The Brief: June 17, 2013
As two Texans eye a 2016 presidential bid, one has already emerged as an early front-runner among the state's Republicans. Full Story
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Railroad Commission Chairman Mulls Future
Barry Smitherman, the chairman of the Railroad Commission and former chairman of the Public Utility Commission, has earned praise as a smart and competent regulator. But he is also ambitious, and speculation is rife that he will make a bid for attorney general. Full Story
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![Chairman Barry Smitherman of the Railroad Commission of Texas in his office, May 31, 2013.]()
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UT/TT Poll: Texans Favor Cruz Over Perry in 2016
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz starts as the Texas favorite in a fantasy 2016 Republican primary for president, well ahead of Gov. Rick Perry and a number of other big-name candidates in the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
The Playlist: No More Mr. Nice Guy
As Gov. Rick Perry puts an end to the so-called Kumbaya Session, we begin our weekly news-inspired playlist with Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy." Full Story
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Perry Issues More Than Two Dozen Vetoes
Gov. Rick Perry issued more than two dozen vetoes Friday, including a line-item veto that wipes out funding for the Travis County prosecutors who investigate government fraud and public corruption. He also vetoed a bill that would have had Texas law mirror gender wage protections in the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. Full Story
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![The Texas Tribune Festival 2012 Opening Session: A Conversation with Gov. Rick Perry and Evan Smith, Sept. 21, 2012.]()
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Senate Backs Interim Maps Over Democrats' Objections
Though Senate Democrats argued that their objections and the testimony from public hearings were being ignored, the Texas Senate approved redistricting maps Friday. Full Story
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TribLive: Inside Texas Monthly's Best & Worst List
Full video of Thursday's TribLive conversation about Texas Monthly's list of the Best and Worst Legislators, with Paul Burka, Erica Grieder, Sonia Smith and Brian D. Sweany. Full Story
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"Kumbaya Session" Poised to Be a Distant Memory
After a relatively calm regular session, Gov. Rick Perry is flexing his partisan muscles as the special session presses on. Redistricting, abortion-related issues and a threat to cut off state funding for the Public Integrity Unit are ratcheting up tensions. Full Story
![The Texas Tribune Festival 2012 Opening Session: A Conversation with Gov. Rick Perry and Evan Smith, Sept. 21, 2012.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge -
Guest Column: What Redistricting is (and Isn't) About
Republicans in Texas have their near-supermajorities. They could forfeit many of their arguments over redistricting, make the courts and most of the Democrats happy, and still get what they want. Full Story
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Focus on Border Aquifers Urged During Push for More Water From Mexico
A water war between the U.S. and Mexico dominates headlines amid a record drought. But some experts caution that a larger issue is boiling beneath the surface: the mining of unregulated transnational aquifers. Full Story
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Early in Election Cycle, 2014 Ballot is All Red
The 2014 election cycle is shaping up as a busy one, with open seats across the statewide ballot. Republicans are lining up fast for those spots, but so far, the Democratic side of the ballot is empty. Full Story
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Newsreel: Redistricting, Recess and Rejection
This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: Lawmakers said it would take seven to 10 days to deal with redistricting during the special session, and that turned out to be wildly optimistic. Full Story
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Redistricting is Harder Than It Looked at First
Texas lawmakers set out to do a quick fix on the state's political maps. They soon found out there was nothing quick about it. Full Story
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Guest Column: Pulling Young Texans Into Civic Life
Young Texans are less likely to vote than the 30-and-older set, but they do volunteer work and take part in conversations about politics. Full Story
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Guest Column: Shifting Demographics and the Future of Texas Politics
The fastest-growing population in Texas is also one of the least civically engaged populations in the state. Amid the talk about how new Hispanics in Texas will vote, it's worth asking how many of them will vote at all. Full Story
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Guest Column: Civic Engagement and the Future of Texas
Texas is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to civic participation in the U.S., according to the Texas Civic Health Index. Only a few states had lower voter registration, political discussion and contact between public officials and the public. Full Story
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Video: Session of Transparency Fell Short
When it came to passing major ethics reforms that would have increased transparency for elected officials, the 83rd Legislature didn't make much headway. Lawmakers, it seems, didn't have the appetite for increased public disclosure. Full Story
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The Never-Ending Story
Politics is fast. Redistricting is slow. A rare set of openings has candidates wrestling for advantage at the same time that redistricting debates are raising some of the same questions that stalled the 2012 primaries. Full Story
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Combs' Exit Spurs a Political Stampede
The comptroller's announcement that she won't seek re-election prompted a flurry of declarations of interest, which in turn prompted other flurries, and so on. In the minds of Texas politicians, it's already 2014. Full Story
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The Brief: June 3, 2013
A subdued start to the special session has shifted attention back to Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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