“The guy can’t keep his zipper up”: Karl Rove pushes back at Ken Paxton
Rove pushed back against claims Paxton made in recent interviews that the GOP strategist colluded with other Texas officials to bring about the impeachment charges. Full Story
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![Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Republican political consultant Karl Rove speaks on a panel at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers will have new money going into special session on education, comptroller says
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar says the state has collected more from insurance premiums that he had previously predicted. He suggested lawmakers invest more in teacher pay raises. Full Story
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![Alexandra Suich Bass speaks one on one with Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar about the challenges and opportunities for the world's ninth-largest economy at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 22, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Amid personal conflict, Hays County clerk turned to Republican’s “rogue” prosecutor law to oust fellow Democrat
Personal conflict between two newly elected Democrats briefly escalated into public view. An attempt to remove one from county office came in the background of university, state and federal impeachment attempts. Full Story
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![Hays Co. District Attorney Kelly Higgins.]()
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Ken Paxton acquittal could quiet future whistleblowers, experts say
The Texas attorney general was exonerated by the state Senate, but a lawsuit from former employees still lingers. Full Story
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![Several of the whistleblowers from the attorney general's office sit in the gallery anticipating the verdicts at the Ken Paxton impeachment trial in the Texas Senate on Sept. 16, 2023. From left, front row: David Maxwell, Margaret Moore, Ryan Vassar, unknown; back row: Blake Brickman and T.J. Turner.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick defends taking $3 million from pro-Paxton group ahead of trial
The lieutenant governor said that he took just as much from “the other side,” including donors aligned with Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which Paxton has labeled a political enemy. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recaps the 88th Legislative Session with Sherry Sylvester, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, at TPPF Headquarters in downtown Austin, on May 30, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
“Get ready”: Ken Paxton promises retribution in interview blitz after impeachment trial
The radio interviews came the morning after Paxton gave his first post-acquittal interview to Tucker Carlson, telling the former Fox News host he was “re-energized” after the acquittal. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton at a border security briefing at the Texas DPS airport hangar in Edinburg on Jan. 28, 2022. Paxton's office coordinated the event with 12 attorneys general from around the U.S. to dicuss legal action taken against the Biden administration about immigration policy.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas inmate killed by cellmate during a statewide prison lockdown
The killing of inmate Billy Chemirmir in the Coffield Unit occurred during a statewide lockdown of prisons, promoted by a rise in inmate homicides. A day before the lockdown, another incident at the same prison resulted in the firings of seven correctional officers and the resignations of another six. Full Story
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![Texas Department of Criminal Justice William G. McConnell Unit at Chase Field in Beeville in 2013.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune -
The many times Ken Paxton refused to defend Texas agencies in court
The Texas attorney general said he’s “back to work” after his recent acquittal, but his office has repeatedly declined to fulfill one of its key duties: representing state agencies who are being sued. Full Story
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Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
GOP senators, open to Paxton conviction, flipped when they realized they were still short the votes
“I feel there were six senators who were ready to be the 21st vote,” said Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas. “But they didn’t want to be the 20th vote.” Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, center, bows his head in prayer as state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, leads the Senate in prayer during the fifth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in the Senate chamber at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. Brian Birdwell was in the Pentagon when American Airlines flight 77 struck.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/Pool via The Dallas Morning News -
As federal money flows to carbon capture and storage, Texas bets on an undersea bonanza
The state is awarding offshore leases to oil and gas companies that hope to bury heat-trapping carbon dioxide deep beneath the seafloor. But critics worry about leakage and the lackluster record of carbon capture facilities onshore. Full Story
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![Unused oil rigs sit in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Fourchon, Louisiana August 11, 2010.]()
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Laws have changed around parking for disabled Texans over the years. Here’s how it looks today.
How have new laws changed accessible parking? How are violations enforced? Here’s what you need to know about parking for people with disabilities. Full Story
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![A car with a disabled veteran license plate sits parked in a disabled parking zone outside the Capitol Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 in Austin.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says special legislative session on “school choice” coming in October
The governor promised political consequences if lawmakers cannot pass legislation allowing for publicly subsidized school vouchers before March primaries. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the recent 88th Legislative Session to an audience at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. Abbott recounted policy victories in regards to fentanyl and the border crisis, as well as limiting gender affirming care and banning DEI practices in higher education. Abbott ended the event by promising to call a special session for school choice, after the current special session for property tax resolves.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas made it illegal to punish students for dreadlocks. A school is testing the limits of the law.
The Barbers Hill school district prompted a new law meant to prohibit schools from punishing students with hairstyles associated with race. A recent student suspension sparks questions about the extent of the CROWN Act’s protections. Full Story
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![Buttons and t-shirts promoting the CROWN act on display at a press conference in Houston on February 6, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. Rhetta Bowers latest to join race for Colin Allred’s U.S. House seat
At least 10 other Democrats — including state Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch — are running for Allred’s solidly Democratic seat as he vies for U.S. Senate. Full Story
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![State Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers, D-Garland, speaks with colleagues in the House Chamber on March 5, 2019.]()
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Ken Paxton verdict heightens political tension ahead of education special session
The Texas House and Senate were already far apart on “school choice.” Anger over the impeachment trial might make it even harder to find common ground. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol on Feb. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asks state auditor to review Ken Paxton impeachment
The request follows Patrick’s blistering denunciation of the House’s role impeaching the attorney general. Full Story
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![Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick hands off the second article of impeachment in the trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton at the Texas Capitol on Saturday, Sep. 16, 2023.]()
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T-Squared: Grab a few friends and join us at Open Congress in downtown Austin this Saturday
The free, family-friendly street fair is a great introduction to the Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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Ken Paxton’s prosecutors stumbled at times. But did it matter in the GOP-dominated Senate?
The House impeachment managers faced a high bar: convincing enough Republican senators to vote against their own political self-interest. Full Story
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![House impeachment manager Rep. David Spiller, R-Jacksboro, center, listens as votes are votes cast during Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial on Sept. 16, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton emerges victorious from yet another career scandal
It marked a screaming milestone in a two-decade political career that has seen Paxton harness the state’s increasingly conservative politics — and later the rise of Donald Trump — to stay in power longer than his vulnerabilities would suggest. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton looks up at the gallery during the first day of his impeachment trial in the Texas Senate chambers at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/Pool via The Dallas Morning News -
These 2 senators were the only Republicans to vote for Paxton impeachment articles
Kelly Hancock and Robert Nichols broke from the rest of their party, but longtime observers said they weren’t surprised. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune