Ted Cruz says Texas should repeal its now-defunct law banning gay sex
The law was made unenforceable by the Supreme Court in 2003, but Justice Clarence Thomas recently suggested that the court should reconsider it. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz signs books and greets supporters during the Republican Party of Texas 2022 convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Friday, June 17, 2022.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
To stay in Congress, Mayra Flores bets Democratic South Texas is ready for an outspoken conservative
A Mexican immigrant who worked in cotton fields to pay for school supplies, Flores is a source of hope for Republicans looking to gain ground in the Rio Grande Valley. But her staying power will be put to the test this November. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Los Indios,stands outside of Our Lady of Sorrows church after the Pro Life America's Hopeful Future conference in McAllen on July 9, 2022. Flores, recently sworn into office, faces an uphill battle in November as she competes against Vicente Gonzalez for the Texas CD-34 seat.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Homeless Texans left with few places to cool off during record heat
Heat-related emergency calls have spiked amid historic heat. Cooling centers are available in major cities but often close in the late afternoon — during the hottest parts of the day. Full Story
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![Michelle Smith, Outreach and Engagement Manager at The Bridge, hands a health kit to a homeless man sleeping outside of the Dallas Public Library in Dallas, Texas on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Texas suing USDA over requirement to add LGBTQ protections to nutrition programs’ nondiscrimination policies
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service announced in May that it would expand its definition of sexual discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation. Paxton and other attorneys general are suing in response. Full Story
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![Students eat lunch in the cafeteria at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on Aug. 24, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Judge asks Texas to remove foster care kids from out-of-state facilities facing child abuse investigation
At least 48 Texas children are housed at facilities run by organizations under an investigation launched by two U.S. senators. Full Story
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Texas abortion clinics weigh whether to relocate or refocus
Some clinics are relocating to “haven states” where abortion will continue to be legal. Others are investing in sexual and reproductive health efforts beyond abortion access. Full Story
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![A Planned Parenthood clinic in Austin.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Former employee accuses Collin College of racial discrimination in fourth recent lawsuit against the school
Swee Lian Wee claims she was denied a promotion based on race and that school leaders created a hostile work environment. Full Story
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![The Collin Higher Education Center in McKinney.]()
Credit: Collin College -
Top Texas Republicans, Biden administration look to grow the state’s semiconductor industry
As companies like Samsung and Texas Instruments expand their operations in the state, Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders are backing federal efforts to grow the industry. Full Story
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![U.S. President Joe Biden, isolating following his COVID-19 diagnosis, appears virtually in a meeting with business and labor leaders about the Chips Act — relating to U.S. domestic chip and semiconductor manufacturing — in an auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, U.S., July 25, 2022.]()
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Principal of Robb Elementary is put on paid leave two months after Uvalde mass shooting
Mandy Gutierrez, in her first year as principal, is the third local official to be suspended as a result of the shooting on May 24. Full Story
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![Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks with Mandy Gutierrez, Principal at Robb Elementary School, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in the deadliest U.S. school shooting in nearly a decade, during U.S. President Joe Biden's visit at the school, in Uvalde, Texas, U.S. May 29, 2022.]()
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A 14-year-old went to Texas to help his family build a bigger house in Guatemala. Now his family is burying him.
Juan Wilmer Tulul Tepaz was one of the 53 migrants who died after being trapped in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio. His body was returned to his village, which has buried several youths who left to seek better lives in the U.S. Full Story
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![Memorias de Wilmer Tulul Tepaz en prendas y fotografías sobre el ataud el día de su velorio el pasado 17 de Julio en Tzucubal, Nahualá.]()
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Uvalde school board pushes Greg Abbott for special legislative session to increase legal age for purchasing assault rifles
The gunman who killed 19 elementary students and two teachers bought the assault rifle he used after turning 18 just days before the massacre. Full Story
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![The Board of Trustees of Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District meets to hear from members of the Uvalde community at Uvalde High School on July 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: A promotion for Bobby Blanchard
A six-year newsroom veteran, Audience Director Bobby Blanchard is now our chief audience officer and a member of the Tribune’s senior management team. Full Story
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Credit: Texas Tribune Staff -
Texas AG Ken Paxton bans staff lawyers from speaking at state bar events, escalating feud sparked by 2020 election
The bar, which licenses lawyers and offers training sessions, is suing Paxton in an attempt to sanction him for trying block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2022. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Texas v. Texas, the enforcement of the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy that required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they waited for hearings in U.S. immigration court.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
It’s not just COVID-19: Why Texas faces a teacher shortage
Texas schools have long had too few teachers. The pandemic made the situation worse — but issues like low pay, poor benefits and polarizing statewide politics all have an impact, too. Full Story
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![Gordon Mock stands outside of Thompson Elementary School on July 19, 2022, in Houston.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Lawyers preparing for abortion prosecutions warn about health care, data privacy
While people consider deleting period tracking apps and worry about interstate travel restrictions, most pregnancy-related criminalizations start in a much simpler way: with a report from a health care provider. Full Story
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![An examination room in Alamo Women’s Reproductive Services in San Antonio on June 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
“We failed”: Gay Republicans who fought for acceptance in Texas GOP see little progress
Gay Republicans who have fought for acceptance within the Texas GOP over the past three decades told The Texas Tribune progress has been excruciatingly slow. Many of them have left the party, even as the number of Log Cabin Republicans in Texas continues to grow. Full Story
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![Dale Carpenter poses for a portrait outside of his home in Dallas, TX on July 8, 2022. In the 1990s Carpenter was the state president of the Log Cabin Republicans, an organization that represents LGBT conservatives, but has since distanced himself from party politics.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House publishes report of Uvalde school shooting investigation in Spanish
The House committee investigating the Uvalde school shooting said it intended to publish the report in both languages but was unable to get it translated before a meeting last Sunday when the English version was released. Full Story
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![The Robb Elementary School memorial for the victims of the Uvalde mass school shooting on June 15, 2022.]()
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Right-wing group is quietly conducting review of 300,000 Tarrant County ballots from 2020 primary
The March ballots are public records under Texas law, but the Tarrant review may just be a warmup for endlessly disputed elections. Full Story
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![Election Administrator Heider Garcia goes through boxes of ballots from the 2020 GOP primary elections that will be recounted by an election integrity group at the Tarrant County Elections Administration building in Fort Worth on July 22, 2022. Ballots become public records after 22 months, granting this group access to review the votes from this election, and eventually, the general.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Uvalde school board postpones meeting to discuss firing police Chief Pete Arredondo
The school district canceled the meeting at the request of Arredondo’s lawyer. A new date has not been set. Full Story
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![Cal Lambert sits on the Board of Trustees to hear from members of the Uvalde community during a board meeting at Uvalde High School on July 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Investigators spread the blame in Uvalde shooting
In this week’s TribCast, Matthew speaks with Dave about the Texas House committee report on the Uvalde shooting and with Eric about the Jan. 6 hearings. Full Story
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![Former state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman and state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, of the Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary Shooting, listen to questions posed by the press during a conference in the Civic Center in Uvalde on July 17, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune