The latest Joe Biden news from The Texas Tribune.
Their Texas swing is part of a larger effort by senior administration officials who are fanning out across the country this week to encourage vaccinations ahead of the administration’s self-imposed goal of hitting a 70% countrywide vaccination rate by July 4. Full Story
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The June 2021 poll shows that 44% of Texans approve of Abbott’s job as governor, while 44% disapprove. His approval rating from Texas voters is better than those of Joe Biden, U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dade Phelan. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott pledged $250 million in state funds for a Texas-Mexico border wall and is soliciting donations to fund the rest. Full Story
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O'Rourke has visited at least 19 cities this month and plans to hold a final rally Sunday at the Texas Capitol in Austin. Full Story
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The governor suggested more details would be released next week. The announcement Thursday of several initiatives is the latest in an ongoing conflict between Abbott, a Republican, and Democratic President Joe Biden's administration. Full Story
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The meeting will take place Wednesday, according to Harris' office. Full Story
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Two former congressional candidates, Julie Oliver and Mike Siegel, are hoping to help Democrats learn the lessons of 2020 with a new group called Ground Game Texas. Full Story
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A federal attorney claims an order from Gov. Greg Abbott violates the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and said legal action could follow if the state carries through with plans to pull licenses from the federally contracted facilities. Full Story
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Senate Bill 7, a Republican priority voting bill, would limit early voting hours, curtail local voting options and further clamp down on mail-in voting, among several other provisions. Full Story
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Abbott said the increase in fentanyl seizures correlates with President Joe Biden taking office in January and implementing new border policies. Full Story
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Lomi Kriel of the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative unit moderated the panel, which talked about the policy decisions that have created confusion at the border, what to expect in the coming months and possible paths to reform. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit, filed Friday, argues that the Trump-era extension of the federal 1115 Medicaid funding waiver was lawful and that overturning it was a political move. Full Story
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The federal government also announced that undocumented and international students can now receive those emergency funds, too, rolling back a Trump administration rule that allowed schools to distribute grants only to students who qualified for federal financial aid. Full Story
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Texas voters are returning to normal pre-pandemic activities, and to their customary civic and political concerns, too. The changes are evident in the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Texas voters have a strong preference for politicians from their own parties, but overall, the president is as popular here as the governor or either of the state's U.S. senators. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, the former sheriff of Fort Bend County, made the request after Biden's joint address Wednesday night. Biden's answer: "I’ll reach out to you." Full Story
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The president on Tuesday also said he'll nominate former Texas congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones to serve as under secretary of the Air Force. Full Story
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The push to steel Texas against new federal rules comes as gun violence nationwide — including a recent shooting in Bryan — has sparked Democrats to call for an assault weapons ban and stronger background checks, among other changes. Full Story
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The Washington Post, citing two federal health officials, said the decision was a bid to push Texas toward expanding Medicaid. Full Story
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The policy required asylum seekers who passed through Mexico on their way to the U.S. to stay in Mexico while their claims were processed. Many were forced to live in sometimes dangerous and unsanitary migrant camps. Full Story
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