The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
You can let your children out of the storm cellar — the Texas Legislature has gone home. Better still, our insiders don't think lawmakers will be back in session before January 2013, when the 83rd Legislature will convene. Full Story
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The Trib's been keeping track of the key issues throughout the special session. From budget measures to school finance, health care and airport groping, here's our final rundown of bills that passed, and the ones that died. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder this week calling plans by pro-Palestinian activists to protest and potentially disrupt Israel's naval blockade of Gaza an "unacceptable provocation." Full Story
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Weatherford car dealer Roger Williams switched from the U.S. Senate race to a race for Congress this morning, finishing up a swap that began last week with calls to supporters in and around the new CD-33. Full Story
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Will they or won't they? That's the question lawmakers, who seem to have met for a matter of minutes in the waning days of the special legislative session, face today on a series of controversial measures Gov. Rick Perry added to the call. Full Story
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San Antonio State Rep. Joaquin Castro will take on veteran U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett to vie for a newly-created congressional district that spans from San Antonio up to southern Travis County. Full Story
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There might be more than one Williams in the race for that new Arlington-based congressional district. Former Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, who had been after Kay Bailey Hutchison's Senate post, switched officially this morning. Now Roger Williams is looking at it. Full Story
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Which groups in Texas believe most strongly that their members of Congress don't represent people "like them"? Liberal and moderate whites. Full Story
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Earlier this week, we published a quiz to see if readers could distinguish between comments made about higher education by Gov. Rick Perry, University of Texas President Bill Powers, and others. It turns out: They (sometimes) can’t! Full Story
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Likely voters in Texas approve of President Barack Obama almost as much as they approve of Gov. Rick Perry, according to the third and final release of poll results from the Texas Lyceum, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group of civic leaders. Full Story
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The current controversy dominating the higher education headlines in Texas is nothing if not nuanced. See if you can read between the lines and figure out who made what comment in our latest quiz. Full Story
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The Texas House tentatively passed SB 4 on Tuesday afternoon, following nearly four hours of debate in which Democrats argued the congressional redistricting plans under consideration would "ensure" minority voters will lack proper representation in Congress. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry, in New York for a speech that’s fueling speculation about a possible run for the White House, said today that voters seem hungry for more candidates to pick from in the presidential contest. Perry, in an interview with the Tribune, said there's still ample time to get in the race. Full Story
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The report on UT teachers' productivity by Richard Vedder and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity is technically accurate — but substantively misleading. A deeper analysis raises troubling questions about how Vedder would change UT. Full Story
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Newt Gingrich lost his presidential campaign staff Thursday, adding to rampant speculation that Gov. Rick Perry will scoop them up to launch his own White House bid. Two of the aides, Gingrich campaign manager Rob Johnson and consultant Dave Carney, have extensive links to Perry. Full Story
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The Texas House Redistricting Committee approved a new version of the congressional map that makes a few tweaks, mainly in North and South Texas. But the overall goal remains the same: Maintain and expand Republican power in Washington. Full Story
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Are non-Christians bound for the gates of hell? The topic has generated heated discussion since Tim Wildmon, the president of the American Family Association, which Gov. Rick Perry has tapped to stage his Aug. 6 prayer vigil, told the Tribune that he believed only Christians will escape eternal damnation. Full Story
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Tuesday's contentious debate on the state Senate floor over a proposed congressional redistricting map, which passed on a party line vote, was just a hint of why graduate students at Texas A&M University — and even some lawmakers — are studying alternative ways to handle the process. Full Story
State GOP leaders want quick action on a new congressional map that would transform the district of Tea Party godfather Ron Paul. Paul says he doesn't feel "targeted" by the proposal. Full Story
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Under a new congressional redistricting map, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, would lose 60,000 constituents who voted for President Barack Obama in 2008. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune talked with Doggett about the proposal, which the congressman said "plunged a dagger into the heart" of Travis County. Full Story
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