Inside Elon Musk’s stellar year at the Texas Capitol
While Elon Musk took Washington, D.C., by storm, his company representatives and lobbyists were also notching up big political wins in Texas.
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Texas changes sexual assault laws to clarify what is consent
After three sessions, Texas lawmakers passed a bill last month that defines consent and fixes what advocates called a loophole in Texas sexual assault laws.
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Texas Legislature 2025
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Congress
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Oil companies want to sell their wastewater. The Texas Supreme Court decided who gets the profits.
The ruling comes as more companies are seeking to turn a profit on what has long been considered a vexing waste stream. Full Story
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![Fracking's water demand requires the construction of ponds like these, which store millions of gallons of fresh water. Aug. 21, 2013.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: A very unusual Supreme Court term
The TribCast gang is finally reunited, just in time to dive into the big cases and unresolved questions from the term. Full Story
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Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune
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Senate passes GOP’s tax and spending bill with Cornyn, Cruz priorities included
The package includes $13.5 billion to reimburse states for border spending. It is expected to meet resistance in the House from some Texas Republicans. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol in Washington in January 2022.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
A Texas boy needed protection from measles. The vaccine cost $1,400.
Because their insurance did not cover the cost of vaccinations, the family qualified for a variety of options to help lower the cost, but they were not offered assistance. Full Story
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![As the West Texas measles outbreak spread, Thang Nguyen of Galveston worried about his 4-year-old son, Anh Hoang, who had received only the first of the measles vaccine’s two doses. Nguyen took his family to a primary care clinic, where his son got his second shot. He was surprised when his insurer did not cover the vaccine — and its $1,400 price tag.]()
Credit: Scott Dalton for KFF Health News
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Judge dismisses Ken Paxton lawsuit challenging State Fair of Texas gun ban
Texas’ attorney general alleged the City of Dallas and the fair were violating state law and the second amendment with the ban, which was adopted after a 2023 shooting. Full Story
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![Crowds attend the State Fair of Texas in Dallas on Oct. 14, 2024.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
GOP state Sen. Brian Birdwell says he won’t seek reelection
Soon after Birdwell announced his retirement, state Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, said he was running for the seat. Full Story
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![Senator Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, during a Texas Senate meeting on March 25, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers have gotten used to state budget surpluses. That era may be ending.
As federal pandemic aid ends and sales tax revenues cool, analysts say it could constrain the Texas Legislature in coming years. But they don’t see an immediate budget crisis on the horizon. Full Story
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![Dense fog blankets the dome of the Capitol in Austin on March 12, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune
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Texas capital murder case attempts to severely punish abortion pill use by treating a fetus as a person
A North Texas man charged with capital murder after slipping mifepristone into his girlfriend’s food signals another attempt to rein in abortion pills. Full Story
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![A pharmacist poses with pills of Misoprostol, made by Lupin Pharmaceuticals, at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on June 19, 2019.]()
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Sen. John Cornyn looks to overcome Paxton primary challenge by embracing Trump
As he faces the toughest electoral challenge of his career, Cornyn has also wielded his powers as a U.S. senator to lean into partisan issues prized by the GOP base. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, prepares to introduce Brooke Rollins, President Donald Trump's nominee to be Agriculture secretary, during her Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen building on Thursday, January 23, 2025.]()
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Texas education board approves Native Studies course, skirting concerns about state’s K-12 DEI ban
The long-awaited vote survived objections from the panel’s most right-leaning Republicans, who criticized the lessons as “un-American woke indoctrination.” Full Story
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![Board of Education members sit during a State BOE meeting in Austin on Nov. 17, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune
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Top Texas Democrats ponder the state’s future at forum amid questions about what’s next for their party
Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke was joined at his San Antonio town hall by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and state Rep. James Talarico, whose names have been floated for statewide office. Full Story
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![Texas Rep. James Talarico answers a question during a town hall at Stable Hall in San Antonio, Texas on June 27, 2025.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott sets Nov. 4 special election for open state Senate seat
The contest coincides with the state’s November uniform election, when voters across Texas will already be at the polls to decide local offices and ballot measures. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick presides over the Senate on July 14, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
“It will affect all families”: Challenges await Texas parents if birthright citizenship ends
The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship to take effect in certain states in 30 days. Full Story
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![Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on border security and immigration, in Austin, Texas, Oct. 25, 2024.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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United Methodist Church can fight to prevent split with SMU, Texas Supreme Court rules
The school sought to leave the church because of differences over gay marriage and clergy. The court did not decide whether SMU could be prevented from separating. Full Story
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![A sign at one of the entrances to the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas on Dec. 20, 2022.]()
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State Rep. Nate Schatzline drops Texas Senate bid, endorses conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss
The North Texas district opened up last week when Republican Kelly Hancock resigned from the upper chamber to take over as the state’s acting comptroller. Full Story
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![State Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth,
addresses the crowd during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth on Jan. 6, 2025.]()
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Texas can require porn websites to verify users’ ages, Supreme Court rules
The case involves a 2023 state law requiring adult websites to verify users’ ages, but the ruling is expected to have broader implications for free speech law. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to the media outside the Supreme Court building in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 following arguments in the case “Free Speech Coalition, Inc., et al. v. Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas.”]()
Credit: Luke Johnson for The Texas Tribune
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Gov. Greg Abbott, AG Ken Paxton do not have to release Uvalde or Jan. 6 emails, Texas Supreme Court rules
The decision, stemming from a 2022 lawsuit, narrows the public’s legal options to challenge Texas officials under the state’s open records law. Full Story
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![Family members and friends participate in a march in support of those killed and injured in the school shooting at Robb Elementary, in Uvalde on July 10, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Fate of birthright citizenship order unresolved after Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions
The ruling was a partial victory for President Donald Trump who has made immigration his signature issue. Full Story
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![The Supreme Court building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2025.]()
Credit: Luke Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
Ted Cruz wants to stop states from regulating AI. Some of his Republican colleagues aren’t so sure
Senate Republicans, Democrats and outside groups are mounting an offensive against Cruz’s push to withhold AI money from states that regulate the technology. Full Story
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![Senator Ted Cruz arrives at the Trump Rally at Million Air in Austin, Texas on Oct. 25, 2024.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribu - More News