In his first public appearance since Capitol riot, Trump visits Texas border to tout wall construction
President Trump on Tuesday visited the Rio Grande Valley in what's likely his last Texas appearance as commander-in-chief. Full Story
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![Former President Donald Trump walks from his flight at Valley International Airport in Harlingen on Jan. 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House elects Dade Phelan speaker as 2021 legislative session gets underway
Phelan’s election to the gavel was one of the House’s first order of business Tuesday, when the Legislature kicked off the 2021 legislative session. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, held a press conference at the capitol to declare that he had enough votes to become Speaker of the House. Nov 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Live video of the Texas House and Texas Senate
During the 2021 legislative session, The Texas Tribune is streaming the Texas House and Senate chambers, which you can watch here. The session runs from Jan. 12 to May 31. Full Story
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Point of Order: The incoming speaker speaks
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks politics, policy, priorities and the pandemic with Dade Phelan, the presumptive speaker of the Texas House. Full Story
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The Texas Legislature convenes for its 2021 session Tuesday. Here are 5 things to watch.
Much about the session — including how it will be conducted during a pandemic — remains uncertain. Full Story
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![House floor on April 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Wendy Davis says Trump supporters harassing a Biden bus in Texas should have served as a warning before U.S. Capitol riot
The former state senator, speaking publicly for the first time about the October incident, said she was not surprised by last week's insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, criticizing Republicans for emboldening Trump supporters to act lawlessly. Full Story
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![A Twitter user captured the moment a truck and a vehicle collided as the Biden-Harris bus tour was being followed by a caravan of Trump supporters.]()
Credit: Screenshot via Twitter -
The Texas Legislature remains mostly white and male
When the 2021 legislative session begins Tuesday, three of every five lawmakers in the state House and Senate will be white and just 27% of seats will be held by women. Full Story
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![The Capitol at sunset on May 23, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Four years ago, Texas Republicans were the most likely to use mail-in voting. Here’s how that flipped in the last election.
Absentee ballots, which only certain groups of Texans are eligible to use, have traditionally been a tool utilized by the GOP, and in 2016, higher percentages of Republican voters cast absentee ballots than did Democratic voters. Full Story
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![The Travis County Tax Office at 5501 Airport Blvd is now the only drive-thru location open for hand delivery of mail ballots in the county. The drop-off location photographed here on Oct. 2, 2020, will be open until Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Texas Legislature isn’t like Congress, right?
The Texas Legislature is more bipartisan than Congress, historically speaking. But a unique set of issues to address and an atmosphere of division emanating from Washington, D.C., could test that in the session that starts Tuesday. Full Story
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![Signs adorn every seat in the House Gallery to ensure social distancing in the house chamber. Jan 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump visiting Texas' Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday as his administration rushes to award more border wall contracts
The president's visit comes a week after Department of Homeland Security officials touted the “historic” completion of 450 miles of border fencing during his administration. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, in September of 2020.]()
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Joe Biden says Texas voters should oust Ted Cruz in next election
"I think they should be just flat beaten the next time they run," Biden said, when asked if Cruz and another Republican senator, Josh Hawley of Missouri, ought to step down. "I think the American public has a real good clear look at who they are. They're part of the big lie, the big lie." Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, questions judicial nominees during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 4, 2019.]()
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GOP megadonor couple from Hill Country launch PAC for 2022 Texas elections
The couple, Michael and Mary Porter, have emerged as some of the top donors to Texas Republicans over the last few years, and now they are getting even more serious about their political activities. Full Story
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![A view of the rotunda at the state capitol. Jan. 8, 2018.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
All 13 Texas Democrats in the U.S. House have called for impeaching Donald Trump after Wednesday's riot
House leadership said it "will move forward with impeachment,” if Vice President Mike Pence does not invoke the U.S. Constitution’s 25th Amendment to remove Trump. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump speaks during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 presidential election results by Congress, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.]()
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Analysis: A frustrating vaccine rollout in Texas that should’ve been smoother
The vaccine rollout in Texas is bumpier than it ought to be, especially because the federal and state governments in charge of distributing vaccines have known for months that they’d be doing this as soon as the drugs were developed. Full Story
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![Tarrant County residents wait in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the Esports Stadium in Arlington on Jan. 05, 2021.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
“We would have been shot”: Texas activists shaken by law enforcement reaction to Capitol siege
Texas organizers said the insurrection at the U.S. capitol demonstrates how differently law enforcement is applied based on protesters' race and politics. Full Story
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![Police officers made an arrest and deployed pepper spray as supporters of President Trump stormed the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The joint session of the House and Senate was sent to recess after the breach as it convened to confirm the Electoral College votes cast in November's election.]()
Credit: Matthew Rodier/SiPA USA via REUTERS -
After riot at the U.S. Capitol, Ted Cruz gets fierce blowback for his role in sowing doubts about Joe Biden’s victory
Wednesday’s chaos led to calls for Cruz’s resignation from Texas Democrats. But Cruz says he “ain’t going anywhere.” Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during a committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in September of 2020.]()
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Ken Paxton told Trump supporters to "keep fighting." When they breached the Capitol, he falsely claimed it wasn't them.
At a low point in his rollercoaster political career, Paxton is betting on the Trump base to bring him back up the hill, lending the legitimacy of office to debunked claims that have motivated violence. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton at the inauguration ceremony of Judge Michelle Slaughter at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House Democrats ask Gov. Greg Abbott to overhaul COVID-19 vaccine distribution process
“The dearth of reliable public information leads to skepticism over the government’s ability to look out for the public health,” state Rep. Vikki Goodwin wrote in the letter, which 37 other House Democrats signed. Full Story
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![Eager valley residents look amongst the rows of cars lined up at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show Grounds in Mercedes. Area residents lined up overnight to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Jan 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Most Texan Republicans in the U.S. House voted in favor of objections to certifying Joe Biden's win
Congress overwhelmingly voted against an objection by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to the certification of Arizona's results and another to the results from Pennsylvania. Full Story
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![Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results, after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol earlier in the day.]()
Credit: Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS -
“Find a place to hide or seek cover”: A harrowing day at the U.S. Capitol for Texans in Congress
Texans in Washington, D.C. — lawmakers and staffers alike — described a day when protesting supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the U.S. Capitol. Full Story
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![Pro-Trump rioters climb on walls at the U.S. Capitol during a protest against the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by Congress, in Washington, D.C., on Jan.6, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Stephanie Keith