Texas’ strict abortion bans made it “ground zero” for Democrats hoping to rile up their base, but voters prioritized economic issues.

The poll also showed House Speaker Dade Phelan with low approval rating among Texans after a heated primary battle.

This week’s new streaming entertainment releases include a new album from Willie Nelson, Benedict Cumberbatch playing a curmudgeon puppeteer in “Eric” on Netflix and home improvement gurus Chip and Joanna Gaines fix up a mid-century modern lake house on HGTV.

Efforts to repair rifts, particularly among Republican leaders, begin as another contentious special session looms on Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for “school choice.”

Emilio Delgado, the actor and singer who for 45 years played fix-it shop owner Luis on “Sesame Street,” has died.

It was a quilling experience for all.

This week’s new entertainment releases include a new album of rootsy rock from John Mellencamp, the return of puppet friends from “Fraggle Rock” and a virtual Sundance Film Festival where all the selections can be streamed.

Most voters approve of using state money to add border barriers between Texas and Mexico. But 57% disapprove of a new abortion law’s provision allowing lawsuits against people who help someone get the procedure.

A new book on the Carpenters takes a look back at nearly every rainy day and Monday of the legendary pop duo's career.

The law that went into effect Sept. 1 allows anyone 21 years or older to carry a handgun in public without need for a permit or training.

London has honored American Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, with a blue plaque outside his former home in the British capital.

New York police officers move in on the scene of a shooting at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in New York. A man was shot by police after shots rang out at the end of a Christmas choral concert on the steps of the Manhattan cathedral Sunday afternoon. The shooting happened just before 4 p.m. at the church which is the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and seat of its bishop. The note was first reported by NBC New York. In the note, the law enforcement official said, Vasquez wrote he did not expect to make it home.

MILAN – It’s been a season of disruption at Milan Fashion Week. Here are highlights from Sunday, the last day of Milan Fashion Week of mostly womenswear previews for Spring-Summer 2021:VALENTINO’S PICCOLI MAKES MILAN FASHION PREMIEREThe silver lining of the virus-induced travel difficulties that kept many people from traveling to Milan Fashion Week from abroad: They also kept Rome-based Valentino from making the trans-alpine trip to the fashion house’s usual show venue in Paris. For his first-ever Milan show, creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli chose a disused foundry as the backdrop for the lush, romantic collection in the fashion language of lattice and lace; floral detailing and bold prints; ruffles and fringe. All of the key elements, florals, lace, lattice, also were reinterpreted also for men: a floral hoodie, a lace short and top set, a ruffle-front shirt over shorts. In Milan, “the signs and codes of Valentino today are being re-signified,” the house said in press notes.

A statue of Kermit The Frog stands at the entrance to The Jim Henson Company, Tuesday, July 7, 2020, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. The U.S. government's small business lending program sent pandemic relief money into unexpected corners of the entertainment industry. The Muppet makers say they received about $2 million to keep their 75 workers employed through the coronavirus shutdown. While legendary names like Francis Ford Coppola and Jim Henson hardly evoke the image of small business, the leaders of modestly sized companies that bear their names say the funds have been essential to keeping ordinary workers afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. The Jim Henson Co. employs about 75 people, company spokeswoman Nicole Goldman said in a statement.