TEXAS NEWS
Texas sues Discord, arguing online messaging platform endangered children, misled users
Read full article: Texas sues Discord, arguing online messaging platform endangered children, misled usersThe lawsuit comes after a Galveston County family said their 13-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted by a person she interacted with on the platform.
In Democratic runoff, Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee clash over influence of big money in politics
Read full article: In Democratic runoff, Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee clash over influence of big money in politicsThe clash embodies the tension for Democrats who rely on large fundraising hauls to remain competitive, even as they denounce the outsized political influence of corporate cash.
GOP megadonor turned attorney general front-runner: How Mayes Middleton’s largesse fueled his rise
Read full article: GOP megadonor turned attorney general front-runner: How Mayes Middleton’s largesse fueled his riseMiddleton helped fund the Legislature’s swing to the right, and an internecine challenge to Ken Paxton. But that’s nothing next to the money he’s spent on himself.
WhatsApp, Meta can access Texans’ private messages, AG Ken Paxton says in lawsuit
Read full article: WhatsApp, Meta can access Texans’ private messages, AG Ken Paxton says in lawsuitThe attorney general’s office argues WhatsApp and parent company Meta are deceiving users by claiming the companies can’t view their encrypted messages.
The Trump administration is facing scrutiny over its billion-dollar border wall contracts in Texas’ Big Bend region
Read full article: The Trump administration is facing scrutiny over its billion-dollar border wall contracts in Texas’ Big Bend regionA lawsuit alleges the Trump administration awarded most new Texas border wall contracts to two firms. One has faced legal issues and shoddy construction claims.
Hurricane season expected to be mild in 2026, but officials urge Texans to stay prepared
Read full article: Hurricane season expected to be mild in 2026, but officials urge Texans to stay preparedA strong El Niño weather pattern is expected to develop and intensify during the 2026 hurricane season, which could suppress the formation of tropical storms and hurricanes.
Pro-Palestinian protestors sue UT Dallas leaders, police officers over alleged punishment
Read full article: Pro-Palestinian protestors sue UT Dallas leaders, police officers over alleged punishmentCurrent and former University of Texas at Dallas students are suing school leaders and police officers over their arrests while protesting the war in Gaza and for allegedly suspending the university’s chapter of a pro-Palestinian student organization. The lawsuit, filed in the federal Northern District of Texas Friday, accuses UT Dallas police officers of using excessive force while arresting […]
Camp Mystic chief health officer’s nursing license temporarily suspended
Read full article: Camp Mystic chief health officer’s nursing license temporarily suspendedThe agency said Mary Liz Eastland failed to develop adequate emergency plans before a flood killed 25 campers and two counselors last year.
In the Permian Basin, AI takes on big oil’s dirty water problem
Read full article: In the Permian Basin, AI takes on big oil’s dirty water problemFacing limited options, oil industry turns to AI to handle wastewater from oil production. Producers discovered other uses to streamline the process.
Bigger price tag, smaller footprint: How Austin’s Project Connect went off the rails
Read full article: Bigger price tag, smaller footprint: How Austin’s Project Connect went off the railsLegal and political challenges continue to threaten Austin’s multibillion-dollar light rail project that voters approved in 2020.
Inside the legal battle over undocumented immigrants’ right to challenge their detention.
Read full article: Inside the legal battle over undocumented immigrants’ right to challenge their detention.Last year the Trump administration launched a policy of keeping all immigrants arrested by ICE in detention without the right to request bond, reversing decades of established law.
Mock funeral mourns death of academic freedom before UT System updates rule on cutting programs
Read full article: Mock funeral mourns death of academic freedom before UT System updates rule on cutting programsCollege students and professors are protesting with mock funerals across Texas, saying universities are dying from political interference. School officials say they’re responding to shifting needs.
500,000 fewer Texans are on SNAP as participation slips nationally
Read full article: 500,000 fewer Texans are on SNAP as participation slips nationallyAdvocates say the federal government’s new work requirements and immigration crackdown has limited food stamp participation. The state says the recent decline is part of normal fluctuations in enrollment.
Doctors say woman in El Paso ICE detention center urgently requires surgery that she is being denied
Read full article: Doctors say woman in El Paso ICE detention center urgently requires surgery that she is being deniedAndrea Pedro Francisco was scheduled to have surgery to remove an ovarian cyst in February but was detained by ICE, which has repeatedly denied her surgery. Nine doctors who reviewed her case said she’s at risk of a medical emergency.
Texas’ GOP Senate runoff pits an old guard-backed institutionalist against a Trump-picked flamethrower
Read full article: Texas’ GOP Senate runoff pits an old guard-backed institutionalist against a Trump-picked flamethrowerThe GOP establishment has gone to bat for John Cornyn, touting the statesmanship and Washington know-how that make him a favorite of his colleagues and a pariah among Paxton’s base.
Ken Paxton wanted to limit forum shopping. Now lawyers say he’s improperly seeking favorable courts.
Read full article: Ken Paxton wanted to limit forum shopping. Now lawyers say he’s improperly seeking favorable courts.ProPublica and The Texas Tribune have identified at least 30 lawsuits filed by the attorney general over the past nine years that have a tenuous connection to the counties in which they were filed.
Dems slam Maureen Galindo’s comments as antisemitic in TX-35 runoff
Read full article: Dems slam Maureen Galindo’s comments as antisemitic in TX-35 runoffSome party leaders are also also alleging GOP interference on behalf of Galindo, who said she would “turn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists” if elected.
