Politics

In today's Brief: A roundup of news on the national immigration debate, a House panel will meet this month to consider whether Texas needs a "red flag" law, and a recap of the state GOP convention. 

 

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"Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso," former first lady Laura Bush wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post. 

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Churches, especially in deep-red Texas, often sit out partisan squabbles. But the issue of family separations is not a political one, some faith leaders say — it's a humanitarian and moral crisis.

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Days after a tent city went up near El Paso, demonstrators near the facility took aim at the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children from parents who were seeking asylum.

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There were lots of speeches, a contentious race for state party chair and a debate over the party's platform. Check out scenes from the 2018 Republican Party of Texas convention.

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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, defeated late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel in a one-on-one basketball game that tested the patience of both players and spectators. The final score was 11-9.

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After a few hours of relatively mild debate, Texas Republicans approved multiple legislative priorities and backed a platform that includes more than 300 planks.

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During this week's state Republican Party convention, various speakers took turns praising President Donald Trump. But the bitter race for state party chair and a debate over censures illustrated divisions among Texas Republicans.

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A center for unaccompanied immigrant minors is up and running in West Texas, just one day after federal officials announced the location, state Rep. César Blanco confirmed to The Texas Tribune on Friday. 

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Dickey defeated longtime activist Cindy Asche in a floor fight at the party's state convention. 

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Incumbent GOP Chairman James Dickey is fending off a challenge from Cindy Asche, who has questioned Dickey's support for President Donald Trump. 

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A varsity swimmer was found "responsible" for sexually assaulting a fellow student. But after a brief suspension and one semester of academic probation, he can rejoin the team. 

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The high court's ruling on a Minnesota state law is likely to reverberate in Texas, which has a similar law on the books. Neither state allows voters to wear political garments or accessories in their polling places. 

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Texans say the Legislature’s top three priorities should be lowering the cost of health care, reducing the number of women dying after childbirth and lowering the cost of prescription drugs, according to a poll conducted by the Episcopal Health Foundation and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Experts say it costs about $500 to train a school employee under Texas' school marshal program. But school leaders say their worries go beyond the cost.

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On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Evan, Jolie and the New York Times Magazine and ProPublica's Pamela Colloff on Pam's two-part "Blood Will Tell" series on blood spatter analysis and the state's consideration of intellectual disabilities in death row cases.

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Maria Vandelice de Bastos hasn't seen her grandson for 10 months, since they crossed into New Mexico at a port of entry seeking asylum, according to her attorney. Her grandson has severe epilepsy and autism.

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Launched in March, the party bills itself as a movement aimed at toppling the two-party system controlling state politics, but it's a for-profit company that got millions in start-up dollars from investors. Will its founder-turned-candidate get enough signatures to get on the ballot with Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke?

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Republican State Board of Education member David Bradley proposed the new course title in April, saying he found "hyphenated Americanism to be divisive.” On Tuesday, another board member, Democrat Ruben Cortez, called Bradley “the most mean-spirited” person on the board. 

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At a Senate hearing Monday, members of a select committee discussed mental health training and security cameras. But they failed to reach consensus on school architecture and metal detectors. 

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