A surrogate’s fight for custody over the baby she birthed last week could lead to more restrictions on the rights of biological parents and on abortion clauses in surrogacy agreements.
Topics
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Environment
How Corpus Christi’s water emergency exposed flaws in Texas’ water planning
State water planners don’t use climate projections when they plan for future water supply. Experts say they should model for more extreme droughts rather than relying on historical data.
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Texas Legislature 2027
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick proposes penalties for schools that keep “vulgar” books on library shelves
“We’re coming for the books,” the lieutenant governor said in announcing plans to lower the performance rating of Texas schools that violate a recent law targeting obscene titles in school libraries.
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Immigration
Minnesota sues Abbott to force extradition of ICE agent accused of shooting Venezuelan man
Christian Castro, accused of assault and lying about the circumstance leading to the Jan. 14 shooting, was arrested in Cameron County in May.
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State Government
Special election set to replace Texas Sen. Brian Birdwell, who resigned for Pentagon post
The longtime state legislator, who announced in June 2025 he wasn’t seeking reelection, vacated the seat to serve as a U.S. assistant secretary of defense.
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Public Education
Gov. Abbott proposes ban on H-1B visa use for Texas public schools during campaign stop
Some districts use the temporary work permits to fill critical teacher shortages in roles such as bilingual education.
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Immigration
What to know about possible border barriers in Big Bend
The Trump administration has said the remote West Texas region needs measures to stop illegal immigration. But a bipartisan group of elected officials is pushing to halt that plan, especially in the national park.
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TribCast
TribCast: Should we believe the polls about Paxton and Talarico?
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin about the polls showing a tight race for U.S. Senate. Are they reliable? Is Talarico really in the lead?
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Higher Education
Buyouts offered to nearly a quarter of UT Tyler employees amid budget shortfall
The university in East Texas is among other state colleges facing financial strains.
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T-Squared
Texas Tribune Festival 2026: Our full lineup is here
Raphael Warnock, Kevin Stitt, Dolores Huerta, Maggie Haberman and other prominent voices in American political and civic life join us in Austin next month
