S.C., before returning to Texas to attend to the state's wildfire crisis. (Video clips courtesy of WPDE NewsChannel 15 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.) Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry thanked emergency responders and urged Texans to remain on guard against wildfires, after touring a massive blaze near Bastrop that he described as being "as mean-looking as I've ever seen." Full Story
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With wildfires raging outside of Austin, Gov. Rick Perry is leaving the campaign trail to return to his home state, the governor's office confirmed this morning. Full Story
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Even as the Obama administration delighted conservatives last week by pulling back on a broad regulation to combat ozone pollution, the controversial "cross-state" rule that would also reduce smog-forming pollutants in Texas remains on track. Full Story
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In this week's edition of our nonscientific survey of political and government insiders, we asked who the state's 31 senators would pluck from their own ranks to run the Senate, and perhaps to serve as governor, should the state's top officials move on to bigger and better things. Full Story
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