Texas unemployment rate rises to 8.1% in November
The latest unemployment rate will be a crucial data point for the Texas Legislature, which will convene in January. Full Story
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![Hundreds of cars line up in the parking lot of Lehman High School in Kyle to receive food from the Central Texas Food Bank.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Beth Van Duyne could be the GOP’s antidote to high-profile progressives when she joins Congress
The former Housing and Urban Development official will be part of the largest group of House Republican women ever elected to Congress in the same year. Van Duyne’s supporters expect she’ll bring her brand of outspoken conservative fire with her to the Capitol. Full Story
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![Ben Wear, transportation reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, moderated the “Tyranny of the Commute” panel featuring John-Michael V. Cortez, Beth Van Duyne, Celia Israel and Philip Kingston at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2017.]()
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Texas politicians flock to Georgia to aid in fight for U.S. Senate majority
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz; Texas GOP Chairman Allen West; U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston; and former presidential candidate Julián Castro have all traveled to the state — or plan to soon — to campaign in the Jan. 5 runoffs. Full Story
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![Senator Kelly Loeffler, R-Georgia, and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock, participate in a debate in Atlanta for the U.S. Senate seat representing the state. Dec. 6, 2020.]()
Credit: Ben Gray/Pool via REUTERS -
Defense spending bill named after Texas congressman passes in U.S. House despite Trump's veto threat
The legislation is named in honor of retiring U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, who is the top Republican of the House Armed Services Committee. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.]()
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Fourteen U.S. Army leaders fired or suspended at Fort Hood
The shake-ups come in response to an independent review of the base’s command climate and are an effort to correct a yearslong culture of sexual assault and a pattern of violence at the base. Full Story
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![A memorial for Specialist Vanessa Guillén outside the Fort Hood U.S. Army post in Killeen.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court leery of Trump’s bid to exclude undocumented immigrants from congressional reapportionment
Outgoing President Donald Trump's administration wants to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count that determines how many congressional seats each state gets. Texas could lose at least one congressional district under the plan, according to a study. Full Story
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![A protester holds a sign outside the U.S. Supreme Court where the court ruled that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration did not give an adequate explanation for its plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, delivering a victory to New York state and others challenging the proposal in Washington, U.S., June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria]()
Credit: Carlos Barria/REUTERS -
These Texans were rescued by the U.S. government after getting stranded in Peru. Now, the bills are arriving.
The U.S. State Department has sent letters to Americans rescued abroad during the pandemic asking for repayment for the repatriation flights and threatening to withhold tax refunds or social security payments if the debt goes unpaid for months. Full Story
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![A soldier keeps watch in Lima after Peru's government deployed the military to block major roads, as the country rolled out a 15-day state of emergency to slow the spread of COVID-19 in March of 2020.]()
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Republicans kept their grip on Texas government in 2020. In 2021, they'll be able to tighten it.
Because Republicans in the state House and Senate held onto their 20-year majority, they are positioned to further entrench their power until the next redistricting rolls around in 2031. Full Story
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![The Republican Party of Texas office in downtown Austin.]()
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What to expect as Texas heads to the U.S. Supreme Court in bid to overturn the Affordable Care Act
On Tuesday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a Texas-led challenge to the landmark health law. Full Story
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![Protestors gathered in front of the Supreme Court in Washington D.C., in 2015, to show support for the Affordable Care Act.]()
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A handful of battleground races in Texas remain unsettled days after Election Day
Candidates have not yet conceded in at least three contests for state House, saying they want to see more ballots come in. Full Story
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![Harris County election workers process the MBB data cards which contain ballot results at the NRG Arena in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.]()
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Texas 2020 elections: 815 Texas mail-in ballots recovered and sent to counties in USPS sweep
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan earlier Wednesday ordered the agency to conduct two sweeps of processing facilities in the state for returned mail-in ballots that were postmarked by Tuesday. Full Story
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![Supporters of President Donald Trump outside of the Metropolitan Multi-Services Center during Election Day in Houston on Nov. 3, 2020.]()
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Texas Republicans decline to condemn President Trump's premature declaration of victory while votes are still being counted
Texas’ top Republican congressional leaders are mostly staying silent after President Donald Trump prematurely and falsely declared victory early Wednesday morning as votes continue to be counted in multiple battleground states, including Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump spoke about early results from the 2020 U.S. presidential election in the East Room of the White House in Washington on November 4, 2020.]()
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Texas Republicans fighting off Democrats in battleground congressional races
Several Republican wins in U.S. House races came near the end of an election cycle in which Texas was the centerpiece of a Democratic offensive. Full Story
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![Newly elected Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi during the 116th Congress on the house floor at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 3, 2019.]()
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John Cornyn defeats MJ Hegar to retain U.S. Senate seat
Hegar called Cornyn and conceded within minutes of the race being called, according to both campaigns. Cornyn gave a victory speech shortly after 9 p.m. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, visited College Station on Oct. 28, 2020, as part of his statewide bus tour. Cornyn was also joined by Rick Perry and Pete Sessions at this campaign stop.]()
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President Donald Trump wins Texas, Republican John Cornyn wins another Senate term
Texans were poised to set a record for voter turnout with Tuesday's election. Voters cast ballots in a litany of races, from president and U.S. Senate to seats in the Texas House. Full Story
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![Will Cash waves a Trump flag for motorists outside the Kingwood Community Center on Election Day. He and his friends biked around Kingwood with flags to show support.]()
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At the center of many Texas congressional battles: Who will protect preexisting conditions rules?
Many members of both parties say they want to preserve protections for people with preexisting conditions, though Democrats say Republicans are being disingenuous about the issue. Full Story
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![Paramedics bring an extra stretcher into the emergency room at Eastland Memorial Hospital. The facility has seven emergency treatment rooms and is the only hospital along the roughly 120 mile stretch of I-20 between Weatherford and Abilene.]()
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Chip Roy and Wendy Davis go down to the wire in a tight TX-21 race that has Texas’ full attention
Roy, the Republican incumbent, and Davis, the Democratic challenger, share very little in common politically, but they each have a passionate following and an ardent group of opponents. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, and former state Sen. Wendy Davis race for Texas' 21st Congressional District.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar and Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A Texas election with a decade of politics at stake
A nine-seat change in the Texas House could affect the balance of power in the Texas Capitol, but also in Congress. Texas lawmakers will draw political maps next year that could remain in place until the 2030 census. Full Story
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![The floor of the house on April 11, 2019.]()
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Always a battleground, never a landslide: Texas’ 23rd Congressional District stays competitive despite state’s political shifts
Even as Democrats expand their congressional offensive elsewhere in the state, the West Texas district remains a perennial battleground. Full Story
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National Democrats are increasingly assertive about their chances in Texas this election — and they’re spending accordingly
In a move of confidence that Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher will be reelected, a national PAC is redirecting ad spending from that district to a nearby open seat currently held by a Republican. Full Story
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![Democrat Lizzie Fletcher and Republican Wesley Hunt are running for Houston area’s 7th Congressional District seat.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune and Hunt Campaign
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