U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar leads push to keep guns from those convicted of hate crimes
The El Paso Democrat gathered fellow lawmakers who have had hate-motivated mass shootings in their districts to back the bill. Full Story
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Matthew Choi is a Washington correspondent for The Texas Tribune. He previously covered energy and climate policy at Politico, where he wrote the Morning Energy newsletter and covered campaign events as a breaking news reporter during the 2020 presidential election and the Mueller investigation. Before joining Politico, Matthew was a two-time reporting fellow at The Texas Tribune based in Austin, reporting on education, health care, immigration, guns, agriculture and land management. He graduated from Northwestern University where he studied journalism and political science and was managing editor of The Daily Northwestern. Matthew is a native of Northern Virginia and speaks both French and English. In his free time, Matthew enjoys cooking French country food while listening to Simon and Garfunkel.
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![U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 12, 2023, on protecting gender-affirming and reproductive health care.]()
Credit: Bryan Olin Dozier/NurPhoto via REUTERS -
Texas congressional Democrats say impeaching Biden is “not comparable” to Trump impeachments
Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced his plans Tuesday to launch an impeachment inquiry, saying it was the “logical next step” after months of probing by House Republicans into the Biden family. The investigations have so far yet to turn up evidence that the president violated the law. Full Story
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![Rep. Kevin McCarthy is seen on the House floor on the first day of the 118th Congress on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. The House adjourned without a speaker voted in. (Michael A. McCoy for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Michael A. McCoy for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Randy Weber concerned Texas projects hurt amid Freedom Caucus budget fight
The far-right congressman from Friendswood still backs the conservative push to lower spending, but worries bipartisan Texas projects have been impacted. Full Story
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![U.S. Representative Randy Weber, R- Friendswood, speaks at a House Freedom Caucus press conference about the Equality Act on Feb. 25, 2021 in Washington.]()
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Slim majority of Texans support Gov. Greg Abbott’s border buoys, poll finds
The UT poll also touched on a range of other topics, including Texas voters’ opinions on the upcoming presidential election and the U.S. Senate race. Full Story
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![A string of buoys is deployed to prevent migrants from swimming across the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on July 13, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Attention returns to Sen. John Cornyn’s future after GOP Leader Mitch McConnell’s latest health scare
The senior senator from Texas has the ambition to become the Senate’s top Republican, but he remains loyal to McConnell, who has downplayed concerns about his well-being. Full Story
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![Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Senate Minority Leader, speaks with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Monday, January 23, 2023.]()
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“It’s troubling,” Ted Cruz says after Mitch McConnell’s second freeze
“Age is something that all of us experience, and it’s coming for all of us,” Cruz added. Fellow Texas Senate Republican John Cornyn said McConnell had told him that he was fine. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, attends a Senate Committee on the Judiciary business meeting in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Rod Lamkey/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Houston will host 2028 Republican National Convention
The announcement came uncommonly early — five years before the convention to select the GOP nominee for the 2028 election cycle. Full Story
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![A page and a sergeant at arms regroup during the 2022 Texas State Republican Convention on Saturday, June 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune -
Will Hurd of Texas fails to qualify for first GOP presidential debate
Anemic poll numbers barred him from the debate stage, but Hurd also fell short of another requirement by declining to pledge his support for the eventual Republican nominee: “I will not sign a blood oath to Donald Trump.” Full Story
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![Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, speaks at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 22, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Democrats Colin Allred, Roland Gutierrez draw distinctions on key issues as they target Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024
Heading into the primary, the U.S. House member and state senator answer questions on guns, the border, abortion and other parts of their platforms. Full Story
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![From left: State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, and U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas. The two are running to be the Democratic nominee to face Ted Cruz in the 2024 senatorial race.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune | Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Texans in Congress take bipartisan path to boost semiconductors, a crucial industry to the state
Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz and Democrats like Rep. Colin Allred — opponents in the 2024 election — propose streamlining environmental reviews to promote investment and expansion by chipmakers. Full Story
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![Sen. Ted Cruz speaks to Peter McCormack about bitcoin and freedom at the Texas Blockchain Summit in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune