U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said he’s “willing to use any and all procedural tools” to prevent the reauthorization of the federal Export-Import Bank, whose charter expired at the end of June. Some in Congress are looking to attach the bank’s reauthorization to the federal highway bill, but Cruz said he may filibuster the bill if that’s the case.
Both Cruz and former Gov. Rick Perry burned through about half of the money they raised from April to June, putting them somewhere in the middle of the GOP field on that measure. Cruz’s $52 million haul is likely to put him second in the GOP fundraising race, while Perry’s network has raised about $18 million, with only $1.14 million of that coming from his campaign.
The U.S. military training exercise called Jade Helm 15 kicked off Wednesday, but there was little evidence in Bastrop of continued anxiety over the operation, which had garnered multiple headlines in April when some citizens warned it could lead to martial law.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick joined Gov. Greg Abbott in calling for an investigation into Planned Parenthood after an anti-abortion group's release of an undercover video. The video, which Planned Parenthood said misrepresented its work, showed an executive from the organization discussing how aborted fetuses can be preserved for medical research.
The State Board of Education voted Wednesday to seek alternatives to the computer-based General Education Development exam — possibly including paper-based tests. The 14-0 vote came a day after the board heard more than three hours of testimony from test-takers, teachers and advocates who said the only high school equivalency test the state recognizes is too expensive and too difficult.
The Rusk County Commissioners Court formally accepted the resignation of County Clerk Joyce Lewis-Kugle, apparently the first Texas elected official to quit office rather than abide by the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage.
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, the U.S. House’s top Republican on homeland security, issued a scathing indictment of Mexican officials for letting Joaquin Guzmán, the world’s most notorious drug lord, tunnel out of a maximum-security prison.
Texas Republicans slammed President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, criticizing almost every aspect of the deal, from the lifting of the arms embargo to doubts on whether Iranians would allow inspectors to enter sites. Perry said that if he becomes president, one of his first actions “will be to fully rescind this accord.”
Disclosure: Planned Parenthood was a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune in 2011. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.