For the first time since Texas authorized the program, the state heard public testimony from people concerned about pre-K funding, special education provisions and data reporting.
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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Graphics and data reporting
A Houston mother held by ICE must choose: indefinite detention or be deported without her family
Margarita Avila, a Houston mother of nine, was detained by ICE after an altercation that led to no charges. Her close-knit family weigh their futures if she is deported.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas is poised to replace STAAR. Here is what schools’ new standardized tests would look like.
A bill scrapping the state’s standardized test heads over to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. It would replace STAAR with three shorter tests at the beginning, middle and end of the year.
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2026 Texas Elections
Democratic Rep. Jon Rosenthal will run for Texas Railroad Commission
The day after the four-term Houston lawmaker launched his statewide bid, his former chief of staff, Odus Evbagharu, announced he was running to succeed his former boss in the Texas House.
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T-Squared
Meet our next CEO: Sarah Adler Hartman
Sarah is an Austin native who brings a rare combination of vision and leadership experience to the job.
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2026 Texas Elections
Can Texas use its new congressional map for 2026? A trio of judges will decide.
The same plaintiffs who are challenging the state’s 2021 maps have asked the court to block the new GOP-approved districts from being used in the fast-approaching midterms.
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Demographics
Anti-DEI crusader Sid Miller urged UT to enroll student emphasizing her race and socioeconomic status
In May 2023, Miller wrote a letter urging university leaders to reconsider admitting a student whom he described as a “biracial Latina,” who was also the daughter of his political associate.
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes man convicted of killing 13-month-old girl in 2008
Blaine Milam, who was pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. Thursday, is the fifth death row inmate executed by the state in 2025.
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Health care
Angelo State University bans classroom discussions of transgender identities, stirring criticism and confusion
Instead of a campus-wide announcement, faculty members say the restrictions have trickled down through department chairs and college meetings.
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2026 Texas Elections
Texas Democratic Party’s move to Dallas prompts top staff exodus, roils organization ahead of 2026
Party insiders said the way the move was handled undercuts Chair Kendall Scudder’s rhetoric about winning back working class voters, who lurched to the right in 2024.