Senate probe finds poor medical care at CBP facilities
The Senate Judiciary Committee launched its investigation following the 2023 death of an 8-year-old girl at a facility in Harlingen. Full Story
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![Unaccompanied minor asylum seekers are apprehended by Customs and Border Protection after crossing the border in Roma on Aug. 3, 2021.]()
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Brooke Rollins says she'll shield farmers from impacts of Trump's tariffs in ag secretary nomination hearing
Rollins previously led the Texas Public Policy Foundation and served under Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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![Brooke Rollins, President and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, speaks at a rally for then- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Oct. 27, 2024. Rollins is President Trump's choice to run the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.]()
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Former Texas congressman John Ratcliffe confirmed as CIA director
Ratcliffe is a native of Heath, Texas, where he served as mayor from 2004 to 2012. Full Story
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![John Ratcliffe, Pres. Donald Trump's selection for director of the Central Intelligence Agency, testifies before a Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 15, 2025.]()
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Bill to detain undocumented immigrants accused of even minor crimes passes with some Texas Democratic help
The bill, named for Laken Riley, a Georgia student killed by an immigrant, adds legislative muscle to President Trump’s immigration enforcement push. Full Story
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![U.S. Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers stand near an aircraft on which Venezuelan migrants will be repatriated as part of an immigration enforcement process, at the Valley International Airport, in Harlingen, on Oct. 18, 2023.]()
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Trump praises Abbott at inauguration, promises to militarize border and build wall
Texas has already militarized the border under Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. Full Story
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![U.S. President Donald Trump gives his inaugural address during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.]()
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Trump promised mass deportations. Here’s one way they could quietly happen.
The new administration could use the existing system of federal agents, local police and jails to funnel more people into the deportation pipeline. Full Story
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![Migrants from Central America that were apprehended crossing the Rio Grande in Brownsville were flown to El Paso for processing and then deported to Mexico across the Paso del Norte International Bridge on March 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune -
Former Texas congressman vows to keep politics out of CIA as director
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Republican U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA. Full Story
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![John Ratcliffe, selected by President-Elect Donald Trump to be director of the CIA Director, meets with U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (not pictured) in Washington on Dec. 11, 2024.]()
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Texans only Democrats in Congress to vote for bill restricting trans athletes
Republicans accused Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of supporting gender transitions for children throughout the 2024 election cycle, which he said took a political toll. Full Story
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![Demonstrators protest SB14, a bill to eradicate gender transition healthcare for trans kids in Texas, while the bill is heard in the House at the state Capitol on May 2, 2023.]()
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Will Republican control of Congress lead to updated ag laws? Texas farmers hope so.
The historical bipartisan legislation includes a bevy of policies from crop insurance to food stamps. Full Story
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![Cotton fields near the High Plains town of Ralls, about 30 miles east of Lubbock, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Like much of Texas, the High Plains and Panhandle are facing drought conditions and extraordinary heat.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Ted Cruz defends Trump’s pitch to acquire Greenland
Sen. Ted Cruz, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stressed Greenland’s strategic location in the Arctic and its natural wealth of critical minerals. Full Story
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![Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) berates U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe, during a hearing about the attempted assassination of ex-President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, convened by the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, Washington, DC, July 30, 2024. One person was killed and two critically injured, but the former President sustained only a minor flesh wound. (Photo by Allison Bailey/NurPhoto)NO USE FRANCE]()
Credit: Allison Bailey via Reuters Conne -
U.S. Senate clears hurdle on bill to deport undocumented immigrants charged with minor crimes
The proposal requires immigration authorities to hold and deport immigrants charged with crimes like burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol looms in the background as a woman walks among flags at the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. on May 27, 2020.]()
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Keith Self changes vote, allowing Mike Johnson to stay speaker
Rep. Keith Self was initially one of three who voted against House Speaker Mike Johnson’s reelection to lead the lower chamber. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Keith Self, R-McKinney, speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 10, 2024.]()
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Texas congressmen cleared in ethics investigation over campaign finance spending
The ethics committee said existing law and guidance from the Federal Election Commission is “often ambiguous” and provides gray areas of spending. Full Story
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![From left: U.S. Reps. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, and Ronny Jackson, R-Lubbock.]()
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Retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger discloses “health challenges” after congressional absences
The Fort Worth Republican’s last vote in Congress was in July. She did not seek reelection this year. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, sits in the House Chamber during a second round of voting for Speaker of the House, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023.]()
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Farm Bill gets extension as Congress passes spending package and averts shutdown
The legislation includes financial aid and money for recent natural disasters, but farmers still will be relying on outdated provisions from the 2018 bill. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. House members want answers on Texas’ decision to not review maternal deaths after near-total abortion ban
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas led a letter calling for a briefing on why the state won’t review 2022 and 2023 deaths. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, speaks with Errin Haines, editor at large at The 19th*, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 7, 2024.]()
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After learning hard lessons in Austin, Greg Casar to take Congressional Progressive Caucus in new direction
The freshman congressman will lead the influential progressive caucus next year with plans to focus on working class and economic issues instead of culture wars. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, talks about his goals for his new position as the progressive caucus chair at his office in Longworth House Office Building Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Washington, D.C.]()
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Houstonian Mark Swidan to be released from Chinese imprisonment
The Texan has been imprisoned in China for 12 years on charges of drug trafficking. Full Story
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![Mark Swidan.]()
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Meet the new Texans in Congress
Five Texans were newly elected to Congress this year, four of whom are set to serve in January. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol surrounded by cherry blossoms on Monday, March 25, 2024 in Washington, D.C.]()
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"Somebody needs to get fired": Vicente Gonzalez blasts Dem strategy on abortion, trans issues
After Democrats underperformed nationally and in Texas, the McAllen Democrat had some sharp commentary for his party and said he won't be taking their advice. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, in his office the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. Gonzalez defeated former Republican Representative Mayra Flores to secure the seat for Texas' 34th District in the U.S. House.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune