T-Squared: Abby Livingston, our Washington bureau chief, is moving on
A pillar of our political coverage since 2014, Abby has covered three presidential administrations, four federal election cycles and innumerable members of Congress. Full Story
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![Abby Livingston moderated “Puddle, Wave, Tsunami, Sharknado” panel with speakers Liesl Hickey, Ali Lapp, Dave Wasserman, and David Weigel at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 28, 2018.]()
Credit: Stephen Spillman for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Gerrymandering has left Texas voters with few options
Texans who don’t vote in primaries and primary runoffs are missing a chance to choose who goes to Congress and the Texas Legislature. Thanks to the political maps drawn by lawmakers last year, only a handful of those contests will be competitive in November. Full Story
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![People wait in line to cast their votes in the primary election at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Dallas on March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Former state Sen. Wendy Davis challenges Texas abortion law in court
Davis is best known for her 13-hour filibuster against another restrictive abortion law in 2013. Now, she’s suing to block enforcement of Texas’ current ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. Full Story
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![Former State Senator Wendy Davis attends a rally hosted by abortion advocates in protest of abortion bans being proposed across the country. May 21, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Oath Keepers involved in Jan. 6 attack sought to protect U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, texts show
A spokesperson for Jackson said the congressman did not know the people texting about him. Full Story
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![People run away from tear gas as pro-Trump supporters storm the Capitol after a March to Save America Rally on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.]()
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Pushing for “school choice,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz splits with Gov. Greg Abbott in his endorsements for Texas House runoffs
Typically political allies, two of the state’s top Republicans have endorsed different candidates in six GOP primary runoff races. Full Story
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![Governor Greg Abbott shook hands with then-U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz as Cruz's wife Heidi Cruz looked on at a campaign rally in Dallas on Feb. 29, 2016.]()
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Amid a teacher shortage, some Texas educators are losing their licenses for quitting during the school year
The policy sidelines educators, often for two school years, at a time when districts are already struggling to keep teachers in the classrooms. Full Story
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![Staci Crosswell, second grade teacher at Lakeshore Elementary School, sits at the desk from which she has been teaching online for two years in her Houston, Texas home on April 16, 2022. She recently submitted her resignation to Humble ISD and will be pursuing her master's degree and publishing a children's book.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas’ new standard is abortions for those who can afford to leave Texas
The Texas ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy effectively makes abortion illegal for most pregnant people — but not for those who can afford out-of-state travel. Full Story
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Beto O’Rourke carefully threads needle on border policy as Democrats grapple with the issue
For Democrats, especially in Texas, tackling border issues is difficult on the campaign trail as the party is not in agreement about various policies. O’Rourke has had to distance himself from President Joe Biden’s border policies, while going after Gov. Greg Abbott’s. Full Story
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![Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke holds a press conference after holding a COVID-19 roundtable in Mission on Nov. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Prosecutor moves to stop execution of inmate whose religious freedom case reached U.S. Supreme Court
The Nueces County district attorney, Mark A. Gonzalez, has moved to withdraw the death warrant for John Henry Ramirez, convicted of a 2004 robbery and murder. Full Story
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![Nueces County District Attorney Mark A. Gonzalez speaks at a panel during the 2019 Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 28, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texts show U.S. Rep. Chip Roy sought evidence of election fraud in 2020, argued against attempts to block certification
CNN on Friday published the Austin congressman’s text messages with President Donald Trump’s chief of staff in the aftermath of the election. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-TX, walks to the House floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 13, 2021.]()
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In McAllen, Gov. Greg Abbott’s border inspections meant late deliveries, rotten produce and lost business
The delays caused by the state’s inspections are the latest blow to farmers and produce businesses in the Rio Grande Valley recovering from the pandemic and losses from last year’s winter storm. Full Story
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![Eladio Corder sorts through mixed quality jalapenos at Trinidad Produce at the McAllen Produce Terminal Market. McAllen, TX. April 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: A week of chaos for trade at the border after Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive
On this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with James and Uriel about the fallout from Abbott’s decision to do security checks on every commercial truck at the border. Full Story
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![Hundred of semi-trucks are seen at a standstill at the Ysleta Port of Entry, on April 12, 2022, in Juarez, Mexico. Truck drivers are protesting Greg Abbott's decision to have state troopers inspect northbound commercial vehicles one at a time. At this port, trucks are not flowing into Mexico to pick up more products and also not flowing into the U.S. to deliver those products.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott ends inspections that clogged commercial traffic at U.S.-Mexico border for more than a week
The deals Abbott made with three of the four Mexican border governors don’t include any new security measures south of the border. Abbott threatened to restart the inspections if Mexican states don’t slow migration to Texas. Full Story
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![Hundreds of semi trucks headed southbound into Mexico are seen at a standstill at the Ysleta Port of Entry, Tuesday, April 12, 2022, in Juarez, Mexico. Truck drivers are protesting Greg Abbott's decision to have state troopers inspect northbound commercial vehicles one at a time. At this port, trucks are not flowing into Mexico to pickup more products and also not flowing into the U.S. to deliver those products. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Eviction filings in Texas’ major cities reach new highs since pandemic began
Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin all ranked among the top 10 cities for new eviction filings in early April, among the 31 cities tracked by Eviction Lab. Full Story
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![An East Austin neighborhood.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texans without high-speed internet are getting closer, slowly
Like other states, Texas found out during the pandemic how critical high-speed broadband is for school, work and medicine. And the state is working to expand it — but it’s going to be at least a year before Texans start to see results. Full Story
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![Sophomore Alexis Phan does her Algebra 2 homework remotely, from her home in Pflugerville on Nov. 16, 2020.]()
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As federal earmarks return, most Texas Republicans abstained from bringing home the bacon
Several Republicans abstained from requesting earmarks in the budgeting process, citing concerns about ethics and wasteful spending. Full Story
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![A boy bikes past the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott announces deals with two more Mexican governors to halt Texas’ vehicle inspections at the border
The announcements come a day after Abbott reached a similar deal with Nuevo León’s governor, who agreed to add security at a major border bridge in exchange for an end to increased vehicle inspections by Texas troopers. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Chihuahua Gov. María Eugenia Campos Galván announced an agreement, on April 14, 2022, aimed at halting long delays at border bridges caused by increased commercial vehicle inspections that Abbott ordered last week. It’s the second such agreement between Abbott and a Mexican border governor this week.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Top U.S. border official says busing migrants out of Texas complicates federal officials’ jobs
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner said Gov. Greg Abbott isn’t coordinating with the agency as Texas sends migrants far from their immigration proceedings. Full Story
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![Illuminated by a video camera's light, Cordalis, who is from Venezuela, held her child in a chair in Union Station in Washington while others accepted clothing and supplies provided by Catholic Charities on April 13, 2022.]()
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“The most hated conservative college student in the state”: How a UNT student embroiled her campus in a culture war
Senior Kelly Neidert has repeatedly thrust the University of North Texas into the conservative media spotlight, most recently by bringing Texas House candidate Jeff Younger to campus. Her motive? It depends on who you ask. Full Story
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![Kelly Neidert stands near Library Mall at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Democrats are in danger of losing three congressional strongholds in South Texas
The seats in question are held by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo and Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen. A third vacant seat recently belonged to Filemon Vela of Brownsville, who stepped down to take a private sector lobbying job. Full Story
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![U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, and former U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune
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