Former Defense leaders decry ‘extremely adverse’ political climate

They specifically cited political polarization caused by the disruption of the peaceful transition of power after…

Photos from Uvalde: How a grief-stricken community prepared to send its children back to school

Today, students in Uvalde return to classrooms for the first day of school, just 15 weeks…

Israeli army says soldier likely killed Al Jazeera reporter

Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in May while covering Israeli military raids in the occupied West…

Comptroller Glenn Hegar is reminding voters he’s a Republican ahead of his November election

Hegar, who is running for his third term as Texas comptroller of public accounts, has made…

Not so fast: Greg Abbott, Texas Republicans face a complex election landscape after abortion ruling, Uvalde shooting

Both Gov. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke hope to define the election on issues viewed as…

Biden seeks to separate ‘mainstream’ Republicans from ‘Trumpies’ in Wisconsin speech

"The extreme MAGA Republicans have chosen to go backwards. ...Together we can and must choose a…

High-poverty schools struggle to earn Texas’ highest rating. Some in the Rio Grande Valley break that trend.

The Texas Education Agency has dismissed the notion that the accountability ratings are a poverty rating.…

Video: As San Antonio abortion clinic closes, its director worries about who is left behind

In August, movers arrived at Alamo Women's Reproductive Services to help the abortion clinic pack up…

Greg Abbott to launch television ad targeting Beto O’Rourke over police funding

The ad is based on O'Rourke's 2020 comments that he appreciates protesters bringing up defunding certain…

Pope who served 33 days before stunning death is beatified

"With a smile, Pope John Paul managed to communicate the goodness of the Lord," Pope Francis…

Authorities report nine drowning victims after deadly Rio Grande crossing

On Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that nine migrants had died while trying to…

Eight migrants dead after dozens swept downriver along Rio Grande

Federal officials said the drownings occurred Thursday morning after a large group attempted to cross the…

TribCast: Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke enter the homestretch

In this week's episode, Matthew speaks with James and Patrick about the race for governor and…

EPA reverses course, rejects permit for massive oil exporting project offshore from Corpus Christi

During the Trump administration, the Environmental Protection Agency exempted a proposed oil export terminal off the…

Veterans Affairs says it will provide abortions — even in Texas

The VA follows the Department of Defense in providing access to abortion as several states, including…

Conservative backlash pushes Texas social studies curriculum review to 2025

The board was initially supposed to update the social studies curriculum by the end of this…

Why Sarah Palin’s loss is a warning for the GOP

A chunk of Alaska's Republican voters, who strongly favored Trump in 2020, preferred a Democrat over…

September 2022

Political cartoons from the desk of Matt Wuerker.

Beto O’Rourke to lay down initial $10 million on fall TV ads

The expenditure, which the Democrat's campaign announced Friday, comes as GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has dominated…

Texas’ oil and gas industry will produce “massive amount” of toxic wastewater with few reuse options, study finds

Oil and gas companies produce 3.8 billion barrels of wastewater per year in the arid Permian…

Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing program is what asylum advocates wanted all along

Texas' migrant buses were meant to send a message about immigration and antagonize Democrats. But the…

Beto O’Rourke confronts a formidable GOP firewall as he woos rural Texans

Despite its dwindling population, rural Texas has consistently helped protect GOP dominance in statewide races, even…

The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics

Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills…

McCarthy says Biden should ‘apologize’ at ‘Soul of the Nation’ speech

McCarthy says Biden should 'apologize' at 'Soul of the Nation' speech lead image

Texan Kellye SoRelle, lawyer for Oath Keepers, is charged in Jan. 6 insurrection

Federal prosecutors in part allege the Granbury attorney destroyed and hid potential evidence to obstruct the…

Gov. Greg Abbott, Beto O’Rourke agree to debate Sept. 30 in Edinburg

O'Rourke wants more debates, but Abbott has indicated this is the only one he is willing…

Pete Buttigieg has a bridge to sell you. Just don’t ask if it’s linked to a campaign.

