5 candidates file for special election in San Antonio to replace former state Rep. Leo Pacheco
The field for the Sept. 28 contest has attracted three Democrats and two Republicans. Full Story
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Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas and the U.S., lawyered up and ready to go to court
It's usually the state suing the feds, but now the federal government is suing Texas for outlawing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. There are more lawsuits between the state and federal governments to come. Full Story
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![U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during an event at the Justice Department in Washington, U.S., on June 15, 2021.]()
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We annotated Texas’ near-total abortion ban. Here’s what the law says about enforcement.
The law will be carried out by civilians “deputized” to do what the state cannot: enforce its new restrictive abortion law. Here’s where the process is laid out in the statute and what it means. Full Story
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![An ultrasound machine sits next to an empty patient bed at Whole Women’s Health of Austin on Sept. 1, 2021.]()
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Texas bans storage of highly radioactive waste, but a West Texas facility may get a license from the feds anyway
The new law may soon be in conflict with federal regulators. A decision from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on one company’s license could come as early as Monday. Full Story
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![The Waste Control Specialists radioactive and hazardous waste storage site in Andrews, Texas, on Jan. 17, 2021.]()
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How the quorum break got broken: Texas Democrats splintered during second session break
For House Democrats, the story of the second special session is much different from that of the first one. The excitement of leaving the state had worn off, the media spotlight had dimmed and the pressures to return home were mounting. Full Story
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![From left: Houston democratic state Reps. Ana Hernandez, Garnet Coleman, and Armando Lucio Walle on the House floor on Aug. 23, 2021]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott slams Biden administration over vaccine mandate for employers
Abbott has long resisted making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory. There may be legal precedent on Biden’s side. Full Story
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![Etetu Bulbula, 46, receives her first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic held in partnership between the Central Texas Food Bank and the University of Texas in Austin on July 21, 2021.]()
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U.S. Justice Department sues Texas over new abortion law that Attorney General Merrick Garland calls unconstitutional
Garland called the law a "scheme to nullify the Constitution of the United States." It prohibits the procedure before many people know that they are pregnant. 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 -
State agency recommends two firms to oversee construction of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Texas-Mexico border wall
The state is expected to award the contract in mid-September to begin the construction of a Texas-Mexico border wall. Full Story
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![A portion of the newly-erected border fence that is being constructed by the state on private property in Del Rio on July 23, 2021.]()
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Analysis: Man bites dog, tries to make amends
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed legislation designed to protect dogs earlier this year. Now he's asking the Legislature to fix it — before next year’s elections. Full Story
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![Governor Greg Abott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen pet Pancake, the governor’s dog after their joint press conference. Jan. 9, 2019.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott calls special legislative session for redistricting, other conservative priorities starting Sept. 20
On top of redistricting, Abbott wants lawmakers to take up bills on restrictions for transgender student athletes and the allocation of billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott wanted state lawmakers to ban mask mandates in public schools. They didn’t.
As Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to punish any school district that defied Abbott’s ban on mask mandates, Republican legislators were largely indifferent on the matter. Full Story
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![A sign outside of a South Austin store asked customers to follow COVID-19 precautions on March 3, 2021.]()
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Justice Department exploring ways to challenge Texas’ abortion ban, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland says
Garland provided no details of how federal officials may challenge one of the nation’s strictest bans on abortion. His statement came days after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the law, at least for now. Full Story
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![U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland at a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on June 25, 2021.]()
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Texas’ second special session of the year is over. Here are five things you need to know.
Lawmakers will return to Austin at least one more time this year to redraw the state's political maps. Only Gov. Greg Abbott knows when that will be and if there will be additional special sessions beyond that. Full Story
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![The House floor on Aug. 17, 2021.]()
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At least 45 districts shut down in-person classes due to COVID-19 cases, affecting more than 40,000 students
Caseloads have left districts scrambling when many have said they have fewer tools at their disposal to combat the spread of the virus. Full Story
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![An empty classroom at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on Aug. 24, 2021.]()
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Abortion ban, permitless carry, elections bill: The week that solidified Texas' hard right turn after the 2020 election
Texas’ new near-total abortion ban, one of the most restrictive in the nation, punctuated a week that brought into stunning relief just how far the state’s political pendulum has swung to the right since the 2020 election. Full Story
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Texas must do more to effectively prevent carbon monoxide disasters, experts say
Months after the deadly gas killed at least 17 Texans during a massive winter storm, lawmakers have failed to take significant action to protect most of the state’s residents. Full Story
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Texas doctors association condemns abortion ban, says it encourages “vigilante interference” in doctor-patient relationship
The Texas Medical Association called two anti-abortion bills unconstitutional and criticized the U.S. Supreme Court for not blocking the broader law from going into effect. Full Story
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![An empty examination room at the Midway Family Planning clinic in Brownwood.]()
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COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas level off just below the pandemic’s winter peak
The numbers have stayed within a few hundred of a grim milestone as the state battles the pandemic’s latest surge. Full Story
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![Nurse practitioner Cheryl Shovan inputs patients’ data in the halls of the COVID-19 care unit at Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant on Aug. 19, 2021. The hospital is short of at least 20 nurses needed to handle the surge of COVID-19 cases in the Titus County area.]()
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Texas abortion law a “radical expansion” of who can sue whom, and an about-face for Republicans on civil lawsuits
Senate Bill 8, which allows anyone to sue anyone who performs or aids in an abortion, marks an unprecedented change to who has standing to bring a lawsuit. The tactic is also an emerging trend in Republican-dominated states that may compromise constitutional rights, some legal experts said. Full Story
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![An ultrasound machine sits next to an empty patient bed at Whole Women’s Health of Austin on Sept.1, 2021.]()
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Texas Legislature adjourns second special session after passing more of Gov. Greg Abbott’s priorities
The Legislature is expected to return soon for another special session focused on redrawing the state's political maps. Full Story
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![Speaker Dade Phelan presides over the Texas House of Representatives on Aug. 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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