The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
During this week's state Republican Party convention, various speakers took turns praising President Donald Trump. But the bitter race for state party chair and a debate over censures illustrated divisions among Texas Republicans. Full Story
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A center for unaccompanied immigrant minors is up and running in West Texas, just one day after federal officials announced the location, state Rep. César Blanco confirmed to The Texas Tribune on Friday. Full Story
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Dickey defeated longtime activist Cindy Asche in a floor fight at the party's state convention. Full Story
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Incumbent GOP Chairman James Dickey is fending off a challenge from Cindy Asche, who has questioned Dickey's support for President Donald Trump. Full Story
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A varsity swimmer was found "responsible" for sexually assaulting a fellow student. But after a brief suspension and one semester of academic probation, he can rejoin the team. Full Story
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The high court's ruling on a Minnesota state law is likely to reverberate in Texas, which has a similar law on the books. Neither state allows voters to wear political garments or accessories in their polling places. Full Story
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Texans say the Legislature’s top three priorities should be lowering the cost of health care, reducing the number of women dying after childbirth and lowering the cost of prescription drugs, according to a poll conducted by the Episcopal Health Foundation and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Full Story
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Experts say it costs about $500 to train a school employee under Texas' school marshal program. But school leaders say their worries go beyond the cost. Full Story
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On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Evan, Jolie and the New York Times Magazine and ProPublica's Pamela Colloff on Pam's two-part "Blood Will Tell" series on blood spatter analysis and the state's consideration of intellectual disabilities in death row cases. Full Story
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Maria Vandelice de Bastos hasn't seen her grandson for 10 months, since they crossed into New Mexico at a port of entry seeking asylum, according to her attorney. Her grandson has severe epilepsy and autism. Full Story
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Launched in March, the party bills itself as a movement aimed at toppling the two-party system controlling state politics, but it's a for-profit company that got millions in start-up dollars from investors. Will its founder-turned-candidate get enough signatures to get on the ballot with Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke? Full Story
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Republican State Board of Education member David Bradley proposed the new course title in April, saying he found "hyphenated Americanism to be divisive.” On Tuesday, another board member, Democrat Ruben Cortez, called Bradley “the most mean-spirited” person on the board. Full Story
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At a Senate hearing Monday, members of a select committee discussed mental health training and security cameras. But they failed to reach consensus on school architecture and metal detectors. Full Story
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“The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes — such as domestic violence or gang violence ... cannot itself establish an asylum claim,” U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ruled Monday. Full Story
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With lots of female candidates in Texas trying to win spots in the state's male-dominated congressional and legislative delegations, a series of workshops on Sunday helped Democratic women navigate the challenges of running their first political campaigns. Full Story
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Thousands will gather at the state GOP convention in San Antonio this week. Texas Democrats will meet in Fort Worth for their biennial meeting the following weekend. School shootings and the #MeToo movement are among the issues that could loom large at one or both events. Full Story
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Beto O'Rourke's grassroots campaign in 254 counties represents a major deviation from the political playbook employed by the majority of Texas Democrats over the last 20 years. Most campaigns concentrate on the state's major population centers. Full Story
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The U.S. Justice Department said late Friday it agrees the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program should be terminated. That court filing came after Texas and six other states filed a lawsuit last month to end the 2012 program. Full Story
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Nearly a month after a Texas high school shooting, Gov. Greg Abbott has launched a digital technology to make it easier for Texans to report unusual activity in schools and communities within minutes. Full Story
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The money collected will go to a “dedicated testing evidence account” controlled by the state comptroller. The Governor's Criminal Justice Division will then distribute the funds to qualifying crime labs and agencies on an application basis. Full Story
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