Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday he isn’t worried that a failure to increase the nation’s debt ceiling would trigger an economic catastrophe. He also says that it should be up to the states to decide whether abortion is illegal — or legal.
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
Health care
Perry Says Default Fears Are Overblown
Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday he isn’t worried that a failure to increase the nation’s debt ceiling would trigger an economic catastrophe. He also says that it should be up to the states to decide whether abortion is illegal — or legal.
Posted in
State Government
DPS Now Says Key Perry Travel Records Preserved
The Texas Department of Public Safety said Monday it had preserved certain travel records associated with the cost of providing security to Gov. Rick Perry before 2008, contrary to information it provided on Friday.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
DPS Can’t Reveal Cost to Protect Perry, Purges Records
State officials said Friday they can’t reveal how much money taxpayers are spending to protect Gov. Rick Perry — and that records of security costs compiled before 2008 have been “purged.”
Posted inState Government
Draft Perry Group Adds Volunteers in Early States
Americans for Rick Perry, an independent group promoting would-be presidential contender Rick Perry, has suffered a setback in Iowa, but it’s picking up new volunteers in South Carolina.
Posted inState Government
Perry Says He Has No Interest in VP Slot
John Nance Garner, the colorful West Texas politician known as “Cactus Jack,” used to say the office of vice president “wasn’t worth a warm bucket of piss.” Gov. Rick Perry, without using any four-letter words, said as much on Tuesday.
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Health care
Perry Says State Should Pay For His Security
Gov. Rick Perry, in his first question-and-answer session with reporters in weeks, said Texas taxpayers should pick up the expense of his security even if costs shoot up dramatically while he travels around the nation running for president.
Posted in
Politics
Perry Spends $1 Million in First Half of 2011
Gov. Rick Perry, who is considering a run for the White House, has spent nearly $1 million in state campaign funds since January, shelling out thousands of dollars for out-of-state travel, hotels and meetings, records released Friday show.
Posted in
Politics
Rick Perry: The Democrat Years
Gov. Rick Perry, a no-apologies conservative known for slashing government spending and opposing all tax increases, is about as Republican as you can get. Except when he wasn’t.
Posted in
State Government
Perry’s TWIA Nemesis Loses Battle but Promises War Isn’t Over
Trial lawyer Steve Mostyn insists the governor and the GOP-led Legislature punished him for donating millions to Democrats by putting his clients — coastal homeowners — in the crosshairs. “It’s straight-up vendetta politics,” he says.
