As Ted Cruz calls for a regime change in Iran, other Texas Republicans are more cautious
Cruz’s intense interview with Tucker Carlson earlier this week exposed a rift in President Donald Trump’s coalition. Full Story
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![Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during a Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees hearing in Washington, D.C., July 30, 2024.]()
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Once again targeting higher ed, Texas lawmakers limited faculty influence, campus speech this session
Lawmakers also approved direct pay for student athletes and sought better pathways from college to the workforce. Full Story
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![Students walk the University of North Texas campus in Denton, TX on Feb. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
American babies may get $1,000 each to invest because of Ted Cruz
Included in Congress’ major tax and spending bill is Cruz’s proposal to give every American baby $1,000 to invest. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, after the signing ceremony for the "Take it Down Act" in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 19, 2025.]()
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Amid Trump immigration crackdown, Texas reins in border spending and shifts focus to deportations
With border crossings at record lows, state authorities are being sent to arrest people accused of committing crimes in Texas after entering the country illegally. Full Story
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![Shelby Park, occupied by the Texas National Guard and other state agencies, is seen along the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Eagle Pass.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Judge convicts Ecuadorian migrant of trespassing on newly formed National Defense Area near El Paso
The Ecuadorian man was acquitted by a jury on a separate charge after crossing into the new military zone in May. Full Story
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![A U.S. Army M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle, known as a Stryker, deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border under Title 10 in Sunland Park, New Mexico on March 28, 2025.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
To fight screwworm, the U.S. is opening a South Texas facility to disperse sterile flies
Screwworm is a parasitic fly that targets warm-blooded animals and has the potential to disrupt Texas’ $15 billion cattle industry. Full Story
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![Cattle are brought across the U.S.-Mexico border at the livestock import/export facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico on January 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
San Antonio lawmakers reflect on vouchers, water conservation and redistricting
State Rep. Ray Lopez and Sen. José Menéndez, Democrats from San Antonio, seemed reluctant to travel to Austin if called for a special session to redraw the state’s district lines. Full Story
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What the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on gender-affirming care ban means for Texas
The court split 6-3 along ideological lines on a case from Tennessee. About two dozen states have similar bans in place. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas again lowers restrictions on certain firearms, passes on regulations
Lawmakers passed a handful of bills aimed at easing access to guns as a new pediatric study links state legislation to increased firearm deaths. Full Story
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![San Antonio police officers collect firearms and ammunition during a gun buyback event that exchanges unused or unwanted firearms for H-E-B gift cards, at the Alamodome on Nov. 24, 2024.]()
Credit: Scott Stephen Ball for The Texas Tribune -
Migrant deported to El Salvador after DPS labeled him a member of Tren de Aragua without evidence, lawyer says
Lawyers for Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo deny he is a gang member and say the DPS accusation hinges on a photo they found of him standing next to a man with tattoos. Full Story
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![Guards stand over prisoners at CECOT, or Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Center for Terrorism Confinement), El Salvador's mega prison in Tecoluca on Feb. 4, 2025.]()
Credit: Pool/Latin America News Agency via REUTERS -
Analysis: The 2025 Texas Senate, from right to left
Here’s a look at senators, ranked from most conservative to most liberal, based on votes cast during the 2025 regular session. Full Story
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![The Texas Senate debates bills on the Senate floor at the Texas Capitol on Monday, May 26, 2025.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
John Sharp reflects on successes, challenges at Texas A&M
The longtime Texas politician led a sprawling maroon empire through growth and political tension as chancellor and now prepares to hand the job to Glenn Hegar. Full Story
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Texas students make gains in reading but struggle with math, STAAR scores show
The mixed-bag results showed early literacy improvements, a key indicator of future academic success, but underline the challenges of preparing children for STEM-related jobs. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School 7th grade teacher Pricilla Martinez leads her class in an activity Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa. STAAR testing begins across Texas on Tuesday.]()
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Some Texans fear a looming THC ban could return them to opioids, illegal options
Texas hemp users stockpile products and consider moving out of state as ban looms, saying the medical marijuana program is currently an untenable alternative. Full Story
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![Wesley Barnes, 55, stands for a portrait at his home in Onalaska, Texas on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Barnes, a Gulf War veteran who has long struggled with pain, tried legal opiates and illegal THC over the years before finding affordable and effective relief in legal hemp flower beginning in 2018.]()
Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune -
Texas made sweeping changes to bail and parole, along with increasing penalties for stolen goods
Texas lawmakers approved a sweeping package to overhaul the state’s bail system, a longtime priority of Gov. Greg Abbott’s. Full Story
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![An empty visitation window at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston on Jan. 31, 2024.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
With only 8% built, Texas quietly defunds state border wall program
Texas officials suggested the federal government could pick up construction. However, during President Trump’s first term, his administration built about one-third of what the state was able to put up in the same amount of time. Full Story
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![A section of state-built border wall under construction near the banks of the Rio Grande south of Laredo in Zapata Co. on Sept. 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The 2025 Texas House, from right to left
Here’s a look at House members, ranked from most conservative to most liberal, based on votes cast during the 2025 regular session. Full Story
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![The Texas House on May 23, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Two Texas congressmembers named on alleged Minnesota assassin’s hit list
Reps. Veronica Escobar and Joaquin Castro were among the 45 elected officials placed on a hit list by a man accused of killing a former Minnesota House speaker and her husband. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, speaks during Madres de la Frontera: Love Without Borders, a peaceful protest denouncing separation and honoring unity, on Saturday, May 10, 2025.]()
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Texas DPS makes arrest after warning state lawmakers of “credible threats” tied to Capitol protest
The agency said there was no additional active threat, as Austin demonstrators took aim at the Trump administration. Full Story
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![Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles outside of the state Capitol on Aug. 11, 2021.]()
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“They’re taking Shirly”: An Army sergeant in Houston thought his family was safe, then ICE deported his wife
For tens of thousands of U.S. service members with undocumented family members, there’s no guaranteed protection from immigration raids. Full Story
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Credit: Photo courtesy of Ayssac Correa/Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett of The War Horse