T-Squared: Zach Despart is joining The Texas Tribune as a politics reporter
A dogged accountability journalist, Despart will help center our political coverage on ordinary Texans and expose failures of governance and abuses of power. Full Story
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![Zach Despart.]()
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Analysis: Texas election day is a time to say goodbye to some well-known candidates
It’s cutting time. Expect to see some political names you know among Tuesday’s primary election losers. Full Story
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![Voters lined up for hours to cast their ballots early at City Hall in Taylor on Oct 14, 2020.]()
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After CDC revises COVID-19 recommendations, Dallas County narrows its mask mandate
The federal agency’s new guidance says most healthy Americans don’t need to wear masks in public. It marks a turning point in the pandemic. Full Story
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As Republicans try to flip open seat in South Texas, Democrats debate how to win over voters
South Texas Democrats are facing an identity crisis and trying to distance themselves from out-of-state progressives after the party underperformed in the region in 2020. Full Story
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UT-Austin can’t call its new think tank The Liberty Institute. Another group already owns the rights to the name.
First Liberty Institute, a Plano-based religious freedom legal group, has a registered trademark for the name and said it has alerted UT-Austin that it objects to them using it. Full Story
Credit: Jack Myer for The Texas Tribune -
Cruz and Cornyn already voted against Ketanji Brown Jackson last year when she was confirmed to a lower court
President Joe Biden announced Jackson as his appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday morning. If confirmed, she’d be the nation’s first Black woman to sit on the high court. Full Story
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![Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominated to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, attends the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.]()
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U.S. plans new safety rules to crack down on carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators
The announcement comes two months after an investigation by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and NBC News detailed the deadly cost of the government’s failure to regulate portable generators. Full Story
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TribCast: Texas politicians make their final push ahead of March 1 primary
On this week’s episode, Patrick Svitek and Kate McGee discuss the last push in some of the most interesting primary races on the ballot. But first, we discuss Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s proposal targeting tenure at public universities. Full Story
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![Republican candidates for state attorney general debate in Austin on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. From left: Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush; U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler; and former state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman.]()
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Watch: Higher education leaders reflect on enrollment losses and the need for virtual learning even after the pandemic
Leaders at higher education institutions are trying to attract students by offering flexibility with instructional modes — and they said that flexibility is here to stay. Full Story
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Demand for abortion-inducing medication spiked after Texas’ near-total ban on the procedure
One international nonprofit saw a more than 1,000% increase in requests for the two-drug regimen, which state law prohibits sending through the mail. Full Story
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Biden’s latest border moves spur criticism that he’s continuing wall construction
The administration says it’s filling in wall gaps for agent safety and flood control, and documents suggest an environmental assessment for 86 miles of wall in South Texas is a stalling tactic. Full Story
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Analysis: The 3% of Texans deciding who governs the other 97%
Most Texas voters skip the primary elections, leaving many of the decisions about who serves in office to a relatively small group of Texas — voters who have more clout as a result. Full Story
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![Early voting for the primaries opened on Feb. 14, 2022. Bodhi Goodwin, 4, sits with Ethan Goodwin, 41, outside the Austin City Hall polling location.]()
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Watch: National progressives target Texas in contentious Democratic primary races
National progressive groups and their allies in Congress are looking to the Texas primary to send a new class of stars to Congress. Full Story
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![Greg Casar speaks to the crowd at the voting rally event at the Paper Tiger in San Antonio on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022.]()
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Debate between Texas GOP attorney general candidates got heated, even though incumbent Ken Paxton wasn’t there
Land Commissioner George P. Bush and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman repeatedly criticized each other. U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert focused on the incumbent, who didn’t participate. Full Story
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![Republican candidates for state attorney general debate in Austin on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. From left: Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush; U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler; and former state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman.]()
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Over 1,000 Texas foster children have been allowed to refuse COVID-19 vaccines, despite the state requiring other vaccinations
Around 40% of the foster children in the state’s care who are ages 5 and older have not received a COVID-19 vaccine despite being eligible. Full Story
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![Vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine ready to be administered on Dec. 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas oil and gas producers to see short-term profits after Russia invades Ukraine
Energy markets responding to the war with higher oil and gas prices also means energy consumers will likely pay more on their utility bills and at the gas pump. Full Story
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UT System creates $300 million endowment to help seven universities expand free tuition programs
The endowment will increase the number of students who qualify for free tuition and fees at UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas, UT-El Paso, UT-Permian Basin, UT-Rio Grande Valley, UT-San Antonio and UT-Tyler. Full Story
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![Students head to classes at the University of Texas at El Paso on May 9, 2019.]()
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Texans in Congress call on Biden to increase support for Ukraine against Russia
None of the Texans have explicitly called for American troops on the ground in Ukraine. But over and over, both Democrats and Republicans urged the president to continue to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin with sanctions and supported the increased armament of Ukraine. Full Story
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![Service members of the Ukrainian armed forces stand next to a tripod-mounted missile system outside Kharkiv, Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.]()
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Narrow challenge to Texas’ abortion law argued before state Supreme Court
Abortion providers are trying to find a legal avenue that will allow them to directly challenge new restrictions that have effectively banned the procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy. Full Story
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Las Vegas Sands launches $2 million PAC to continue its push to legalize casinos in Texas
The new Texas Sands PAC has already spread over half a million dollars across roughly three dozen primaries for the state House and Senate. Full Story
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![The Sands Expo and The Palazzo resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.]()
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