TEXAS NEWS
Cuban man’s death at El Paso tent camp was result of “spontaneous use of force,” ICE says
Read full article: Cuban man’s death at El Paso tent camp was result of “spontaneous use of force,” ICE saysHis death is the first homicide in ICE custody in recent history, experts said. It comes after the deadliest year in ICE detention in decades.
Texans shouldn’t expect Supreme Court ruling against tariffs to bring prices down soon, economists say
Read full article: Texans shouldn’t expect Supreme Court ruling against tariffs to bring prices down soon, economists sayThe order wiped out many of the Trump administration's tariffs, but Trump promised Friday to find other ways to restore them.
Decline in international students at UNT leads to $45 million budget shortfall, likely cuts
Read full article: Decline in international students at UNT leads to $45 million budget shortfall, likely cutsTravel restrictions and sharper federal attention are dissuading foreign students from attending U.S. colleges, advocates say, hitting the Denton university harder than most.
Dark money fuels attack ads in final stretch of Texas’ U.S. Senate primaries
Read full article: Dark money fuels attack ads in final stretch of Texas’ U.S. Senate primariesThe latest campaign finance reports show big-money interests are heavily invested in the Texas primaries — but unwilling to reveal their identities at a critical juncture of the race.
Texas refineries see opportunity in Venezuelan oil amid Mexico export declines
Read full article: Texas refineries see opportunity in Venezuelan oil amid Mexico export declinesAs President Donald Trump seeks to boost U.S. investment in Venezuela’s oil fields, Mexico is poised to export less heavy crude to Gulf refineries, creating an opening for Venezuelan oil.
Texas Senate candidate says “no strings attached” to $2 million donation from businessman
Read full article: Texas Senate candidate says “no strings attached” to $2 million donation from businessmanRhonda Ward, a first-time candidate for elected office who previously served on the state GOP’s policy committee, is challenging Trent Ashby for the East Texas seat.
Rep. Tony Gonzales accuses dead staffer’s husband of trying to blackmail him amid affair scandal
Read full article: Rep. Tony Gonzales accuses dead staffer’s husband of trying to blackmail him amid affair scandalThe Republican congressman shared on social media an email requesting a settlement of up to $300,000 in exchange for a nondisclosure agreement.
Texas House candidates in South Texas face allegations of lying about their party affiliation
Read full article: Texas House candidates in South Texas face allegations of lying about their party affiliationRepublicans hope to flip the Rio Grande Valley state House seat, long held by Democrats.
University of Texas regents approve limits on teaching “unnecessarily controversial subjects”
Read full article: University of Texas regents approve limits on teaching “unnecessarily controversial subjects”Opponents warned the policy’s vagueness could push professors to self-censor and leave students less prepared for the workplace.
Judge declares 4 men wrongly accused of 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders innocent
Read full article: Judge declares 4 men wrongly accused of 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders innocentA Texas judge has declared four men who were wrongfully accused of the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders innocent.
Some Abbott-backed candidates face political headwinds in Republican primaries
Read full article: Some Abbott-backed candidates face political headwinds in Republican primariesThe governor is supporting two U.S. House candidates whose opponents were recently endorsed by President Donald Trump, while his picks for comptroller and agriculture commissioner are trailing in the polls.
Texas sues Dow, claiming “habitual” pollution violations at Gulf Coast chemical plant
Read full article: Texas sues Dow, claiming “habitual” pollution violations at Gulf Coast chemical plantLocal citizens who are preparing their own lawsuit against the chemical giant say Attorney General Ken Paxton’s suit could shield Dow from bigger penalties.
Rep. Tony Gonzales attacks primary opponent amid reporting of his affair with aide who died by suicide
Read full article: Rep. Tony Gonzales attacks primary opponent amid reporting of his affair with aide who died by suicideThe San Antonio Express-News reported on a text message from a staffer admitting to having an affair with Gonzales. The staffer died last year after setting herself on fire in Uvalde.
Texas Tech medical school cancels talk on health, ethical considerations in late-pregnancy abortions
Read full article: Texas Tech medical school cancels talk on health, ethical considerations in late-pregnancy abortionsUniversity leaders declined to give a reason. Abortion opponents said the discussion would have promoted illegal activity, something advocates deny.
Dan Crenshaw vs. Steve Toth primary is a fight over who’s the real RINO
Read full article: Dan Crenshaw vs. Steve Toth primary is a fight over who’s the real RINOCrenshaw, fighting to remain in his Houston-area congressional seat, has drawn criticism from right-wing media and a challenge from Toth, among the most conservative members of the Texas House.
How to spot AI-generated images and online content during the 2026 primary elections
Read full article: How to spot AI-generated images and online content during the 2026 primary electionsIdentifying falsified or digitally enhanced videos, photos and ads takes attention and awareness, but helpful tools are out there.
GOP attorney general candidates tout conservative bona fides at only debate in primary to succeed Ken Paxton
Read full article: GOP attorney general candidates tout conservative bona fides at only debate in primary to succeed Ken PaxtonAll four candidates are vying to prove they are the heir apparent to Paxton, who has solidified the office as a juggernaut in the conservative legal movement.
TribCast: The El Paso airspace fiasco
Read full article: TribCast: The El Paso airspace fiascoIn this week's episode, our host talks with Robert Moore, CEO of El Paso Matters, about the federal government briefly pausing air travel into El Paso. What does it say about the federal government, border security and the lives of El Pasoans?
