The Brief: New abortion fights in Texas start today
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee is taking up three abortion-related bills today. Here's what you need to know. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/12/14/20160302_SCOTUS_004.jpg)
Bobby Blanchard
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/blanchard-bobby_TT.jpg)
Bobby Blanchard joined The Texas Tribune’s audience team in 2016 and led the team from 2021 to 2023, strategizing to expand the organization’s reach and engagement across all platforms. A graduate of UT-Austin, Bobby spent his first year out of college at The Dallas Morning News as a reporting fellow, covering Texas politics and breaking news. He got his start in journalism in the poorly lit basement of The Daily Texan, followed by internships at the Houston Chronicle, KUT News and the Tribune. Born and raised in the Houston area, Bobby is a native Texan.
Past Contributions
-
![Protesters on both sides of the issue face off in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. as Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt is argued inside, March 2, 2016. The case is focused on Texas law HB2, which if enforced would result in the closure of more than 75 percent of all women’s health clinics that provide abortion services in the state.]()
Credit: Allison Shelley for The Texas Tribune -
The Brief: How the ICE sting led to a family in crisis
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say more than 50 people were arrested and detained this past weekend in a "targeted operation.” In at least one instance, a case of mistaken identity has led to a family crisis. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/02/13/MHN_Casos_07.jpg)
![Irma Perez talks briefly with her husband, Miguel Angel Torres, who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaving Irma to care for their three daughters Melani (12), Dana (8), and Jamilet (6) on Feb. 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Martin do Nascimento for The Texas Tribune -
The Brief: The Texas Tribune presents Sold Out
More than a decade’s worth of initiatives — empty laws and hollow programs — have failed to protect Texas' most vulnerable youth from being trafficked for sex. Today, The Texas Tribune launches Sold Out. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/02/08/Intro-EMBED-MKC_5983.JPG)
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called sex trafficking "one of the most heinous crimes facing our society" at a recent press conference. Estimates suggest there are 79,000 child victims of sex trafficking in Texas.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Ask us anything about our investigation into sex trafficking in Texas
Texas Tribune reporters Neena Satija, Morgan Smith and Edgar Walters hosted a live discussion about sex trafficking with Chuck Paul, a former child welfare investigator. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/02/09/TxTrib_HumanTrafficking_GPerez_011__1.JPG)
![Join Texas Tribune reporters and a former child welfare investigator Feb. 21 for a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" chat.]()
Credit: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez for The Texas Tribune -
The Brief: Missing elections yet? 2018 is already getting started
Some of the state's most high-profile Democrats met earlier this year in Austin to begin planning the 2018 midterm races. Here's what you need to know. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/11/06/Castros_in_OH_2_AL.jpg)
![HUD Secretary Julián (l.) and twin brother, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, campaign for Hillary Clinton at a Columbus, Ohio polling location on November 6, 2016.]()
Credit: Abby Livingston -
The Brief: Corpus Christi's new mayor resigned after 37 days. What happened?
Disgruntled Corpus Christi voters elected a political outsider to run the city last year. After 37 days, the mayor resigned. Here’s what happened. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/12/15/Faucet-DontDrink-1.jpg)
![A sign posted at a sink at a Corpus Christi-area health clinic on the morning of Dec. 15, 2016. City officials announced a ban on using the city’s water the evening before due to a chemical making its way into the supply.]()
Credit: Courtesy, Shalonn Simmons -
The Brief: Here's what's next for "sanctuary cities"
In a 20-11 party line vote, the Senate preliminary approved legislation Tuesday night that would ban sanctuary cities in the state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/02/07/7C2A9317.jpg)
![Sen. John Whitmire D-Houston holds up a letter from the city of Houston chief of police as he ask Sen. Charles Perry R-Lubbock questions regarding SB4 on February 7, 2017]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
The Brief: Texas Senate will debate "sanctuary cities," ethics reform
The Senate is set to debate today two of Gov. Greg Abbott's emergency items: reforming ethics laws and banning "sanctuary cities." Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/02/06/UP9A0247.jpg)
![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick talks with the media during a press conference on SB 6, also known as the "bathroom bill," on Feb. 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
The Brief: Abbott and Cruz eye term limits on Congress
With an ally in the White House, Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz are suggesting the timing is right to pass term limits on Congress. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/12/08/006_CruzAbbott_Dec2015.jpg)
![Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) speak at a press conference in the Capitol about Sen. Cruz’s Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act of 2015 (S. 2302), in Washington, D.C., Dec. 8, 2015.]()
Credit: Chris Maddaloni/ The Texas Tribune -
The Brief: How a Texas community responded to a destroyed mosque
Tragedy struck the South Texas town of Victoria six days ago when the community's mosque, a 16-year-old spiritual center for roughly 40 Muslim families, went down in flames. Nothing remains but memories and ash — and a community working hard to rebuild what was lost. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/02/01/KidsSigns.jpg)
![Students at St. Joseph's High School in Victoria, Texas gather near the town's fire-ravaged mosque to show support for the local Muslim community during a Feb. 1, 2017 ceremony.]()
Credit: Jim Malewitz