West joins a crowded and unsettled Democratic field of candidates looking to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
Alex Samuels
Alex Samuels was a reporter for The Texas Tribune from 2017 to 2021. She helped with national campaign coverage, wrote stories about the intersection of race and politics in Texas, and covered the hottest political news bubbling out of local communities. She was also one of the primary authors of The Blast, the Tribune’s subscription-only daily newsletter for political insiders. Alex began at the Tribune as a fellow in 2016. She graduated in 2017 from the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism. She originally is from Massachusetts and is the best pingpong player at the Tribune.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
Beto O’Rourke discloses that he’s descended from slave owners
“Something that we’ve been thinking about and talking about in town hall meetings and out on the campaign — the legacy of slavery in the United States — now has a much more personal connection,” O’Rourke wrote.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
This year, Texas passed a law legalizing hemp. It also has prosecutors dropping hundreds of marijuana cases.
The new law changed the definition of marijuana, and prosecutors and crime labs say they don’t have the resources to test if a substance is legal hemp or marijuana.
Posted in
Public Education
National media outlets told the story of David Briscoe surviving the Santa Fe shooting. He wasn’t there.
A man who claimed he was a substitute teacher at Santa Fe High during the 2018 shooting told a harrowing story of survival. But the school district says he never worked there.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
After debate skirmish, Castro, O’Rourke host dueling events in Austin
The two Democratic presidential candidates rallied supporters at events minutes apart Friday evening, with Castro seeking to lay claim to favorite-son status.
Posted in
Broken Border
Texas lawmaker files bill to allow donations of diapers, other goods to migrant kids in Border Patrol facilities
A bill filed Friday by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, would allow Border Patrol to accept donations from those wanting to give to children at stations in Texas.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
“It’s like they’re frightened to talk to me”: Texas campaign workers of color face harassment, discrimination in the field
Many campaign workers of color in the state can recount harrowing experiences of block walking in predominantly white neighborhoods — a situation that could become increasingly common as some of those communities draw more competition in 2020.
Posted in
Guides
Here’s a list of organizations that are mobilizing to help the influx of immigrants crossing the Texas-Mexico border
Government agencies are grappling to respond to the number of immigrants coming into the country. Many tax-funded shelters housing immigrants are overcrowded, and there are reports some have substandard living conditions. We’ve compiled a list of organizations that are mobilizing to help.
Posted in
Broken Border
People want to donate diapers and toys to children at Border Patrol facilities in Texas. They’re being turned away.
A Border Patrol official told a state lawmaker that the agency doesn’t accept donations for facilities where children are reportedly being held in substandard conditions.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
On Juneteenth, Sheila Jackson Lee spearheads congressional hearing on reparations, calling them “long overdue”
The Houston Democrat’s bill calls for a commission to “study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans,” and consider a national apology by the government.
