The latest Greg Abbott news from The Texas Tribune.
The Texas Workforce Commission announced that the U.S. Department of Labor notified the commission that the state’s unemployment rate fell below the threshold needed to continue the benefits. Full Story
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Democrats used every tool they had, fleeing the state en masse and forcing two special sessions, but a Republican bill to rewrite state election laws won final approval in the House on Friday. Once the House and Senate work out some differences, it appears headed to the governor’s desk. Full Story
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The Biden administration says it will continue its legal fight against the revival of a Trump-era policy that requires asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while their cases are pending. Full Story
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A border sheriff told lawmakers that some landowners who are afraid of migrants crossing their property have asked him, "When can I shoot?" Full Story
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Navigating the quorum break, Speaker Dade Phelan said he was especially mindful of not doing “un-repairable harm” to the chamber, indicating that could have happened if members were physically detained and brought to the chamber. Full Story
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With the U.S. Food and Drug administration’s full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, Texas is in uncharted territory when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations. Full Story
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Migrant crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border reached a 21-year high in July. This video takes you to the epicenter: Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, where more crossings are happening than in any other region in the country. Full Story
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Amid the heated rhetoric around an increase in migrants, people on opposite ends of the Texas-Mexico border see the problems — and solutions — differently. Full Story
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The infusions are more available and accessible to Texans than ever before, and new criteria for who can receive antibody treatment have led more doctors to prescribe it. Full Story
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The governor credited his vaccination for keeping his infection "brief and mild" and encouraged others to consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Full Story
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Texas public universities forbidden from mandating vaccines are trying to entice students and faculty to get the shot. Those moves come as more people ages 18 to 29 years old in Texas are being hospitalized with the virus. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott wanted the high court to disallow mask mandates in Texas school districts. Justices dismissed their request on a technicality, without issuing a ruling on their legal arguments. Full Story
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Abbott has drawn at least three primary opponents, including former Dallas state Sen. Don Huffines and former Texas GOP Chair Allen West. Full Story
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A number of the top issues facing the country — mask mandates, voting, immigration — have something in common: Texas. Full Story
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Biden said he will use the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights enforcement authority to deter states from blocking mask mandates in classrooms. Full Story
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On this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Karen, Cassi and James about whether the this pandemic wave will turn out to be Texas’ worst and why no Democrats have been arrested since their warrants were signed last week. Full Story
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As of Wednesday, there were no known cases of absent Democrats being arrested, and the chamber was still shy of the 100 members it needs for a quorum to conduct official business. That is despite its Aug. 10 vote to proceed with the arrests. Full Story
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After more than three weeks in jail, a trespassing charge against the man was dropped because state troopers shouldn’t have arrested him under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security push. He wound up in bureaucratic limbo for days as federal agencies passed the responsibility for resolving his immigration status. Full Story
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In a bid to block a voting restrictions bill, House Democrats for weeks have denied the lower chamber the number of present members needed to pass legislation. House Speaker Dade Phelan has already signed dozens of civil arrest warrants. Full Story
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Back-and-forth legal rulings have left some school districts with the choice of flouting Abbott and mandating masks — or waiting for the dust to settle. Full Story
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