U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz starts as the Texas favorite in a fantasy 2016 Republican primary for president, well ahead of Gov. Rick Perry and a number of other big-name candidates in the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
Politics
Stay informed with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth political coverage, including Texas elections, state government, policy debates, and the leaders shaping the future of the state.
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Politics
The Playlist: No More Mr. Nice Guy
As Gov. Rick Perry puts an end to the so-called Kumbaya Session, we begin our weekly news-inspired playlist with Alice Cooper’s “No More Mr. Nice Guy.”
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Economy
Perry Issues More Than Two Dozen Vetoes
Gov. Rick Perry issued more than two dozen vetoes Friday, including a line-item veto that wipes out funding for the Travis County prosecutors who investigate government fraud and public corruption. He also vetoed a bill that would have had Texas law mirror gender wage protections in the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.
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Politics
Senate Backs Interim Maps Over Democrats’ Objections
Though Senate Democrats argued that their objections and the testimony from public hearings were being ignored, the Texas Senate approved redistricting maps Friday.
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Politics
TribLive: Inside Texas Monthly’s Best & Worst List
Full video of Thursday’s TribLive conversation about Texas Monthly’s list of the Best and Worst Legislators, with Paul Burka, Erica Grieder, Sonia Smith and Brian D. Sweany.
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Health care
“Kumbaya Session” Poised to Be a Distant Memory
After a relatively calm regular session, Gov. Rick Perry is flexing his partisan muscles as the special session presses on. Redistricting, abortion-related issues and a threat to cut off state funding for the Public Integrity Unit are ratcheting up tensions.
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Politics
Guest Column: What Redistricting is (and Isn’t) About
Republicans in Texas have their near-supermajorities. They could forfeit many of their arguments over redistricting, make the courts and most of the Democrats happy, and still get what they want.
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Energy
Focus on Border Aquifers Urged During Push for More Water From Mexico
A water war between the U.S. and Mexico dominates headlines amid a record drought. But some experts caution that a larger issue is boiling beneath the surface: the mining of unregulated transnational aquifers.
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Politics
Early in Election Cycle, 2014 Ballot is All Red
The 2014 election cycle is shaping up as a busy one, with open seats across the statewide ballot. Republicans are lining up fast for those spots, but so far, the Democratic side of the ballot is empty.
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Politics
Newsreel: Redistricting, Recess and Rejection
This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: Lawmakers said it would take seven to 10 days to deal with redistricting during the special session, and that turned out to be wildly optimistic.