The Week in the Rearview Mirror

Much like some party elders, college Republican groups in Texas are ambivalent about embracing presidential nominee Donald Trump. College Republican chapters at the University of Houston and Rice University have decided not to endorse Trump. Conservative student groups at the University of Texas at Austin have split. That has left GOP operatives concerned that the party's usual pool of eager young volunteers might be shallower this election season.

The long-complicated feud between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, fraught with animosity since at least the Republican National Convention, is showing some signs of thawing. On Wednesday, one of Cruz's top advisers suggested the U.S. senator is warming up to Trump — the first such signal since Cruz dropped out of the presidential race. The two former rivals also have found common cause in stopping the Obama administration from transferring oversight of the internet domain system to an international organization.

As part of its fight to keep Syrian refugees out of the state, Texas is threatening to withdraw from the nation's refugee resettlement program if federal officials don't “unconditionally approve” a state plan requiring additional vetting.

U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, is getting support from former GOP presidential candidate John Kasich in his campaign to hold on to his West Texas seat.

Is George H.W. Bush voting for Hillary Clinton? It's a question that has consumed the political world for the past 24 hours, raising the specter of a remarkable rejection of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Though unconfirmed, Bush voting for Clinton would not be entirely surprising. He and other members of his famous family have largely refused to get behind Trump, who savaged former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the primaries.

Officials in Amarillo on Tuesday agreed to chip in $15 million to help Texas Tech University open a new veterinary school in the city.

Travis County prosecutors say “criminal intent would be difficult to prove," so they're not pressing charges against Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller for controversial state-paid trips to a Mississippi rodeo and to receive a "Jesus Shot" in Oklahoma.

Texas must issue new press releases and other materials in its voter education campaign. That comes after the federal government and other plaintiffs accused state officials of misleading voters about identification requirements.

Texas is helping lead a lawsuit against President Barack Obama's administration over a new rule that makes millions of more workers eligible for overtime pay. Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday he is joining his counterpart in Nevada, Adam Laxalt, to file the lawsuit on behalf of 21 states. Critics of the rule say it will place a new burden on businesses, potentially forcing them to demote or lay off workers whom they cannot afford to pay more.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, stepped up his criticism Tuesday of congressional colleague Ted Cruz, saying he "broke his word" by declining to endorse presidential nominee Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention.

Rice University's marching band made headlines nationwide Friday by taunting Baylor over its sexual assault scandal. The attention is hardly new for the marching band, which has a history of courting controversy.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has been quiet about U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's lack of support for Donald Trump, warned Monday Cruz will be left "in the rearview mirror of the Republican Party" if he doesn't endorse the businessman.

Disclosure: The University of Houston, Rice University, the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.