Analysis: The political value of an interruption
Nobody wants storms or fires. But for Texas politicians, responding to disasters can be a welcome change of subject from political fights in an election year. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton hosted 12 attorneys general from around the U.S. for a border security briefing at Texas DPS regional headquarters in Weslaco on Jan. 27, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
In Texas, calls to boost U.S. oil production after Russian invasion run into hard realities
Labor shortages, supply chain issues, hesitant financial backers and a frosty relationship with the Biden administration have limited how much Texas oil and gas companies are ramping up production. Full Story
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![A pumpjack operates near a crude oil reserve on March 14, 2022 outside Midland, as rising gas prices begin to affect the Permian Basin.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Wildfire risk remains high for much of Texas in the days ahead, fire officials say
Climate change has made the Texas heat hotter and longer-lasting, enhancing drought conditions that set the stage for intense fires. More than 40% of the state is in an extreme drought. Full Story
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![A Texas Army National Guard CH-47 chinook helicopter passes after unloading water onto a burning field as crews battle the Eastland Complex Fire in Eastland County, on March 18, 2022 in this still image obtained from social media video.]()
Credit: Larry Sunde via REUTERS -
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela’s resignation announcement sparks a sudden special-election scramble in hotly contested South Texas
A special election will determine who finishes Vela’s term, and while the winner will only serve for a short period, Republicans are already eyeing the contest to show momentum in South Texas. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith moderates a discussion with U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.]()
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Ted Cruz and John Cornyn are poised to vote against Ketanji Brown Jackson
Democrats hold narrow control of the Senate and have pledged to confirm Jackson — who would be the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court — by April 8. Full Story
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![Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearing on her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on March 22, 2022.]()
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Targeting trans Texans again, Ken Paxton investigating pharmaceuticals over puberty blockers
Paxton’s claims that the companies engaged in deceptive marketing practices are part of his ongoing effort to limit access to gender-affirming health care for transgender teens. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton poses for a photo with guests at his primary election results watch party in McKinney, TX on March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Nearly 18% of registered Texas voters cast 2022 primary ballots
Texas has a history of a dismal turnout rate in primary elections. This year’s turnout was higher than the last six midterm primaries. Still, less than 1 in 5 registered voters participated. Full Story
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Watch: North Texas superintendents say uproar over critical race theory in schools is a Republican “manufactured crisis”
Evan Smith, CEO of The Texas Tribune, sat down with superintendents Michael Hinojosa of Dallas, Kent Scribner of Fort Worth and Jeannie Stone of Richardson. Full Story
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Federal judge says Waller County voting process did not discriminate against Black college students
A group of students at Prairie View A&M University sued the county, claiming it set up an election schedule in 2018 that offered students — most of them Black — fewer opportunities to vote early than the county’s white residents. Full Story
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![Early voting inside the Memorial Student Center at Prairie View A&M University in 2018.]()
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More than half of the Texas House wants to stop the execution of Melissa Lucio, convicted of killing her toddler
Despite substantive doubts surrounding the cause of her child’s death and a suspect “confession” obtained after hours of interrogation, Lucio is set to be executed next month for killing her 2-year-old daughter. Full Story
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![State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, speaks during a press conference discussing the case of Melissa Lucio and the public push for her clemency at the State Capitol on Thursday, March 24, 2022. A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers are pushing for a stay of execution for Melissa Lucio saying that there is enough doubt in her case that it would be a miscarriage of justice to execute her despite the doubts.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Supreme Court tells Texas to let a condemned man’s pastor touch him and pray aloud during execution
The Supreme Court ruled that the state likely violated death row inmate John Ramirez’s religious liberties when it denied his request to have his pastor lay his hands on him and pray during his upcoming execution. Full Story
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![The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 1, 2021. Today, the Supreme Court will hear cases regarding abortion in Texas.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas created a program to help students reenroll in college during the pandemic. Schools struggled to find students who qualified.
College leaders blame strict requirements initially handed down by the state. “It was like we were on a hunt for a unicorn,” one spokesperson said. Full Story
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![Students walk to their classes on the first day of school Monday Aug. 25, 2014 at South Texas College-Pecan Campus in McAllen.]()
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U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela will resign early from Congress
The South Texas Democrat announced last year that he wouldn’t seek reelection. He’s leaving early to take a job at a law firm. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, attends a roundtable discussion on unaccompanied minor shelters in Brownsville on June 18, 2018.]()
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Abortion funds bring new legal challenges to overturn Texas ban
The Texas law has proven largely impervious to judicial review. But lawyers representing abortion advocacy groups believe opponents may have given them an opening to challenge the law in a more friendly federal court. Full Story
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![Abortion rights supporters hold signs that read, “Bans off our bodies” outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1.]()
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Watch: Fort Worth’s Republican mayor criticizes GOP, pushes for Medicaid expansion and defends trans kids
“I could not run in a Republican primary because I just couldn’t look myself in the mirror and do it,” Mattie Parker said during an event with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith. Full Story
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Ted Cruz clashes with Democrats during heated confirmation hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson
Cruz argued with the committee’s chair over procedure, leading to an accusation that he was performing for the television cameras. Full Story
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![Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin looks on as U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-TX, speaks during the third day of U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 23, 2022.]()
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Attorney General Ken Paxton asks Texas Supreme Court to let investigations into transgender families continue
The temporary injunction was issued as part of a lawsuit brought on behalf of parents being investigated by child welfare workers for letting their transgender teenager access gender-affirming health care. Full Story
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![Transgender, pride progress and nonbinary flags are passed out during the Trans Kids Cry for HELP! rally in front of the Governor's Mansion in Austin on March 13, 2022.]()
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What is harm reduction, the drug-treatment program that Sen. Ted Cruz has criticized?
A $30 million grant program aims to mitigate the fallout from drug addiction and overdoses. Officials say Cruz’s comments about it are misleading. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on "Big Data, Big Questions: Implications for Competition and Consumers" in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 21, 2021.]()
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Nancy Pelosi affirms support for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar after FBI raid, primary runoff berth
The U.S. House speaker said during a stop Wednesday in Austin that she always supports her incumbents — “from right to left.” Full Story
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![Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi campaigns with Congressman Henry Cuellar at Cuellar's campaign headquarters in Laredo on Feb 02, 2020.]()
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North Texas superintendent orders books removed from schools, targeting titles about transgender people
The Granbury superintendent’s comments, made on a leaked recording, raise constitutional concerns, legal experts said. Full Story
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![Granbury ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeremy K. Glenn discusses agenda items with school board trustees at a GISD school board meeting in Granbury, TX on March 21, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune/NBC News