Paxton trial updates, Sept. 14: AG supervisor refutes whistleblower claims
Watch a livestream of the attorney general’s impeachment trial and get the latest updates as senators weigh his political future. Full Story
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![Tony Buzbee, a lead defense attorney, listens in as Grant Dorfman, Deputy First Assistant Attorney General at the Texas Office of the Attorney General, answers questions from defense attorney TKTK on the Senate floor during suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s trial on Sept. 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s lawyer attacks allegation that home renovation was a bribe
Drew Wicker, Paxton’s former personal assistant, testified at Paxton’s impeachment trial that his boss used four cell phones and ditched his security to meet with Nate Paul. But Wicker also provided Paxton’s lawyer with a chance to attack a central bribery allegation. Full Story
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![Drew Wicker, former executive aid to the Attorney General, testifies on Sept. 13, 2023, the seventh day of Ken Paxton's impeachment trial in the Texas Senate.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton took a “corrupt” interest in lawsuit on Nate Paul’s behalf, whistleblower testifies
Darren McCarty said the attorney general, his former boss, approached the Mitte Foundation lawsuit with “urgency and anxiety” — and a focus on helping his friend and political donor. Full Story
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![Darren McCarty, former deputy attorney general for civil litigation under Ken Paxton, is sworn in by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during the sixth day of Paxton’s impeachment trial on Sept. 12, 2023.]()
Credit: Texas Senate Media Services -
“I did everything at his supervision”: Outside lawyer says Ken Paxton approved every step of Nate Paul investigation
Houston lawyer Brandon Cammack said he was excited to help the attorney general’s office with a criminal investigation. But after a whirlwind month, he was fired without payment and felt he’d “gotten the rug pulled out from me.” Full Story
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![Houston attorney Brandon Cammack answers questions from Rusty Hardin, a lead prosecutor for the House’s impeachment team, during the sixth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial, on Sept. 12, 2023.]()
Credit: Texas Senate Media Services -
Texas parents who care for their disabled children full time will lose money after pay raise
Texas Medicaid caregivers’ wages were already near the poverty level. But parents whose sole income came from taking care of their disabled children have now lost their ability to work overtime hours. Full Story
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![Laurie Sharp talks with her daughter, Logan Sharp, in the living room of their Pflugerville home on Sep. 9. 2023. Logan's feeding tube runs in the foreground, which she requires to eat.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
What’s at stake in the long-awaited trial over Texas’s sweeping 2021 elections law
The GOP-backed Senate Bill 1 added voting restrictions that plaintiffs claim unfairly impacts voters of color. Full Story
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![State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, speaks in favor of Senate Bill 1 on Aug. 11, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Paxton defense presses whistleblower on what evidence he brought to FBI
On cross examination, Paxton’s defense attorney launched into whistleblower Ryan Vassar for bringing no physical evidence when he and others reported their boss to the FBI. Vassar said he was a witness and not an investigator. Full Story
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![Former deputy attorney general for legal counsel Ryan Vassar answers a question during cross examination on the fourth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 in Austin.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Six file to run in special election to replace Rep. Bryan Slaton
The House unanimously voted in May to expel Slaton after a committee investigation found he had sex with a 19-year-old intern after getting her drunk. Full Story
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![Empty chairs on the House floor before a late-night session at the state Capitol on Oct. 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
“It was not a mutiny”: Senior staff had no choice but to report Ken Paxton to the FBI, whistleblower testifies
Ryan Bangert, a former top official under the attorney general, said Paxton allowed a friend and political donor to hijack the state agency, diverting it from its mission to help all Texans. Full Story
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![Ryan Bangert, former first deputy assistant of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, testifies at the impeachment trial of Paxton at the Capitol on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Pool via Austin American-Statesman -
Texas’ political environment driving faculty to leave, survey finds
After legislators passed laws banning diversity initiatives and targeting tenure at state universities, more than a quarter of the 1,900 Texas professors surveyed by faculty associations said they plan to look for positions out of state. Full Story
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![A student walks through the Library Mall at the University of North Texas in Denton on March 22, 2022.]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s top deputy, the first impeachment witness, describes an attorney general out of control
Jeff Mateer testified that Paxton was so intent on helping Austin real estate investor Nate Paul that he worried the attorney general was being blackmailed. Full Story
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![Whistleblower Jeff Mateer give impassioned testimony about his former boss Ken Paxton in the morning session of Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial in the Texas Senate on September 6, 2023. (Bob Daemmrich/Pool for the Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton impeachment trial begins with sniping: “Slow creep of corruption” vs. “nothing of significance”
After senators rejected the suspended attorney general’s bid to dismiss all accusations against him, lawyers for both sides laid out their cases and impeachment managers called their first witness. Full Story
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![Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick calls the attorneys and staffs to the dais during the afternoon session of Day 1 of the Ken Paxton impeachment trial in the Texas Senate.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton cannot be forced to testify at his impeachment trial, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick rules
The suspended attorney general argued that he should have the same protection from testifying as any defendant in a criminal trial. Patrick, acting as trial judge, agreed. Full Story
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![From left: Attorney Tony Buzbee, suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton and attorney Dan Cogdell on the Senate floor on Sept. 5, 2023. The attorneys are part of the team defending Paxton in his Senate impeachment trial.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/Pool via The Dallas Morning News -
Texas Senate rejects all motions to dismiss Ken Paxton impeachment charges
The pretrial motions required a majority vote. All but one were rejected by two-thirds of the Senate, suggesting an openness in the chamber to hear the allegations against Paxton. Full Story
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![Senators file into the Senate floor at the beginning of the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton on Sept. 5, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
5 questions loom as Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial gets started
Will the suspended attorney general testify, and will any — or all — articles of impeachment be dismissed before opening arguments? Answers are finally coming. Full Story
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![The Texas Senate gallery on Aug. 31, 2023 as technical staff prepares communications for the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton on September 5th. Paxton is accused of several ethics violations during his three terms as Texas Attorney General.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrch for The Texas Tribune -
Here are the 16 articles of impeachment Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing
The articles — including bribery, dereliction of duty and disregard of official duty — do not include four accusations originally adopted by the Texas House. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton holds a press conference at the Houston Recovery Center on October 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
School safety, tutoring and hair: These are some of the new education laws that go into effect this year
Lawmakers failed to pass legislation on school vouchers or teacher raises this year, but they approved other education-related laws like an $800 million investment in high-quality instructional materials and new rules for students found vaping or using marijuana. Full Story
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![Hank Warner teaches a pre-advanced placement algebra course for ninth graders at Bowie High School Wednesday, April 10, 2013 in Austin.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
773 new Texas laws go into effect Friday. Here are some that might affect you.
The new laws affect schools, the electric grid and the power of local governments. Full Story
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![The state Capitol in Austin on Feb. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Judge declares new Texas law that would erode cities’ power to enact local rules unconstitutional
A state law backed by Gov. Greg Abbott and business lobbying groups to stop cities and counties from passing progressive policies is scheduled to take effect Friday. A Travis County judge declared it unconstitutional. Full Story
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![A members of Fe Y Justice Worker Center holds a sign in protest to HB-2127 during a press conference at Houston’s City Hall. Friday July 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune -
This new law will help health care workers save lives in ambulances that cover wide-open West Texas
The emerging technology, paid for by a grant established during the 2023 legislative session, will help emergency health care workers talk with doctors in emergency rooms to better care for critical patients. Full Story
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![An ambulance is parked at Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas
at Austin in 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune