The Amarillo businessman said he would tap into the $20 million political action committee he launched last year to preserve ballot access for censured Republicans.

Every previous public poll had shown the attorney general with a considerable lead over Texas’ incumbent senator.

Texas law bans the sale of synthetic kratom, but it isn’t enforced. Earlier this year, legislation died in the Texas House to ban the natural plant, too.

The third-term governor appears determined to win any battle — even if it means scorched-earth primary crusades or trying to boot duly elected legislators from office.

In a statement, the House Democratic Caucus said its lawyers had advised returning “to build a strong public legislative record for the upcoming legal battle” against the GOP’s map.

The Fourth of July flood bore a striking similarity to the Hill Country flood that killed 10 summer campers in 1987. In the following years, officials took little action to protect against the next storm.

Sweeping and sudden funding changes this year put two revered after-school programs for low-income Texans and a rural teacher training initiative at risk of closure.

The contest would unearth brewing Democratic tensions over age and experience, forcing Austin politicos to choose between two well-liked progressives.

Senate Bill 10 would shield victims from prosecution from some crimes if they’re threatened or coerced into the act by their trafficker.

Judge Scott Larson ruled that the Texas speaker and attorney general had “failed to present a legal basis for the court” to take up the issue.

Crime lab officials told lawmakers Wednesday they are struggling to keep up with deadlier drugs like fentanyl and a THC ban or new regulations would add to the challenge.

Increasing tariffs on foreign goods and the impact of deportations on the work force cited as job growth slows in Texas.

Most of the camps were built decades ago, before modern modeling and flood maps. Counties have little power to regulate construction flood plains.

Republicans believe population increases in red states, such as Texas, would offset losses from not counting immigrants who lack legal status.

Five years ago, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, the board voted to change the high school to Legacy High. On Tuesday, it reversed course.

With Democrats’ walkout over redistricting bringing the House to a standstill, both parties are accusing each other of abandoning Central Texas flood victims.

In this week’s episode, Matthew and Eleanor ask University of Houston law professor David Froomkin to help them break down the legal cases seeking to remove 13 Democrats from the Texas House.

Democrats' absence has halted work in the Texas House, which must also approve the new boundaries, for more than a week.

The leaders of both chambers said they would adjourn for the session Friday if Democrats do not return, while the governor said he might add more items to his agenda.

Paxton sued O’Rourke and his political group, Powered by People, last week, arguing that the group was deceptively fundraising for and illegally supporting Texas Democrats’ walkout.

The governor and attorney general have asked the court to find that Democratic lawmakers abandoned their seats when they left Texas to delay a new congressional map.

Reps. Caroline Fairly and James Talarico, along with Texas attorney general candidate Aaron Reitz, also join us to talk Texas’ future this November

Allred says he has learned to show up more in his attempt at a Senate do-over. But critics contend he’s not generating enough attention.

Since Democratic lawmakers left Texas to delay Republicans’ new map, state leaders have challenged the limits of traditional democratic norms to break the impasse.

Local records released this week — after a yearslong lawsuit —affirm previous reporting about law enforcement’s flawed response to Texas’ deadliest school shooting.

Herrera, who came within 400 votes of ousting Gonzales in a 2024 runoff, is once again positioning himself to the right of the incumbent.

They lost homes and summer cabins to the July 4 flood in Kerr County. Now they are weighing whether it makes sense to rebuild.

The Midland school district rebranded Robert E. Lee High as Legacy High in 2020, part of a nationwide trend to distance public places from the Confederacy.

Republicans who are censured by their county party leaders may be blocked from the primary ballot under a new party rule passed last year, that is expected to be tested by the courts.

The order came at the request of Attorney General Ken Paxton, who O’Rourke accused in a separate lawsuit of going on a “fishing expedition, constitutional rights be damned.”

Most victims were Texans, but some were visiting from other states like California, Florida and Alabama. The youngest victims were 1 year old; the oldest was 91.

The North Texas city councils said hundreds of millions of dollars were in jeopardy if they didn’t shut certain programs to comply with the Trump administration.

The election official, who previously worked in Tarrant County, won praise for pushing back on misinformation.

Gov. Greg Abbott previously asked the court to expel Rep. Gene Wu, the House Democratic leader. Paxton disputed the governor’s authority to make the request.

The Democratic state lawmaker has inquired about Senate television ad rates, two sources told the Tribune.

While other universities move to preserve the advisory bodies, Texas State will abolish them under a new state law that curtails faculty’s influence on campuses.

The annual summer break is a critical window for Texas’ senior senator, whose allies are blitzing the airwaves with ads courting primary voters — and President Donald Trump.

Democrats concede there’s only so much they can do to keep Texas from redrawing its maps. But they want to encourage blue states to retaliate.

The attorney general is calling on the “full faith and credit” clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says states should typically honor each other’s judicial proceedings.

The North East Independent School District (NEISD) unanimously approved a new cellphone ban policy during a Thursday evening board meeting.

Texas will join several other states across the country in banning cellphones in schools starting this academic year. KSAT reached out to all San Antonio-area districts for information on how they plan to implement the new law.

Jaime Galvan Sanchez has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years. He was deported in less than 24 hours without due process and allowed to return. But his family is still suffering from the aftermath.

The Texas Supreme Court said in 2021 the Constitution allows members to thwart legislation by leaving the state. Abbott wants them to reconsider.

Texas Capitol insider Scott Braddock joined the KSAT Q&A to discuss the current quorum break by Texas lawmakers and what may happen next for the special session.

“Is Gene Wu back in China?” state Sen. Mayes Middleton, a Galveston Republican, posted on X on Monday — the first day the House did not reach a quorum due to the absent Democrats.

The proposal would put tighter limits on how much property tax revenue cities and counties of a certain size can collect each year.

Two youth camp owners told lawmakers more layered disaster plans would create critical backstops and improve communication with first responders.

The attorney general is also looking into the George Soros-backed Texas Majority PAC, which is playing a coordinating role to solicit donations from Democratic donors.

The situation is an opportunity for the speaker to bolster his credibility with the right, but he has limited tools to combat a prolonged Democratic absence.

After reaching the end of their automotive lives, the batteries are being reused to provide lower-cost grid energy storage.

Only one Democrat taking part in the quorum break was absent from the panel as the group discussed five bills and the chair vowed their work would go on.

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the state’s voter ID requirements for mail-in ballots do not violate the Civil Rights Act.

In this week’s episode, Matthew and Eleanor speak with state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, about her and her colleagues’ decision to flee the state, the potential financial and criminal penalties and her opposition to the state’s proposed new congressional map.

Legal experts say it’s “inconsistent with the Texas Constitution” to argue that leaving the state to halt legislative action qualifies as abandoning an office.

The former El Paso congressman also contributed to House Democrats’ 2021 quorum break. A PAC backed by Democratic donor George Soros is also involved in this year’s effort.

The three-judge panel agreed with a lower court that Ken Paxton’s office can’t question officials from Catholic Charities under oath without first filing a lawsuit.

While Republicans back in Austin have threatened to take action against the Texas Democratic legislators on the lam, their options could be limited.

Texas Republicans are trying to redraw congressional districts to pick up five additional U.S. House seats. Democrats face financial and political risk in their bid to block the GOP plan.

Senate Bill 7 would require people to use restrooms that match their birth gender and fine institutions up to $25,000 for repeated violations.

Democrats fled the state to stop Republicans’ attempt to redraw congressional districts, but bills aimed at everything from a THC product ban to bolstering flood response are now in doubt.

The warrants apply only within state lines, making them largely symbolic as most of the legislators in question decamped to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts.

Following the catastrophic Hill Country floods, those affected are seeking preventative solutions and improved access to resources in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Texas Democrats said the state legislature is holding flood victims “hostage” by focusing on approving new congressional maps, instead of working to provide aid.

While the Democrats could technically derail the GOP’s redistricting map, such efforts have been largely symbolic and had limited success blocking past legislation, experts say.

The plan increases the share of Hispanic voters in three of the five districts targeted by the GOP, banking that enough will turn out and vote for Republicans without Donald Trump on the ballot.

Republican state lawmakers want to curb property tax bills by further limiting how much can be collected by cities and counties.

The agency initially blocked the payout because of two state investigations into now-banned lottery courier services, one of which sold the winning ticket.

The department has prioritized search, rescue and recovery efforts despite losing nearly all its equipment

The tests would be administered at the beginning, middle and end of the school year. But the proposal’s fate is unclear with the House in limbo over a redistricting fight.

The new district lines could be considered by the entire state House as soon as early next week.

As lawmakers continue to debate banning hemp-derived THC, some rural Texans say it helps ease addiction, health concerns and economic woes that hit their communities the hardest.

Competing legislative priorities and an industry that has pushed against certain regulations could challenge a suite of camp safety bills this special legislative session.

The five-year-old plan, required by the state, detailed when additional monitoring was to take place and who was responsible for alerting the public to evacuate.

Miller denies wrongdoing after allegations surfaced during an investigation into one his aides, who pled guilty to bribery. The agriculture commissioner has not been charged with a crime.

Communication breakdowns among first responders during the July 4 floods in the Texas Hill Country exposed a critical problem: incompatible and outdated radio systems.

The recently created state Senate and state House joint committee on disaster preparedness and flooding is set to hold its second meeting in two weeks.

The Senate’s decision signals another potential standoff with Gov. Greg Abbott, who vetoed a similar ban earlier this year as he called for more regulations instead.

The money could be used to cover the $500-a-day fines lawmakers would incur under House rules set to discourage members from absconding after Democrats fled the state in 2021.

The fund opens a new era of public land acquisition and park development for Texas, which ranks 35th nationally in state park acreage per capita.

In an interview with the Tribune, Chancellor Glenn Hegar also said he would prioritize student outcomes over big projects and skirted questions about diversity and academic freedom.

A conservative news site published an interview with a woman who alleges a 17-year affair with the Southlake representative, who said this week he wouldn’t seek reelection.

At least two summer camps in the Texas Hill Country have invited campers back after sustaining little to no damage from the flood. Other camps are still combing through the rubble.

Senators criticize UGRA for not purchasing siren system despite available reserves.

At the first of at least seven hearings, members of the public aired grievances about the unusual mid-decade redistricting effort.

The music star is considering challenging Rep. Monica De La Cruz in a district emblematic of the GOP’s gains with Latino voters.

The Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Joint Committee met for the first time on Wednesday with the goal of improving flood warning systems, communications, allocating funding and preparing plans ahead of the next natural disaster.

Senate Bill 5 would ban products containing any detectable amount of any cannabinoid, creating criminal offenses for possession of hemp-derived THC.

The joint committee of state legislators assembled by Gov. Greg Abbott to address the flooding in the Hill Country and Central Texas is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, as part of the special session.

Experts say poison control data don’t specify which calls are related to hemp versus more dangerous K2, but show that most THC poisonings cause minor side effects.

The governor eventually agreed to include redistricting on his special session agenda after discussing the matter with the president on a phone call.

After the devastating and deadly July 4 floods in the Hill Country, emergency response became the priority for the Texas legislature's special session.

Faced with a skeptical religious community that became the center of the outbreak, public health officials say they may have pushed too hard on vaccine messaging.

Texas lawmakers will reconvene at the Capitol on Monday for a special legislative session to address 18 agenda items, including the implementation of flood warning systems after the deadly July flooding in the Hill Country.

The number of people still missing in a Texas county ravaged by deadly flooding over the Fourth of July holiday weekend now stands at three, down from nearly 100.

The Texas attorney general said U.S. Masters Swimming violated the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act by allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s events.

A coalition of natural resource experts are calling for immediate land use reform after the deadly Hill Country floods.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was complementary to Tom Green County's emergency response to the deadly Fourth of July floods.

President Donald Trump is pushing Republicans in Texas to redraw the state's congressional maps to help ensure the party keeps its majority in the U.S. House in next year's midterm elections.

Crews are using construction equipment to clear vehicles, trees and homes in a race to locate more than 170 people still missing since Friday’s devastating flood.

In a statement, Angela Paxton said she moved to end her 38-year marriage “on biblical grounds,” citing “recent discoveries.”