Politics

In the latest about-face on voting rights under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice no longer supports efforts to force Texas back under federal oversight of its electoral map drawing.

Following a deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School in May that left 10 dead and 13 others wounded, Gov. Greg Abbott released a 43-page school safety plan outlining suggestions for bills the Legislature could pass this session to reduce the threat of gun violence in Texas schools.

Beto O'Rourke is on the road again.

Facing calls to run for president after his closer-than-expected loss to Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, O'Rourke has embarked on a trip outside Texas, the first stops of which he detailed in a Medium post Wednesday. O'Rourke, a Democrat, indicated he was traveling along U.S. Route 54 from his El Paso hometown, through New Mexico, across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, and into Kansas.

Republican Greg Abbott began a second term as Texas governor Tuesday by promising lower taxes and a school funding overhaul but without mentioning a national policy dispute that weighs heavily on his state: President Donald Trump's demand for a border wall.

President Trump's choice to lead the Justice Department, William Barr, is likely to enter a contentious scene when he answers questions from lawmakers beginning Tuesday morning.

Julián Castro, in his first stop since announcing his presidential campaign, told Hispanic political leaders in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday that President Donald Trump "failed the people of Puerto Rico" with his administration's response to Hurricane Maria and vowed to far better represent the U.S. territory if elected to replace him.

You won't see Beto O'Rourke announce whether he's running for president in 2020 for a while. But you may see him do almost anything else in the meantime.

"So, I'm here at the dentist," the former Democrat congressman said with a giggle during a teeth-cleaning seen live on Instagram last week, before quizzing the dental hygienist about life along the U.S.-Mexico border.

SAN ANTONIO — Julián Castro made it official Saturday: He is running for president.

A group of state leaders with huge influence over what public services receive funding said Friday they were prepared to make a significant withdrawal from the state’s savings account.

Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke will head to New York next month for a live interview with Oprah Winfrey as he continues to mull a 2020 presidential run.

O'Rourke will be part of "Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations from Times Square" on Feb. 5. He'll speak to Winfrey one-on-one as part of an event featuring others, including actors Bradley Cooper and Michael B. Jordan.

O'Rourke, 46, rose to national Democratic prominence while nearly unseating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in deep red-Texas last November.

Texas could help build President Donald Trump’s long-promised border wall, the president suggested Thursday — an idea that apparently came from the state’s outspoken lieutenant governor, a vocal advocate for border security.

President Donald Trump arrived in on the Texas border in McAllen to make the case for his long-promised border wall after negotiations with Democrats blew up over his funding demands.

Trump traveled on Thursday on the 20th day of a partial government shutdown. He is seeking to use the trip to bolster his argument that a wall is needed on security and humanitarian grounds.

Shahid Shafi identifies as a Republican because of his firm belief in small government, lower taxes and secure borders. But his commitment to core GOP values hasn’t shielded him from ire within his own party.

A group of Tarrant County Republicans will vote Thursday evening on whether to remove Shafi as vice-chairman of the county party after a small faction of members put forth a formal motion to oust him because he's Muslim.

Texas' top three elected leaders are looking to show a united front as the 2019 legislative session begins — and start fresh after the drama of last session.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's remarks to the nation Tuesday night on his proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

President Donald Trump made a somber televised plea for border wall funding Tuesday night, seeking an edge in his shutdown battle with congressional Democrats as he declared there is "a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul."

It’s a fraught time for these newly-elected members of Congress to come to Washington, including for Dallas Democrat Colin Allred.

A gray fog descended on Austin Tuesday morning, but the scene inside the Texas Capitol was all colorful and festive to mark the first day of the 86th biennial legislative session.

And perhaps the loudest celebration took place in the Texas House, where lawmakers whooped and hollered after the unanimous election of state Rep. Dennis Bonnen as House speaker.

President Donald Trump is headed to the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced the trip Monday morning, saying Trump will visit the border "to meet with those on the frontlines of the national security and humanitarian crisis."

No additional details were available, including whether Trump would visit the part of the border in Texas. But the Federal Aviation Administration has issued an alert for "VIP movement" near McAllen on Thursday.