RICK PERRY

Gambling legalization advocates in Texas are going all in again this legislative session, confident that they have built more support since their efforts came up far short in 2021.The push is still an[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Given the stiff headwinds, sports betting and casino advocates may be competing against each other, rather than working in tandem.

Millie Thompson Williams was elected the tribe’s first female second chief, a lifetime appointment, last year. For the first time, her accession comes as women make up the majority of the tribe’s council.

Abbott is on track to becoming Texas’ second-longest-serving governor, behind Rick Perry, who served more than 14 years. Abbott enters his third term after a decisive reelection win in November.

The two Austin-area businessmen, Morgan Warstler and John S. Robison, met with Trump in an Oval Office meeting on Nov. 10, 2020, according to the report. They presented him with a fringe theory that state legislatures could overturn election results.

Presidential aspirants running for reelection while dreaming of the highest office in the land often face an uncomfortable question: Will they commit to serving a full term — should they win one — when their best moment to take a shot at the White House may come sooner than that.

How Texas Monthly’s Paul Burka held the powerful in the Texas Legislature to account—and made the state a better place.

A billboard that reportedly sprung up in Los Angeles and San Francisco this week warned Californians against moving to Texas with an ominous reference to the Uvalde school shooting. The billboard, whose creator remains a mystery, claims that the so-called “Texas Miracle” died in Uvalde, where 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School were fatally shot in May. The “Texas Miracle” is a term popularized by former Gov. Rick Perry in 2011 to highlight the state’s resilient economy amid the Great Recession.

The controversial billboard greeted Los Angeles and San Francisco residents this week. The billboard shows no obvious political affiliation or sponsor.

The billboard, which shows no political affiliation or sponsor, references Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in May.

In Texas, married couples generally can claim only one such exemption, meant to provide some tax relief on properties considered “principal residences.” Homestead exemptions cannot typically be claimed on commercial properties, second homes or income properties.

Texas and U.S. political leaders have made statements following the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on Monday.

Ten years ago, the Texas Republican Party used its platform to oppose teaching critical thinking in schools.

Democratic Texas governor’s race candidate Beto O’Rourke is hoping the Uvalde school shooting can reset the contest in America’s largest red state.

It's been nearly seven years since Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted on felony securities fraud charges.

The Trump White House energy secretary's denial fell apart with some comical evidence from CNN.

With violent crime increasing in much of the U.S., Republicans see a winning strategy in portraying Democrats as soft on crime ahead of this year’s elections.

The medicinal use of hallucinogenic mushrooms is making inroads in U.S. states as military veterans advocate for the therapeutic value of psychedelic drugs, including in conservative states like Utah, Texas and Oklahoma.

A grand jury has declined to indict Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson following a police investigation sparked by lawsuits from 22 women who have accused him of harassment and sexual assault.

Beyond Beto O’Rourke, the candidates on the party’s statewide slate are short on experience in elective office and in statewide campaigns.

March 1 has arrived and Texans who haven't cast an early or absentee ballot are heading to the polls to cast their votes.

A week into early voting in the Texas party primaries, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick launched his latest culture-war volley, an attack on college professors whose teachings about race don’t match his notions about what they should be teaching.

Patrick urged former Gov. Rick Perry to mount a challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a third term. He’s taken the already considerable power concentrated in the state’s No. 2 job to another level, forcing opponents from races and tightening his grip on the Senate.

Rick Perry's comments come amid growing fears of a potential Russian incursion into Ukraine.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s openness to marijuana decriminalization shows that the state, while conservative, isn’t immune to larger trends.

In this week's episode, Matthew speaks with Darla and Patrick about the pandemic in Texas and a mysterious candidate named Rick Perry running for governor.

Rick Perry is running for governor — but not that Rick Perry.The Republican Party of Texas updated its list of candidate filings Monday — hours before the deadline for the March primary election — to [San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

A Springtown man with the same name as the former governor filed Monday to run for the state's top post against Gov. Greg Abbott, raising the prospect of dirty political tricks.

