Texas Tribune Brief
808 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 months ago - ★★★★★ - 103 ratingsGet the latest news on Texas politics and policy from The Texas Tribune now on Amazon Alexa. With reporters based in Austin, Washington, D.C., and on the U.S.–Mexico border, we are your go-to source for news on statewide issues.
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Regulators vote to ban residential utility shut-offs during pandemic while buoying companies in Texas
March 27, 2020 10:00 - 3 minutes - 3 MBThe Texas Public Utility Commission approved an order Thursday that would ban disconnections of water and power service for Texans financially impacted by COVID-19 and put them on deferred payment plans. But advocates and experts say the real winner might be utility providers.
Hospitals in Texas prepare to add beds, eye vacated buildings as they prepare for a an influx of coronavirus cases
March 26, 2020 10:00 - 3 minutes - 3.4 MBThe efforts to quickly add capacity come after Gov. Greg Abbott waived hospitals’ occupancy restrictions Sunday and ordered healthcare providers to postpone surgeries that are not “immediately, medically necessary.”
Cities and counties are issuing stay-at-home orders as coronavirus spreads across Texas
March 24, 2020 23:46 - 3 minutes - 3.22 MBThe orders represent some of the most stringent measures local officials in Texas have taken so far to address the colossal public health crisis.
More and more Texans ordered to stay at home as coronavirus spreads in urban centers
March 24, 2020 10:00 - 3 minutes - 3.15 MBBy the end of Tuesday, residents in at least four of the state's five biggest cities — Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth — are expected to be under such orders. The only possible holdout is Houston, the state's most populous city.
Gov. Greg Abbott resists calls for statewide shelter-in-place; moves to expand hospital capacity
March 23, 2020 10:00 - 2 minutes - 2.42 MBAbbott said he would applaud some local authorities for issuing such an order, while he would remain flexible on strategies as the new coronavirus continues to spread.
Texas regulators contemplating a reduction in oil production amid coronavirus crisis
March 20, 2020 10:00 - 2 minutes - 2.72 MBA Texas Railroad Commission official said no decision has been made yet and the agency is looking into options.
Texas coronavirus cases prompt Gov. Greg Abbott to activate National Guard
March 18, 2020 10:00 - 3 minutes - 3.11 MBThe National Guard was last activated during Hurricane Harvey, the 2017 disaster that devastated the Houston area.
Many Texas schools could be closed through academic year due to coronavirus, education commissioner warns
March 17, 2020 10:00 - 3 minutes - 3.17 MBIn separate calls with superintendents and lawmakers Sunday, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said decisions on extended school closures would be left up to locals.
Texas governor declares statewide emergency, says state will soon be able to test thousands
March 16, 2020 13:31 - 2 minutes - 2.56 MBThe state is experiencing a public health disaster as community spread has been discovered, at least 68 cases have been disclosed and people in each of the five largest urban areas have tested positive.
Counting in Texas for the U.S. census has begun. Here's what you need to know.
March 13, 2020 14:08 - 4 minutes - 4.11 MBThe accuracy of the count in the state will go a long way toward determining its economic, social and political future.
Texas' first case of possible community spread of coronavirus in Montgomery County.
March 12, 2020 10:00 - 2 minutes - 2.73 MBMontgomery health officials said it's unclear where the patient caught the new coronavirus, but he did not recently travel outside of Texas. Other cases identified in Texas have been linked to international and domestic travel.
5 million Texans lack health insurance. Here's how that complicates the coronavirus response.
March 11, 2020 10:00 - 4 minutes - 4.05 MBTexas has the highest share of uninsured residents of any state, with nearly 18% of people lacking health coverage, and many are unable to take paid sick leave from work. Experts say that makes it harder to contain an outbreak.
Coronavirus case confirmed in Collin County
March 10, 2020 10:00 - 3 minutes - 2.95 MBThe newest patient is a Frisco man in his 30s who recently traveled to California.
More than 100 cruise ship passengers heading to San Antonio for coronavirus quarantine
March 09, 2020 10:00 - 3 minutes - 3.1 MBRoughly 90 Texans are among the passengers heading to Lackland Air Force Base from a ship that had 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19. In Fort Bend County, officials have reported three new travel-related cases.
Joe Biden to earn an estimated 111 of Texas' Democratic primary delegates. Bernie Sanders will get 102.
