The Senate has confirmed Todd Blanche as the next attorney general of the United States.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has cleared a critical hurdle in his bid to be confirmed to the post after swaying Republican holdouts on a Senate committee to advance his nomination for a floor vote.

Cornyn said he will vote to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination after the acting attorney general formally rescinded the fund and clarified the scope of a tax audit shield for President Trump and his circle.

President Donald Trump says newly planned talks between the U.S. and Tehran are the “last chance” for Iran to forge a deal and avoid an escalation of U.S. strikes.

Two Republican senators who threatened to block acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s bid to lead the Justice Department say they will vote to advance his nomination.

President Donald Trump is threatening to push forward with a fund to compensate his allies if two Republican holdouts won’t support his nominee for attorney general.

President Donald Trump says his $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is “dead” while also continuing to defend it.

Hamas says it has reached an agreement to disarm.

The president suggested Cornyn was holding up Todd Blanche’s nomination because he endorsed Ken Paxton over the senior senator. Cornyn said it has nothing to do with their political history.

President Donald Trump says he may withdraw and delay Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general until Republican senators who are seeking concessions from the top prosecutor leave office.

President Donald Trump says he may pull Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general until Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis leave office.

Texas’ outgoing senator has insisted on written assurance that President Trump’s “anti-weaponization fund” is dead as a condition for voting to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination.

Todd Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general has stalled as lawmakers scrapped a planned committee vote.

Texas lawmakers accuse the state broadband office of favoritism and sweetheart deals after satellite internet providers received most of the funding.

As midterm campaigning heats up, both major political parties face unexpected challenges.

For years, the state has been the leading exporter of semiconductor chips. After the Legislature invested more than $1.5 billion into incentives since 2023, the industry has been booming.

Paxton's campaign said he plans to debate after Talarico challenged him to do so, though it did not commit to a specific host.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is confronting questions about his brief but turbulent tenure atop the Justice Department during a Senate confirmation hearing that will test President Donald Trump’s grip on Republican lawmakers whose support the nominee will need for the job.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is confronting skeptical questioning at a Senate confirmation hearing about the creation of a fund to compensate allies of President Donald Trump and a tax immunity deal for the president.

Lawmakers in the Senate have unveiled a bipartisan proposal to address Social Security's looming insolvency.

As attorney general, Paxton threw unprecedented resources into stopping Biden’s agenda. That record is his sword and shield as he runs for U.S. Senate.

The sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham is renewing focus on the country’s aging lawmakers.

The Tribune spoke with nine people who voted for the senior senator in the primary, offering a window into how that key voting bloc is thinking about the general election.

Senate Republicans are returning to Washington with an uncertain agenda after the sudden death of prominent Republican Lindsey Graham, a committee chairman and key player who served as a crucial ally of President Donald Trump.

Almost none of the state’s major Republican officials have weighed in on the killing of a Houston man by federal agents, and U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Houston said she had not spoken with Gov. Greg Abbott.

President Donald Trump has reshaped the U.S. Senate map by sidelining some Republican incumbents and promoting loyalists.

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow has won Louisiana’s Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Senate Republicans who were berated by President Donald Trump over opposition to his war in Iran have reversed course, holding a late-night vote to try to appease him.

President Donald Trump's visit to Capitol Hill is rekindling a feud with one Republican senator.

President Donald Trump is on Washington’s National Mall on Wednesday for a campaign-style rally that he hopes gets Americans excited about his presidency and the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations.

Senate Republicans who were berated by President Donald Trump on Wednesday over opposition to his war in Iran held a late-night vote to try to appease him, voting down a war powers resolution a day after a similar measure passed.

The vast majority of Republicans indicated they had moved on from the bitter GOP primary and now support Paxton. Talarico had commanding leads among independents and moderates.

The relationship between President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans seems to be nearing a breaking point.

In the closing stretch of Georgia’s Republican U.S. Senate runoff, Rep. Mike Collins is celebrating his 11th-hour endorsement from Donald Trump.

The decision by Senate Democrats to let a key surveillance authority lapse comes as they're increasingly emboldened in their legislative fights against President Donald Trump.

Randall’s supporters were animated by a mix of factors, including the perception that George was too friendly to establishment Republicans.

Gov. Greg Abbott is a top sponsor and Speaker Dustin Burrows will be the first sitting speaker to address the gathering, as Republicans close ranks ahead of a tough midterm.

Maine's Susan Collins often boosts her popularity by keeping her distance from President Donald Trump.

An attorney who defended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial has endorsed Paxton's Democratic opponent in the U.S. Senate race.

The Texas senator’s defeat to Ken Paxton sparked talk he’d join the “YOLO Caucus” of Republicans defecting from Donald Trump. This week, he sided with Senate GOP leadership on every key vote.

The Senate has passed legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies, sending it to the House.

President Donald Trump says his acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, will not be in the role permanently.

Businessman Zach Lahn's win in Iowa’s Republican gubernatorial primary over President Donald Trump's pick is a rare electoral setback for Trump.

Paxton is banking on his recent lawsuits against tech and social media companies like Meta, WhatsApp and Discord to win a Senate seat, building on notable victories in years past.

U.S. Senate hopefuls Ken Paxton and Graham Platner are in Washington, D.C., to rally party support.

Senate Republicans are weighing their next steps after the Trump administration's announcement that it is scrapping a $1.8 billion settlement fund for the president's allies who claim to have been politically prosecuted.

A standoff between the White House and the Senate remains unresolved as Republicans return to Washington after defiantly leaving town 10 days ago without passing legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies.

The power struggle between old-school Bush Republicans and hardline conservatives predates President Donald Trump. But he has used his clout to help tip the scales.

