After President Donald Trump reportedly questioned why the United States should offer protections to immigrants from “shithole” countries, Democrats and some Republicans from Texas expressed outrage. One Democratic congressman from Houston said he’d push for impeachment.
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
Demographics
Texas Republicans: What do you want from party leaders ahead of the 2018 primaries?
The Texas Tribune wants to learn more about how the 2018 midterms might reshape the Texas GOP at home and in Washington.
Posted in
Guides
Hey, Texplainer: How does Texas’ budget use taxes from oil and natural gas production?
In the 2017 budget year, the oil production tax gave the state more than $2 billion in revenue, while the natural gas production tax brought in a little less than $1 billion. But where does this money go?
Posted in
Guides
Hey, Texplainer: U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold got his name off the 2018 Republican primary ballot. How did that happen?
U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold announced he wasn’t running for re-election last month, days after the deadline to withdraw his name from the March 6 primary ballot. Yet his name was still omitted. How did that happen?
Posted inState Government
Texplainer: U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold got his name off the 2018 Republican primary ballot. How did that happen?
U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold announced he wasn’t running for re-election last month, days after the deadline to withdraw his name from from the primary ballot. How did his name get omitted anyway? Read our updated Texplainer to find out.
Posted inState Government
Texas graduate students worry they’ll lose big in the federal tax cut bill
One version of the proposed tax cut bill would count tuition waivers received by graduate students as taxable income, a move that could increase some students’ federal income taxes by nearly 400 percent.
Posted in
Politics
Report: U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold underwent sexual harassment training in 2016 after complaints
U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold said he and his entire congressional staff underwent sensitivity and sexual harassment training in 2016, the Houston Chronicle reported Friday.
Posted in
Guides
Hey, Texplainer: Why does a state as big as Texas have a part-time Legislature?
The state Constitution outlines the duration of each legislative session and how much each lawmaker makes per year. Changing either would require a constitutional amendment.
Posted in
Politics
How repealing net neutrality could hurt small Texas businesses
Net neutrality, an Obama-era policy that requires internet service providers to treat all traffic that flows through their networks equally, could be repealed next week. Some fear that repealing it would disproportionately impact small business owners.
Posted in
Guides
Hey, Texplainer: How much money does Texas spend per child through CHIP?
During the next two fiscal years, Texas is set to spend roughly $200 per child per month through the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
