Politics
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VIDEO: Texas lawmakers push for toll road reform
Texans are feeling trapped by toll roads, and state lawmakers are taking notice. Nearly 20 bills have been proposed to reform the system, including caps on fees, decriminalizing toll fee violations, and letting the community decide where and when new toll roads are built.
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Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs, according to internal memo
“What’s going to happen is VA’s not going to perform as well for veterans, and veterans are going to get harmed,” said Michael Missal, who was the VA’s inspector general for nine years until he was fired last month by Donald Trump.
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A surge in bee deaths is hurting Texas beekeepers — and could affect the price of produce
Commercial beekeepers in Texas have lost about two thirds of their honey bees since June last year, according to a recent survey.
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What Trump’s order making English the official language in the US could mean
If the US declares English as its official language, they’ll be barriers to citizenship and voting.
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Texas Legislature proposes $400 million cut to higher ed as Dan Patrick threatens university budgets over DEI
At a public event last week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said higher ed would get less funding if they don’t “kick DEI out of their schools,” a few weeks after lawmakers proposed a massive cut to public universities.
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Fort Worth to spend hundreds of millions to meet booming water demand. Here’s where
With the Fort Worth area’s population expected to grow by more than half a million over the next 20 years, plans to expand pipelines and water treatment plants to meet the city’s growth are moving forward.
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As Texas’ energy demand soars, a pilot program looks to bolster grid with “virtual power plants” fueled by people’s homes
Some Texans who install residential batteries, solar panels and smart thermostats can now send power back to the grid and get a credit on their bill.
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Despite pleas from women and doctors, Texas may implement even more abortion restrictions
Republicans in the state legislature have already introduced bills seeking to restrict the availability of the abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol.
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Anti-abortion centers face little regulation. The SAD Act could change that.
Democratic lawmakers are pushing for the federal government to better regulate anti-abortion centers, facilities that seek to dissuade people from terminating their pregnancies, The 19th is first to report.
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UNT Health Science Center’s $150M Alzheimer’s study could face cuts under new Trump rule
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth could lose millions in federal funding for medical research under a new Trump administration proposal.
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Texas Senate panel votes to cut property taxes for homeowners
A Texas Senate committee on Tuesday quickly and unanimously advanced a proposal to provide billions of dollars in tax breaks to homeowners in a bid to blunt the state’s high property tax bills.
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Spring forward? Maybe not in Texas as lawmakers mull ending daylight savings time.
Texas lawmakers are reviving efforts to eliminate the decades-long practice of changing the clocks twice a year.
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Texans are ready to puff, and pass, marijuana reform, new poll finds
A new poll from the Hobby School of Public Affairs shows that 69% of Texans support decriminalizing weed possession.
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Texas Senate passes $1B school vouchers bill to spend public funds on private schools
The Texas Senate easily passed a controversial school voucher bill that Democrats criticized for not prioritizing low-income students.
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Texas lawmakers may ban certain lessons at state colleges under expanded DEI crackdown
This year, the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature is expected to pick up where it left off two years ago to address a perceived liberal bias at the state’s public, four-year universities.
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A closer look at Greg Abbott’s Top 7 legislative priorities
Gov. Greg Abbott laid out an ambitious legislative agenda during his State of the State address, including school vouchers, teacher pay, and property taxes.
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Texas’ abortion ban has OB-GYNs working in an environment of ‘extreme fear’
Several Texas doctors spoke to Courier Texas about how the state’s abortion bans are preventing them from properly providing health care.
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VIDEO: Here’s how Republicans want to undercut vaccines in Texas
Parents in Texas can already opt their children out of vaccines and private employers can’t mandate vaccines for their workers. But Texas Republicans aren’t satisfied. Lawmakers have proposed dozens of bills that would make it easier for parents to opt their children out of vaccinations, cast doubt on whether vaccines are effective, and give the…
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Trump orders tariffs on Mexico and Canada — Texas’ biggest trading partners
The tariffs, which also target China, are scheduled to go into effect Tuesday. They prompted immediate efforts to retaliate. President Donald Trump made good on his threat to apply high taxes to imports from Mexico, Canada and China, a move that swiftly brought retaliation from Texas’ leading trading partners and set the stage for a…
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$1 billion school voucher bill clears first hurdle in Texas Senate
A bill creating a $1 billion school voucher program for 100,000 Texas students is on a fast-track for approval in the state Senate.
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Facing first tragedy of his presidency, Trump blames DEI, Obama for plane crash
Sixty-seven people are presumed to be dead after a passenger plane collided Wednesday night with a US Army helicopter midair while approaching Reagan National Airport. Rather than provide measured leadership, Trump blamed DEI and Democrats for the deadly accident.
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Way more Americans are getting sterilized since Roe was struck down, research finds
A new study has found that from May to August 2022, vasectomies surged by 95% and tubal sterilizations increased by 70% among adults ages 19 to 26. Health care professionals across the country have seen this in real time.
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VIDEO: Protesters show support for immigrants as ICE raids start in Texas
President Donald Trump made good on his campaign promise to begin mass deportations once he took office. Eighty-four arrests were confirmed in North Texas on Jan. 26, sparking protests throughout the state. More immigration arrests were made in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and the Rio Grande Valley.
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VIDEO: Rep. Jasmine Crockett swears in for her 2nd term in Congress
US Rep. Jasmine Crockett celebrated with supporters during a public swearing-in for her second term at the Hall of State at Fair Park in Dallas on Jan. 28, where she was joined with her mother Gwen Crockett and Judge Audrey Moorehead on stage. “ I think that today will probably mean more to my district than…
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Tarrant hospitals’ teamwork program prepared to deliver improved maternal health outcomes
Tarrant County’s health systems are taking steps to improve maternal health outcomes with the official start of a first-in-Texas program. Seven hospitals within Baylor Scott & White Health, JPS Health Network and Texas Health Resources will launch the TeamBirth initiative starting this week. The initiative is a collaborative process aimed at closing communication gaps and…
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People are leaving states with abortion bans, according to study
A new analysis from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that since 2022, states with near-total abortion bans appear to have lost 36,000 people per quarter, with single people, who tend to skew younger, being more likely to leave. Tens of thousands of people, in particular single people, have left states with abortion bans…
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U.S. Senate investigation of migrant child’s death finds poor medical care at border protection facilities
The Senate Judiciary Committee launched its investigation following the 2023 death of an 8-year-old girl at a facility in Harlingen. Poor medical care that preceded the 2023 death of an 8-year-old girl at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in Harlingen “was not aberrant but consistent” with other incidents of inadequate medical care received…
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Fort Worth ISD launches investigation into substitute teacher’s posts inviting ICE to North Side High School
Sign up for essential news for the Fort Worth area. Delivered to your inbox — completely free. Fort Worth ISD is investigating a substitute teacher who, according to district officials, posted requests on social media asking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport students from North Side High School. In a statement posted to Facebook,…
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VIDEO: Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s most viral moments
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, known for her clapbacks and viral moments in Congress, will celebrate her swearing in for her second term on Jan. 28 in Dallas.
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Migrants at Texas border in shock after Trump canceled their asylum appointments
Hours after Trump’s inauguration, his administration canceled appointments allowing migrants to enter the U.S. to request asylum, leaving many of them stranded on the U.S.-Mexico border. CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico — Margelis Tinoco Lopez arrived at the border at 4 a.m. Monday for her 1 p.m. immigration appointment along with her husband and her 13-year-old son.…
