Abbott calls June 14 special election for South Texas congressional seat that Republicans want to flip
The race will determine who finishes the term of former U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith moderates a discussion with U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.
Vela, D-Brownsville, has represented Texas’ Congressional District 34 since 2013. In the 114th Congress, he sat on the House Agriculture and Homeland Security committees and served as co-chairman of the Congressional Border Caucus.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ border operation is meant to stop cartels and smugglers. More often, it arrests migrants for misdemeanor trespassing.
The largest share of Operation Lone Star arrests were of people accused only of trespassing on private property. Many spend months in prison, but the strategy does not appear to have slowed immigration. Full Story
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![A collage of photos of Gov. Abbott, detention facilities, paperwork, the Rio Grande and men in prison uniforms viewed from behind.]()
Credit: Photo illustration by John Whitlock for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune/The Marshall Project. -
TribCast: Layers of scandal in the Texas foster care system
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Reese and Mitchell about the fallout from sexual abuse allegations at a state-contracted children’s shelter and Russian threats against Texas’ energy infrastructure. Full Story
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![A caseworker's badge hangs off her neck as she prepares to assist on a case for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) in June 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas teachers say they’re pushed to the brink by law requiring them to spend dozens of hours unpaid in training
K-3 teachers in Texas have until 2023 to complete a 60-hour Reading Academies course to keep the job. It’s taking some 120 hours on their own time to finish. Full Story
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![Teacher Melissa Perry reads to her fifth grade class at Jacob’s Well Elementary School in Wimberley on September 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
What is Operation Lone Star? Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial border mission, explained.
The governor has ordered thousands of state troopers and National Guard members to the border since last year. Here’s what you need to know about the initiative. Full Story
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![National Guard soldiers stand guard near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The political value of an interruption
Nobody wants storms or fires. But for Texas politicians, responding to disasters can be a welcome change of subject from political fights in an election year. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton hosted 12 attorneys general from around the U.S. for a border security briefing at Texas DPS regional headquarters in Weslaco on Jan. 27, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela’s resignation announcement sparks a sudden special-election scramble in hotly contested South Texas
A special election will determine who finishes Vela’s term, and while the winner will only serve for a short period, Republicans are already eyeing the contest to show momentum in South Texas. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith moderates a discussion with U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/The Texas Tribune -
North Texas superintendent orders books removed from schools, targeting titles about transgender people
The Granbury superintendent’s comments, made on a leaked recording, raise constitutional concerns, legal experts said. Full Story
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![Granbury ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeremy K. Glenn discusses agenda items with school board trustees at a GISD school board meeting in Granbury, TX on March 21, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune/NBC News -
Beto O’Rourke touts his oft-overlooked background — small-business owner — as Greg Abbott attacks him as job-killer
Abbott’s campaign has argued O’Rourke would “destroy the Texas miracle.” O’Rourke argues he’s the one who has run a business. Full Story
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![Gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke answers questions from journalists following a town hall as part of his ‘Keeping the Lights On’ road trip on Feb. 4, 2022 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
After deadly tornadoes tear through Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott declares disaster for 16 counties
At least 20 tornadoes tore through homes and buildings in Texas and Oklahoma on Monday. At least two dozen people were injured and a woman died, authorities said. Full Story
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![A man inspects the damage to his home after a tornado moved through Round Rock on March 21, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Attorney General Ken Paxton asks Texas Supreme Court to let investigations into transgender families continue
The temporary injunction was issued as part of a lawsuit brought on behalf of parents being investigated by child welfare workers for letting their transgender teenager access gender-affirming health care. Full Story
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![Transgender, pride progress and nonbinary flags are passed out during the Trans Kids Cry for HELP! rally in front of the Governor's Mansion in Austin on March 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Help us investigate Texas border security initiatives
We’re looking into Texas’ border security initiatives, including what has worked, what hasn’t and how they affect residents. If you have experience on the border, we’d like to hear from you. Full Story
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![A member of the Texas Army National Guard holds a flashlight as migrants crawl over rocks after wading across the Rio Grande into the United States from Mexico, in Roma, on March 4, 2022.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Adrees Latif -
Gov. Greg Abbott brags about his border initiative. The evidence doesn’t back him up.
Arrests of U.S. citizens hundreds of miles from the border. Claiming drug busts from across the state. Changing statistics. The data that Texas leaders use to boast about Operation Lone Star raise more questions than answers. Full Story
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![A photo collage a map of the Texas-Mexico border, images of the border fence, a handcuffed pair of hands and Operation Lone Star paperwork.]()
Credit: Photo illustration by John Whitlock -
Gov. Greg Abbott declares disaster as wildfires rage in several Texas counties
Wildfires have burned more than 58,000 acres across the state. At least one person has died and dozens of homes have burned down. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton hosted 12 attorneys general from around the U.S. for a border security briefing at Texas DPS regional headquarters in Weslaco on Jan. 27, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Operation Lone Star and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week
Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial border mission was subject to a slew of bad news this week, including a major shakeup at the Texas Military Department, whose top leader Abbott replaced. Full Story
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![A National Guard vehicle is stationed near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas continues imprisoning migrants without filing charges or appointing lawyers, court filings claim
Months after the problems became apparent, migrants are still being kept in prison in violation of state laws under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security crackdown. Full Story
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![The migrant processing facility adjacent to the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office in Del Rio on Oct. 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
After accepting her trans son’s hard-fought identity, a Texas mother is being investigated for child abuse
It took him three years to come out to his mother as trans. Now, under a new directive from the governor, the state is investigating whether she pressured him to transition. Full Story
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![People gather for the Trans Kids Call for HELP! rally in front of the Governor's Mansion in Austin on March 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Shakeup of Texas border mission leadership continues as pair of two-star generals departs
The departure of three top officials in a week signals that officials may be looking to make changes to the heavily criticized mission. A soldier leading a unionization effort welcomed the moves. Full Story
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![A sign with the Texas Military Department Seal outside Camp Mabry in Austin on Jan. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton, lawyers for parents of trans kids disagree on whether child abuse investigations can continue
Paxton tweeted Friday that investigations into parents of transgender children would continue as a result of his appeal. But the state’s child welfare agency won’t confirm the status of the investigations. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott replaces Texas military leader who has overseen heavily criticized border mission
Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Suelzer will take over as the military department’s new leader. He replaces Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, who was criticized for her handling of Operation Lone Star, as adjutant general of the Texas Military Department. Full Story
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![From left: Gov. Greg Abbott, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Brig. Gen. Tracy Norris, the adjutant general of the Texas National Guard, discuss sending an additional 1,000 troops to assist at the border at a press conference in Austin on June 21, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune