Matthew McConaughey is flirting with a run for governor. But his politics remain a mystery.
The actor hasn't voted in a primary since at least 2012 and has never donated to a Texas or federal campaign. Full Story
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![Matthew McConaughey spoke at the March For Our Lives rally in Austin in 2018.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Why would Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick run a race he’s already won?
Speculation that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick might want to be governor someday underestimates his current advantages over the current occupant of that office, Gov. Greg Abbott. Full Story
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![Lt. Governor Dan Patrick greeted invited guests and family at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport ahead of President Trump's arrival to Austin on Nov. 20, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers push bill to make it easier to sue abortion providers and harder for new anti-abortion laws to be blocked by courts
The provisions are packaged in one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s priority measures, dubbed the “heartbeat bill.” Senate Bill 8 would ban abortions as early as six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant. Full Story
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![A nurse practitioner consults with a patient at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Austin.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Three Texas Republicans vote against awarding Congressional Gold Medals to police who protected Capitol during insurrection
U.S. Reps. Michael Cloud of Victoria, Louie Gohmert of Tyler and Lance Gooden of Terrell voted against the resolution. Gohmert reportedly took issue with the characterization of the attack in the resolution as an "insurrection." Full Story
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![Pro-Trump rioters clashed with Capitol police during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.]()
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TribCast: Texas' top three Republican leaders splinter over electricity repricing
On this week's episode, Patrick speaks with Ross, Cassi and Alexa about state leaders' disagreements over electricity repricing after the winter weather crisis. Full Story
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![El Paso Electric's Rio Grande Power Station on the New Mexico/Texas state line. Feb. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas will target human traffickers in response to "humanitarian crisis" at the border
The governor asked the federal government to let Texas law enforcement interview migrant children in FEMA shelters to investigate human trafficking. Full Story
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![Migrants from Central America that were apprehended crossing the Rio Grande in Brownsville were flown to El Paso for processing and then deported to Mexico across the Paso del Norte International Bridge on March 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune -
Electricity repricing bill hits wall in House, marking first major schism with Senate this session
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the House "stood for big business" after Speaker Dade Phelan signaled skepticism about reversing billions of dollars in charges for wholesale electricity during last month’s winter storm. Full Story
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![An eastern aerial view of Austin after a severe snowstorm dumped heavy snow and plummeted temperatures. Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Slate of Texas legislation limiting abortion, including so-called “heartbeat bill,” heads to Senate
The legislative session that began in January has been driven by the coronavirus pandemic and the response to last month’s power crisis. But abortion-related measures dominated a Senate State Affairs committee hearing Monday, and lawmakers advanced all of the proposals. Full Story
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![A women's health clinic in Texas.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Higher education officials urge Legislature to invest in colleges and universities after pandemic takes toll on students and economy
As the Legislature grapples with a struggling pandemic economy and the impact of an unprecedented winter storm, higher education advocates are vying for lawmakers’ attention, trying to make the case for more investment in colleges and universities. Full Story
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![Students walk through an area known as “The Quad” on the first day of the fall semester at Texas State University in San Marcos on Aug. 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott formally opens Texas GOP bid to clamp down on local efforts expanding voting access
Texas has some of the strictest voting rules, but Republican lawmakers are now hoping to outlaw efforts by local officials in places like Harris County intended to widen access for voters, including drive-thru voting and extended early voting hours. Full Story
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![A poll worker feeds a voting machine and power cord through a voter’s car window in the drive-through line at NRG Stadium in Houston during the first day of early voting on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate scrambles to advance bill that would force ERCOT to reprice energy charges from winter storm
Senate Bill 2142, sponsored by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, had not even been filed when the day started Monday, but lawmakers suspended their rules to hastily push it through the Senate. Full Story
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![The Senate floor on March 2, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Dan Patrick’s interrogation about a freeze warms speculation about 2022
An unusual appearance by the lieutenant governor at a Senate hearing looked like a tough session for one of Gov. Greg Abbott's appointees — and raised speculation about political tension between the state's top two elected officials. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at the dais on the Senate floor on May 25, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Lawmakers are seeking common ground on DACA, but comprehensive immigration reform will be a challenge for Democrats
The Senate filibuster stands as a key obstacle to Democrats’ priorities. Full Story
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![Juan Paul Flores Vazquez stands in front a mural in Segundo Barrio in El Paso. Flores is a DACA recipient.]()
Credit: Christ Chavez for The Texas Tribune -
One year ago, the first Texan was killed by COVID-19. 47,000 deaths followed — and it’s not over.
This timeline tracks COVID-19’s rampage through Texas over the last year: the growing death toll, the policy decisions made in response to the pandemic that often influenced its course, and the stories of some of the Texans claimed by the virus. Full Story
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![Illustration showing flowers and the number of Texans who died in the first year of the pandemic — 47,000.]()
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick focuses scorn on Public Utility Commission after winter storm, testing Gov. Greg Abbott
Abbott has previously directed much of the blame for the storm’s power outages on the state’s electrical grid operator. Full Story
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![An eastbound view of East Stassney Lane in South Austin on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Austin can keep enforcing mask mandate for at least two weeks until trial, judge says
Austin and Travis County residents will be required to keep their masks on after a district judge delayed action on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to end the mandates immediately. Full Story
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![A sign outside of a South Austin store asked customers to follow COVID-19 precautions on March 3, 2021.]()
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Social network Gab fuels latest conflict among Texas Republicans
The Texas GOP said Thursday it would not abandon the site after the party's vice chair, Cat Parks, demanded it do so — and after Gov. Greg Abbott denounced it as an anti-Semitic platform. Full Story
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![Texas Republican Party Chairman Allen West spoke to a crowd at the Governor’s Mansion to protest business closures and mask mandates. Oct. 10, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
In oil-rich Texas, GOP lawmakers push bill to punish Wall Street for fossil fuel disinvestments
The bill would direct state investment funds to divest from companies that cut ties with fossil fuel companies, pitting Texas against some increasingly carbon-conscious Wall Street investors. Full Story
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![A pump jack and a gas flare in the Eagle Ford oil patch south of San Antonio.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Austin to stop it from imposing a local mask order
Texas' mask mandate was lifted this week, and Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered that "no jurisdiction" can implement a local one if coronavirus hospitalizations don't meet a certain metric. Full Story
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![A COVID-19 safety sign in Austin on June 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Migrant apprehensions continued upward trend in February
The Rio Grande Valley and the El Paso sectors remain the busiest crossing points as more than 100,000 people were either apprehended or surrendered to authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border. Full Story
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![Migrant families who turned themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol to seek asylum after illegally crossing the Rio Grande are loaded onto a transport bus in Hidalgo on Aug. 23, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Loren Elliott