Trump picks Perdue for agriculture secretary, passing over 4 Texans
President-elect Donald Trump has picked former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to be agriculture secretary, bypassing four Texans who had been seen as candidates for the job. Full Story
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![(L-R) Former state Comptroller Susan Combs, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, former U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla and former Texas A&M University President Elsa Murano.]()
Credit: Combs: Laura Skelding/Miller: Bob Daemmrich/Bonilla: Youngcl89/Murano: Texas A&M -
Reports: Most statewide officials in strong financial shape
Most of Texas' top state leaders tallied some formidable numbers in their latest campaign finance reports. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Dan Patrick makes only one change atop Senate committees
Only one committee received a new committee chair in the Texas Senate. Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, will chair the Senate Administration Committee. Full Story
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Credit: Rick Mach -
Joe Straus: Legislators need to be careful when it comes to "bathroom bill"
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus told the Texas Association of Business that the "bathroom bill," a priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, was not his most urgent concern for the 85th Legislative Session. Full Story
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![Rep. Joe Straus makes remarks after being being sworn in for his fifth term as speaker of the Texas House on Jan. 10, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes indicted by grand jury
A grand jury has indicted State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, the Travis County District Attorney's office said Wednesday. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, outside the Travis County Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center before being arraigned on Jan. 18, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush hospitalized
Former President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush were both being treated Wednesday at Houston Methodist Hospital, according to a news release. Full Story
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![Former President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush at Texas A&M University on Nov. 11.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
How one transgender boy sees the "bathroom bill" debate (video)
A new bill would mandate that people use bathrooms in public schools, government buildings and public universities based on “biological sex.” A business group and families with transgender members are working to oppose it. Full Story
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Credit: Qiling Wang -
Rick Perry prepares to re-enter political arena with confirmation hearing
More than five years after his infamous "oops" moment, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is facing another high-pressure moment in the national spotlight this week: his confirmation hearing to be the next U.S. Secretary of Energy. Full Story
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![Former Gov. Rick Perry gives the closing keynote address at the the Texas Public Finance Conference in Austin on Feb. 3, 2016.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton pitches Texas business community on "bathroom bill"
Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday pitched the "bathroom bill" to the Texas business community, which has vocally opposed the effort to regulate bathroom use. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a press conference to recognize January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month on January 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
In dueling budget proposals, Texas House and Senate billions apart
Texas House and Senate leaders are starting out the legislative session nearly $8 billion apart according in dueling budget proposals released Tuesday. Among the sticking points: spending on public education and border security. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Paul Hudson -
Three Texans in Congress boycotting Trump inauguration
U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro, Lloyd Doggett of Austin and Al Green of Houston announced Tuesday they were boycotting President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston.]()
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As grand jury hearing looms, Rep. Dawnna Dukes' constituents worry about her ability to lead
As a case against State Rep. Dawnna Dukes is scheduled to get a grand jury hearing on Tuesday, some of her constituents worry the case will distract her from fulfilling their needs. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes is sworn in on the first day of the 85th Legislature on Jan. 10, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Can Texas Republicans hold America’s reddest large urban county?
Home to Fort Worth, Tarrant County continues to buck a national trend of big-city counties turning blue. There's no simple answer as to what makes it different. And little consensus on what it means for the future of Texas politics. Full Story
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![An unseasonably warm winter afternoon drew people to the fountains in Fort Worth's Sundance Square in December 2016.]()
Credit: Brandon Formby -
Texas vs. the Feds — A Look at the Lawsuits
Since President Obama took office in 2009, the state of Texas has sued his administration at least 48 times. Here's a look at each of those cases. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / The Texas Tribune -
How Tarrant County flipped from blue to red and how it could flip back (audio)
Tarrant County's steadfast conservatism is bucking a national trend. There's a lot that went into turning it Republican decades ago. Flipping it blue could take just as much work -- and time. Full Story
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![Downtown Fort Worth's Sundance Square is a walkable collection of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues that blanket dozens of city blocks within Tarrant County's urban core.]()
Credit: Brandon Formby -
Border Patrol agent's trial begins in headless body murder case
The capital murder case began in 2015 with the discovery of a headless body floating off South Padre Island. The trial of two men charged in the case — a U.S. Border Patrol agent and his Mexican-born brother — begins today in South Texas. Full Story
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![Ex-Border Patrol agent Joel Luna confers with attorney Carlos Garcia after his arraignment in Brownsville before Judge Benjamin Euresti on Feb. 3, 2016.]()
Credit: Douglas Young -
Could demographic shifts turn Tarrant County blue? (audio)
A suburban Tea Party in Tarrant County sees itself as essential to keeping the state red. And some Republican officials do, too. But the GOP may have to confront demographic changes for that to hold true. Full Story
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![Northeast Tarrant Tea Party President Julie McCarty kicks off the political group's first monthly meeting of 2017 in at a community center in North Richland Hills. The organization is a powerhouse in Texas politics.]()
Credit: Brandon Formby -
Here’s what the Texas bathroom bill means in plain English
The so-called bathroom bill has drawn national attention to the Texas Legislature. But what would the proposed bill actually do? We've annotated the text to explain in plain English how the bill would impact communities across Texas. Full Story
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![An all-gender restroom at The University of Texas at Austin.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang / The Texas Tribune -
Six years later, fight over anti-sanctuary cities bill has changed
Bills targeting "sanctuary cities" failed to pass the Texas Legislature in 2011 and 2015, but similar efforts this session have better chances of making it to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. Full Story
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![Protesters hold signs reading "No Arizona Hate in Texas" — a reference to a recently passed law in that state — during a 2011 demonstration against "sanctuary city" legislation in Austin.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
DeRay McKesson on race and policy in the age of Trump (video)
Full video of Evan Smith's 1/13 conversation with civil rights activist and educator DeRay Mckesson at our symposium on race and public policy. Full Story
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