After losing big on Super Tuesday, Texas progressives hope to salvage some victories in July
The left wing of the Democratic Party is hopeful voters will embrace their priorities during the pandemic and after the death of George Floyd. Full Story
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![Sara Stapleton-Barrera, Democratic candidate for state Senate District 27, in downtown Brownsville on July 4, 2020. Stapleton-Barrera is facing incumbent state Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. in the July primary runoff.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is lucky not to be on the 2020 ballot
The governor would face real competition if he were on the ballot this year — even in a Republican Party primary. His response to the pandemic has opened him to political attacks from the left and the right alike. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott gives an update on Texas hospital bed capacity and the state's strategy for fighting COVID-19 during a press conference at Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin on June 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman -
Ector County GOP censures Abbott over executive power amid coronavirus, state Sen. Charles Perry calls for special session
The developments came two days after Abbott announced an executive order requiring Texans to wear masks in most public places. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the categories of medical surge facilities during a press conference at the Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's statewide mask mandate exempts voting sites and churches
As for the voting exemption in his mask order, Abbott says it was designed to make sure Texans do not lose their right to vote "simply because they don't have a mask." Full Story
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![A man exits Toney Burger stadium in South Austin where early voting has begun for the July 14th runoff and special election, in Austin on June 29, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
“How many more are coming?” What it’s like inside hospitals as coronavirus grips Texas’ Rio Grande Valley
The surge in coronavirus cases has slammed hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley. Additional wards have opened. Doctors and nurses pull extra shifts. And the stream of sick people, some gasping for air, keeps growing. Full Story
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: With a wingman like Dan Patrick, who needs critics?
While Gov. Greg Abbott has been responding to the twin crises on his plate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s been stirring the pot — at the governor’s expense. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke to Tarrant county Tea Party supporters in Grapevine for the Spread the Red event on Oct. 17, 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Number of Texans filing for unemployment benefits increases by 7% over previous week
For the past two months, the number of people filing claims in Texas has trended downward. But last week, the number of people who filed for claims increased 7% over the previous week. Full Story
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![Pueblo Viejo in Austin closed its dining operations following an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott which limits social gatherings to 10 people. March 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
High school coaches’ convention will draw thousands to San Antonio as pandemic rages across Texas
To stop the spread of the new coronavirus in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars and banned nonessential surgeries in counties that are hot spots. But indoor conventions that will draw thousands of people are still moving forward. Full Story
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![Purell hand sanitizer at the track prior to the NCAA Indoor Championships at Albuquerque Convention Center on Mar 12, 2020.]()
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports via REUTERS -
Internal messages reveal crisis at Houston hospitals as coronavirus cases surge
Texas was one of the first states in the nation to ease social distancing mandates. In Houston, the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has quadrupled since Memorial Day. “It’s time to be alarmed,” one expert said. Full Story
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![A man on a stretcher is put into an ambulance at the Texas Medical Center in Houston on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for the Texas Tribune -
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Dr. Anthony Fauci “doesn’t know what he’s talking about”
Fauci and other top medical leaders have flagged Texas as a COVID-19 hot spot, but Patrick said the infectious disease doctor has “been wrong every time on every issue.” Full Story
Credit: Nick Wagner/POOL via American-Statesman -
Analysis: A rising commotion in Texas’ scattershot response to the pandemic
As Texas leaders struggle to find a balanced response to the pandemic and the lagging state economy, the suggestions for what they ought to do — friendly and hostile — are pouring in. Full Story
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![Texas bar owners and workers protest at the Capitol in Austin on June 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune -
Texas bar owners file $10 million federal lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott, the second suit over the shutdown in two days
The bar owners say in the lawsuit that Abbott's order violates their constitutional rights and "may very well leave long-term scarring on the Republican form of government if left unchecked." Full Story
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![Workers boarded up bars on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
As coronavirus cases surged, Texas’ contact tracing workforce shrunk
State health officials say they have enough workers to meet current needs, but some local health departments are scrambling to keep up. With 2,800 workers, Texas is still short of the governor's goal to have 4,000 people contact tracing. Full Story
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![A Kroger pharmacist explains how to administer the self-swab test at a COVID-19 testing site in the Fifth Ward in Houston on June 27, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
The Texas GOP convention will gather thousands of people indoors without a mask requirement. One of its sponsors is the Texas Medical Association.
The Texas Medical Association, the state's largest medical group, said it is hopeful convention attendees will wear masks and practice social distancing. Full Story
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![Delegate Elizabeth Victory listens to discussions during the final afternoon of the Republican Party of Texas convention in San Antonio on June 16, 2018.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
More than 30 Texas bars sue over Gov. Greg Abbott's recent shutdown order
Abbott has said the actions of his executive order "are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health." Full Story
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![John Caldwell, manager of Coyote Ugly, boards up his bar on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas city and county leaders ask Gov. Greg Abbott for authority to implement local stay-at-home orders
At the beginning of the pandemic, local officials across the state implemented stay-at-home orders for their regions. But now, with cases across Texas' metros surging, those leaders say Abbott has stripped them of the authority to reinstate the same measures. Full Story
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![Kroger pharmacists explain and collect self-swab COVID-19 tests at a testing site in the Fifth Ward in Houston on June 27, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Governing in reaction mode, and always a beat or two behind
The pandemic has been with us since late winter, but state leaders seem to have forgotten something they already know from other disasters: You can get ready when a storm is coming, or wait until it blows your roof off. Full Story
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![A line of about 100 cars formed at Barbara Jordan Elementary School in Austin at a COVID-19 testing site. June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Want a coronavirus test in Texas? You may have to wait for hours in a car.
Months into the pandemic, demand for coronavirus tests is soaring. Texans report problems with almost every facet of the testing process, starting with the glitching websites and unanswered phone lines used to schedule appointments, and extending to long lags before test results come back. Full Story
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![A line of about 100 cars formed at Barbara Jordan Elementary School in Austin while waiting at a COVID-19 testing site. June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
A Fort Worth police officer whose uncle died in police custody hopes departments can change
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, Tiffany Bunton — an officer whose uncle died in the back of a squad car two years ago — discusses the national moment of reckoning around police violence and misconduct. Full Story
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![Christopher Lowe in 2018, helping his niece Tiffany Bunton plant flowers at her home.]()
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Sudden shutdown of Texas bars leaves owners, employees (and patrons) uncertain about the future
Bars had to shut down by noon Friday after a statewide surge in coronavirus infections that officials said was largely driven by activities like congregating in close spaces. There’s no immediate plan for when they’ll be able to reopen. Full Story
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![Workers boarded up bars on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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