U.S. to reopen land borders with Mexico to vaccinated travelers starting in November
The borders were closed to nonessential travel in March 2020, which hurt businesses in Texas border cities that rely on Mexican shoppers. Full Story
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![Scenes from downtown near the international bridge on day one of the shelter-in-place order that was put in place by the county judge Oct. 30, 2020, in El Paso. The El Paso mayor and Gov. Abbott are fighting the order in court.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Ted Cruz and John Cornyn opposed a debt-limit increase that will stave off economic catastrophe, but backed previous borrowing hikes
The two Republican senators from Texas have routinely supported more government borrowing when Republicans held the White House. Full Story
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![U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 27, 2018.]()
Credit: Matt McClain/Pool via REUTERS -
Texas has all but banned abortion. But a Mississippi law could be what ends Roe v. Wade.
If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, “trigger laws” across 12 states — including Texas — that ban all abortions will go into effect within months. Full Story
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![Abortion rights activists during a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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After minor changes, advocates are confident a bill requiring adequate shelter for dogs can avoid another Gov. Greg Abbott veto
The new proposal, like its predecessor, would amend the health and safety code to make the unlawful restraint of a dog a criminal offense — and more clearly outline proper treatment. Full Story
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![Bloodhounds are held in a pen in Refugio on Aug. 21, 2019. The dogs are trained to use scent in the capture of criminals and migrants that attempt to evade law enforcement.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas board recommends George Floyd receive a posthumous pardon for 2004 Houston drug arrest
Gov. Greg Abbott must either approve or reject the parole board’s decision. The 2004 case involved a Houston officer later found to have lied to obtain a search warrant in a 2019 case. Full Story
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![People gather at the mural for George Floyd in the Third Ward in Houston on June 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Two Black Houston members of Congress decry redistricting map that pits them against each other as discriminatory
Despite the objections of U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green, the Senate committee voted out the redrawn congressional map Monday without addressing the district overlap. The map heads next to the full Senate for a vote. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaks as the House Judiciary Committee meets on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Leah Mills -
Gov. Greg Abbott calls for stiffer penalty for illegal voting — weeks after he signed a bill lowering it
The punishment for the crime was scheduled to go down in December, due to the passage of a sweeping bill that restricted the state’s voting process and narrowed local control of elections. Full Story
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![Voting signs at Dan Ruiz Branch Library in Austin on Election Day. Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Ted Cruz's challenge to campaign finance reimbursement law reaches Supreme Court
Under a 2002 federal law, no more than $250,000 in contributions collected after an election may be used to repay a candidate’s loans to their campaign. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee confirmation hearing for U.S. Secretary of Transportation nominee Pete Buttigieg in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, 2021.]()
Credit: Stefani Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS -
A Republican wants to add exceptions for rape and incest to Texas’ new near-total abortion ban. He faces an uphill climb.
The proposal comes almost two weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott’s comments that the state would “eliminate all rapists.” Full Story
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![Pregnancy and abortion related brochures from The John Paul II Life Center in Austin. June 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas is lone Democrat to vote against federal bill protecting abortion rights
The U.S. House is trying to override Texas’ near-total ban on abortions. But Democrats likely lack the support they need in the U.S. Senate. Full Story
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![House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke during a news conference about the House vote on H.R. 3755, the "Women's Health Protection Act" legislation to "establish a federally protected right to abortion access" at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque -
Texas sued over bill stopping social media companies from banning users for political views
A judge recently blocked a similar bill in Florida after a lawsuit brought forward by NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, the same groups that sued Texas. Full Story
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![A 3D-printed Facebook logo on a keyboard in this illustration taken March 25, 2020.]()
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Texas’ near-total abortion ban caps a decadeslong war by conservative legislators to block access to the procedure
Getting an abortion in Texas has become more difficult than anywhere else in the nation. Full Story
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![An ultrasound machine sits next to an empty patient's bed at Whole Women’s Health of Austin on Sept. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
After the omicron surge in early 2022, COVID-19 cases declined in Texas schools
Student and staff COVID-19 cases declined after districts reported their highest levels in January since the pandemic began. But the data is incomplete and likely an undercount. Full Story
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![Students work at their desks at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
After Texas A&M student died from COVID-19, students and faculty rally for more safety precautions
University leaders have encouraged mask-wearing and getting vaccinated, but they say Gov. Greg Abbott has prevented them from requiring either. Full Story
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![Texas A&M students gathered to protest a lack of protections against COVID-19 on campus in College Station on Sept. 14, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Fearful of being sued under new law, three of four San Antonio abortion facilities stop offering the procedure
The facilities had a responsibility to patients who needed other reproductive services, said Jeffrey Hons, CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Texas. Full Story
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![Pregnancy and abortion related brochures in Austin on June 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
At least 45 districts shut down in-person classes due to COVID-19 cases, affecting more than 40,000 students
Caseloads have left districts scrambling when many have said they have fewer tools at their disposal to combat the spread of the virus. Full Story
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![An empty classroom at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on Aug. 24, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Social media companies can’t ban Texans over political viewpoints under new law
The law requires social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram to produce regular reports of removed content and disclose their content regulations procedures. Full Story
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![Social media icons on an iPhone screen.]()
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Texas law banning abortion as early as six weeks goes into effect as the U.S. Supreme Court takes no action
One abortion provider said it was “engulfed” in treating more than 100 patients at one clinic before the law took effect Wednesday. Full Story
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![Information and diagrams inside a medical room at a Planned Parenthood in south Austin on Jan. 14, 2020.]()
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Retired Texas teachers closer to getting a “13th check” after House endorses legislation
The measure would allow for a one-time payment of up to $2,400 for retired teachers, counselors and other school staff. Full Story
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![Students backpacks hang off the back of their chairs in an empty classroom at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune -
Asylum-seeking families and children made up nearly half of July border crossings: “This is young mamas and daddies trying to save their families”
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
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. Credit: The Texas Tribune