Democrats' success in November -- and his own political ambitions -- could be boosted by the…

With a court ruling looming, young Texas immigrants prepare for the possible end of DACA

Texas has the second-largest population of immigrants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in…

Texas’ housing market shows signs of cooling down after the pandemic drove it to new heights

Texas had more houses on the market in July than any time since late 2020 as…

Texas’ heat index could reach 125 degrees over the next 30 years, study finds

"If it's gonna rise by that much, I don't think we're prepared," one South Texas mayor…

T-Squared: Liz Cheney will close #TribFest22

The Wyoming congresswoman and vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee is the grand finale of…

Dr. Oz and David McCormick will finally reunite

The former foes are set to appear at a foreign policy event next week, hosted by…

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office calls Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing strategy “racist”

Abbott late Wednesday announced Chicago would be a new destination for migrants bused from Texas in…

Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing program costs Texas $12 million

Abbott's office said Chicago will now also become a regular drop-off location in addition to New…

A conservative school district and Texas lawmaker try to outmaneuver efforts to subvert “In God We Trust” law

After protesters solicited donations to distribute posters to schools across the state in Arabic, state Sen.…

Abbott says raising the age to buy an assault-style rifle is “unconstitutional” based on recent court rulings

The gunman in Uvalde bought two AR-15-style rifles days after he turned 18, the legal purchasing…

Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union’s final leader, dies

He oversaw the end to the Soviet empire, a divided Europe and the Cold War.

‘Inherently unfair’: GOP attacks student debt relief as Dems celebrate

'Inherently unfair': GOP attacks student debt relief as Dems celebrate lead image

Austin voters banned homeless people from camping in public spaces. The city is creating housing for them but not fast enough.

Police have had to eject hundreds of people from encampments. They still struggle to tell many…

Texas’ cotton industry is facing its worst harvest in years — costing the state more than $2 billion

Cotton is Texas' largest crop, and industry experts say they expect just half the normal annual…

Texas education board moves to delay updates to social studies curriculum after conservative pushback

Opponents of the recommended changes, including Republican legislators, complained that they downplayed Texan and American exceptionalism…

Texas’ child welfare agency told staffers to keep quiet about gender-affirming care investigations, documents show

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services leaders instructed employees to avoid written communications about the…

Families of the Uvalde shooting victims denounce Gov. Greg Abbott’s inaction on gun reform

The governor has made a vocal enemy in the families of Robb Elementary shooting victims. They…

Texas gas companies face fines up to $1 million for failing to prepare for extreme weather

Critics are skeptical about whether the new rules by the Railroad Commission will prevent another catastrophe…

Harris County resident with monkeypox dies, marking first death in the U.S. linked to the virus

State health officials said the person was "severely immunocompromised" and are still investigating what role the…

Federal trial over new Texas political maps is delayed by evidence disputes

The Republican-drawn maps largely serve to bolster the party's dominance. The maps are being challenged based…

‘There’s enormous frustration’: Trump forces Republicans off-script… again

Having once decried the search of Mar-a-Lago, defenders of the ex-president are now warning of civil…

After a decade of hype, Dallas-Houston bullet train developer faces a leadership exodus as land acquisition slows

Texas Central has made little visible progress financing the high-speed rail project and acquiring property for…

“I would wish this on absolutely no one”: How three women dealt with pregnancy in the year since Texas’ six-week abortion ban

The Texans expressed anger, sorrow, frustration and fear in discussing their experiences after state lawmakers approved…

Uvalde residents question the school district’s new safety plans for first school year since mass shooting

Uvalde trustees are unsure if officers who will provide school security this year were part of…

The Texas Tribune and other newsrooms sue to force Uvalde officials to release shooting records

The Tribune and other news organizations also previously filed suit against the Department of Public Safety…

Biden headed to key midterm states for Labor Day

While Biden's travel plans have been billed as a Labor Day celebration, these stops will also…

Laredo approves air pollution monitoring following ProPublica and Texas Tribune investigation

Two air monitoring initiatives are moving forward in Laredo after an analysis by the news outlets…

T-Squared: Alejandro Serrano joins us as a general assignment reporter

A graduate of Northeastern University, Serrano has reported for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Houston…

Video: Acompa?antes en M?xico ayudan a realizar abortos en casa. Su red de apoyo se expande a Texas.

En algunos estados de M?xico, donde el aborto todav?a no es legal, redes de acompa?antes proveen…

Watch: Volunteer acompa?antes in Mexico aid at-home abortions. Their network is expanding to Texas.

In parts of Mexico where abortion has not been legalized, women rely on volunteer networks to…

Beto O’Rourke pauses campaign events while recovering from bacterial infection

O'Rourke said he is resting at home in El Paso and will be back on the…

Beto O’Rourke postpones events after being hospitalized

The Democratic candidate for Texas governor will be resting at home in El Paso, he said.

