The Brief: Feb. 23, 2015
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker are the co-favorites among Texas Republicans to take their party's nomination for president, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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![Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks at the Iowa Freedom Summit at the Hoyt Sherman Place theater in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015.]()
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UT/TT Poll: In Texas, Walker Catches Cruz
Ted Cruz's wide lead over other contenders for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination in Texas has disappeared; he is now in a virtual tie with the surging Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Inside Texas Politics: Gay Marriage and Immigration
On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, talk turns to some state Republicans' rhetoric after recent gay marriage and immigration rulings — will their celebrations now make them seem out of touch in the future? Full Story
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![Texas Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey on Inside Texas Politics on Feb. 22, 2015.]()
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Battleground Regroups: "We Got the Shit Kicked Out of Us"
More than three months after Republicans shellacked Democrats at the polls, Battleground Texas — the group aiming to turn bright-red Texas into some shade of blue — is staying cheery as it regroups. Full Story
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![Jeremy Bird speaking at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sep. 28, 2013]()
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Bill Would Move Marriage License Distribution to State
One day after an Austin lesbian couple obtained a marriage license from the Travis County clerk, state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, says he wants to move the distribution of marriage licenses to the Texas secretary of state’s office. Full Story
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![Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, then a state representative, at a committee hearing on May 12, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Lawmakers: Toying With DHS Funding Risky Game
Texas lawmakers say that if Congress can't agree on a way to fund the Department of Homeland Security soon, the U.S. will look ridiculous to the world, and the southern border will look tempting to transnational gangs. Full Story
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The Brief: Feb. 20, 2015
An Austin lesbian couple obtained a marriage license Thursday morning, but the status of what would be the state's first gay marriage was in flux by the afternoon after the Texas Supreme Court issued a stay. Full Story
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![Sarah Goodfriend, second from left, and Suzanne Bryant, center, with their daughters (far left and far right) and Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, second from right. DeBeauvoir issued Goodfriend and Bryant a marriage license on Feb. 19, 2015.]()
Credit: Joe Deshotel -
Legislation Would Let Tesla Sell in Texas
A group of state lawmakers have filed legislation that would allow Tesla to sell its luxury electric cars at as many as 12 stores in Texas, renewing the California-based company’s challenge to a state law protecting franchised auto dealers. Full Story
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![Tesla vehicle on display outside the Texas Capitol on Jan. 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Video: Castro on 2016
At our 2/19 conversation, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, talked about the 2016 presidential race — and whether his brother might be on a Democratic ticket. Full Story
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Video: Castro on San Antonio Politics
At our 2/19 conversation, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, commented on the just-decided special election in Senate District 26 and the coming mayor's race in his hometown. Full Story
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Poor Payouts Endangering Medicaid, Doctors Say
Physicians’ groups told Texas budget writers on Thursday that the state’s health insurance program for the poor pays doctors so little that it is endangering the health of the program. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Video: A Conversation With Joaquin Castro
Full video of my 2/19 conversation with U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio. Full Story
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The Brief: Feb. 19, 2015
Senate budget writers on Wednesday lit into Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek, a former senator himself, in a hearing that concluded with another call for him to resign. Full Story
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![Health and Human Services Commission head Kyle Janek (l.) and state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, who called for his resignation on Jan. 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Abbott's Tune Has Changed on Gun Laws
On the campaign trail, Republican Greg Abbott argued for expanded gun rights — with certain limits. But now that he's been elected governor, the nuance he initially proposed appears to be gone. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott annouces several emergency legislative items in his first State of the State speech on Feb. 17, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Leaders Say State Will Win Immigration Case
At a celebratory press conference Wednesday, Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, Ken Paxton and Dan Patrick hailed a federal judge's ruling to block President Obama's immigration plans, and confidently predicted that Texas will keep winning on appeal. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick praise a judge's ruling against Obama's immigration program at a Capitol press conference on Feb. 18, 2015.]()
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Judge Tosses Ethics Case Against Conservative Activist
A Denton County judge on Wednesday afternoon dismissed a ruling by the Texas Ethics Commission that Empower Texans President Michael Quinn Sullivan had failed to register as a lobbyist in 2010 and 2011. Full Story
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Paxton Moves to Squelch Gay Marriage Ruling
Saying it will unleash "legal chaos," Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday asked the Texas Supreme Court to block a Travis County probate judge's ruling that the state’s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional. Full Story
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Analysis: The "GOP" Strikes Back
State Rep. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, is on his way to the Texas Senate, thanks in part to the "gringos y otros pendejos" derided last summer by his opponent and House colleague, Trey Martinez Fischer. Full Story
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![State Reps. José Menéndez (left) and Trey Martinez Fischer, both Democrats from San Antonio, are seeking the Texas Senate seat vacated by Leticia Van de Putte, who is running for mayor of San Antonio.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Kindred Spirits: Wal-Mart, Kroger Align in Booze Bid
Wal-Mart is ginning up a full-bore liquor war and bringing it to the Capitol. Last week it sued the state for the right to sell spirits, and Wednesday it joined Kroger in forming a new nonprofit to promote freedom in the booze marketplace. Full Story
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T-Squared: Patrick Svitek is Latest Trib Hire
Our newest political reporter will chase and break quick-turn stories from the Legislature and the 2016 campaign trail. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman
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