Foster had been the getaway driver, not the triggerman, in a killing that first put him on death row. Former Gov. Rick Perry commuted his death sentence to life in prison in 2007.

Rick Perry on Sunday attacked the Biden administration's energy policies, linking them to inflation.

Any Texas woman who thought her right to a safe, legal abortion would last forever sorely underestimated the opposition. For decades.

In the closing days of the recall effort that could remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, his campaign has found a familiar foil that’s as big as Texas.

Texas was once a model of how to safely and economically move away from mass incarceration. Now the old politics of “law and order” are back.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is using the state seal to shield himself against accusations by former top aides. And former Gov. Rick Perry is using it as well — as a backdrop for a sales pitch.

The former Texas governor says the product he's endorsing can help reduce the need for masking while still protecting people against COVID-19.

Lawyers fighting sexual assault allegations against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson face a predicament: Defending their client means working to discredit the claims of 22 women who are more likely to be believed four years into the #MeToo movement.

The midsummer race for Ohio’s traditionally Republican 15th Congressional District wouldn’t typically get much national attention.

Texas Republican Jake Ellzey is the newest member of the U.S. House.

Donald Trump's advisers are angry at David McIntosh, president of the conservative Club for Growth, for persuading the former president to endorse a losing candidate in the special election for Texas' 6th District.Why it matters: Susan Wright's defeat Tuesday in a Republican runoff with Navy veteran Jake Ellzey dealt a blow to Trump's aura of invincibility as a Republican kingmaker. It's critical to his 2022 midterm endorsements and continued hold on the GOP.Get market news worthy of your time w

Ellzey and Wright are vying to succeed her late husband, U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington, in the 6th District in North Texas. Early voting for the runoff started Monday and ends Friday.

In 2003, during a bitter fight over a controversial redistricting proposal, Texas House and Senate Democrats left the state on two separate occasions.

Texas Democrats are camping out Washington to try to kill a Republican bill making it harder to vote in the Lone Star State.

People who work in law enforcement deal with situations most of us haven’t encountered.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to keynote the signature fundraiser for the Republican Party in South Carolina.

Many Americans aching for normalcy as pandemic restrictions end are looking forward to traditional Fourth of July fireworks.

Analysis: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott heads for the border

The Texas Legislature has gone home, and Gov. Greg Abbott — who’ll be seeking reelection next year — has returned to the top concern of the state’s Republican voters: immigration and border security.

Guzman's candidacy adds a new dynamic to the primary that is already unfolding between incumbent Paxton and Land Commissioner George P. Bush.

Revisiting a key witness Republicans cited for Trump's supposed exoneration.

The 2022 political season is just starting, but there are already three Republicans with statewide experience running for attorney general — including the incumbent.

Her resignation is effective Friday, she told Gov. Greg Abbott in a letter.

A runoff for a U.S. House seat in Texas is set.

^ Keep Houston Press Free Support Us LocalCommunityJournalismI Support Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free. Support UsThen Texas Governor Ann Richards famously said that George HW Bush had been born with a silver foot in his mouth. But, there were four of them over the last few days who really stepped in it. For now, let's take a look at the worst of the worst. For reference, Colorado City is a town of just under 5,000 people about midway between Abilene and Midland in West Texas.

The Texas House of Representatives on Jan. 13, 2021. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas TribuneSaturday is election day to fill the final vacant seat in the Texas House, as five candidates vie to fill the position that Republican Drew Springer left to join the state Senate. The safely Republican district covers a large swath of rural northwest Texas wrapping around Wichita Falls and up into the Panhandle. Because of the number of candidates, the race is likely to go to a runoff. Springer vacated the seat last month after winning a special election runoff to replace now-U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, in the Texas Senate. Greg Abbott ordered a sped-up special election for Springer's state House seat due to the legislative session, which began earlier this month.

Barr offered his resignation last Monday after weeks of tension with Trump brought about an early exit from his post. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)NEW YORK – President Donald Trump’s administration is ending how it began, with over-the-top declarations of praise for the chief executive. Attorney General William Barr offered his resignation last Monday after weeks of tension with Trump brought about an early exit from his post. In the six weeks since his defeat by Biden, Trump has been increasingly disengaged from his job. But with Trump largely in hiding, it fell to Pence to make a public show of meeting with those distributing the vaccine.

