Politics & Policy
August 10, 2023
Ain’t From Around Here: Is Texas A&M a “Military School in the Lone Star Hinterlands”?
The Guardian thinks so and, weirdly, so do many Aggies.
Politics & Policy
Reporting and commentary on the Legislature, campaigns, and elected officials
Latest
151-200 of 7145 Articles
Politics & Policy
August 9, 2023
Where Do Texas Abortion Laws Stand Now?
A state district court judge narrowed Texas’s abortion ban, but the state’s appeal complicates access to the procedure.
Politics & Policy
August 8, 2023
Is There Any Chance Ken Paxton Will Be Convicted?
Threats from the AG’s supporters loom over the Republican state senators who will serve as the jurors in the impeachment trial.
Politics & Policy
August 4, 2023
Dan Patrick Defended Himself Against Free Speech Critics. Does His Case Hold Up?
We analyzed the Texas lieutenant governor’s argument about why he was right to have A&M investigate a professor who’d allegedly made critical comments about him.
Politics & Policy
August 3, 2023
Ken Paxton Managed to Delay His Trial on Securities Fraud Charges for Eight Years. Now It’s Coming Home to Roost.
The state Senate’s vote on Paxton’s impeachment will proceed independently from his criminal case. But the outcomes are interlinked.
Politics & Policy
August 1, 2023
Think Seasonal Affective Disorder Is a Winter Thing? Try Living Through Texas Summer.
The disorder is commonly associated with the colder months, but studies show that excessive heat also impacts our mental health
Politics & Policy
July 31, 2023
Think You’re Hot? Try Being a Pitmaster During the Hottest Summer in Texas History.
A new era of climate change–fueled heat waves is pushing the high priests of Texas barbecue to their limit.
Politics & Policy
July 28, 2023
Texas Is Quietly Leading the Way on Limiting Child Protective Services Overreach
Policy changes aimed at reducing the number of children who end up in foster care—many championed by progressives in blue states—are being passed by Republicans in Texas.
Politics & Policy
July 28, 2023
Her Daughter Was Killed in Uvalde. Now She’s Running for Mayor.
Kimberly Mata-Rubio says after the tragedy, Uvalde remains a divided community—she wants to change that.
Politics & Policy
July 27, 2023
Fahrenheit 105: Why I No Longer Love the Texas Heat
I like to think I am Texas Tough when it comes to the heat. But lately, my fortitude has been tested.
Border & Immigration
July 27, 2023
Residents of Eagle Pass Grow Wary of Greg Abbott’s Militarized Border
Confronted with human suffering and death, as well as disruption of their small town, some former supporters of Operation Lone Star have started to sour on the program.
Politics & Policy
July 27, 2023
Greg Abbott’s Border Policy Is at Once Cruel and Ineffective. Many State Leaders Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way.
The Texas GOP, which once advocated for a more humane immigration policy, is wedded to Operation Lone Star despite its exorbitant costs and failures.
Politics & Policy
July 26, 2023
Texas A&M’s Journalism Fiasco Has Roots in the School’s Conformist Culture
Now that right-wingers have forced out a top-notch journalist at my alma mater, I worry that future students won't enjoy the same opportunities I did.
Politics & Policy
July 26, 2023
Why Is Will Hurd Running for President?
The former U.S. congressman from Texas on his bid to beat Trump, artificial intelligence, his zodiac sign, and more.
Politics & Policy
July 24, 2023
The Texas GOP Once Revered Ron DeSantis, but He Remains a Clear Second Fiddle to Trump
The Florida governor is still popular with many grassroots Republicans here, but most of the likely primary voters seem unready to abandon the former president.
Politics & Policy
July 24, 2023
“I Don’t Want to Live in This State of Terror Anymore”: Some Families With Trans Children Are Leaving Texas
After Governor Greg Abbott signed a law blocking gender-affirming care for minors, some have fled the state. Others have no choice but to stay.
