The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
After President Trump bucked tradition and withheld his tax returns during his successful 2016 campaign, Democrats vying for their party's 2020 nomination are vowing to make such information public. Full Story
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It would take “something dramatic” in the coming days to persuade President Donald Trump not to close the U.S.-Mexico border, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Sunday. Full Story
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Watch O'Rourke's rally in El Paso. Full Story
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“The Constitution’s protection of religious liberty is somehow even better than Chick-fil-A’s chicken,” Paxton wrote in a Thursday letter to San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and the rest of the council. Full Story
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The House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent a letter to the state Thursday asking for documents related to the review. Full Story
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Both chambers now want to put $9 billion toward public schools and levy reductions. But they disagree about how to spread it out. Full Story
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In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Sen. Jose Menéndez about marijuana’s bipartisan moment — how the politics of legalization, decriminalization, medical cannabis and CBD oil make for strange budfellows. Full Story
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The vote, called around 1 a.m., was 8-3. The lone Democrat who voted in support of the new measure was state Rep. Ryan Guillen, the vice chair of the committee. Full Story
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The groups are targeting two priority bills in the Texas Senate. Full Story
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The House also signed off on a $9 billion supplemental budget that would withdraw $4.3 billion from the state savings account. Full Story
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The House Ways & Means Committee is expected to vote on the bill Wednesday. Full Story
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Disability advocates want the Texas Legislature to invest in pay raises for home care workers. Even in a year of surplus, it's a difficult battle. Full Story
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O'Rourke has brought on veteran Democratic strategist Jennifer O'Malley Dillon to lead his White House bid. Full Story
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Lawmakers were alerted that a page on the House floor had the infection, triggering discussions about vaccine policies in the state. Full Story
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The hearing on a bill regarding "the rights of a living child born after an abortion" was delayed Monday morning due to a lack of a quorum. Full Story
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Whichever Democrat running for president places well in South Carolina's Feb. 29 primary will head into the March Super Tuesday contests — a rash of states that will include Texas — with momentum. Full Story
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"This is Harris County!" declared a bevy of colorful signs at a campaign rally Saturday for the California Democrat. Harris has made clear she plans to cede no ground to Democratic rivals who hail from the Lone Star State. Full Story
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The former El Paso congressman hit six states in the first seven days of his nascent White House bid, plowing through the ups and downs of the trail while maintaining a breakneck pace. Full Story
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On this week’s TribCast, Aman talks to Alex, Aliyya and Ross about the mood in the Texas Capitol halfway through the session, why Dan Patrick has some pot advocates feeling paranoid and how the two Texans running for president are doing — and yes, there are still two. Full Story
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Issues like city-mandated paid sick leave and "red flag" gun laws are popular among Texas voters, polls suggest. Will opposing them have consequences in 2020? Full Story
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