Rick Perry says his political group will spend “whatever we need” to support John Cornyn in Senate primary
Read full article: Rick Perry says his political group will spend “whatever we need” to support John Cornyn in Senate primaryThe former Texas governor chairs the Lone Star Freedom Project, a group that has already spent almost $18 million boosting Cornyn against Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
Texas Democrats launch $30 million coordinated campaign to target key races, flip state in 2026
Read full article: Texas Democrats launch $30 million coordinated campaign to target key races, flip state in 2026The effort is a partnership between the state party, two of its largest political organizations and the House Democrats’ campaign arm.
Chip Roy is known for calling out GOP leaders. He says that’s what Texas needs in an attorney general.
Read full article: Chip Roy is known for calling out GOP leaders. He says that’s what Texas needs in an attorney general.U.S. Rep. Chip Roy has broken with his party, and called out President Donald Trump and Attorney General Ken Paxton. He says his loyalty is to Texas and to the Constitution.
Momentum is building to meet electricity demand in Texas with small nuclear reactors
Read full article: Momentum is building to meet electricity demand in Texas with small nuclear reactorsThe first small modular nuclear reactor could be powering an industrial plant in Texas early in the next decade. And the state is pushing to become the leading site for testing and building the technology.
Attorney General Paxton launches investigations into three Texas school districts over students protesting ICE
Read full article: Attorney General Paxton launches investigations into three Texas school districts over students protesting ICEPaxton said his office is examining claims that administrators and faculty helped organize the demonstrations.
Aaron Reitz, Paxton’s endorsed successor, vows to “destroy the left” if elected Texas attorney general
Read full article: Aaron Reitz, Paxton’s endorsed successor, vows to “destroy the left” if elected Texas attorney generalReitz believes the nation is at war with liberals, and the best bulwark against them is a fully empowered Texas attorney general’s office — with him at the helm.
Texas 15th Court of Appeals primaries: Who is running and what to know
Read full article: Texas 15th Court of Appeals primaries: Who is running and what to knowVoters statewide elect three justices to the new 15th Court of Appeals, created in 2023. Gov. Greg Abbott’s GOP appointees face their first election for six-year terms.
Feds launch fair housing probe into North Texas development marketed to Muslims
Read full article: Feds launch fair housing probe into North Texas development marketed to MuslimsHUD is investigating whether the project that had been called the East Plano Islamic Center City discriminated based on race or national origin.
Comptroller candidate Don Huffines’ family owns former Epstein ranch in New Mexico
Read full article: Comptroller candidate Don Huffines’ family owns former Epstein ranch in New MexicoHuffines' campaign said the candidate’s family bought the ranch at a public auction four years after Jeffrey Epstein died.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accuses Dallas of spending too little on police
Read full article: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accuses Dallas of spending too little on policeIn a new lawsuit, Paxton accused city officials of under-calculating how much money should go to law enforcement under a voter-backed provision.
In Senate Democratic primary fraught with racial tensions, Black voters could be decisive
Read full article: In Senate Democratic primary fraught with racial tensions, Black voters could be decisiveJasmine Crockett has built enormous enthusiasm among Black voters based in part on her reputation as a fighter, while her opponent in the Texas primary, James Talarico, has struggled to win their support.
Texans are demanding their local governments push pause on data centers. Can they?
Read full article: Texans are demanding their local governments push pause on data centers. Can they?Texans from Waco to Harlingen are raising concerns over how much energy and water data centers are poised to use. Local officials, some enticed by a tax boon, say they have little power to stop the rush.
In Texas attorney general race, Mayes Middleton runs on conservative, not courtroom, record
Read full article: In Texas attorney general race, Mayes Middleton runs on conservative, not courtroom, recordMiddleton has the money and the endorsements. But his primary opponents say he lacks key legal experience to be Texas’ top lawyer.
A federal tool to check voter citizenship keeps making mistakes. It led to confusion in Texas.
Read full article: A federal tool to check voter citizenship keeps making mistakes. It led to confusion in Texas.DHS rolled out the revamped tool while it was still adding data. That led to widespread misidentification, particularly for citizens born outside the U.S.
In a contest to regulate Texas’s oil and gas industry, one Republican wants to talk DEI and China
Read full article: In a contest to regulate Texas’s oil and gas industry, one Republican wants to talk DEI and ChinaJim Wright, the GOP incumbent, and several other Republican candidates dismissed Bo French’s campaign rhetoric as distracting from the Railroad Commission’s mission.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals primaries: Who is running and what to know
Read full article: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals primaries: Who is running and what to knowThe criminal court decides death penalty case appeals and rules on petitions for those who believe they’ve been wrongfully detained. Here’s a look at who’s running for the court’s three seats on the 2026 ballot.
Trump lawyer sends cease-and-desist letter to Brandon Herrera over use of president’s image in campaign ad
Read full article: Trump lawyer sends cease-and-desist letter to Brandon Herrera over use of president’s image in campaign adThe letter says Herrera’s mailer depicting him next to the president “is inconsistent with President Trump’s unequivocal endorsement” of Rep. Tony Gonzales in the GOP primary for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.
Former Elon Musk lawyer emerges as frontrunner in GOP primary for Michael McCaul’s congressional seat
Read full article: Former Elon Musk lawyer emerges as frontrunner in GOP primary for Michael McCaul’s congressional seatTen Republicans, including Trump-endorsed attorney Chris Gober, are competing for the red-leaning 10th Congressional District in Central Texas.
“Rule follower”: In GOP primary, Joan Huffman promises to bring law and order to the attorney general’s office
Read full article: “Rule follower”: In GOP primary, Joan Huffman promises to bring law and order to the attorney general’s officeHuffman is running on her criminal prosecution experience and allegiance to the rule of law, cutting a contrast with her opponents who are emphasizing a continuation of Paxton’s culture war battles.