Politics

The handful of Republican Texas officials who offered statements said the report definitively proved there was no obstruction. Some Democrats suggested Congress should launch its own inquiry.

The group, which was granted credentials in the Senate but denied them in the House, argues that the lower chamber's administration chairman engaged in "unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination."

Austin previously passed a “ban the box” ordinance preventing private employers from asking potential job candidates’ criminal history before extending a conditional job offer. If state Sen. Brandon Creighton’s bill passes, local governments couldn’t implement such laws.

During a two-day swing through Iowa, the former San Antonio mayor downplayed concerns about his poor fundraising numbers while emphasizing all the time he had for his presidential bid to take off.

The nephew of former President George W. Bush and son of Neil Bush did not rule out a run for Congress in a statement to the Tribune.

During the first legislative session since Hurricane Harvey, state lawmakers are poised to make an investment in storm recovery and flood mitigation that some have described as unprecedented. But it's more complicated than that.

After a key Republican holdout agreed to bring a priority bill to the floor, the upper chamber increased an election trigger on revenue increases from 2.5% to 3.5%. But now both chambers must reconcile how they want to tackle rising school district taxes.

This week is one of the busiest shopping seasons on the border, but after hundreds of federal agents were diverted from international bridges to help with a surge of migrants, retailers and other businesses are fretting about how hours-long wait times will impact them.

"I respect our Senate rules, but I do not intend to let a procedural motion stop the Senate from passing this important bill," the lieutenant governor said.

LGBTQ advocates and business groups have warned that the measures could imperil municipal rules that outlaw discrimination.

The vice president is scheduled to return to Texas on Wednesday.

On this week’s TribCast, Aman talks to Ross, Shannon and Emma about why the top three Republicans in Texas just got behind raising the state sales tax, why national Democrats are suddenly pouring so much money into Texas and which Texas Senator you should be keeping a close eye on as the session enters its final weeks.

As Confederate monument supporters said history shouldn't be erased, Democratic state Rep. Jarvis Johnson of Houston asked if markers depicting slaves hanging from trees should be erected.

"We're not looking to do that, now," the president said. He also blamed Barack Obama for the chain-link pens where migrants were held last year.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is opening an office in Austin as the committee aims to flip six U.S. House seats in Texas next year.

Their journey reveals a major fault line for O’Rourke as he transitions from a statewide campaign in which occasional votes with the Republicans can be an asset to a new national playing field where some see those moves as political apostasy.

The Senate on Monday passed a bill that would remove a cap on the number of school personnel that can carry firearms at schools. It is the chamber's latest tweak to the marshal program since last year's mass shooting at Santa Fe High School.

A little-known and ill-defined provision in state statute offers big tax breaks to landowners who host university research on their property. Two lawmakers are trying — again — to close the "loophole."

"He wouldn’t cast that same vote today with all that he knows and all that he has heard from people," said a spokesman for the former Texas congressman.

"I refuse to act like it is still a possibility and continue to provide false hope to my constituents," state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, said in a statement.