Politics & Policy
July 20, 2023
“I Think He’s a Muslim at Heart”: Texas State Historical Association Leader Endorsed Obama Conspiracy Theory
J.P. Bryan, the embattled executive director of the TSHA, faces criticism for his approach to history—including recent history. He says he hasn’t seen evidence that the former president is a Christian.
Politics & Policy
July 18, 2023
Texas Is Now a Majority-Minority State. Why Haven’t Our Politics Changed?
Since 2004, non-Hispanic white residents have been outnumbered in Texas. And to the apparent surprise of many, that hasn’t worked out all that well for the Democratic Party.
Politics & Policy
July 17, 2023
The Texas Billionaire’s Guide to Befriending Clarence Thomas
Harlan Crow and Jerry Jones have bought access to the Supreme Court justice through carefully curated gifts. What do Michael Dell, Tilman Fertitta, Elon Musk, and others have to offer?
Politics & Policy
July 17, 2023
Ted Cruz’s Team Is Confident About 2024. Should It Be?
No Democrat has won a statewide election in Texas since 1994, but Colin Allred and Roland Gutierrez have something working in their favor that Beto O’Rourke didn’t.
Politics & Policy
July 11, 2023
Could Texas Really Eliminate Property Taxes?
The Legislature took a big step Monday, but further efforts could come with great costs: a sky-high sales tax, decimated public schools, and defunding the police.
Border & Immigration
July 10, 2023
How Cartel Violence Has Reshaped Tejano Identity in South Texas
Many border residents no longer visit their home country, which may help explain the region’s rightward political shift.
Politics & Policy
July 10, 2023
Before Uvalde, Roland Gutierrez Was Just Another State Senator. Now He’s Challenging Ted Cruz.
The state senator was little known until last year, when the massacre in Uvalde, in his district, thrust him into the spotlight.
Politics & Policy
July 6, 2023
How to Lose Friends and Alienate the Legislature
The governor has long suffered from the reputation that he’s a policy lightweight. He’s turning it around this year in five easy steps.
Politics & Policy
July 5, 2023
This Democrat Is Back in the Texas Lege After 40 Years. He Can’t Believe How Bad Things Are.
On property taxes, school funding, and more, “Democrats are not even in the conversation,” Dallas representative John Bryant says.
Energy
June 29, 2023
Without Solar Power, This Texas Heat Wave Would Burn Much Worse
Thank goodness the state GOP's war on renewables has, so far, failed.
Politics & Policy
June 22, 2023
“The Most Abusive Environment I’ve Ever Worked In”: Former Employees of a State Legislator Tell All
Two high-profile workplace complaints made headlines at the Capitol this year, but insiders say others against Houston representative Shawn Thierry have been ignored.
Politics & Policy
June 20, 2023
In the Ken Paxton Impeachment Trial, GOP Megadonors Are Free to Tamper With the Jury
As celebrity lawyers feud in the press, Republican groups have launched an influence campaign in the Texas Senate.
Politics & Policy
June 16, 2023
A Fort Worth Couple Challenged the Indian Child Welfare Act. They Lost.
The Brackeens sued after their initial petition to adopt a Navajo and Cherokee boy was denied. A 7–2 Supreme Court ruling represents a major win for tribal sovereignty.
Politics & Policy
June 16, 2023
A German Flag Went Missing in WWII. It Was Recently Found in Houston—Then Went Missing Again.
The treasured banner was discovered in a Texas gun store, sparking questions about the repatriation of artifacts.
Best and Worst Legislators
June 13, 2023
2023: The Best and Worst Legislators
Our scorecard of the Eighty-eighth Texas Legislature’s noisy scoundrels and quiet heroes.
Politics & Policy
June 12, 2023
Asylum Seekers Anticipated the End of COVID-Related Restrictions on Entry to the U.S. But Strict New Rules Leave Many With a Difficult Choice.
Weeks after the Biden Administration ended the Trump-Imposed Title 42 regulations, the border near El Paso remains unexpectedly quiet.
Politics & Policy
May 31, 2023
Voter Fraud Is Rare. But 15 Illegal Votes in Laredo Have Thrown the City Council Into Turmoil.