Texas lawmakers proposed a bill to allow private-sector lithium mining companies to work on certain military bases.

Republicans' stumble on an immigration funding bill is raising questions about other parts of their legislative agenda.

Texas Democrat James Talarico has launched his general election campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Paxton’s blowout win on Tuesday compelled an alliance by necessity, if not natural synergy, between the attorney general and the Washington groups that spent months trying to elect John Cornyn.

President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet on Wednesday at a precarious moment for talks aimed at ending the Iran war, saying “things are going very well” days after insisting a settlement was “largely negotiated.”.

President Donald Trump has been showcasing his influence in Republican primaries, recently endorsing Ken Paxton in Texas.

President Donald Trump is congratulating Texas Sen. John Cornyn for having a “great career” while also congratulating the man who beat Cornyn in a primary with his endorsement.

Middleton, a conservative state senator and oil and gas executive, put more than $16 million of his own money into the race.

A former state Supreme Court justice, Texas attorney general and a four-term U.S. senator, Cornyn had held on in the Republican Party as it transformed from the party of Bush, to the Tea Party movement and eventually the dominion of Trump.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wins Republican runoff for US Senate, defeating longtime Sen. John Cornyn.

The attorney general’s victory is a crushing blow to the Texas GOP's old guard, which has faltered in recent years against the Paxton-led insurgent wing.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has defeated four-term Sen. John Cornyn in a massively expensive, drawn-out U.S. Senate primary race.

President Donald Trump insists a peace deal is close on the 88th day of the Iran war.

John Cornyn is trying to fend off Ken Paxton. Both parties are picking attorney general nominees. And an oil and gas regulatory race has become uncharacteristically costly.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

Texas voters head to the polls Tuesday in several closely watched runoff elections, including a high-profile Democratic congressional matchup in Houston and the Republican U.S. Senate runoff drawing national attention.

Texas voters will pick a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in a primary runoff election on Tuesday.

Texas Republican Senate candidates Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton are going to be scarcely visible in public on the last day of campaigning ahead of Tuesday's runoff.

Nearly 14 months and $135 million later, Texas’ blockbuster Republican Senate primary will finally be decided Tuesday.

A bipartisan group of senators is pushing back on delays by the Department of Defense in sending roughly $600 million in security aid to Ukraine and other allies in eastern Europe.

The 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.

President Donald Trump’s political revenge tour met its potential match this week as angry Republican senators finally said no, even if temporarily.

Ken Paxton is playing up President Donald Trump's endorsement as the Texas attorney general heads into the final days of U.S. Senate primary runoff against incumbent John Cornyn.

The attorney general’s office argues WhatsApp and parent company Meta are deceiving users by claiming the companies can’t view their encrypted messages.

Legal and political challenges continue to threaten Austin’s multibillion-dollar light rail project that voters approved in 2020.

Senate Republicans have departed Washington for the Memorial Day recess without voting on a roughly $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies.

Republican senators are considering dropping a proposal for $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and President Donald Trump’s ballroom after it has failed to win enough party support on Capitol Hill.

A small but growing group of Republican lawmakers is showing independence from President Donald Trump.

The 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.

Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky, has lost his primary bid for reelection.

A proposal to fund $1 billion in security additions for the White House campus and the president’s new ballroom is facing growing opposition from Republicans ahead of an expected vote this week.

President Donald Trump has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, supercharging his effort to oust incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a Republican primary runoff.

The development, coming partway through early voting, is a searing blow for John Cornyn, who finished first in the March runoff but was unable to convince Trump to endorse him.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wouldn’t rule out the possibility that violent rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, will be considered for payouts from a new $1.776 billion fund to compensate individuals who believe they were targeted politically.

Critics 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.

Roy 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.

Early voting for Texas’ May 26 primary runoff election begins Monday, giving voters across the state another chance to decide key races ahead of the November general election.

A Kansas judge has protected access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors as the nation’s largest children’s hospital moved to restrict such care in Texa and buckled under pressure from the Trump administration.

The 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.

The incumbent senator and his allies have massively outspent the pro-Paxton side, though polling points to a tight finish in the May 26 election.

As the Austin Democrat campaigns against big money in politics, he is being supported by a super PAC bankrolled by several billionaires, as well as nonprofits that do not have to disclose their funders.

Texas Senator John Cornyn is proposing a major highway change that would honor President Donald Trump while reshaping one of the nation’s longest roadways.

Senate Republicans have blocked Democrats' efforts to reverse Trump-era changes to consumer protection laws.

From U.S. Senate to Railroad Commission, the TribCast dives into the most contentious races we'll be watching on May 26

The former president greeted patrons while stopping for tacos near the University of Texas at Austin campus — a notable show of support for the Democrats atop the ticket this fall.

James Talarico, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, has pushed to suspend the federal gas tax amid soaring fuel costs. Cornyn previously opposed the idea.

A new survey from the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs shows a tight Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate in Texas, with Attorney General Ken Paxton holding a slim lead over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn just weeks before voters head to the polls.

The University of Houston survey results were within the margin of error less than a month out from the May 26 election. State Sen. Mayes Middleton had a wider lead in the attorney general primary.

The Austin Democrat, who won his party’s nomination in March, led Cornyn and Paxton by margins of 3 and 5 percentage points, respectively. Both results were within the survey’s margin of error.

As Cornyn and Paxton head to the runoff, we updated our Q&A to reflect the two candidates. Both declined to participate, so we used their past statements and voting history to show where they stand on foreign policy, AI and other key issues.

Both Republican candidates lagged far behind Democratic candidate James Talarico.

The lieutenant governor’s remarks are the latest sign that Republicans are worried about the fall midterms. The GOP has controlled the state House since 2003 and currently has an 88-62 advantage.