President-elect Joe Biden is eyeing several Democrats who lost congressional reelection races last month for key positions in his administration. President-elect Joe Biden is eyeing several Democrats who lost congressional reelection races last month for key positions in his administration. Their consideration continues a long Washington tradition of defeated politicians seeking shelter in a new White House. A decade later, he headlined a rally for her winning congressional campaign. “More than helping the president, these people can help the White House staff dealing with members of Congress,” said Card.

Trump said that he expected OPEC and the Russians to announce cuts of as much as 15 million barrels off the global total of 100 million. That would send a "clear message that we're just not going to let foreign oil flow in here," Perry said. This would be a win for the smaller and mid-sized producers versus United States' oil majors, who have opposed punitive tariffs. President Trump doesn't have good options. In the end, it is more likely that a US government bailout will save the industry, rather than a global market intervention.

Billionaire former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's performance in his first Democratic presidential debate was so bad that it may be the "beginning of the end" for his already late-starting campaign, pollster Frank Luntz said Thursday. Luntz, a longtime Republican pollster and consultant to NBC's hit series "The West Wing," on CNBC compared Bloomberg's debacle to Rick Perry's debate gaffe in the 2012 race for the GOP presidential nomination. "We will look back at this debate potentially as the beginning of the end [for Bloomberg] because he didn't come across as prepared. Ahead of the Nevada debate, Bloomberg was gaining ground in national polls. Despite participating in the Nevada debate, Bloomberg is not on a ballot until Super Tuesday on March 3, when a third of the delegates are up for grabs in 16 nominating primaries and caucuses.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette slammed New York state regulators on Thursday for blocking pipelines that would bring natural gas from Appalachia to New England, but did not specify whether the Trump administration could do anything to push the projects forward. New York State has blocked the construction of several pipelines that would transport fracked natural gas from the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania to New England, including Williams Cos Incs Constitution and Northeast Supply Enhancement and National Fuel Gas Cos Northern Access. During an extreme cold spell early last year, a tanker of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, arrived in the Boston Harbor from a sanctioned facility in the Russian Arctic. When Perry was secretary, he said New York posed risks to national security by blocking projects but he was unable to stop the state. The Trump administration has pursued an energy dominance policy of rolling back Obama-era environmental standards and seeking to boost production of oil and gas.

Rick Perry with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Perry as one of several senior Trump administration officials who knew about and approved of President Donald Trump's attempt to use the powers of hisRick Perry with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Though it offers few new bombshells, the report details Perrys involvement in Trumps effort, which included participating in a sort of diplomatic back channel with Ukraine led by the presidents personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. The report says that Perry was one of the so-called Three Amigos who Trump put in charge of dealing with Ukraine. Perrys staff excluded embassy personnel from subsequent meetings between Perry and key Ukrainian energy sector contacts, Holmes told the committee.

The Senate on Monday confirmed Dan Brouillette as the next U.S. energy secretary. Brouillette succeeds Rick Perry, who leaves the job as questions swirl in the impeachment inquiry about whether his dealings with Ukraine. Brouillette, 57, has served as the Energy Department's deputy secretary since 2017, and he previously worked for the department under the administration of former President George W. Bush. Trump says Energy Secretary Rick Perry asked him to call Ukrainian presidentDuring his confirmation hearings, Brouillette said he was not a part of any conversation tied to the matters behind the impeachment inquiry. "I'm not aware of the conversations that Secretary Perry had or did not have" with Ukraine, he said.

Of all the missing witnesses, though, Mulvaney stands apart. It was Mulvaney, witnesses said, who organized the unofficial channel of envoys who negotiated with Kyiv: Sondland, Perry and special envoy Kurt Volker. Make that acting chief of staff; hes still on probation after 11 months in the position. When Trump decided to hold next years G-7 summit meeting at one of his resorts in Florida, Mulvaney did not resist. And now Mulvaney has helped Trump blunder into impeachment without even getting the Ukrainian investigation of Biden that he wanted.

