Republicans in the state Senate looked like tourists who wandered into a hostile neighborhood after liberal activists helped derail an abortion bill. But they are still in the driver’s seat in the second special session.
Jay Root
Jay Root is an award-winning journalist who reported for the Tribune from 2011 to 2020. He covered the dramatic collapse of Gov. Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign and went on to write an ebook about it called “Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail.” Root also broke the story that put the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, on the path toward criminal indictment, co-wrote an exposé that brought an end to privately funded prosecutions in Travis County, and authored a series of watchdog articles that prompted a wave of firings and resignations at two major state agencies.
In 2017, Root co-directed “Beyond The Wall,” a film exploring border politics in the age of Trump, which won a national Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary. Root’s latest film, “Border Hustle,” was released in early 2019 and reveals how desperate migrants have become cash cows on both sides of the border.
Previously, for a dozen years, Root was Austin bureau chief of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he chronicled the rise of then-Gov. George W. Bush, wrote about cartel violence in Mexico and covered Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. During a three-year stint at the Associated Press, Root was twice named AP Staff Reporter of the Year for his watchdog reporting, including a story that sparked felony charges against a sitting state representative.
Posted in
State Government
Rick Perry Calls Second Special Session
Gov. Rick Perry has called a second special session to consider abortion restrictions, transportation funding and juvenile justice. The session will begin on July 1.
Posted in
Health care
Liveblog: Abortion Bill Fails Amid Midnight Chaos After Filibuster
Texas senators are trying to get to the bottom of whether Republicans successfully pushed through a vote on Senate Bill 5, the omnibus abortion restriction bill, ahead of their midnight deadline.
Posted inState Government
Mark Miner Returning to Team Perry
Rick Perry’s former spokesman, Mark Miner, will become a “senior adviser” to the governor, sources say. The decision comes as Perry faces a self-imposed July 1 deadline to decide whether or not to run for re-election.
Posted in
State Government
Audie Murphy, a Hero Still Missing One Medal
The effort to give World War II hero Audie Murphy a Texas Legislative Medal of Honor fizzled for the second time in two years. Supporters wonder if Murphy and other veterans from the “greatest generation” are being forgotten.
Posted in
Politics
Speculation Mounts as Decision Nears for Perry
It’s virtually impossible to predict what Rick Perry will do, but speculation is mounting that he won’t run for re-election. The chatter is on the upswing now that the governor has said he will make his intentions known before July 1.
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Economy
Perry Issues More Than Two Dozen Vetoes
Gov. Rick Perry issued more than two dozen vetoes Friday, including a line-item veto that wipes out funding for the Travis County prosecutors who investigate government fraud and public corruption. He also vetoed a bill that would have had Texas law mirror gender wage protections in the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.
Posted in
State Government
Perry: No Time to Expand Session Agenda
With the special session set to end in less than two weeks, Gov. Rick Perry said there’s no more time to add items to the agenda.
Posted in
Health care
“Kumbaya Session” Poised to Be a Distant Memory
After a relatively calm regular session, Gov. Rick Perry is flexing his partisan muscles as the special session presses on. Redistricting, abortion-related issues and a threat to cut off state funding for the Public Integrity Unit are ratcheting up tensions.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Abortion-Related Legislation Added to Special Session Agenda
The special session’s agenda now includes the hot-button issue of abortion — which is sure to spark partisan warfare. Gov. Rick Perry also ordered the Legislature to take up a measure dealing with sentences for 17-year-olds convicted of capital felonies.
