Texas puts Daniel Acker to death, the second execution in two days
Acker was convicted in the 2000 murder of his girlfriend in East Texas. Her body was found on the side of the road after neighbors said they saw him abduct her. Full Story
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![Daniel Acker is set for execution on Thursday, Sept. 27 for the 2000 death of his girlfriend in Hopkins County.]()
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U.S. Sen. John Cornyn calls Kavanaugh hearing "embarrassing," draws McCarthy comparisons
Earlier, Cornyn had declined to directly question Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Full Story
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![Rachel Mitchell, counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, questions Christine Blasey Ford as Sens. Mike Crapo, Jeff Flake, Ben Sasse, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and John Cornyn listen during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on September 27, 2018.]()
Credit: Tom Williams/Pool via REUTERS -
Report: Heidi Group still failing to serve target number of patients for reproductive health
The anti-abortion group served more than 3,300 clients under the state's Healthy Texas Women program and Family Planning Program, far less than the nearly 70,000 people the organization projected when it won state contracts. Full Story
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Watch livestreams of the 2018 Texas Tribune Festival's featured events
Here's where you can find all the livestreams from the 2018 Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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![An audience watches the opening keynote with former Secretary of State John Kerry at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 27, 2018.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
How to watch this weekend's Texas Tribune Festival
Tune in to conversations with former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke and more. Full Story
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![One on One with Mike Morath
Evan Smith, CEO of The Texas Tribune, interviewed Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2017.]()
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Beto O'Rourke committed to serving out his six-year Senate term if elected. Ted Cruz? Not so much.
In interviews with The Texas Tribune, both candidates were asked if they'd commit to serving their full six-year terms in the U.S. Senate. There has been speculation that either — or both — could run for president in 2020. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, in their first debate in Dallas on Sept. 21, 2018.]()
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Analysis: For state Sen. Charles Schwertner, bad news and a trickle-down effect
The timing of sexual misconduct allegations against Texas state Sen. Charles Schwertner could affect more than his election chances in November; it could affect the chances of other Republican candidates whose districts overlap his. Full Story
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![Charles Schwertner, Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, listens to DFPS Commisioner John Specia speak at a hearing at the Texas Capitol on April 20, 2016.]()
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We set up a virtual debate between Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz. Hear where they stand.
Watch O'Rourke and Cruz virtually debate issues like immigration, guns and health care. Full Story
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How much money have Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke raised outside Texas? We don't know for sure.
Each Texas candidate for U.S. Senate has criticized the other for raising money outside the state. But campaign finance rules make it difficult to say who has raised more. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (left) and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, at their first debate, in Dallas, on Sept. 21, 2018.]()
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Texas executes Troy Clark, the first of two scheduled executions in two days
Clark was convicted in the Tyler murder of Christina Muse, whose body was found stuffed in a cement-filled barrel months after her death. Death penalty opponents say his conviction rested too heavily on a co-defendant's testimony. Full Story
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![Troy Clark is set to be executed on Wednesday, Sept. 26 for the 1998 drowning death of a woman in Tyler.]()
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Following Kavanaugh allegations, Cornyn and Cruz say they want to hear from both sides
Both Texas senators are a part of the Senate Judiciary Committee that will hear the allegations on Thursday. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn sits with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and wife Heidi Cruz at the Fort Hood Purple Heart ceremony on April 10, 2015.]()
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Sexual misconduct allegation jolts Texas Sen. Charles Schwertner's district
Schwertner has denied the allegation, revealed Tuesday in a news report, but his challengers on the November ballot think it may prompt voters to give the race a second look. Full Story
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![State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown (center) is being challenged by Democrat Meg Walsh (left) and Libertarian Amy Lyons (right).]()
Credit: Facebook campaign pages: Walsh and Lyons/Thomas Meredith: Schwertner -
Report: State Sen. Charles Schwertner retains lawyers, denies sending "any inappropriate texts as alleged"
Allegations that Schwertner had sexually harassed a University of Texas at Austin graduate student were first reported Tuesday evening by the Austin American-Statesman. Full Story
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![State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown (center), listens to testimony at a hearing held by the Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools & School Security on June 11, 2018. Schwertner is flanked by fellow committee members Sens. Royce West, D-Dallas (left), and Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe.]()
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Analysis: Texas politics can change plenty in 2018 without a blue wave
Hopeful Democrats are talking about whether Texas or the rest of the country is in for a blue wave in this year's elections. They should be looking for purple splotches in what has been a very red state for more than two decades. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (left) and U.S. Rep Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso.]()
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In age of Trump, Republican U.S. Rep. Will Hurd's independence again on the ballot in 23rd District
U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, is looking to hold on to the 23rd District once more as Democrats argue he is not as much of an outlier in his party as his image suggests. His opponent this time is Gina Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer. Full Story
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![Left: U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, speaks at a town hall in Alpine on Sept. 16, 2018. He stopped in the city as part of his annual end-of-summer swing through the district. Right: Gina Ortiz Jones, the Democratic nominee challenging Hurd, smiles as she is introduced during a Women at the Top Rally in San Antonio on Sept. 23, 2018.]()
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Report: UT investigating sexual misconduct allegation levied against state Sen. Charles Schwertner
A spokesperson said Schwertner "categorically denies any knowledge of the accusations leveled against him" and added that the senator "is eager to cooperate with the University of Texas and hopes to make clear he played no part in the behavior described.” Full Story
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![Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, in a Texas Senate Business and Commerce Committee hearing in Austin on Mar. 9, 2017.]()
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Anti-nuclear waste tour kicks off in Houston
Organizers of the "Protect Texas from Radioactive Waste Tour" plan to travel to five Texas cities over the next week in protest of a proposed plan to store used nuclear materials in West Texas. Full Story
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![Modular concrete canisters containing nuclear waste are shown at the bottom of a storage pit near Andrews, Texas.]()
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Attorney General Ken Paxton defends Texas law requiring students to stand for Pledge of Allegiance
Students can be excused from the requirement if their parents give written permission. But a lawsuit claims the law violates students' free speech rights. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton speaks at the Texas State Rifle Association General Meeting in Round Rock on Feb. 25, 2017.]()
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After sexual assault charges, Cody Wilson resigns from 3D-printed gun company
The company is "resilient," its new head said Tuesday, and "we have no intention of stopping." Full Story
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![Gun parts at Defense Distributed, a Texas-based company developing and publishing open source gun designs for 3D-printing and manufacture, surround a copy of The Liberator, a 3D-printed plastic gun. The company is being sued to keep its plans for plastic guns off the internet.]()
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Ted Cruz heckled in Washington restaurant over Kavanaugh controversy
According to a pair of videos posted online, a group of opponents to the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh hounded U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, out of a Washington, D.C., restaurant Monday evening. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during U.S. Supreme Court nominee judge Brett Kavanaugh's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on September 4, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts