Texas Tribune Brief

The ruling Friday night exposes abortion providers to fines and lawsuits even before the state's trigger law goes into effect.

The Trump administration created the Migrant Protection Protocols, also called the “remain in Mexico,” program in 2019 before the Biden administration canceled it in 2021. The ruling sends the case back to a Texas federal court.

Texas will increase checkpoints for trucks crossing from Mexico

McCraw testified before a Texas Senate committee, laying blame on local police officers in Uvalde for not acting faster to save children in school shooting.

The senators said they would support proposals like raising the age to legally own an assault weapon from 18 to 21, creating red flag laws and regulating private gun sales.

A new Quinnipiac University poll shows that Gov. Greg Abbott's 15-point lead has shrunk to 5 points over Beto O'Rourke as more Texas voters now say gun policies are a top priority.

The nine pages of blue ink on white lined paper, first published by the Houston television station KTRK, show how the governor prepared his remarks for a news conference May 25, the day after the shooting — presumably based on information being given to him.

House Speaker Dade Phelan is also asking for more money for mental health and school safety programs.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, was one of the lead negotiators for the proposal, which would expand background checks for people under 21 and encourage states to enact “red flag” laws. Biden and House Democrats had wanted to go further.

Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo and his attorney granted an exclusive interview to The Texas Tribune to detail his version of what happened inside Robb Elementary School on May 24, when a shooter killed 21 people.

Authorities have been criticized for waiting over an hour to enter the school and confront the shooter. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said law enforcement agencies have promised to cooperate with the federal inquiry.

The Texas actor spoke at a press briefing Tuesday after meeting with President Joe Biden about responding to mass shootings. A Uvalde gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school last month.

Since Texas launched the school marshal program in 2013, just 84 school districts out of more than 1,200 have armed school staff. Educators say the program's lack of popularity shows that teachers don't want to be the ones to defend schools from mass shootings.

More than 250 self-declared gun enthusiasts, including donors who have contributed to Gov. Greg Abbott's campaigns, have signed on to an open letter supporting Sen. John Cornyn's efforts at bipartisan gun reform legislation.

Hurricane season is here. City Cast Houston host Lisa Gray dives into how gulf coast residents can prepare with Hurricanes 101.

State Rep. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, said the commanding officer at the scene of the shooting was not informed about the calls that Uvalde police were receiving, calling the lack of coordination a “system failure.”

The district's superintendent said students will be moved to other campuses but did not confirm reports that the Robb Elementary School building may be razed.

She wanted to be an art teacher. Her favorite color was purple. She was laid to rest three weeks after her birthday.

Residents of Uvalde, a deeply religious community, prayed, cried and embraced each other on the first Sunday since a gunman killed 21 people at an elementary school.

Officials clarified the timeline of the shooting Thursday after giving varying accounts. They refused to answer many questions about the tactics.

Top Texas Republicans also resist gun control and push for more armed teachers and police at schools in wake of Uvalde shooting

The governor said the shooter is also dead and is believed to have been killed by responding officers.

In 50 races in the March 1 primary, no candidate exceeded 50% of the vote, bringing about runoff races between the candidates who came in first and second.

The administration was set to end Title 42, a pandemic-era rule aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, on Monday. A lengthy legal battle is likely.

Cornyn is the most prominent Texas Republican to criticize the attorney general's rocky record ahead of his runoff election against George P. Bush.

A group of lawyers says Cruz played an outsized role in the efforts to void the 2020 election results and accuses him of repeatedly making false claims about voter fraud.

Texas Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake and ERCOT President Brad Jones said the power grid is prepared for record-breaking summer electricity demand.

The federal emergency declaration is expected to last through at least mid-October and has kept states from dropping people from Medicaid rolls.

The early voting period runs through Friday. Mail-in ballots must be returned by May 24.

The court did not evaluate the law on its constitutionality but will allow it to go back into effect while a legal case plays out. Texas lawmakers passed the law, saying social media platforms have an anti-conservative bias.

In February, Cruz and Cornyn voted against a similar bill that was inspired after Texas passed its abortion restriction law.

More than a quarter of women of childbearing age are uninsured in Texas, the highest rate in the nation, and the state has chosen to cap Medicaid benefits for new moms earlier than other states.

The state's high property taxes have taken center stage as Texas' real estate market explodes and drives up home values.

In Tarrant County, conservative PACs animated about the teaching of race and sexuality are flooding school board races with hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Only 15% of respondents to a recent University of Texas at Austin poll said access to the procedure should be completely outlawed.

Politico said it obtained a draft Supreme Court majority opinion indicating the landmark abortion ruling will be overturned. Abortion is still legal in Texas up to six weeks of pregnancy.

Abbott said the money would be taken from the budgets of other Texas agencies, including nearly $210 million from the state's Health and Human Services Commission over two years and about $160 million from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The decision to crowdfund the free bus trips for migrants is a new development since his initial announcement on April 6 that the rides would be paid for by Texas taxpayers.

Spc. Bishop Evans died after jumping into the Rio Grande to save migrants. He and other members of Operation Lone Star were not provided safety equipment. Texas Military Department said an order for buoys and ropes was made but has not been fulfilled.

The propositions on the May 7 ballot would lower property taxes by shifting more of the cost of public school funding to the state. But the measures' language can be hard to understand.

Acknowledging substantive questions about Lucio's guilt and the fairness of her conviction, the appeals court blocked her Wednesday execution so the case can be further investigated.

Rescue efforts have included search parties in boats and helicopters, as well as dive teams. The Guard member has not been found.

The governor ordered troopers to thoroughly inspect every commercial truck coming from Mexico in what he described as an effort to stop illegal drugs and migrants from being smuggled into Texas. His order for increased state inspections led to trade delays between the two countries.

Senior Kelly Neidert has repeatedly thrust the University of North Texas into the conservative media spotlight, most recently by bringing Texas House candidate Jeff Younger to campus. Her motive? It depends on who you ask.

About 30 people from Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua traveled to the U.S. capital as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's new plan in response to the end of Title 42.

Abbott's new policy has resulted in hourslong delays and protest blockades at border crossings. The state's agriculture commissioner criticized the measure as an “economy killing action.”

Importers said buyers have already canceled orders and the blockade could impact the flow of produce to restaurants and grocery stores around the country.

Texas law exempts a pregnant person from being charged with murder or any lesser homicide charge for an abortion.

It's unclear whether landlords face any penalties by state agencies for improperly evicting tenants while receiving rent relief dollars intended to help those tenants stay housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abbott said he's responding to the Biden administration announcement that it will lift a pandemic-era emergency health order that allowed immigration authorities to turn away migrants at the border, even those seeking asylum.

Texas Military Department leaders say they've addressed many of the issues that arose late last year when the mission ramped up to 10,000 service members — but more money is needed to run the mission at its current pace.