The ambassador, a wealthy hotel entrepreneur and Trump donor, detailed Trumps active participation in the Ukraine controversy. Testifying to the House Intelligence Committee, Sondland said he told Pence that a freeze ordered by Trump of $391 million in security aid to Ukraine appeared to be part of the pressure campaign. Trump in a July 25 phone call asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to carry out two investigations. The other involved a debunked conspiracy theory promoted by some Trump allies that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. Trump has said he did nothing wrong in the Ukraine matter and specifically denied any quid pro quo.

REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File PhotoSondlands testimony, in a Democrat-led impeachment probe of Trumps Ukraine dealings, raises questions about Perry, who had been one of Trumps longest-serving and most scandal-free Cabinet members. Trump held up nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine as he asked Zelenskiy to investigate the Bidens. It has not come up in the testimony whether Perry had directly told Sondland that Trump wanted a probe of the Bidens. The Energy Departments spokeswoman, Shaylyn Hynes, said on Wednesday Sondland had misrepresented both Perrys interaction with Giuliani and the direction he received from Trump. Trump has said he made his July 25 call with Zelenskiy at Perrys urging.

In a statement to AP, Bleyzer denied that Perry helped his firm get the gas deal. He said the process was competitive and transparent and "will hopefully serve as an example of how the Ukrainian energy market can be opened for new investments." ___'FREEDOM GAS'As Trump's energy secretary, Perry has flown around the globe to push for U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas, which he calls "Freedom Gas." At an energy industry roundtable in Kyiv in November 2018, Perry said the potential for oil and gas development in Ukraine is "staggering." Less than four weeks later, Ukraine Energy was named the winner of the Varvynska block over the Naftogaz subsidiary.

But their newly created joint venture, Ukrainian Energy, was awarded the 50-year contract because a government-appointed commission determined they had greater technical expertise and stronger financial backing, the documents show. In a statement to AP, Bleyzer denied that Perry helped his firm get the gas deal. Those Western partners also advised Ukraine to appoint an independent supervisory board at Naftogaz, the state-owned energy company, as a guard against corruption and self-dealing. Both Cranberg and Bleyzer were in the room, along with several American and Ukrainian energy industry officials. Less than four weeks later, Ukraine Energy was named the winner of the Varvynska block over the Naftogaz subsidiary.

Copyright 2019 CNNWASHINGTON - WASHINGTON (AP) - The lead lawyer for the National Security Council is expected to defy a subpoena on Monday to appear before House impeachment investigators, as are three other White House witnesses, following President Donald Trump's orders not to cooperate with the probe. John Eisenberg is one of four White House witnesses scheduled for depositions on Monday. The other witnesses subpoenaed for testimony on Monday are White House aide Robert Blair, National Security Council aide Michael Ellis and Office of Management and Budget aide Brian McCormack. Eisenberg was instrumental in discussions about how to handle a White House memo recounting the Trump phone call with Ukraine that is central to the impeachment inquiry. Witnesses called include Perry and former national security adviser John Bolton, but it is unclear if any of them will show up.

The head of the House impeachment inquiry said Monday that the failure of four White House officials to testify despite subpoenas adds to the evidence against President Donald Trump. "This will only add to the body of evidence on a potential obstruction of Congress charge against the president," Schiff said, noting that during the impeachment inquiry into former President Richard Nixon, an article of impeachment was based on obstruction of Congress. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in his dealings with Ukraine and repeatedly attacked the impeachment process. On Monday, he wrote on Twitter, "What I said on the phone call with the Ukrainian President is "perfectly" stated. Perry is scheduled for a deposition on Wednesday, but the Department of Energy has already indicated that the secretary will not appear.

