The latest Greg Abbott news from The Texas Tribune.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Border Patrol insist the 11 men, arrested under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border initiative, weren’t set up for trespassing charges. But a county attorney decided the case was too muddled to prosecute. Full Story
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The new proposal, like its predecessor, would amend the health and safety code to make the unlawful restraint of a dog a criminal offense — and more clearly outline proper treatment. Full Story
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Plaintiffs say the governor’s order denies children with disabilities, who are at a high risk of illness and death from the coronavirus, access to public education. Full Story
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The punishment for the crime was scheduled to go down in December, due to the passage of a sweeping bill that restricted the state’s voting process and narrowed local control of elections. Full Story
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There has been no evidence of widespread election fraud in Texas, where Trump defeated President Joe Biden by 6 percentage points. After the November election, a secretary of state official said Texas’ election was “smooth and secure." Full Story
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Dowd said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has focused on “culture war” issues to divide and hurt Texans. Full Story
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The state agency last week announced a “full forensic audit” in Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties. But based on details released Tuesday, it appears the scope of the effort may be more limited than what the term may suggest. Full Story
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The men were arrested by state troopers and held for weeks without facing formal charges, a violation of state law. It’s the latest misfire in Abbott’s hastily assembled effort to involve Texas in patrolling the border. Full Story
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Defense attorneys have started asking courts to set migrants free because local justice systems, overwhelmed by arrests under Gov. Greg Abbott's border security push, are routinely violating state law and constitutional due process rights. Full Story
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It’s fashionable to gripe about polls, but they can expose voter sentiment and reveal, sometimes, why elected officials act the way they do. Full Story
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The Texas attorney general is being investigated for professional misconduct for his filing of a lawsuit challenging the 2020 presidential elections in battleground states. Fellow Republicans say the probe encroaches on Paxton’s executive branch authority. Full Story
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The new law narrows the window in which physicians are allowed to give abortion-inducing medication to patients from 10 weeks to seven weeks into pregnancy, bucking FDA guidelines. Full Story
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Officials in some counties targeted by audits accuse Republican Texas leaders of pandering to conspiracy theorists and undermining faith in elections. They also say the secretary of state’s office hasn’t provided details on what the audits entail. Full Story
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In a Texas Tribune Festival interview, the former member of Congress discussed the fight for voting rights, his takeaways from his last two runs for office and speculation about his becoming a candidate for governor. Full Story
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After upsets in previous special elections and President Joe Biden’s underperformance in South Texas last year, Democrats running for an open Texas House seat are taking the GOP threat seriously. Full Story
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The agency did not explain why it was auditing elections in Collin, Dallas, Harris and Tarrant counties. Its announcement came hours after former President Donald Trump asked that an election audit bill be added to a special legislative session agenda. Full Story
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There has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and the Texas secretary of state who oversaw the 2020 election and was appointed by the Republican governor declared the election “smooth and secure.” Full Story
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Candidates for the 2022 elections are still popping up, but many of that election’s major issues are already being debated. Full Story
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The threat was apparently made on Reddit and included the names of House and Senate members who voted for Senate Bill 8 during the regular legislative session. Full Story
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Abbott has faced pressure from his right to prioritize property tax relief. One of his challengers in the Republican primary has slammed him for not including it earlier in the agenda, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called it his top priority this session. Full Story
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