Texas Hill Country floods: What we know so far
With hundreds confirmed dead, questions remain about the local response to flood warnings. Meanwhile, lawmakers will weigh measures to mitigate future disasters. Full Story
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![Two men from an excavation company aiding in search and recovery look on to the debris left from the flood in Center Point on Tuesday July 8, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Texas startups make products from the carbon in fossil fuels
As consumption of fossil fuels continues to rise, technologies developed by companies in Texas could help change the view of carbon as a hard-to-manage waste product. Full Story
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![Patrick Hanks, chief technology officer of Graphitic Energy, pats the carbon formation vessel on the company’s San Antonio pilot project, which pulls solid carbon graphite out of methane gas.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News -
Texas Senate committee doubles down on THC ban, saying state and local governments don’t have the resources for regulations
Senate Bill 5 would ban products containing any detectable amount of any cannabinoid, creating criminal offenses for possession of hemp-derived THC. Full Story
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![Texas Sen. Charles Perry R-Lubbock speaks during a public hearing at the Senate Chambers on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 in Austin, Texas.]()
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TribCast: Do Texas Democrats have any hope in 2026?
In part one of our two-part look at the 2026 Democratic and Republican primaries, Matthew and Eleanor talk to Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder. Full Story
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![From left: State Rep. James Talarico, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, and former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke answer questions from the press outside of Stable Hall in San Antonio after a town hall in San Antonio on June 27, 2025.]()
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A guide to Texas’ special legislative session
Texas lawmakers start a 30-day special session July 21. They will tackle consumable THC, flood dangers, new congressional districts, abortion pills and other conservative priorities. Full Story
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![An empty House chamber, prior the start of the special session on Thursday, July 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
As Texas embraces federal immigration database to verify voter citizenship, some experts are worried
Texas officials praise the revamped immigration database, but some critics are raising concerns about data privacy and accuracy. Full Story
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![A poll pad with an ID check-in is active before Gillespie Co. residents check in for a mock election hosted on Feb. 6, 2024. The poll pad is used for voter check in and verification for county and precinct.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
John Zerwas sole finalist for UT System chancellor; Jim Davis lone candidate for UT-Austin president
Both Zerwas and Davis have been serving as interim leaders of the university system and its flagship. Full Story
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![Then-state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, speaks to pages on the House floor on April 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans, including Gov. Abbott, were reluctant to redraw the state’s congressional maps. Then Trump got involved.
The governor eventually agreed to include redistricting on his special session agenda after discussing the matter with the president on a phone call. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott at the state Capitol in Austin on June 11, 2025.]()
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THC-related poison control calls tripled in Texas after hemp became legal. Experts say there’s more to the story.
Experts say poison control data don’t specify which calls are related to hemp versus more dangerous K2, but show that most THC poisonings cause minor side effects. Full Story
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![A container of dried hemp plant with leaves and stems on Jan. 23, 2020.]()
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Texas Democrats vow to use delay tactics to drag out GOP redistricting effort
With few options to prevent the Republican majority from passing a new congressional map, Democrats threatened to filibuster, delay hearings and even break quorum. Full Story
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![State Rep. Gene Wu, chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, speaks during a press conference at the Capitol in Austin on Monday, July 21, 2025.]()
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GOP Army veteran announces challenge to Democrat Vicente Gonzalez in South Texas congressional district
The prospect of Eric Flores’ candidacy has excited Republicans in Texas and Washington, due in part to his military and law enforcement credentials. Full Story
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![Army veteran and attorney Eric Flores has announced he's challenging U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, in South Texas' 34th Congressional District.]()
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As Trump's raids ramp up, Valley residents stay inside — even when they need medical care
In the Rio Grande Valley, fears of deportation cause some undocumented residents to neglect their health in a region rife with obesity, diabetes and other chronic health problems. Full Story
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![Juanita is hugged by her children, Jose, 15, and daughter Marely, 17, who has Down syndrome, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, during a portrait in Hidalgo County, Texas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)]()
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Texas lawmakers largely ignored recommendations aimed at helping rural areas like Kerr County prepare for flooding
Texas lawmakers’ inaction on flood prevention often hits rural and economically disadvantaged communities the hardest, experts said. Full Story
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![Photos and flowers hang on a fence as a memorial to flood victims.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Legislature is back for a special session. Here’s what we’re watching.
Lawmakers will have 30 days to tackle a packed agenda outlined by Gov. Greg Abbott, from flood relief to redistricting to THC products. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol seen on Monday June 30, 2025 in Austin, Texas.]()
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Better testing, less vaccine messaging among lessons learned from historic Texas measles outbreak
Faced with a skeptical religious community that became the center of the outbreak, public health officials say they may have pushed too hard on vaccine messaging. Full Story
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![Signs inform people of measles prevention and testing at the Gaines County Court House in Seminole on Sunday on April 6, 2025.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Number missing from Hill Country floods down to 3
Officials removed nearly 100 from the list of the missing Saturday, saying many had been found safe. There was no update on the death toll, which was most recently 135 statewide. Full Story
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![Law enforcement officials and volunteers clear up mountains of debris deposited by the flood in Center Point on Tuesday July 8, 2025.]()
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Appeals court upholds Texas law limiting cities' enforcement of local ordinances
The 2023 law, previously ruled unconstitutional by a Travis County judge, prevents cities from enforcing ordinances that don’t align with broad swaths of state law. Full Story
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![Downtown San Antonio on May 25, 2024.]()
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Ken Paxton sues adult swimming organization for allowing transgender competitors at San Antonio event
The Texas attorney general said U.S. Masters Swimming violated the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act by allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s events. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to the media during a press conference in front of the Supreme Court in Washington on Jan. 15, 2025.]()
Credit: Luke Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
Canceled Baylor LGBTQ+ study stirs strong reactions in Waco
A grant to help churches better minister to LGBTQ+ people prompted fury. A decision to return the grant then spurred disappointment. Full Story
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![Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University graduate AB Waters poses for a portrait on June 10, 2025 in Waco, Texas. AB has worked to make Baylor University more inclusive of LGTBQIA+ students. Justin Hamel/ the Waco Bridge/ Report For America/ CatchLight Local]()
Credit: Justin Hamel/ The Waco Bridge/ Report For America/ CatchLight Local -
Texas lawmaker proposes beefing up temporary worker program to ease farm labor shortages
The South Texas Republican’s “Bracero 2.0” legislation — named after a 1940s temporary labor program — comes as the Trump administration has increasingly cracked down on undocumented farmworkers. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, speaks at a press conference in Washington on Feb. 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Mattie Neretin/CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM via REUTERS