The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Despite the excitement he's generated among Democrats, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke's bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is still widely viewed as a long shot. Yet the El Paso congressman's campaign could still help rebuild his party and make a difference in races lower on the ballot. Full Story
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The Dallas Republican, along with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, met with Russian officials to "increase engagement" with the country. Full Story
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Johnson, a Dallas Democrat, has served in the U.S. House for 26 years. If her party wins control of the chamber, she's well positioned to become the first African-American representative from Texas to lead a standing committee in Congress. Full Story
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For every migrant parent federal officials fail to locate, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said, "there will be a permanently orphaned child." Full Story
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The case had been dismissed by a Travis County judge, but an appeals court on Friday overturned that dismissal. Full Story
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One of Cruz's ads tells viewers O'Rourke is "more extreme than he wants you to know." Another highlights Cruz's work on the state's recovery from Hurricane Harvey. Full Story
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Here are four things to keep in mind when you see a poll on a statewide race in Texas. Full Story
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A poll from Quinnipiac University released Wednesday gives U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz a 6-point lead over his Democratic challenger, Beto O'Rourke. Full Story
More than 90 panel discussions and one-one-one interviews. Nearly 340 speakers from across Texas and around the country. A mix of local, state, national and global politics and public policy. A sparky new location in the shadow of the Capitol. #TribFest18 is going to be our best fest yet. Full Story
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Some 400 parents were sent back to their native countries without their children. As an official with the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency put it, “we don’t keep track of individuals once they’ve been deported to foreign countries.” Full Story
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Texas has eight independent candidates running for office, and the Libertarians will be on the statewide ballot once again. Full Story
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Getting mentioned in a news story isn't the same thing as getting a vote. But it sure seems important to candidates who are having trouble getting voters to pay attention. Full Story
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Kim Olson, who is running to unseat Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, is a veteran, farmer and outspoken feminist. But will an episode from her past derail her candidacy? Full Story
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President Donald Trump's re-election campaign announced it made donations to around 100 Republicans in congressional races ahead of the midterms. Six of those recipients were Texas incumbents. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday he sees a "coalescence" against the idea of having a so-called "red flag" law in Texas, further dooming the proposal's chances in the Legislature. Abbott asked lawmakers to consider the idea as part of the school safety plan he released earlier this year after the deadly Santa Fe High School shooting. Full Story
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Political speech is protected by the First Amendment, so candidates can get around bans on spam. But just asking to be taken off a list will usually work. Full Story
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Emilio Gutiérrez Soto and his son Oscar spent seven months in federal detention. Their release comes a day before a court-ordered deadline for federal officials to turn over emails about why the two were detained. Full Story
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Some parents have been declared ineligible because of "red flags" in their records. But many haven't been reunified because immigration officials already deported them. Full Story
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In Texas, both political parties now support loosening the restrictions on marijuana in their platforms. That's just the clearest sign that both public opinion and the political calculus on pot are rapidly shifting. Full Story
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On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Evan, Patrick and Emma about Texas' mold-infested state health services building, whether the feds will meet a court-ordered deadline for migrant family reunifications and why some Republican statewide officials have no incentive to debate their Democratic opponents. Full Story
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