The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Just a few years ago, Texas was shipping millions of dollars in food and goods to Cuba. The White House's decision to ease sanctions could reignite the state's once-flourishing economic ties with the island nation. Full Story
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Full video of my 12/18 conversation with U.S. Rep.-elect Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, who talked about the CIA torture report, Cuba, the Sony hack, border security, the Aggie Bonfire and more. Full Story
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The awarding of a no-bid Medicaid fraud detection contract to the 21CT company continues to draw scrutiny with three separate news reports published Wednesday evening. Full Story
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The homicide rate in El Paso has almost doubled since last year. But officials say it doesn't have anything to do with Mexican cartels and spillover violence. Full Story
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The Texas House hasn't held a contested record vote for speaker since 1975, but state Rep. Scott Turner aims to change that. Turner is looking to unseat House Speaker Joe Straus, who has held the office since 2009. Full Story
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In an election where Austin voters changed their form of city government, an outsider, Steve Adler, easily bested City Councilman Mike Martinez for mayor. Full Story
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The Tribune's Jim Malewitz tries to get at, in a piece also published in Politico Magazine, the root causes that spurred the town of Denton to approve a ban on fracking last month. Full Story
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The Houston Chronicle's Theodore Schleifer has the goods on next year's mayoral election in Houston. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry has proposed addressing a joint session of the Legislature one more time before he leaves office, a spokesman for the governor's office confirmed Sunday. Full Story
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Three Texas breweries filed a lawsuit against the state for allegedly "stifling the craft beer renaissance," so we begin this week's news-inspired playlist with "Tears Over Beers" by Modern Baseball. Full Story
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Fort Worth businessman Ardon Moore will chair the committee running inauguration festivities for Gov.-elect Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick in January. Full Story
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This week in the Roundup: Gov.-elect Greg Abbott highlights the issues he'll prioritize in the coming legislative session, the state loses out on millions of federal dollars for pre-kindergarten programs, and Texas' health care system is on the cusp of a major overhaul. Full Story
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High-profile public figures exonerated after prosecutions for violations of state ethics and election laws paved the way for public skepticism about those kinds of cases — like one now pending against Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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After eight years of growth, change and public corruption scandals, new leaders in Laredo and Webb County are greeting 2015 with a sense of optimism. Full Story
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The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed Thursday below $60, "a level of great psychological significance," according to the Washington Post, and a price not seen in five years. Full Story
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Full video of my 12/11 conversation with three incoming members of the Texas Senate: Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, and Van Taylor, R-Plano. Full Story
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With federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program set to expire next year, children’s health advocates and Gov. Rick Perry are urging Congress to reauthorize it as soon as possible. Full Story
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A couple of popular government programs for children — one helping with early education and the other providing health care — are facing funding questions. Full Story
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With the endorsement Wednesday of the Sunset Advisory Commission, legislators are set to move forward with a consolidation of the state's five health agencies into a single health commission with seven divisions. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry, in an exit interview with The Associated Press, said he didn't plan to make a decision on a second run for the White House "until the middle of next year." Full Story
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