Uvalde shooting victims’ families call on Gov. Abbott to take action on gun safety

AUSTIN, Texas – It’s been just over three months since a gunman ravaged inside of Robb…

Ken Paxton’s legal guidance on public access to ballots contradicts advice his office gave out just five days earlier

The Texas attorney general's office sent multiple memos this summer instructing election officials to follow longtime…

TribCast: How Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing is affecting New York

In this week's episode, we discuss how the busing of migrants to New York is affecting…

El Paso joins Gov. Greg Abbott in busing migrants to New York City

The Democrat-led city sent 35 migrants from Venezuela as New York officials have complained that Abbott's…

Texas will plug 800 abandoned oil and gas wells, funded by $25 million federal infrastructure grant

The initial grant will allow Texas to plug a fraction of the state's approximately 7,400 documented…

Fed chair says July low inflation numbers are not enough

Fed chair says July low inflation numbers are not enough lead image

Republican effort to remove Libertarians from November ballot rejected by Texas Supreme Court

On Aug. 8, a group of Republican candidates asked the Supreme Court to remove 23 Libertarian…

The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics

Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills…

As his district gets redder, Uvalde’s Republican congressman faces heat for votes on guns and gay marriage

Gonzales broke with his party to support sweeping gun safety legislation that passed after the city's…

“Thanks, and God bless you”: Asylum-seekers allowed to enter U.S. after “remain in Mexico” ends

Two weeks after a federal judge allowed the Biden administration to end the Trump-era Migrant Protection…

T-Squared: Yuriko Schumacher joins The Texas Tribune’s data visuals team

Yuriko will work as a designer-developer to report and create engaging interactive stories about Texas.

How a little-known group convinced the Texas State Board of Education to reject lesson plans on consent

A Newsy investigation reveals a push by organized groups to stop schools from teaching skills that…

When Senator Leahy laughed with Raul Castro

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the most senior and longest-serving member of the Senate, is retiring at…

“We’re not done”: Uvalde residents say the fight for accountability won’t stop with Pete Arredondo’s firing

Some parents and community members are calling for more school district employees to be fired and…

Former Edinburg mayor acquitted of illegal voting years after high-profile arrest by state’s election fraud unit

Attorney General Ken Paxton accused Richard Molina of participating in "an organized illegal voting scheme," when…

T-Squared: Introducing our fall 2022 student fellows

These 14 students are from diverse backgrounds but share a desire to support the Tribune's mission…

Federal judge says Texas can’t ban 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying handguns

U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who cited the Second Amendment in his decision, stayed the ruling…

Beto O’Rourke intensifies campaign on abortion rights as trigger law goes into effect

Gov. Greg Abbott signed the "trigger law" last year, ensuring that Texas would automatically outlaw abortion…

College-bound Uvalde students grapple with leaving a hometown in mourning

The students worry how the tragedy will define them in their new environments and struggle with…

Texans who perform abortions now face up to life in prison, $100,000 fine

Texas, the largest state to restrict abortions, now has three significant bans on the books, setting…

Uvalde school board fires Chief Pete Arredondo over shooting response, after he calls vote a “public lynching”

Uvalde school officials have faced mounting pressure to fire Arredondo, who received much of the blame…

Paxton legal opinion giving public immediate access to ballots jeopardizes election security and invites lawsuits, experts say

Attorney general's opinion invites lawsuits over long-established ballot security and sets up election officials for possible…

Texas bans local, state government entities from doing business with firms that “boycott” fossil fuels

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar singled out financial firms under a 2021 state law that prohibits most…

Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan could lower debt for more than half of Texas college graduates

People earning $125,000 or less will see $10,000 eliminated from their student loan debt. People in…

T-Squared: We’re sunsetting our COVID-19 data tracker

After nearly two and a half years, we're no longer tracking daily coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, deaths…

Biden administration can’t force Texas hospitals to provide emergency abortions, judge rules

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had said hospitals in states with abortion bans…

T-Squared: Pete Buttigieg will open #TribFest22

The U.S. transportation secretary will formally kick off The Texas Tribune Festival in a conversation about…

In Texas’ most competitive congressional race, neither candidate is running toward the center

Progressive Democrat Michelle Vallejo and conservative Republican Monica De La Cruz face off in a South…

“It’s a living hell”: Scorching heat in Texas prisons revives air-conditioning debate

Texas heat has killed prisoners and cost the state millions in wrongful death and civil rights…

Texas officials accuse Harris County of slashing constables’ budgets — but they’re actually going up

Comptroller Glenn Hegar said the state could block the approval of Harris County's budget because it's…

Abortion-rights groups sue Texas AG, prosecutors to protect ability to help pregnant Texans seek legal abortions in other states

The suit comes two days before the state's newest abortion ban, triggered by the overturning of…

Uvalde school district and a litany of law enforcement agencies could face $27 billion class-action lawsuit over shooting

