Illinois court rejects Texas request to enforce arrest warrants against House Democrats
Judge Scott Larson ruled that the Texas speaker and attorney general had “failed to present a legal basis for the court” to take up the issue. Full Story
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![Democratic Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds speaks during a press conference with members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus at IBEW Local 701 in Warrenville, Ill., on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. More than 30 Democratic Texas lawmakers fled the state the day before to block a quorum and delay a redistricting plan backed by former President Donald Trump. They regrouped in Illinois to prevent the Legislature from advancing a mid-decade congressional map that could shift several seats to Republican control.]()
Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis for The Texas Tribune -
If Texas were to ban or regulate THC, crime labs say they would need more resources
Crime lab officials told lawmakers Wednesday they are struggling to keep up with deadlier drugs like fentanyl and a THC ban or new regulations would add to the challenge. Full Story
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![Steve Dye, city of Allen chief of police, testifies in favor of Senate Bill 5 banning THC during a committee hearing at the state Capitol in Austin on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. Dye spoke on the worrying cost of testing THC products and enforcing regulation.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ oldest wildlife refuge was set to expand. Then the Trump administration changed course.
Established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge was set to grow up to 700,000 acres to protect wildlife in West Texas and the Panhandle. Full Story
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![Sandhill crane, seen at Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge.]()
Credit: Wyman Meinzer/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -
Texas could lose political clout under Trump’s call for a new census that excludes undocumented immigrants
Republicans believe population increases in red states, such as Texas, would offset losses from not counting immigrants who lack legal status. Full Story
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![No Kings Protest against the policies of Pres. Donald Trump in McAllen on June 14, 2025.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Along Guadalupe River, more than a dozen summer camps have structures in flood zones
Most of the camps were built decades ago, before modern modeling and flood maps. Counties have little power to regulate construction flood plains. Full Story
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![Damage from the flood around a bridge on HWY 39 in Hunt on July 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Some Texas private schools hire relatives and enrich insiders. Soon they can do it with taxpayer money.
An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state laws had the schools been public. Full Story
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![An illustration showing children as money outlines, wearing backpacks and walking toward a school building.]()
Credit: Marta Monteiro for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
Midland school board votes to restore school name honoring Confederate general
Five years ago, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, the board voted to change the high school to Legacy High. On Tuesday, it reversed course. Full Story
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![A Midland ISD employee walks past the front of Legacy High School on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
After local agencies release Uvalde shooting records, calls continue for Texas DPS to follow suit
Local records released this week — after a yearslong lawsuit —affirm previous reporting about law enforcement’s flawed response to Texas’ deadliest school shooting. Full Story
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![Hundreds of flowers, toys, and candles surround the crosses in memorial of the 21 victims of the school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, on June 9, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans and Democrats, locked in redistricting battle, weaponize flood response
With Democrats’ walkout over redistricting bringing the House to a standstill, both parties are accusing each other of abandoning Central Texas flood victims. Full Story
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![Texas Representatives look towards the voting board as attendance is called in the House Chambers on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Austin. It was the second day that representatives failed to meet quorum after Texas Democrats left the state in protest of new congressional maps.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Will 13 Democrats be expelled from the Texas House?
In this week’s episode, Matthew and Eleanor ask University of Houston law professor David Froomkin to help them break down the legal cases seeking to remove 13 Democrats from the Texas House. Full Story
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![State Rep. Ramón Romero, D-Fort Worth, speaks at a press conference with members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus at Painters District Council 30 in Aurora, Ill., on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate approves new congressional lines as House Democrats remain out of state
Democrats' absence has halted work in the Texas House, which must also approve the new boundaries, for more than a week. Full Story
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![A newly released redistricting map of Texas is visible on a laptop during a Senate session on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton asks judge to jail Beto O’Rourke for fundraising Texas Dems' walkout
Paxton sued O’Rourke and his political group, Powered by People, last week, arguing that the group was deceptively fundraising for and illegally supporting Texas Democrats’ walkout. Full Story
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![Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke speaks during the People vs. the Power Grab rally at the Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.]()
Credit: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott vows to immediately call Texas lawmakers back to work if special session ends without new maps
The leaders of both chambers said they would adjourn for the session Friday if Democrats do not return, while the governor said he might add more items to his agenda. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dustin Burrows, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at a bill signing ceremony at the Capitol in Austin on April 23, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court won’t rule for weeks on GOP requests to expel Democrats who left the state
The governor and attorney general have asked the court to find that Democratic lawmakers abandoned their seats when they left Texas to delay a new congressional map. Full Story
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![Supreme Court of Texas justices sit at the bench for a Q & A after hearing oral arguments for two civil cases at the University of Houston Law Center in Houston on Oct. 29, 2024.]()
Credit: Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune -
TribFest lineup adds CNN’s Abby Phillip, former AG Eric Holder, and new generation of Texas leaders
Reps. Caroline Fairly and James Talarico, along with Texas attorney general candidate Aaron Reitz, also join us to talk Texas’ future this November Full Story
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In redistricting clash, Texas GOP flexes power to shut down Democrats' last tool of resistance
Since Democratic lawmakers left Texas to delay Republicans’ new map, state leaders have challenged the limits of traditional democratic norms to break the impasse. Full Story
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![Streetlights and building lighting illuminate the Texas State Capitol through early morning fog on the ninth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Colin Allred wants voters to know “I’m just as angry as they are” in new Senate bid
Allred says he has learned to show up more in his attempt at a Senate do-over. But critics contend he’s not generating enough attention. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (R-Texas) speaks at his Election Night watch party after losing the Senate seat to incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) at Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas on Election Day, November 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
State utility commission sues Texas attorney general to avoid releasing data on crypto companies’ power use
After The Texas Tribune and other news outlets requested the information, the Public Utility Commission argued that it could lead to acts of terrorism. When the AG’s office disagreed, the PUC sued. Full Story
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![A closet with Intermediary Distribution Frames at the Helios crypto facility near Afton on Sept. 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Gun rights YouTuber Brandon Herrera to challenge U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales again in GOP primary
Herrera, who came within 400 votes of ousting Gonzales in a 2024 runoff, is once again positioning himself to the right of the incumbent. Full Story
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![San Antonio, Texas - March 14, 2024:
Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz and Brandon Herrera, Republican candidate for the US House for Texas’ 23rd congressional district, were seen during a campaign event at the Angry Elephant, a politically themed bar, in San Antonio, Texas on March 14, 2024.
Photo: Christopher Lee for Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Christopher Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas identifies the 119 people killed in Kerr County floods
Most victims were Texans, but some were visiting from other states like California, Florida and Alabama. The youngest victims were 1 year old; the oldest was 91. Full Story
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![People gather at a memorial for the victims of the Kerr County flood during a vigil on Friday, July 11, 2025, in Kerrville.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune