Politics & Policy
April 13, 2020
A User’s Guide to How Texas’s Top Elected Officials Are Handling the Coronavirus
In the best of times, our politicians can be a frustrating bunch. How are they doing in an unprecedented crisis?
Greg Abbott
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151-200 of 409 Articles
Politics & Policy
April 13, 2020
The State’s Ban Isn’t Stopping Texans From Getting Abortions
Governor Greg Abbott's order, closing abortion clinics through April 21, has sent many out of state to seek the procedure—in the middle of the pandemic.
Politics & Policy
April 9, 2020
Bull Session: Ted Cruz Says the Press Is “Giddy With Glee” Over Pandemic
Plus, Texas pols take pains to prove they’re still working, Rick Perry finds a new calling, and more.
Health
April 8, 2020
COVID-19 May Be Silently Spreading Across Rural Counties, University of Texas Researchers Believe
A new study suggests that, even in communities with few confirmed cases, the coronavirus could be spreading much more quickly than people realize.
Politics & Policy
April 3, 2020
Greg Abbott Promised to Get Masks for Texas. Many Doctors Say They Are Still Facing Shortages.
Family care physicians say they still don’t have enough personal protective equipment. So they’re seeking other solutions.
Politics & Policy
April 2, 2020
Bull Session: We Could All Use a Distraction
Texas politicians, from Ted Cruz to Briscoe Cain, are riding out the coronavirus with movies and TV, like the rest of us.
News
March 27, 2020
Why Is Texas So Far Behind Other States in Responding to the Coronavirus?
While other governors have taken an aggressive approach to curbing COVID-19, Greg Abbott has favored smaller measures.
Politics & Policy
March 25, 2020
Clay Jenkins Is Leading the COVID-19 Response While Governor Abbott Stalls
The Dallas County judge drew national acclaim for his Ebola response. The coronavirus is proving to be a bigger challenge.
Politics & Policy
March 20, 2020
How Will Texas Conduct Elections in the Wake of the Coronavirus?
Governor Greg Abbott is letting counties decide whether to postpone certain May elections. For the general, expanded vote by mail may be necessary.
Health
March 14, 2020
Getting Tested for COVID-19 in Texas Is Still Ridiculously Hard
Governor Abbott and President Trump promised that testing will soon increase dramatically, but many Texans are frustrated with delays.
Politics & Policy
March 11, 2020
Let’s Count the Ways Texas’s Dismal Health-Care Landscape Could Make the Coronavirus Worse
A high uninsured rate, hospital closures, and poor elder care leave Texas especially vulnerable to a COVID-19 epidemic.
Politics & Policy
January 27, 2020
So Far From Heaven, So Close to Texas: Duncan Wood on Trump, Mexico, and Texas
One of America’s premier Mexico experts discusses how Mexico’s populist president is changing relations between Texas and our neighbor to the south.
Politics & Policy
January 23, 2020
Bull Session: Greg Abbott’s Historic Summit With Wesley Snipes
Plus, Ted Cruz takes on Stephen King (again), Eliz Markowitz does her best Willie, America Ferrera leaves Vicente Gonzalez hanging, and more!
Border & Immigration
January 13, 2020
Greg Abbott’s Rejection of Refugees is Baffling—and Boneheaded
The governor’s decision makes no sense from a practical perspective, and ultimately, it can’t be explained as a policy choice at all.
Politics & Policy
January 7, 2020
The White Settlement Shooting and When It’s Okay to Politicize a Tragedy
Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick were quick to find a self-serving narrative in the shooting at a church last week.
Politics & Policy
December 26, 2019
The Last Decade’s Ten Worst Years in Texas Politics
We stumble down memory lane, gawking at the madness and the mayhem of 2010–2019—and looking for an off-ramp.
Politics & Policy
December 18, 2019
The 2020 Bum Steer Awards
Beto O'Rourke, Dennis Bonnen, and the Houston Astros make our annual dishonor roll, along with assorted lesser-known idiots and evildoers.
Politics & Policy
December 18, 2019
Red Scare: Can Donald Trump Rescue the Texas GOP? Or Is He Part of the Problem?
Like so much in American conservative politics these days, everything begins and ends with Trump.
Politics & Policy
December 4, 2019
Rick Miller’s Racist Remarks About “Asians” Were Not Part of the GOP Plan for Fort Bend County
Now that the Texas GOP is trying to present a more diverse face this year, it can't afford to alienate voters in places like Fort Bend County.
Music
November 18, 2019
Kanye West, Joel Osteen, Kim Kardashian, and Dan Patrick All Hung Out in Houston This Weekend
Their beautiful dark twisted fantasy.
The National Podcast of Texas
November 11, 2019
Austin Mayor Steve Adler on the City’s Polarizing Debate Over Homelessness
On this week’s National Podcast of Texas, the mayor weighs in on sparring with Governor Abbott. Plus, his takes on mayors Bloomberg and Buttigieg.
Politics & Policy
October 29, 2019
What Happens When the Texas Governor Shares the Worst Day of Your Life on Twitter?
As part of his campaign against Austin’s homelessness rules, Greg Abbott tweeted an old video of a non-homeless man having a mental health episode. His attorney says the governor is “retraumatizing” the man and his family.
Politics & Policy
October 4, 2019
In the Name of Leslie Cochran, Will the Governor Please Leave Austin Alone?
Austin-bashing is as old as the hills, but things have gotten a little out of hand.
Politics & Policy
September 13, 2019
The Six Texas Politicians Addicted to Twitter—For Better or Worse
A decidedly unscientific appraisal of why the hell they bother.
Politics & Policy
September 9, 2019
The Texas Death Penalty Machine Has Become Increasingly Grotesque
There’s something dishonest in the state’s bureaucratic approach to killing its own citizens.
Politics & Policy
September 4, 2019
The Governor Wants “Expedited Executions” For Mass Shooters. But Who Would That Deter?
Of the four major mass shooting suspects in Texas in recent years, the only one it would impact is the man who wants to die as soon as possible.
Politics & Policy
September 3, 2019
Video Games and Godless Hearts: The Texas Gun Debate Is at a Depressing Dead End
What politicians like Matt Schaefer are really saying is that no number of victims is worth the discomfort of a fairly small number of gun owners.
Politics & Policy
August 30, 2019
‘Mistakes Were Made’: It Remains to Be Seen if Greg Abbott’s Passive-Voice Apology Represents a Change of Heart
The governor has apologized (sort of) for an ill-timed fund-raising letter calling on supporters to “defend” Texas from immigrants. But there’s much more he can do.
Politics & Policy
August 12, 2019
Workers Defense Project Founder Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez Is the Latest Democrat to Take on John Cornyn
The community organizer is expected to make a play for millennials and young people of color.
News
July 29, 2019
Texas Might Kill Obamacare, But State Leaders Don’t Seem to Have a Plan for What’s Next
In the event that millions lose their health insurance and protections for preexisting conditions disappear, the state has no real backup plan.
Border & Immigration
July 22, 2019
Should Texas Sue the Federal Government Over Border Costs?
Two Texas Democrats are calling on Republican attorney general Ken Paxton to sue the feds for reimbursement of border security costs. But legal experts think it’s a bad idea.
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2019
2019: The Best and Worst Legislators
They called it the kumbaya session, but we still found plenty of scoundrels and statesmen.
Politics & Policy
June 10, 2019
Texas Parks Are Broke. But There’s Good News: Voters Can Rescue Them.
A constitutional amendment on the ballot in November aims to shore up funding for Texas’s system of state parks and historic sites.
Politics & Policy
June 3, 2019
Congratulations, You’re a Plumber Now
Thanks to the the Texas Legislature, you and your plumber will soon have the same credentials.
Politics & Policy
May 30, 2019
Inside the Legislature’s High-Stakes Deal to Save Texas Public Schools and Cut Property Taxes
Texas's top lawmakers managed to put together an $11.5 billion package, but they did it in a way that all but guarantees a tax hike in 2021.
Politics & Policy
May 23, 2019
There’s a Grand Bargain on Property Taxes and Education Funding. But What Is It, Exactly?
The governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the House announced a deal on property taxes and school finance. It sounds good, but offered awfully little in the way of specifics.
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2019
The Culture Wars Come Roaring Back in the Closing Days of the Texas Legislature
The last few days have brought tearful, angry debate over abortion, religious discrimination, and LGBTQ rights.
Politics & Policy
May 8, 2019
Why the Sales Tax Swap Died a Painful Death
Here died Greg Abbott’s burden-shifting plan, orphaned and alone.
Politics & Policy
May 2, 2019
Without the Votes for His Sales Tax Hike, Dan Patrick is Exploring Other Tax Increases
The Big Three are desperate to save their property tax proposal. Among the ideas to buy down property taxes is an increase in the oil and gas severance tax.
Politics & Policy
April 23, 2019
Attacks on the Dallas DA Signal Trouble for the Criminal Justice Reform Movement
Big-city prosecutors are now driving the conversation around mass incarceration, and some lawmakers and law enforcement officials just can’t abide that.
Politics & Policy
April 16, 2019
The Governor Wants to Replace Property Taxes With ‘Consumption’ Taxes. That’s a Terrible Idea.
Many Texans think their property taxes are too high. But the highly regressive sales tax would put even more of a burden on those who can least afford it.
Politics & Policy
April 10, 2019
Is the Proposed State Sales Tax Hike Smart Fiscal Policy or a Hail Mary Pass?
The governor, lieutenant governor and speaker line up behind a penny increase to the sales tax to provide property tax relief.
Politics & Policy
April 1, 2019
Facing U.S. House Investigation for Voter Roll Review, Secretary of State Encourages Students to Vote
The embattled state official visited the Rio Grande Valley to encourage voter participation.
News & Politics
March 18, 2019
Greg Abbott Orders Texas University Boards to Investigate Admissions Policies After Bribery Scandal
The University of Texas at Austin’s men’s tennis coach was among those accused of accepting bribes in a massive federal probe.
News & Politics
March 11, 2019
Selection of Heather Wilson as Finalist for UT El Paso President Spurs Campus Protests
The protesters' key issue with Wilson was her congressional voting record on LGBT issues.
Politics & Policy
March 4, 2019
Texas Court Again Rules Against Government Transparency
It's the latest in a string of legal rulings that have chipped away at the Lone Star State’s once-heralded open records laws.
Politics & Policy
February 22, 2019
David Whitley’s Secretary of State Confirmation May Now Be Doomed
Multiple reports say all Senate Democrats are unified in opposition to confirming David Whitley—enough to kill the nomination.
Best and Worst Legislators
February 8, 2019
Best and Worst Legislators in Real Time: Senator Kirk Watson
The Austin senator grills the secretary of state to get to the bottom of the controversial elections advisory.
Politics & Policy
February 6, 2019
Texan Wrongfully Flagged For Possible Illegal Voting Joins Lawsuit Against Texas Officials
A U.S. citizen for just 10 months, Julieta Garibay has emerged as the face of plaintiffs who say that tens of thousands of Texans have been falsely accused of voter fraud.
Politics & Policy
February 5, 2019
Governor Greg Abbott Calls for Significant Reforms on Complex Issues Like Property Taxes, School Safety
In a gentler state of the state speech, the governor also said the federal government has not fulfilled its mandate to protect our border.