Rain gives Corpus Christi a small break, delaying projected water crisis by 3 months
Read full article: Rain gives Corpus Christi a small break, delaying projected water crisis by 3 monthsWithout additional rain, the coastal city expects to impose mandatory water restrictions around December, new data shows.
Election for oil regulator becomes battleground for wealthy donors
Read full article: Election for oil regulator becomes battleground for wealthy donorsIn the GOP runoff for Texas Railroad commissioner, billionaires, big oil companies and trade groups flood the campaign pockets of candidates Jim Wright and Bo French.
In GOP attorney general runoff, two hard-right conservatives spar over experience, Trump loyalty
Read full article: In GOP attorney general runoff, two hard-right conservatives spar over experience, Trump loyaltyState Sen. Mayes Middleton says Rep. Chip Roy betrayed the MAGA movement, while Roy says Middleton isn't qualified to work at the attorney general’s office, let alone lead it.
Inside the child sex abuse case that resulted in Ken Paxton’s officer offering a plea deal of just one day in jail
Read full article: Inside the child sex abuse case that resulted in Ken Paxton’s officer offering a plea deal of just one day in jailCritics are pointing to two other serious felony cases that the attorney general’s prosecutors took to trial that ended in mistrials and, eventually, plea deals.
What soaring gas prices mean for Texas and how long it could take for costs to come down
Read full article: What soaring gas prices mean for Texas and how long it could take for costs to come downHere’s what you should know about the market forces at play and what higher prices mean for oil companies and the state.
Chip Roy gets $2.75 million infusion from GOP megadonor Alex Fairly in attorney general runoff
Read full article: Chip Roy gets $2.75 million infusion from GOP megadonor Alex Fairly in attorney general runoffRoy is the only candidate who’s “able and prepared to do the job,” Fairly said. Roy’s opponent, Mayes Middleton, has been criticized for his lack of legal experience.
Texas American Muslim University sued by Paxton, accused of misleading would-be students
Read full article: Texas American Muslim University sued by Paxton, accused of misleading would-be studentsTexAM is accused of misrepresenting itself as a university and adopting branding too similar to Texas A&M. Its leaders say they were already complying with state demands.
3 teens arrested in series of random shootings across Austin that left 4 injured
Read full article: 3 teens arrested in series of random shootings across Austin that left 4 injuredOfficials in Austin, Texas, say three young people are in custody in at least 10 random shootings that left four people hurt in the city over the weekend.
Defense Department delays 54 wind projects in Texas, citing national security concerns
Read full article: Defense Department delays 54 wind projects in Texas, citing national security concernsAfter years of trying to stop offshore wind projects, the Trump administration is now pausing routine federal permits for 165 land-based projects, including dozens in Texas.
$1.7 billion contract awarded “for border wall in Big Bend” amid public confusion over construction plans
Read full article: $1.7 billion contract awarded “for border wall in Big Bend” amid public confusion over construction plansA Customs and Border Protection statement said the funding would not be used for “a 30-foot-high barrier" in the region’s parks, echoing a previous commitment from a top CBP official.
Texas Supreme Court rejects Abbott’s request to remove Democratic Rep. Gene Wu from office over redistricting protest
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court rejects Abbott’s request to remove Democratic Rep. Gene Wu from office over redistricting protestMore than 50 Democrats, including Wu — the House Democratic leader — left the state last August to shut down the Legislature and stall passage of the GOP’s map.
Texas Children’s Hospital must create country’s first “detransition clinic” under legal settlement with state
Read full article: Texas Children’s Hospital must create country’s first “detransition clinic” under legal settlement with stateAttorney General Ken Paxton said on Friday that Texas Children’s must also pay $10 million to the state because it illegally provided transgender care to kids.
Trump administration sues Catholic diocese to seize land on religious site near El Paso for border barrier
Read full article: Trump administration sues Catholic diocese to seize land on religious site near El Paso for border barrierThe lawsuit argues that 14 acres on Mount Cristo Rey, which features a 29-foot-tall statue of Jesus, are needed for barriers and other technology to secure the border.
Seesaw rulings on Texas’ smokeable hemp ban is bad for business, retailers say
Read full article: Seesaw rulings on Texas’ smokeable hemp ban is bad for business, retailers saySome smoke shops say the flurry of court actions since March 31 has already forced them to scale back hours, cut staff and prepare to shut down.
Here are the donors bankrolling John Cornyn and Ken Paxton’s record-breaking Senate primary
Read full article: Here are the donors bankrolling John Cornyn and Ken Paxton’s record-breaking Senate primaryThe incumbent senator has dominated financially, thanks to an array of megadonors and dark money groups. The Tribune assembled a guide to the money behind the most expensive Senate primary ever.
Federal judge halts parts of Texas immigration law the day before it was set to take effect
Read full article: Federal judge halts parts of Texas immigration law the day before it was set to take effectA U.S. judge on Thursday granted a preliminary injunction against critical sections of Senate Bill 4, but a provision allowing police to arrest people suspected of illegal entry did activate.
Abbott’s public safety wish list includes statewide prosecutor, more bail restrictions
Read full article: Abbott’s public safety wish list includes statewide prosecutor, more bail restrictionsSome items on Abbott's agenda would require amending the Texas Constitution, meaning they would need supermajority support in the Legislature.
Texas AG finds over 100 cities out of compliance with audit and transparency requirement; bars property tax hikes
Read full article: Texas AG finds over 100 cities out of compliance with audit and transparency requirement; bars property tax hikesTexas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent letters to over 130 cities, including multiple cities in Southeast Texas, notifying them that they are prohibited from raising ad valorem taxes above the no-new-revenue tax rate.