Odessa elected its first gay City Council member
Donald Trump won Ector County, which includes Odessa, with more than 70 percent of the vote. Full Story
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![At Large City Council member Craig Stoker poses for a photo at city hall on Dec. 3, 2024.]()
Credit: Julian Mancha for The Texas Tribune -
What could happen to Texas’ Medicaid program under Trump
State leaders have shown a decadeslong antipathy toward the health insurance program. If Trump makes severe reductions, it’s unlikely leaders would have the political will to make up any lost federal funds with state money, experts say. Full Story
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![A hospital bed]()
Credit: Maria Crane for The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump’s tariffs on Mexico could devastate border region, Texas economists warn
The president-elect said he intends to levy a 25% tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada until drugs and undocumented migrants stop crossing the border. Full Story
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![Shipping containers are seen at the container terminal of the port of Oakland, California on October 28, 2021.]()
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Texas offers Trump administration more land and support for mass deportations
Two events in the Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday made clear Texas officials will work with the Trump administration on immigration. Full Story
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![Incoming Trump administration appointee Border Czar Tom Homan speaks to DPS Troopers and National Guard troops at a Thanksgiving dinner event in Edinburg on Nov. 26, 2024.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Trump picks Texan Brooke Rollins to lead Agriculture Department
Rollins, who grew up in Glen Rose and once led the Texas Public Policy Foundation, will need Senate confirmation before becoming agriculture secretary. Full Story
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![AFPI President & CEO and Former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Brooke Rollins, speaks during the America First Agenda Summit organized by America First Policy Institute AFPI, on July 25, 2022 in Washington, D.C.]()
Credit: Oliver Contreras/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Trump nominates former Texas lawmaker Scott Turner to lead Housing and Urban Development
Turner served in the Texas House for four years and was also executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in the first Trump administration. Full Story
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![State Rep. Scott Turner, R-Frisco, gives a personal speech on the House floor in Austin in January 2015 after losing the speaker's race to Joe Straus, R-San Antonio.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Trump’s first Texas visit after historic Rio Grande Valley win spurs mix of excitement, trepidation
The president-elect was in South Texas to witness a test flight at SpaceX, whose founder, Elon Musk, is co-leading Trump’s government efficiency commission. Full Story
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![U.S. President-elect Donald Trump looks on during a viewing of a SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, on Nov. 19, 2024.]()
Credit: Brandon Bell/Pool via REUTERS -
Donald Trump boosted mental health efforts in Texas in his first term. Will he do it again?
The president-elect previously supported community mental health programs in Texas, the 988 hotline and addressed the opioid crisis, but his plan to address homelessness threatens that legacy. Full Story
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![Former US president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting on February 24, 2024, in National Harbor, Maryland.]()
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As Trump administration takes shape, Texas takes a back seat
So far Trump has looked elsewhere for his earliest cabinet and high-level staff appointments, in some cases passing over Texans who were in the mix. Full Story
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![Former President Trump speaks during a tour of an unfinished section of border wall in Pharr, Texas, on June 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Tony Gonzales, Chip Roy clash over mass deportation plans
Gonzales’ warning that mass removals of undocumented immigrants are unfeasible got pushback from Roy, who said everyone in the country illegally must be deported. Full Story
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![From left: U.S. Reps. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, and Chip Roy, R-Austin.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump and Ted Cruz scored big wins in Texas, but the president-elect outperformed the senator on his own turf
Cruz beat his challenger by 9 points, while Trump prevailed over his by 14 points. Still, Cruz performed better this year than he did in 2018 Full Story
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![From left: President-elect Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Trump’s promise to unravel Biden's climate policies could take years to fulfill
The president-elect has pledged to weaken air pollution regulations, reverse efforts to slow climate change and continue to boost oil and gas production. Full Story
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![Former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses supporters at a rally on November 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.]()
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“Uncharted territory”: Trump’s anti-immigration plans could take center stage in Texas
Texas is positioned better than any state to help Trump carry out his ambitious anti-immigration agenda. But it is also vulnerable to those policies’ impacts. Full Story
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![Former President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference before the border wall in Pharr on June 30, 2021.]()
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Texas Democrats underperformed yet again. Now what?
Tuesday was another electoral blowout in which Democrats underperformed expectations, weakening their case that Texas is a battleground state worthy of investment and attention from the national party. Full Story
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![The Ector County Democratic Headquarters on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Odessa.]()
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Republicans reassert their dominance in Texas
Recent gains made by Democrats in past elections were wiped out, as Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and other Republicans won by wide margins. Full Story
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![Attendees celebrate poll results during a watch party for Ted Cruz on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in downtown Houston.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump wins Texas’ 40 electoral votes
The win continues the state’s streak of going red in every presidential election since it went for Jimmy Carter in 1976. Full Story
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![Former President Donald Trump at his first campaign rally after announcing his candidacy for president in the 2024 election at an event in Waco on March 25, 2023.]()
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Abortion, the economy, immigration and transgender rights: Voters across Texas explain their vote
Texans from across the state went to the polls early with plenty on their mind. The Texas Tribune partnered with other news organizations to hear from a diverse cross-section of voters. Full Story
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![Political signs outside the polling site at the Lark Branch Library in McAllen on Oct. 22, 2024.]()
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A pro-gun, anti-abortion border sheriff appealed to both parties. Then he was painted as soft on immigration.
Immigration is not part of Joe Frank Martinez’s job. But in Del Rio, like in other majority Latino communities across the country, the issue is high on voters’ minds and is disrupting long-standing political allegiances. Full Story
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![The memory of nearly 20,000 primarily Haitian immigrants arriving at the border is seared into the minds of Del Rio residents. Many fear it could happen again, making immigration one of the key issues in Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez’s race for reelection and disrupting local politics.]()
Credit: From left: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune, Liz Moughon/ProPublica, Gerardo del Valle/ProPublica -
These Texans could join or influence a second Trump administration
Donald Trump has built close ties to many Texas Republicans, from judges to elected officials to policy experts. Full Story
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![Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at Million Air in Austin, Texas on Oct. 25, 2024.]()
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This Trump supporter was labeled a noncitizen and kicked off Texas’ voter rolls
Mary Howard-Elley is the 10th U.S. citizen identified by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and Votebeat whose registration was canceled after her citizenship was questioned. Her saga shows how tough it can be for eligible voters to get reinstated. Full Story
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![Mary Howard-Elley, 52, a Splendora resident, was removed from the state’s voter rolls after being inaccurately labeled as a noncitizen.]()
Credit: Danielle Villasana for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune