Texas medical marijuana industry to push for hemp age restrictions and delta-8 ban
Medical program leaders want a ban on synthetic delta-8 THC, which makes up the bulk of consumable hemp products. Full Story
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![Texas Original Director of Cultivation Jason Sanders gives a tour of the business’ facility on Sept. 26, 2024. Texas Original is Texas’ first licensed medical cannabis distributor.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrat Colin Allred launches 2026 U.S. Senate campaign
Allred lost to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz last year by 8.5 points while outperforming the top of the ticket. Full Story
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![Then-U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, at a Kamala Harris campaign rally at the Shell Energy Stadium in Houston on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.]()
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GOP state Sen. Brian Birdwell says he won’t seek reelection
Soon after Birdwell announced his retirement, state Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, said he was running for the seat. Full Story
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![Senator Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, during a Texas Senate meeting on March 25, 2025.]()
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Texas capital murder case attempts to severely punish abortion pill use by treating a fetus as a person
A North Texas man charged with capital murder after slipping mifepristone into his girlfriend’s food signals another attempt to rein in abortion pills. Full Story
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![A pharmacist poses with pills of Misoprostol, made by Lupin Pharmaceuticals, at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on June 19, 2019.]()
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Sen. John Cornyn looks to overcome Paxton primary challenge by embracing Trump
As he faces the toughest electoral challenge of his career, Cornyn has also wielded his powers as a U.S. senator to lean into partisan issues prized by the GOP base. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, prepares to introduce Brooke Rollins, President Donald Trump's nominee to be Agriculture secretary, during her Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen building on Thursday, January 23, 2025.]()
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Top Texas Democrats ponder the state’s future at forum amid questions about what’s next for their party
Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke was joined at his San Antonio town hall by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and state Rep. James Talarico, whose names have been floated for statewide office. Full Story
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![Texas Rep. James Talarico answers a question during a town hall at Stable Hall in San Antonio, Texas on June 27, 2025.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott sets Nov. 4 special election for open state Senate seat
The contest coincides with the state’s November uniform election, when voters across Texas will already be at the polls to decide local offices and ballot measures. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick presides over the Senate on July 14, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
“It will affect all families”: Challenges await Texas parents if birthright citizenship ends
The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship to take effect in certain states in 30 days. Full Story
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![Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on border security and immigration, in Austin, Texas, Oct. 25, 2024.]()
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Is THC as dangerous as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick makes it out to be?
Although Patrick and hemp industry leaders have quarreled over the risks and benefits of THC, cannabis researchers say it can be addictive but doesn’t usually cause widespread psychosis or brain damage. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during a press conference at the Texas Captiol in Austin, Texas on Monday 23, June 2025.]()
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Proposed Pell Grant cuts threaten aid for Texas students
Proposals in the federal budget bill would cut the maximum Pell Grant award amount by $1,500 and take away eligibility for students enrolled less than half-time. Full Story
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![Students walk across the Texas A&M campus in College Station on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.]()
Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune -
Trump administration expands military’s role at the border to the southern tip of Texas
The newly annexed 250-mile stretch at the border spans two counties and runs alongside cities including Brownsville and McAllen. Full Story
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![A U.S. Army M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle, known as a Stryker, deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border stands guard in the Camino Real Landfill in Sunland Park, New Mexico on March 28, 2025.]()
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Top Paxton deputy accused of witness tampering during impeachment trial
In dueling lawsuits, current and former employees of the attorney general’s office sling allegations that threaten to intrude on Paxton’s U.S. Senate bid. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks about impending impeachment proceedings against him at a press conference in Austin on May 26, 2023. Behind Paxton from left: Tommy Tran, executive assistant; James R. Lloyd, associate deputy attorney general for civil litigation; Austin A. Kinghorn, associate deputy attorney general for legal counsel; Ryan Fisher, director of government relations; Joshua Reno, deputy attorney general for criminal justice; Suzanna Hupp, special adviser; Brent Webster, first assistant attorney general; Lesley French, chief of staff; George Lane, adviser; Paige Willey, deputy communications director; and Ralph M. Molina, deputy attorney general for legal strategy.]()
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Majority of Texans oppose total THC ban like the one vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott, poll finds
The statewide survey also found that Texas Republicans are closely divided on the issue. Full Story
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![Hemp plants at Caprock Family Farms in Lubbock on May 23, 2025.]()
Credit: Annie Rice for The Texas Tribune -
Progressive Rep. Greg Casar has a playbook he wants Democrats to use in 2026
Casar, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, thinks economic populism and “authentic candidates” can win back recently converted GOP voters. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, sits in his soon-to-be old office at Longworth House Office Building Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Washington, D.C. He and his team are currently in the process of moving office spaces to Canon House Office Building.]()
Credit: Luke Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
Robert Nichols, the most senior Texas Senate Republican, won’t run for reelection
After Nichols announced his retirement, Rep. Trent Ashby said he would run for the open seat. Full Story
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![Left: state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, on the Senate floor on April 9, 2019. Right: State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin, on the House floor on May 3, 2017.]()
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Texas to create its own psychology licensing test amid pushback on national exam
Texas and other states have criticized a decision by the national psychologist licensing board to add another expensive test in order for psychologists to become certified. Full Story
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![Chair John Bielamowicz speaks during a a Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists meeting Thursday, April 11, 2024 in Austin. During the meeting, the state board met with the Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards to discuss the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology.]()
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State Rep. Nate Schatzline drops Texas Senate bid, endorses conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss
The North Texas district opened up last week when Republican Kelly Hancock resigned from the upper chamber to take over as the state’s acting comptroller. Full Story
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![State Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth,
addresses the crowd during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth on Jan. 6, 2025.]()
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett drops bid for influential post on House oversight panel
The Dallas Democrat had said her party should respond more aggressively to the Trump administration and pitched herself as the best messenger for the job. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, at a House Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Oversight hearing in the Rayburn House office building in Washington on April 2, 2025.]()
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With prospects of a THC ban eroded, Texas hemp industry supports age restrictions, more regulation enforcement
Hemp industry leaders say they agree with regulations similar to how the state regulates alcohol. Full Story
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![The Texas Original cannabis farm on Sept. 26, 2024. The red light is an experimental form of growth where the light bleaches the flower of the plant.]()
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Sen. Joan Huffman joins GOP field vying to succeed Ken Paxton as Texas attorney general
In her announcement, Huffman framed herself as the most experienced candidate, pointing to her time as a prosecutor, judge and chair of key Senate committees. Full Story
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![State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on April 3, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune