With the parties over, it’s back to business for the squabblers.
John Cornyn
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Marketing Murderabilia
Ted Bundy’s fried hair. Sperm from college campus shooter Wayne Lo. Dirt from the crawl space where John Wayne Gacy stored 26 bodies. All are collectors’ items in the macabre world of murderabilia. The more infamous the killer, the bigger the price tag — at least for now. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and a Houston city official are working to exterminate the industry they say allows murderers and rapists to make money from their crimes. Murderabilia peddlers insist they operate in good taste. “We don’t push this into anyone’s face,” says the owner of murderauction.com.
Posted inState Government
Spreading the Gospel of Texas
Since George W. Bush exited the White House, Texas has lost in place at the center of the political universe. But Texas Republicans, who gathered this weekend in Dallas, say there’s still plenty here for the rest of the nation to emulate and embrace. Ben Philpott filed this report for KUT News and the Tribune.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
The Brief: June 4, 2010
Physician-owned hospitals, which provide some of the best health care in the nation but have been in danger since health insurance reform passed, are taking their case to court.
Posted in
Environment
Plug it, Mr. President
There was mixed reaction in Texas to the president’s remarks yesterday on the response to the Gulf oil spill, which critics have labeled “Obama’s Katrina.” KUT’s Matt Largey reports.
Posted in
Demographics
TribBlog: Border Hostages
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is pushing hard for the FAA to approve a second aerial drone to surveil the Texas-Mexico border — holding an Obama nominee hostage until Texas gets its way.
Posted in
State Government
The Brief: May 20, 2010
Calderon and Obama talk immigration and cartels, fun times with the SBOE, Bill White’s cheat sheet and the smoking ban that wasn’t in San Antonio.
Posted in
Energy
A Hostile Climate
The Obama administration’s push to pass carbon control legislation got a boost yesterday with the release of a new version of the bill in the U.S. Senate. Here in Texas, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, the state’s GOP leadership continues to fight back against what they view as an energy tax bill.
Posted inState Government
Cornyn on the Kagan Nomination
Now that Barack Obama has nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be the next U.S. Supreme Court justice, the hard part begins: getting her confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Ben Philpott, who’s reporting this election cycle for KUT News and the Tribune, asked U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to preview the battle ahead.
Posted in
Demographics
Sound and Fury
Just as in 2006, some Democrats are clamoring for immigration reforms, including easing pathways to citizenship, while Republicans are insisting more border security must come first. Policy experts, meanwhile, say the outcome this year will likely be the same as back then: nothing.
