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The latest Bill White news from The Texas Tribune.

  • Is Texas a Sanctuary State?

    By Reeve Hamilton and Matt Stiles

    Aides to Gov. Rick Perry's re-election campaign have accused his Democratic challenger, Bill White, the former mayor of Houston, of running a “sanctuary city," where officers don't inquire about immigration status during routine patrols and investigations. But Houston's policy is remarkably similar to that of Texas DPS under Perry. If Houston is a sanctuary city, why isn't Texas a sanctuary state? Full Story 

    An estimated 25,000 demonstrators march past the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • 2010: The Debate Delay

    By Elise Hu

    Setting a date for a tete-a-tete between Gov. Rick Perry and Democrat Bill White will take awhile. The Perry camp is refusing to debate White until the former Houston mayor releases more of his income tax returns. Full Story 

    Republican Rick Perry and Democrat Bill White
    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    E. Smith interviews Gov. Rick Perry for the Trib and Newsweek, Philpott dissects the state's budget mess in a weeklong series, Hamilton looks at whether Bill White is or was a trial lawyer, M. Smith finds experts all over the state anxiously watching a court case over who owns the water under our feet, Aguilar reports on the battle between Fort Stockton and Clayton Williams Jr. over water in West Texas, Ramshaw finds a population too disabled to get on by itself but not disabled enough to get state help and Miller spends a day with a young man and his mother coping with that situation, Ramsey peeks in on software that lets the government know whether its e-mail messages are getting read and who's reading what, a highway commissioner reveals just how big a hole Texas has in its road budget, Grissom does the math on the state's border cameras and learns they cost Texans about $153,800 per arrest, and E. Smith interviews Karen Hughes on the difference between corporate and political P.R. — and whether there's such a thing as "Obama Derangement Syndrome." The best of our best from April 19 to April 23, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Jacqueline Mermea

  • Who You Callin' a Trial Lawyer?

    By Reeve Hamilton

    In the early days of the general election campaign for governor, the Perry team has been shouting it from the rooftops at the start of every press release, no matter the issue at hand: “Liberal trial lawyer Bill White …” The Democratic nominee rejects that label, which has morphed into an epithet during years of poisonous tussles over tort reform. So is he one or isn’t he? More importantly, does it matter? Full Story 

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    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • Rick Perry: The TT Interview

    By Evan Smith

    A Newsweek/Texas Tribune exclusive: The governor talks about the Tea Party, his beef with the federal government, health care reform, the state budget, redistricting, and whether he plans to run for the White House himself. Full Story 

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    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • The Last Populist

    By Reeve Hamilton

    Like his hero Little Richard, Jim Hightower knew how to scream and piss off the establishment. As a tour of his archives led by the man himself reveals, his is the story of a Texas-style progressive movement that peaked before the young Texans of today can even remember. Full Story 

    Jim Hightower viewing his archives at the Wittliff Collections.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • TribBlog: Drop-Out Throw-Down!

    By Brian Thevenot

    Bill White and Rick Perry fought over the hotly contested high school drop-out rate on Tuesday. Is it 30 percent (White)? 10 percent (Perry)? Or, more likely, somewhere in between? Full Story 

    Rick Perry, Bill White
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller, Callie Richmond

  • Kay in 2012?!?

    By Ross Ramsey

    She said she would limit her time in the U.S. Senate to two terms and is currently serving a third. She said she would resign her federal office to run for governor and didn't. She said she would quit after the primary and hasn't. So who's to say she won't reconsider in two years and run for a fourth term? And what of all those would-be successors? Full Story 

  • 2010: Flo Says No

    By Ross Ramsey

    State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, is no longer a candidate for U.S. Senate and says she'll refund about $1 million to her contributors. Full Story 

    State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano
    Credit: Shapiro campaign

  • Advice for Bill White

    By Evan Smith

    He has 31 weeks to make his case that we should fire Rick Perry and hire him instead. But when should he introduce himself to voters? When should he start attacking the governor? When should he spend his millions? Democratic strategists Glenn Smith and Keir Murray and blogger Charles Kuffner answer those and other pressing questions for the Democratic gubernatorial nominee. Full Story 

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    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • 2010: White Attacks Perry's Border Crime Claims

    By Brandi Grissom

    Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White today called on GOP Gov. Rick Perry to remove claims on his public and campaign Web sites that crime on the Texas border has dropped 65 percent. Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner defended the claims. He said Perry's claim refers to temporary crime drops in discreet areas during so-called "border surge" operations. Full Story 

    BIll White, Rick Perry at their Primary 2010 reception speeches.
    Credit: Callie Richmond, Caleb Bryant MIller