Despite a judge’s ruling that her opponent rightfully won the election, Daisy Campos Rodriguez stubbornly clings to her office.
Politics & Policy
May 29, 2023
As the Son of a Soldier, I’m Proud. As a Latino, My Feelings Are More Complex.
My father spent twenty years in the Air Force. I value his service, but generations of Latinos have sought equality through the military only to remain suspect citizens.
Politics & Policy
May 27, 2023
The Texas House Has Voted to Impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton
The state’s top attorney will be suspended from duties, pending a trial in the Texas Senate.
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2023
The Texas Legislature Finally Comes for Ken Paxton
The Texas House has voted to impeach the attorney general. After nearly eight years under indictment—during which he won two elections—why now?
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2023
Two Texas Indie Developers Made It Big on Twitter a Decade Ago. Now They’re Fighting It.
After Elon Musk killed their Twitter app, two software developers in the North Texas suburbs are trying to shape the future of social media.
Agriculture
May 26, 2023
If a Texas Bee Summers in California, Is Its Honey Still Texan?
HB 590 wants only honey “exclusively” made in Texas to be labeled as “Texas honey,” but that’s not as sweet a deal as it seems.
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2023
Is Ken Paxton Finally in Real Trouble?
The attorney general, under indictment since 2015, now faces potential impeachment from the Texas House.
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2023
Hours Before an Investigating Committee Hearing Into AG Ken Paxton’s Office, Paxton Calls on Speaker Dade Phelan to Resign
Phelan’s office called Paxton’s late-Tuesday statement a ploy and “a last-ditch effort to save face.”
Health
May 23, 2023
OB-GYN Residents Are Required to Receive Clinical Abortion Training. They Can’t Do That in Texas.
Abortion restrictions running in conflict with training requirements are pushing lifelong Texans to leave the state—maybe for good.
Energy
May 22, 2023
How a Powerful Texas Lawmaker and His Family Made Half a Million for a Few Phone Calls
Depositions in a recent lawsuit reveal that state rep Tom Craddick, his wife and son, and his daughter, Christi, who leads Texas’s oil and gas regulating agency, profit from industry deals not available to just anyone.
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2023
Cruz Watch: The Senator Calls for an Investigation Into Bud Light for Some Reason
Ted Cruz wants the Beer Institute, the industry’s self-regulatory body, to investigate whether Bud Light broke the law by reaching out to a transgender influencer.
Politics & Policy
May 16, 2023
The Killing of These Texas Children Was National News. But We Didn’t Know the Half of It.
Dallas journalist Roxanna Asgarian’s new book, ‘We Were Once a Family,’ examines a murder-suicide that made national news—and finds that the story behind the story is even worse than we thought.
Politics & Policy
May 16, 2023
Rick Perry Is Thinking of Running for President for a Third Time!
The longest-tenured governor of Texas, who is famously great with groups of three, aims for a failed campaign hat trick.
Politics & Policy
May 15, 2023
How an Airbnb Party House Near Austin Became a Legislative Priority for a West Texas Politician
Rarely are special-interest bills in the Texas Lege quite so special as in Brooks Landgraf’s bill targeting the tiny town of Volente.
Politics & Policy
May 15, 2023
Do Texas Democrats Have Stockholm Syndrome?
An unusual number of lawmakers have crossed the aisle to support Republican bills this year. Party operatives are furious.
Politics & Policy
May 12, 2023
The Texas House Voted to Advance Sports Gambling. It’s Still Unlikely to Become Law.
Legal sports gambling in the state still faces a long and complicated path that would require a constitutional amendment.
Politics & Policy
May 11, 2023
Since the Lege Has Been in Session, There’ve Been Eighteen Mass Shootings in Texas
The gun bills most likely to pass aren’t restrictions but those that further protect firearm ownership.
Health
May 11, 2023
Texas Refuses to Expand Medicaid. Here’s What We’re Missing Out On.
These benefits could be ours, if the Lege would just help insure a million more Texans.