A lawyer for shooting victims is seeking compensation for victims and families, citing the Texas House…

Gov. Greg Abbott declares Dallas-Fort Worth deluge a disaster, freeing up state resources to help in recovery

The declaration covers 23 counties across the state and comes after some saw more than 10…

A North Texas school district now lets teachers reject children’s pronouns — even if parents approve of them

The Grapevine-Colleyville district, between Dallas and Fort Worth, added two conservative members to its seven-member school…

Progressive fundraising group raising $25 million to boost Democrats this November and beyond

The list of the Texas Future Project's beneficiaries includes groups like Annie's List and Planned Parenthood…

Here’s your ballot for the Nov. 8 Texas midterm elections

The U.S. will hold its midterm election on Nov. 8. In Texas, voters will elect officials…

‘I will resign’: Gov. Abbott’s order to investigate trans youth elicited anger, confusion inside state protective services, internal emails show

800-plus pages of emails obtained through open records show Texas Department of Family and Protective Services…

Flooding hits Dallas-Fort Worth as some areas receive more than 13 inches of rain

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared a state of disaster in the region, and Gov. Greg…

Laredo confronts drought and water shortage with minimal options

Leaders in the South Texas city are reluctant to impose substantial restrictions on watering lawns even…

Judge in Texas border crackdown accused of using racist slur against migrants

Allen Amos, a visiting judge handling trespassing cases under Gov. Greg Abbott's "catch-and-jail" border operation, allegedly…

Ethics board: South Dakota Gov. Noem may have ‘engaged in misconduct’

The ethics board said it found sufficient information that Gov. Kristi Noem may have "engaged in…

Stephen F. Austin State University considers joining a university system

Four systems have expressed informal interest in an affiliation with the East Texas school.

‘We got rolled’: How the conservative grassroots lost the fight with Biden because it was focused on Trump

The former president's presence on the political landscape is making it harder to launch a modern…

Fauci will step down in December

He said in a statement that he would leave his government post in December to "pursue…

Watch: With a “feeling of betrayal,” one family flees Texas in search of safer climate for their transgender daughter

Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents who…

Congressional candidate Monica De La Cruz disparaged COVID-19 aid despite taking thousands of dollars for her businesses

Monica De La Cruz runs on a campaign against runaway spending and "socialist" policies, blasting Democratic…

TribCast: Texas’ drought is likely to persist

In this week's episode, Matthew speaks with Jayme about how this week's rain likely won't mean…

Operation Lone Star Provides Vital Relief To Overrun Border Communities

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard are…

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joins other key Republicans in supporting repealing the “tampon tax”

Advocates have previously called for repealing the sales tax on products like tampons, sanitary pads and…

Gov. Ron DeSantis: ‘They do not have the right to vote’

Gov. Ron DeSantis: 'They do not have the right to vote' lead image

Texas is facing its worst drought since 2011. Here’s what you need to know.

The drought will likely continue into the fall and winter.

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez and his wife defied property tax law for eight years by claiming two homestead exemptions

In Texas, married couples generally can claim only one such exemption, meant to provide some tax…

Wetter weather is coming this weekend. But it won’t be enough to end Texas’ drought.

Rain is in the forecast across much of the state. But it won't be enough to…

The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics

Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills…

Texas public schools required to display “In God We Trust” posters if they are donated

The law passed last year says schools must display the national motto in a "conspicuous place"…

Louie Gohmert leaves Congress having passed one law and spread countless falsehoods

Gohmert was a precursor to former President Donald Trump's brand of populist, establishment-bucking conservatism that delights…

Dems mount $10M ad campaign to sell landmark law — and skirt a November wipeout

Liberal groups aim to avoid the mistakes that plagued Democrats after the passage of Obamacare.

A West Texas coffee shop owner is giving away Plan B for free as fight over contraception access takes hold

Last May, Lubbock became the biggest city in Texas to ban abortion within city limits. Now,…

Watch: Why some Texas churches support access to reproductive health care despite the state’s abortion ban

After Roe v. Wade was overturned, some faith leaders in Texas rallied in favor of abortion…

Texas executes Kosoul Chanthakoummane for the 2006 murder of a real estate agent

DNA evidence tied Chanthakoummane to Sarah Walker's murder at a model home in Collin County. In…

Republican James White resigns from Texas House early to take leadership job at Texas Funeral Services Commission

White, the only Black Republican in the Legislature, leaves office after 11 years and a failed…

Not 1925: Texas’ law banning abortion dates to before the Civil War

The restriction, which was revived after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, was put in…