Until the most recent legislative session, the state had a tax on illegal drugs, adding tax evasion to the list of things that could put buyers and sellers into jail. Those drugs remain illegal, but the transactions are now tax-free. Full Story
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House Speaker Joe Straus finds himself in a familiar position, fending off Tea Party primary challenges to hold his San Antonio seat and, presumably, his grip on the gavel. Full Story
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Former state Rep. Lance Gooden wants his seat in the Texas House back, setting up a rubber match in the Republican primary for House District 4 with the man who beat him in 2014, Stuart Spitzer. Full Story
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In the Roundup: The people behind the undercover videos of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast in Houston face criminal charges, a University of Texas at Austin professor says he won't follow the campus carry law and Ted Cruz is exhausting his energy in Iowa ahead of Monday’s caucuses. Full Story
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Ted Cruz brings in Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for the final weekend before the Iowa caucuses, the FCC moves to increase transparency on political ad buys and the Hotlist gets an update — all that and more in the latest issue of our subscriber-only newsletter for political insiders ($). Full Story
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Without Donald Trump on stage, the GOP presidential debate Thursday night in Des Moines, Iowa, took a turn to the low key. Full Story
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Without the billionaire on the stage for the seventh Republican presidential debate, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz found himself reprising roles from previous meetings with his rivals: media critic, anti-Washington crusader and target of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Full Story
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Comptroller Glenn Hegar launched a torrent of criticism at Moody’s Investors Service on Thursday after the credit rating agency released a report suggesting a drilling slowdown could eat up a projected $4 billion budget surplus by December. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday he plans to "weigh in" on the 2016 presidential race ahead of the Texas primary, raising the possibility of an endorsement before March 1. Full Story
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The Texas Legislature’s efforts to beef up state oversight and avert deadly disasters like the 2013 West fertilizer plant explosion have been “not entirely adequate,” the federal Chemical Safety Board says in its final report. Full Story
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In a race that has already seen its fair share of twists and turns, Ted Cruz is staring down an uncertainty unlike any other: whether his closest competition will show up for the last debate before the first-in-the-nation caucuses. Full Story
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Standing before a stained-glass triptych depicting the crucifixion of Jesus, Jared Woodfill, who is running for chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, spoke at length about his disappointment with his fellow conservatives. Full Story
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Despite a recent ad bashing Donald Trump for employing eminent domain for a parking lot, Ted Cruz has backed the Keystone XL and other pipeline projects that would use the same controversial tool to displace landowners. Full Story
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Ted Cruz and a pair of super PACs supporting him spent Wednesday trying to get Donald Trump to agree to a “mano a mano” encounter between the two men. Full Story
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A day after a Republican unexpectedly snatched away a long-held Democratic statehouse seat in San Antonio, state GOP leaders were crowing while Democrats swore the low-turnout special election was a non-repeatable fluke. Full Story
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James Garrett Freeman shot and killed Justin Hurst, a game warden, following a high-speed chase in 2007. He was executed Wednesday evening, the second execution in Texas this year. Full Story
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The Texas Transportation Commission is expected to approve a $1.3 billion plan Thursday aimed to funding 14 roadway projects designed to relieve gridlock in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Full Story
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Ted Cruz's challenge to debate Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump one on one is evoking memories of Cruz's 2012 U.S. Senate campaign, when he applied similar pressure to then-Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Full Story
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State senators expressed bipartisan disapproval Wednesday of an unpopular program that levies large surcharges on drivers for traffic offenses, with several calling for broad changes or scrapping it entirely. Full Story
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The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday stuck to an earlier decision granting relief to a Montgomery County man convicted of murder. Full Story
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