The political battle in one Texas county where Trump got 81% of the vote offers a rare view into the virulent distrust and unyielding pressure facing elections administrators.
Jeremy Schwartz
Jeremy Schwartz has been an investigative reporter in Texas for nearly a decade, covering issues including voting rights and border security for the Austin American-Statesman and USA Today Network. His work has resulted in the overhaul of Texas' inspection process for farmworker housing, sparked Congressional investigations of a failed Department of Veterans Affairs research program and uncovered misleading border arrest and drug seizure statistics maintained by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Schwartz won the National Association of Hispanic Journalists' Latino Issues award for his 2017 investigation into the political underrepresentation of Latinos in Texas cities and counties, and the Headliners Foundation of Texas Reporter of the Year award, among other honors. He previously served as Cox Newspapers' Latin America correspondent in Mexico City from 2005 to 2009, and before that, he covered the U.S. Border Patrol and immigration at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. He is based in Austin.
Posted in
Winter Storm 2021
“Power companies get exactly what they want”: How Texas repeatedly failed to protect its power grid against extreme weather
Texas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but time and again they furthered the interests of large electricity providers.
Posted in
Politics
Donald Trump visiting Texas’ Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday as his administration rushes to award more border wall contracts
The president’s visit comes a week after Department of Homeland Security officials touted the “historic” completion of 450 miles of border fencing during his administration.
Posted in
Investigations
The Trump administration awarded border wall contracts to build on land it doesn’t own in Texas
The government’s strategy of awarding contracts before acquiring titles to land in Texas has led to millions of dollars in costs for delays. Things could get even more complicated if President-elect Joe Biden stops border wall construction.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
Texas is on track for record turnout in this election after breaking early voting records
After early voting, 57.3% of registered voters in Texas have cast ballots, just shy of the total turnout of 59.4% in 2016.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
Biden camp cancels multiple Texas events after a “Trump Train” surrounded a campaign bus
The highway skirmish came as Democrats close ground in a state that is polling competitively in the race for president. Recent polls indicate the presidential race in Texas between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden is tight, with some national prognosticators calling it a “toss-up.”
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Records show Trump’s border wall is costing taxpayers billions more than initial contracts
As the presidential election nears, a review of federal spending data found modifications to contracts have increased the price of the border wall by billions, costing about five times more per mile than it did under previous administrations.
Posted in
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Privately built border wall will fail, engineering report says
The report, set to be filed in federal court this week, confirms reporting from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that found portions of the wall were in danger of overturning if not fixed due to extensive erosion just months after it was built.
Posted in
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Nonprofit that financed a private border wall is now the focus of a corruption case
Investigators say fundraisers for nonprofit We Build the Wall, including Steve Bannon and founder Brian Kolfage, lied to donors and pocketed funds. Trump has tried to distance himself from the group but Kolfage has bragged about their ties.
Posted in
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
This private border wall was already at risk of falling down if not fixed. A hurricane made things worse.
Engineering experts said photos of damage from last weekend’s storms reinforce the idea that building and maintaining a border fence so close to the river poses serious challenges.