March 06, 2020 12:00 - 2 minutes - 2.53 MBThe Texas Democratic Party released delegate counts Wednesday evening based on unofficial election results. Texas doles out 228 delegates in the state's Democratic primary election.
Joe Biden wins Texas primary in a stunning turnaround
March 05, 2020 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.24 MBBiden had trailed in the polls leading up to election day, which pointed to Bernie Sanders as the frontrunner.
Voting lines last hours after polls close on Super Tuesday.
March 04, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 3.1 MBVoters in Houston, in Dallas and at Texas State University reported facing wait times that extended past two hours after polls closed.
Gov. Greg Abbott demands CDC improve protocols after release of San Antonio patient who tested "weakly positive" for coronavirus
March 03, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 2.85 MBThe San Antonio patient is back in quarantine, and local health officials are working to identify who they came into contact with.
Rice University asks "small group" to self-quarantine due to employee's possible exposure to coronavirus
March 02, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 2.82 MBThe Houston university said it's making the move out of an abundance of caution.
Abbott says the homeless need mental health care. Advocates say Medicaid expansion would help.
February 28, 2020 11:00 - 4 minutes - 4.36 MBAbbott has long opposed extending state-funded health coverage to 1.5 million Texans under the Affordable Care Act. But a spokesman for the governor did not rule out a possible coverage expansion under a new Trump administration block grant policy.
ACLU sues seven Texas towns for passing local anti-abortion ordinances
February 27, 2020 11:00 - 4 minutes - 4.08 MBThe lawsuit takes aim at towns that have declared themselves "sanctuary cities for the unborn."
Webb County and Laredo coming face to face with the reality of a border wall
February 26, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 3.22 MBWebb County hasn’t seen the buildup of barriers that El Paso or the Rio Grande Valley has since 2006. But change is coming, and it's coming quickly.
A confident Bernie Sanders barnstorms Texas with burst of momentum
February 25, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 2.96 MBThe Democratic presidential candidate swung through Texas this weekend as he enjoyed a resounding victory in the Nevada caucuses and eyes another big win March 3.
Texas sues company whose Port Neches chemical plant exploded
February 24, 2020 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.59 MBTexas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued TPC Group on Friday, citing a slew of environmental violations at its Port Neches facility, including ones connected to a Nov. 27 explosion.
In Democrats’ low-information judicial primaries, gender and ballot names may drive voters’ decisions
February 21, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 2.8 MBFourteen Democrats are competing for seven seats on the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals. How do you win when no one knows your name?
Federal judge dismisses suit against Army Corps of Engineers for post-Harvey flooding
February 20, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 3.16 MBU.S. Judge Loren A. Smith threw out a case brought by Houstonians whose properties flooded as a result of releases from Addicks and Barker dams.
State Sen. Kirk Watson to retire from Texas Senate
February 19, 2020 11:00 - 4 minutes - 3.82 MBWatson has represented Austin in the Texas Senate since 2007.
Bernie Sanders leaps to first among Texas Democrats in latest UT/TT Poll
February 18, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 3.06 MBSanders now leads the Democratic presidential candidates among Texas voters, but Donald Trump maintains a slight lead over each of the top Democrats in the race, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
Texas improperly picked winners for contracts worth $10 billion, health insurers argue
February 14, 2020 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.72 MBMore than half a dozen health plans are appealing the contract decisions for STAR+PLUS, the state's privatized insurance program for elderly, blind and disabled Texans.
To end hazing, college students must be individually punished or prosecuted, advocates tell Texas lawmakers
February 13, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 3.36 MBLegislation passed last year increases university transparency and strengthens the state's definition of hazing. But advocates say when it comes to enforcement, kicking fraternities off campus isn't enough.
Beto O’Rourke’s flock remains loyal while his party debates whether to move on
February 12, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 3.29 MBThe question facing Texas Democrats: Can the party capitalize from the energy he brings out of his supporters, while minimizing the counter-energy he seems to provoke from the right?
Suburban Texas councilman faces recall after declaring a “black state of emergency” over police shootings
January 08, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 3.03 MBOver 3,000 people, including McKinney’s mayor and three members of the City Council, have signed a petition to recall La’Shadion Shemwell. He is the lone black member on the council.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott remains quiet on whether the state will opt out of refugee program
January 07, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 2.82 MBIt's still unclear if Abbott will join nearly 40 other governors who have decided to stay in the program.
