The gang discusses the major role that Texas plays in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in his second term
James Barragán
James Barragán was a politics reporter for The Texas Tribune with a focus on accountability reporting. Prior to joining the Tribune, James worked as a statehouse reporter for The Dallas Morning News and previously had stints at the Austin American-Statesman and the Los Angeles Times. In 2021, he was a finalist for the Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Reporting for his coverage of Texas politics during the COVID-19 pandemic. James was selected as a 2023-24 Nieman Fellow at Harvard. A Southern California native, James received his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was based in Austin and is a native Spanish speaker.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Abbott’s political muscle puts his agenda on fast track in Legislature
The governor’s list of priority items includes issues important to social conservatives and to business advocates.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Abbott vows pay raises for teachers and more property tax relief
The governor’s speech sets a broad agenda for the Legislature, including a nuclear renaissance and a Texas Cyber Command.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Abbott expected to promote vouchers and other highlights of his 2025 agenda in Sunday speech
After successful campaigns for House allies, the governor is in a position to set an ambitious course for the legislative session.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Conservatives clinch longtime goal of booting Democrats from leadership ranks in Texas House
Conservative activists in the GOP caucus called any power sharing with the minority party a betrayal of Republican voters.
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TribCast
TribCast: Texas and the second Trump administration
Matthew Choi, our Washington correspondent, joins the gang to discuss what lies ahead with Trump back in the White House.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas House to pick new speaker, concluding brutal proxy war
The new speaker will have a dramatic impact on the direction of this year’s lawmaking — and potentially the future of the Legislature.
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Criminal Justice
Gov. Greg Abbott appoints Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Shawn Thierry to juvenile justice board
Thierry became a Republican cause celebré for breaking with Democrats over her views on transgender rights.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Ken Paxton kicks off tour to pressure Republicans to support David Cook for House speaker
Paxton’s latest tour is the continuation of his efforts in the past year to get political revenge on House Republicans who supported his impeachment.
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2024 Texas Elections
Gov. Greg Abbott issues executive order targeting Chinese government operatives in Texas
The order is in response to “Operation Fox Hunt,” a Chinese government initiative intended to root out corruption but in practice has been used to intimidate Chinese citizens living abroad.