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks during a news conference after the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation conference in Vilnius, Lithuania October 7, 2019. Energy Secretary Rick Perry will refuse to appear before a closed session of House of Representatives committees investigating President Donald Trump for possible impeachment, an Energy Department spokeswoman said on Friday. "The Secretary will not partake in a secret star chamber inquisition where agency counsel is forbidden to be present," spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said in a statement. "If the committee is interested in conducting a serious proceeding they are welcome to send for the Secretary's consideration an invitation to participate in an open hearing where the Department's counsel can be present and the American people can witness," she said.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Tom BrennerABU DHABI (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said on Saturday that conversations with Saudi Arabia on a nuclear program are going forward. Speaking at a round table in Abu Dhabi he added that the United States did everything it could to have a ready global supply of oil.

The outgoing U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry has said he does not believe that U.S. President Donald Trump will be formally impeached, even though political opponents are clearly determined to "harm" him. Perry, who is on a trip to Dubai, told CNBC's Hadley Gamble on Saturday that he didn't think Trump would eventually face articles of impeachment. This is as a big a 'chasing the ghost' as I've seen before," said Perry. Rudy Giuliani the president's private attorney has taken a lead role in communications with some officials in Ukraine. When asked if Giuliani had become a political liability to Trump, Perry said "I don't know," before adding that it is often important to take advice from outside of political administrations.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks during a news conference after the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation conference in Vilnius, Lithuania October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ints KalninsPerrys departure was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday. Perry told Fox he had pushed Trump to make the July call, agreeing with a characterization the president had made earlier. Biden never came up in any discussions Perry had with Zelenskiy or the White House, he said. Perry also said he had no problems about being told to consult with Trumps personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on Ukraine matters.

Perry denies Ukraine connection in telling Trump he will resignRick Perry, U.S. secretary of energy, in Houston on March 13, 2019. Rick Perry, U.S. secretary of energy, in Houston on March 13, 2019. Perry met at least three times with Zelensky, including in May when he led a delegation to Ukraine's presidential inauguration in place of Vice President Mike Pence. Perry insisted the Bidens never came up in conversations with Ukraine officials, though corruption was a mainstay. "We heard corruption in almost every conversation that we had talking about Ukraine and whether or not President Zelensky was going to come over here, because President Trump wasn't going to send American money to a country that had a history of being corrupt," Perry said.

FORT WORTH, Texas/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry will step down by the end of the year, President Donald Trump said on Thursday, a day before a deadline set by congressional Democrats for Perry to turn over documents in the impeachment probe. Trump told an event in Texas that he had known for months that Perry would resign. Well announce it pretty soon.Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette, who has attended several international energy meetings in recent months, is widely expected to replace Perry. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks during a news conference after the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation conference in Vilnius, Lithuania October 7, 2019. In 2018, Trump pressed Saudi Arabia to boost oil exports ahead of his administrations unilateral reimposition of sanctions on Irans oil exports.

Rick Perry, U.S. secretary of energy, speaks during the 2019 CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who will be leaving his post by year's end , said Friday that he is not sure whether he will comply with a subpoena from House Democrats conducting an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. But Perry, who revealed a day earlier that he would be stepping down as Energy secretary, told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" that he would follow the advice of administration lawyers. The White House has rejected the impeachment inquiry as a "witch hunt" and is refusing to comply with its proceedings. Some current and former officials have opted to testify regardless of the messages from the Trump administration.

Newsletter Get our Today's Headlines newsletter SubscribeAdvertisementThe Five-Day Cease-FireThe U.S. and Turkey have reached an agreement for a five-day cease-fire in Syria that will leave the Turks in control of a wide swath of Syrian territory, force formerly U.S.-allied Kurdish militias to withdraw and require the U.S. to drop its newly imposed sanctions against Turkey. Turkey? In the Turkey-Syria border area, residents welcomed the cease-fire but, while they hope for calm, they see danger at every turn. The Creeping TerrorYouve probably never heard of the 160-mile-long Garlock fault on the northern edge of the Mojave Desert. Hundreds of guitars, pedals, keyboards and other music gear are up for auction today and tomorrow in Beverly Hills. Fittingly enough, it includes the weirdest rare boutique pedals that youve ever seen.If you like this newsletter, please share it with friends.