Marijuana prosecutions in Texas have dropped by more than half since lawmakers legalized hemp.
January 06, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 4.18 MBAfter Texas legalized hemp and threw marijuana prosecution into chaos last year, prosecutors filed far fewer criminal charges, police departments paid for private testing and public crime labs were struggling to catch up.
Julián Castro drops out of presidential race
January 03, 2020 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.45 MBCastro’s departure means there will be no Texans competing in the Democratic presidential primary.
Revisit some of The Texas Tribune’s best stories of 2019
December 30, 2019 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.29 MBFrom migrants to mass shootings, coal plants to property taxes, we look back at some of the Texas Tribunes best work of the year.
House committee adopts report saying Dennis Bonnen "likely violated" the law during meeting with hardline activist
December 23, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 1.99 MBThe committee took no further action on the report and said the investigation is now closed.
Federal judge dismisses Houston ISD lawsuit seeking to avoid state takeover
December 20, 2019 16:13 - 2 minutes - 5.78 MBU.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel rejected the district's argument that ousting the Houston school board would disenfranchise voters.
An estimated 390,000 Texans might lose access to food stamps under new Trump policy
December 19, 2019 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.76 MBOne of the proposed rule changes could make SNAP recipients ineligible if their vehicles are valued at more than $4,650.
Students face felony charges, expulsions as Texas schools ramp up fight against vaping
December 18, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 5.99 MBCaught off guard by the increase in teen vaping, schools are grasping every tool at hand, including expulsions and suspensions. In some districts, students can face harsh discipline and jail time for having a vape pen in their backpack.
With a deadline for Hurricane Harvey assistance near, Galveston advocates say hundreds could miss out due to bureaucratic mixups
December 16, 2019 15:28 - 3 minutes - 6.99 MBRecovery workers in the area say the Texas General Land Office owes hurricane victims more time to apply for assistance after losing their paperwork, but the agency says the claims are baseless.
1,000 migrants a day made this tiny Guatemala town a smuggler’s paradise. The business has dried up.
December 13, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 4.79 MBTwo Trump administration initiatives have driven down traffic, locals say: the “remain in Mexico” program requiring people to wait out their asylum cases south of the border, and the threat to slap tariffs on Mexico unless it cracked down on migrants crossing through it.
The Texas Senate will be a quiet zone in a noisy, important election year
December 12, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 1.9 MBIn what promises to be a tumultuous and competitive election year, races for the Texas House are going to be a lot more interesting than those for the Texas Senate, writes The Texas Tribune’s Ross Ramsey.
To relief of Texas business leaders, Congress reaches deal on new North American trade agreement
December 11, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.32 MBThe United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Top Texas Republicans pressure a county chair to resign over racist text
December 10, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.06 MBYolanda Waters, the chairwoman for Galveston County's Republican party, is facing pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott, Land Commissioner George P. Bush and James Dickey, the state party chairman.
Beto O'Rourke repeats he's not running for Senate despite continued speculation
December 09, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.08 MB“Not running for senate,” O’Rourke told The Texas Tribune in a text message Thursday night, saying that nothing has changed regarding that decision.
Two UT-Austin professors disciplined for sexual misconduct were allowed to resume teaching. Students want to know why.
December 06, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.17 MBThe incidents have fueled a growing protest movement on campus, with students demanding more transparency in the university's handling of sexual misconduct cases. "We don't know who we're in the classroom with," one student says.
State Rep. Rick Miller drops reelection bid after saying opponents were challenging him because they’re Asian
December 05, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.17 MBState Representative Rick Miller has dropped his reelection bid after he sparked a firestorm this week for saying two of his opponents were challenging him because they are Asian.
Gov. Greg Abbott rescinds his endorsement of state Rep. Rick Miller
December 04, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.27 MBThe Sugar Land Republican faced fast and fierce backlash after he accused his opponents of running against him because they are Asian in a district with a sizable Asian population.
Fort Worth teacher who asked Trump to deport students said her tweets were protected by the First Amendment. Texas officials agreed.
December 03, 2019 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.72 MBCommissioner of Education Mike Morath wrote that Georgia Clark did not waive her First Amendment rights when she signed her contract with Fort Worth ISD.