Edward Busby was executed by lethal injection Thursday, reinforcing Texas’ position as the nation’s leader in capital punishment.
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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Criminal Justice
Abbott’s public safety wish list includes statewide prosecutor, more bail restrictions
Some items on Abbott’s agenda would require amending the Texas Constitution, meaning they would need supermajority support in the Legislature.
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State Government
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton blocks more than 130 cities from raising property taxes
Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the cities, most of them small, of violating a state law aimed at preventing cities from unduly raising property taxes.
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2026 Texas Elections
Outside cash floods U.S House runoffs in Texas
PACs have accounted for 89% of ad spending in Texas’ congressional runoffs as crypto, AI and mystery groups flood the contests.
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2026 Texas Elections
Cornyn and Paxton bury each other in negative ads as Senate GOP runoff enters final stretch
The incumbent senator and his allies have massively outspent the pro-Paxton side, though polling points to a tight finish in the May 26 election.
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2026 Texas Elections
Here are the megadonors and dark money groups boosting James Talarico’s anti-billionaire Senate bid
As the Austin Democrat campaigns against big money in politics, he is being supported by a super PAC bankrolled by several billionaires, as well as nonprofits that do not have to disclose their funders.
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Immigration
Parts of Texas immigration law are likely unconstitutional, federal judge signals
The law, which gives state law enforcement and judges a role in immigration enforcement, is set to go into effect in two days.
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Criminal Justice
Greg Abbott expands task force targeting repeat offenders from Houston to other large cities
The effort, which combines federal, state and local law enforcement, will expand to the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio metro areas.
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Health care
Hours after statewide ban is reinstated, smokeable hemp is temporarily back on Texas shelves, court rules
After a dizzying string of court actions on smokeable hemp this week, Texas 15th Court of Appeals agreed to allow the sale of the drug until May 14.
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2026 Texas Elections
For Texas GOP, immigration politics show signs of fading potency
Texas voters have listed immigration and border security among their top issues for years, but recent polling found they are less of a priority than at any point in recent history.