President Trump has tapped Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette to take Rick Perry's place as energy secretary. "I want to thank Secretary of Energy Rick Perry for the outstanding job he has done," the president tweeted. At the same time, I am pleased to nominate Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette to be the new Secretary of Energy. Before joining the administration, Brouillette was the senior vice president and head of public policy for USAA, and a vice president at Ford Motor Company. Brouillette tweeted his appreciation of Perry Friday afternoon.

Dan Brouillette, United States Deputy Secretary of Energy, seen during an interview with the German Press Agency (dpa) in te course of the 54th Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, 16 February 2018. President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he has nominated Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette to replace departing Energy chief Rick Perry. "I am pleased to nominate Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette to be the new Secretary of Energy. From 1998 to 2000, Brouillette worked as a lobbyist for firm Fleishman-Hillard. Perry will step down at the end of the year, Trump said at a rally in Dallas on Thursday night.

FORT WORTH, Texas/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry will step down by the end of the year, President Donald Trump said on Thursday, a day before a deadline set by congressional Democrats for Perry to turn over documents in the impeachment probe. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks during a news conference after the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation conference in Vilnius, Lithuania October 7, 2019. Well announce it pretty soon.Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette, who has attended several international energy meetings in recent months, is widely expected to replace Perry. Perry was virtually free of the ethics investigations that weighed on other Trump administration officials. In 2018, Trump pressed Saudi Arabia to boost oil exports ahead of his administrations unilateral reimposition of sanctions on Irans oil exports.

EMBED >More News Videos In a final interview as governor, Perry talks about his legacy, Texas' economic climate and moreFORT WORTH, Texas -- Energy Secretary Rick Perry has notified the president that he intends to leave his job soon.That's according to an administration official who confirmed the news on condition of anonymity.Perry was traveling with the president to Texas Thursday when he shared the news aboard Air Force One.Perry is under scrutiny over the role he played in the president's dealings with Ukraine, which are currently the subject of an impeachment inquiry.Perry had disputed reports that he was planning to leave the administration in an interview Wednesday with The Wall Street Journal. But he reportedly left the door open, saying he expected to be at the Energy Department at Thanksgiving, but gave a less definitive answer when asked whether he'd be there through the end of the year.

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks as President Donald Trump looks on during an East Room event on the environment on July 7, 2019, at the White House in Washington, DC. CNBC reports Energy Secretary Rick Perry told President Donald Trump on Thursday that he intends to leave his post. A senior administration official said that his resignation would become effective very soon. Multiple representatives of the Department of Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Perry, formerly the governor of Texas, had largely avoided headlines since joining the Trump administration in 2017. But in recent weeks he became entangled in the Democratic-led impeachment probe into Trumps actions involving Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top White House official on Thursday acknowledged that U.S. President Donald Trump held back military aid for Ukraine earlier this year in part to pressure Kiev to look into allegations about the 2016 U.S. presidential election. FILE PHOTO: Mick Mulvaney, Assistant to the President and Acting Chief of Staff, The White House, speaks during the Milken Institute's 22nd annual Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., April 30, 2019. REUTERS/Mike BlakeActing White House chief of staff Mike Mulvaney told a news conference that such action was absolutely appropriate and said it was part of Trumps larger concerns about corruption in Ukraine. The look back to what happened in 2016 certainly was part of the things that he was worried about in corruption in that nation, Mulvaney said. Mulvaneys reference to 2016 refers to a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine and not Russia interfered in the U.S. election that year and that a Democratic Party computer server was being held somewhere in Ukraine.

Washington Energy Secretary Rick Perry notified President Trump Thursday that he plans to resign, two administration sources familiar with the matter tell CBS News. Bloomberg News first reported Perry had informed Mr. Trump of his intention to leave. Mr. Trump told reporters on Thursday that he already has his replacement, but he did not clarify who it is. At the Louis Vuitton Workshop ribbon cutting in Dallas on Thursday, Mr. Trump singled out Perry, who was in attendance. Mr. Trump said he was "going to miss him so much" and said he has done a "fantastic job."

A majority of Texans believe the state is on the right track, while a plurality thinks the country is on the wrong track, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.