Stories by Texas Tribune fellows

Cornyn will need to use his deep coffers to overcome an early polling deficit to Paxton, who is looking to deny the GOP incumbent’s bid for a fifth term. Full Story 

Religion and the river are constant Kerr County touchstones. As residents lean on their faith, they grapple with their relationship to the water. Full Story 

In the last nine years, federal funding for a system has been denied to the county as it contends with a tax base hostile to government overspending. Full Story 

The four friends are among the hundreds of victims. The bodies of three of them have been found. Their families have searched for their loved ones since Friday. Full Story 

Crews are using construction equipment to clear vehicles, trees and homes in a race to locate more than 170 people still missing since Friday’s devastating flood. Full Story 

The House budget chair and lead sponsor of the GOP tax and spending bill recounts the months of negotiations needed to unite the fractious caucus. Full Story 

These maps and charts show the scale and intensity of the Hill Country floods and highlight Camp Mystic’s proximity to high-risk flood zones. Full Story 

When storms roll in, water rushes downhill fast, gaining speed and force as it moves — often with deadly results. Full Story 

Texas’ junior senator was visiting Greece Friday when the Texas flood turned deadly. Cruz, who did not return until Sunday night, communicated with officials from Athens. Full Story 

About two dozen people were still missing. Many more people could still be unaccounted for, officials warned, noting that visitors to the area for the July 4th weekend make it difficult to assess an exact number. Full Story 

The wide-ranging bill is the vehicle for much of Trump’s domestic policy agenda, containing key changes that will affect daily life for millions of Texans. Full Story 

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s aides have signaled their boss’s willingness to counter Texas redistricting with a similar move to offset GOP gains, lawmakers said. Full Story 

Members of the state’s GOP delegation were among the loudest voices critiquing their own party’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” In the end, each of them voted for it. Full Story 

After three sessions, Texas lawmakers passed a bill last month that defines consent and fixes what advocates called a loophole in Texas sexual assault laws. Full Story 

The package includes $13.5 billion to reimburse states for border spending. It is expected to meet resistance in the House from some Texas Republicans. Full Story 

Texas’ attorney general alleged the City of Dallas and the fair were violating state law and the second amendment with the ban, which was adopted after a 2023 shooting. Full Story 

As he faces the toughest electoral challenge of his career, Cornyn has also wielded his powers as a U.S. senator to lean into partisan issues prized by the GOP base. Full Story 

A North Texas man charged with capital murder after slipping mifepristone into his girlfriend’s food signals another attempt to rein in abortion pills. Full Story 

The contest coincides with the state’s November uniform election, when voters across Texas will already be at the polls to decide local offices and ballot measures. Full Story 

Senate Republicans, Democrats and outside groups are mounting an offensive against Cruz’s push to withhold AI money from states that regulate the technology. Full Story