The Brief: March 17, 2014
The rightward tilt of the Texas Senate has one of its more hallowed traditions — the two-thirds rule — in danger of going the way of the dodo. Full Story
The latest health care news from The Texas Tribune.
The rightward tilt of the Texas Senate has one of its more hallowed traditions — the two-thirds rule — in danger of going the way of the dodo. Full Story
The Dallas Morning News has obtained an email that seemed to reference attempts by UT System Regent Wallace Hall to undermine UT Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa. Full Story
If the University of Texas System regents tap Gov. Rick Perry's reported favorite, Kyle Janek, as their next chancellor, they won't get pushback from the president of the system's flagship campus. Full Story
A 20-year-old UT-Austin student responded to Texas lawmakers' restrictive abortion regulations by founding Fund Texas Women, a nonprofit that pays travel expenses to help Texas women get abortions in and outside of the state. Full Story
Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Dante Chinni of the American Communities Project at American University makes the argument that if Texas flips blue, it could do so in a hurry. And not just because of the state's growing Hispanic population. Full Story
Texas enrollment in the online insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act rose steadily in February but did not meet expectations set forth by the Obama administration. Full Story
Texas' controversial new abortion law requires doctors to follow a federally approved protocol, rather than a more commonly used method, when administering drug-induced abortions. The requirement is under scrutiny in a case challenging the law. Full Story
Ted Cruz's positioning for the next stage of his political career was the common thread in Monday's news coverage of Texas' junior senator. Full Story
The Tea Party's big moment last week in the GOP party primaries already is creating anticipation of a more libertarian tilt to next year's legislative session. Full Story
GOP gubernatorial nominee Greg Abbott leads his Democratic rival, Wendy Davis, by 12 points among likely voters, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll. Full Story
Whole Woman's Health announced late Wednesday that it is closing two abortion clinics — one in the Rio Grande Valley and another in Beaumont — as a result of strict abortion regulations passed by the Legislature last year. Full Story
A GOP primary contest that rewarded many of the most conservative candidates on the ballot has the national media sizing up the continued strength of the Tea Party in Texas. Full Story
Many poor seniors in Hidalgo County lack access to basic necessities like food and health care. A Texas A&M University professor and his team of "promotoras" are trying to find ways to help improve conditions for those seniors. Full Story
In statewide races, Republicans who touted their stance against abortion — even when the offices they sought had little to do with the issue — saw strong primary night returns on Tuesday. Full Story
Another dose of winter weather expected to hit overnight from Austin and San Antonio to Houston is injecting a note of uncertainty into today's party primary elections. Full Story
Election Day is tomorrow, and the tenor of some of the campaigns has moved toward "no quarter, bayonet the wounded." Full Story
At our 2/27 symposium on demographic change at the University of Texas at El Paso, I talked about health care challenges with Texas Health Commissioner Kyle Janek, state Rep. Marisa Márquez, D-El Paso, El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar and Eric Evans, CEO of the Sierra Providence Health Network. Full Story
The times they are a-changin' on Texans' attitudes toward marijuana, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
The state Supreme Court will hear arguments this week in a case challenging the state's regulations on eyebrow threading, which several businesses and threaders say have hurt their ability to operate in Texas. Full Story
Democrats and Republicans in Texas differ in their enthusiasm for spending more money for education, but they tend to agree on the need to invest more, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story