U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Texas predicts cities and local governments could be facing bankruptcy
Garcia said the country could be heading toward the next Great Depression. Full Story
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![U.S Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 28, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa for The Texas Tribune -
Federal government sued for denying stimulus checks to Americans married to undocumented immigrants
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, is alleging that a provision in the $2.2 trillion stimulus package known as the CARES Act that denies the benefit to mixed-status families in unconstitutional. Full Story
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![Protesters walk through downtown Dallas during an immigrant rights march.]()
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Black Texans already face health care disparities. The coronavirus is making it worse.
As the coronavirus spreads, black people are less likely to have access to proper health care and more likely to have health issues that make the virus more dangerous. Full Story
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![Harris County Health Department nurse Harriet Lewis administers a COVID-19 test at Stallworth Stadium in Baytown on March 21, 2020.]()
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Texas restaurants, retailers and other businesses can reopen Friday. Here's the rules they have to follow.
Parties of six or less, disposable menus and limited capacity are among the new rules businesses will follow if they open this Friday. Full Story
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![An empty parking lot at the Barton Creek Mall in Austin during the coronavirus pandemic. April 2, 2020.]()
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Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo sued over face mask requirement
The suit claims Hidalgo has exceeded her authority by implementing orders more restrictive than those of Gov. Greg Abbott, which take precedence. Full Story
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![Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks to media during a tour of the medical shelter at NRG Park in Houston on April 11, 2020. The facility was built in less than a week for possible overflow of COVID-19 in the greater Houston area.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Trump signs order pausing immigration for 60 days, with exceptions
The order doesn't apply to many categories of immigrants, but Immigrant advocates worry that the order is the beginning of even stricter measures. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the humanitarian crisis on the Southern border and the shutdown at the White House in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 2019.]()
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Texas Supreme Court sides with Abbott after judge halted his order restricting jail release
The high court did not weigh in on the arguments that Gov. Greg Abbott's order went beyond his executive powers in a disaster. Instead, it ruled that the Harris County judges were the wrong plaintiffs. Full Story
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![Inmates at the Harris County Jail.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Harris County latest to mandate face masks as criticism mounts that the requirement is "government overreach"
GOP officials called it "tyranny" and "government overreach," taking issue in particular with the $1,000 fine associated with violating the mask requirement. Full Story
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![The streets of downtown Houston during the coronavirus pandemic.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas clinics resume abortion services as state acknowledges ban is no longer in place
A new order from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that took effect Wednesday allows more procedures to resume in health care facilities that agree to reserve a certain number of beds for coronavirus patients and refrain from seeking scarce protective equipment from public sources. Full Story
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![A women's health clinic in Texas.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Texans in Congress look for ways to help as oil prices tank
While some companies can access small-business funds, the major stimulus that has made its way through Congress has no specific help for the energy sector. Members from Texas are looking for other ways to help. Full Story
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![A pump jack in the Eagle Ford oil patch south of San Antonio.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
This North Texas mayor is trying to reopen businesses in Colleyville, bucking Abbott’s stay-at-home order
Colleyville Mayor Richard Newton appears to be the first mayor in Texas to move ahead with plans to relax stay-at-home orders aimed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Full Story
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![Mayor Richard Newton, center, and the Colleyville city council.]()
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Dan Patrick says “there are more important things than living and that’s saving this country”
Patrick went on Fox News on Monday evening to defend comments he made last month where he said he would rather die from the widely spreading coronavirus than see the economy destroyed for his children and grandchildren. Full Story
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Federal appeals court says Texas can block pill-induced abortions during pandemic
In March, Gov. Greg Abbott barred all procedures not “immediately medically necessary,” and the state’s attorney general declared that the restriction applied to abortions — sparking a weekslong court fight and prompting some women to seek abortions out of state. Full Story
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![An ultrasound machine at women’s health clinic in Austin, Texas.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott relaxes ban on nonessential medical procedures, says courts will decide if abortions can proceed
Abbott's original ban was intended to preserve medical resources. On Friday, he said Texas had ample hospital bed space and a strong supply chain of personal protective equipment. Full Story
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![One of the six exam rooms at Haven Health Clinics in downtown Amarillo on Dec. 9, 2013. The clinic provides services for women and some men in the 26 county region of the Texas panhandle.]()
Credit: Stephen Spillman for The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus in Texas: Website launches to help essential workers find child care
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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TribCast: Forecasting what's next with coronavirus and the 2021 legislative session
On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Cassi and Ross about what's coming up in the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic, and the group does some forecasting for what the public health emergency could mean for the 2021 legislative session. Full Story
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![The House floor on May 26, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Watch: U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia discusses the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak and its effects on workers and families
We sat down with Garcia, D-Houston to discuss how Congress plans to address the economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak on workers and families across the state. Full Story
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Coronavirus in Texas: Democrats ask Trump to suspend construction of border wall
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![A handful of cars drive down Grant Avenue Thursday evening as an advertisement from Medical Center Hospital urges community members to stay home in Odessa on April 9, 2020.]()
Credit: Ben Powell for The Texas Tribune -
In a pandemic and an election year, Texas Democrats look for the right tone
The party, which has high hopes in the state in 2020, is looking to offer contrast without politicizing a crisis. Full Story
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![Democratic Party signage and logos at the Texas Democratic Party office in Austin.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas tax breaks help in disasters — just not public health disasters
Property tax exemptions and sales tax holidays only offer savings for events like hurricanes or floods. Full Story
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![A man walks through floodwaters after surveying his property in Rockport, which was hit by Hurricane Harvey, on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Adrees Latif
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