Moderate Democrats win two key South Texas runoffs, while another is too close to call
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s too-close-to-call runoff got most of the attention, but three other primary runoffs Tuesday carried big stakes for Democrats as they try to defend South Texas from a new GOP offensive.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, endorsed by Trump, wins Republican primary – Houston Public Media
Incumbent AG Ken Paxton prevailed over Land Commissioner George P. Bush despite Paxton facing a 2015 state securities fraud indictment and an ongoing FBI corruption investigation.
houstonpublicmedia.orgTop Texas Republicans resist gun control and push for more armed teachers and police at schools in wake of Uvalde shooting
As President Joe Biden vowed to enact stricter gun laws following the Uvalde shooting, top Texas Republicans worked to create distance between the shooting and potential gun restrictions.
Harris County voting process examined, and important decisions to make toward November elections – Houston Public Media
A look at the Harris County new voting process. And, when picking candidates for the November general election, can Republicans keep up its success in state House races? Will Democrats prevail in South Texas?
houstonpublicmedia.orgSen. Murphy after 14 students die in Texas school shooting: 'What are we doing?'
Speaking on the Senate floor after learning a shooter killed 14 students and one teacher at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., asked his colleagues what actions they’re taking to prevent school shootings, saying, “What are we doing? Why are you here?”
news.yahoo.comCoast Guard seizes two lanchas in gulf
Coast Guard crews detected and interdicted two Mexican lanchas illegally fishing in federal waters off South Texas last week, officials report. The Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller crew, in coordination with a Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi air crew, located and stopped two lanchas with a total of eight Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing Thursday. Coast Guard crews detained the Mexican fishermen and transferred them to border enforcement agents for processing and return to Mexico. Lanchas are open boats 20 to 30 feet long with an outboard motor and are capable of speeds exceeding 30 mph. Lanchas are frequently used to transport illegal narcotics to the U.S. and illegally fish in the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone near the U.S.-Mexico border.
myrgv.comOrtiz principal named to Harvard summer institute
Of the 85 educators, 45 were selected in 2020 but were not able to attend the program due to COVID restrictions. Each program is designed to inspire, challenge, and empower school leaders to bring lasting impact to their campuses and communities, the entire state of Texas, and beyond. “I am thrilled to have been selected as part of the 2022 Harvard Leadership Program for school principals. This learning opportunity will allow me to share all we can offer our school communities in a greater magnitude,” said Garza. Following the Harvard Institutes, attendees remain a part of the program’s statewide network of school leaders and are empowered to work together to create change at the campus and district levels.
myrgv.comEnd asylum bans, not our welcoming tradition
As President Biden takes steps to end Trump-era restrictions on asylum, a slew of state politicians are trying to get us pointing fingers at asylum seekers and new immigrants. Instead, we must recommit to Texas’s welcoming tradition by extending a hand. President Biden’s administration has announced steps to end Title 42, which resulted in rapid expulsions of most people seeking safety at the Southern Border. But they need funds to shelter and provide clothes, diapers and meals to arriving asylum seekers. Together, we can ensure that Texas’s welcoming tradition does not end when asylum restrictions do.
myrgv.comAbortion rights backers rally in Brownsville
Supporters of reproductive rights took to Linear Park on Saturday in Brownsville to demonstrate their anger and perseverance to the U.S. Supreme Court, which potentially could strike down Roe v. Wade. In the draft opinion for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Alito asserts that Roe v. Wade must be overturned. While the leaked opinion is just a draft, if adopted, it would remove the federal constitutional protection of abortion rights, allowing each state to decide whether to restrict or ban abortion. For 31-year-old Brownsville resident Viviana Treviño, the rally came at a moment of frustration and dread over the potential unraveling of Roe v. Wade. “We have to take a step back and understand that Roe v. Wade was never enough for our communities—especially in black and brown communities.
myrgv.comTexas Democrats hope threat to Roe v. Wade will energize their voters ahead of the midterm election
Democrats are hopeful that the looming threat of such a stunning political sea change could provide the strongest opportunity yet to energize their voters heading into an election year in which Republicans have been expected to dominate in Texas and beyond.
US quietly expands asylum limits while preparing to end them
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden administration has begun expelling Cubans and Nicaraguans to Mexico under pandemic-related powers to deny migrants a chance to seek asylum, expanding use of the rule even as[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]
sanmarcosrecord.comUS quietly expands asylum limits while preparing to end them
Officials say the Biden administration has begun expelling Cubans and Nicaraguans to Mexico under pandemic-related powers that deny migrants a chance to seek asylum, expanding use of the rule even as it publicly says it has been trying to unwind it.
UTRGV falls at home against No. 6 Texas
6 Texas made its first trip to the Rio Grande Valley in 51 years and handed the UTRGV Vaqueros a 7-2 loss Tuesday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg. Gotta thank the Valley for coming out and supporting us,” UTRGV head coach Derek Matlock said. The atmosphere was unbelievable, we have a lot of fans down here, as well,” said Texas head coach David Pierce. We’re going to grind it out.”The Vaqueros are back in action at 6 tonight against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Chapman Field in Corpus Christi as part of the South Texas Showdown rivalry series. UTRGV is slated to resume Western Athletic Conference play with a three-game series against Tarleton beginning at 7 p.m. Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
myrgv.comSouth Texas sees increase in distracted driving crashes, deaths
Traffic crashes due to distracted driving increased by 16% from 2020 to 2021 in TxDOT’s Pharr district. 2021 saw 2,450 crashes involving distracted driving, 20 deaths and 68 serious injuries. In the state of Texas alone there were a total of 93,497 crashes related to distracted driving which resulted in a total of 431 deaths and 2,932 serious injuries. The data shows a 16% increase in statewide crashes involving distracted driving and a 17% increase in fatalities. Eyes off the road, hands off the wheel and mind off driving are some of the top contributors to distracted driving.
myrgv.comAnalysis: Gerrymandering has left Texas voters with few options
The biggest blow to Texans’ voting rights isn’t found in the election laws. It’s in the political maps, where voters’ choices are overwhelmed by the partisan desires of politicians.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] Opinions San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]
sanmarcosrecord.comAnalysis: Gerrymandering has left Texas voters with few options
Texans who don’t vote in primaries and primary runoffs are missing a chance to choose who goes to Congress and the Texas Legislature. Thanks to the political maps drawn by lawmakers last year, only a handful of those contests will be competitive in November.
Beto O’Rourke carefully threads needle on border policy as Democrats grapple with the issue
For Democrats, especially in Texas, tackling border issues is difficult on the campaign trail as the party is not in agreement about various policies. O’Rourke has had to distance himself from President Joe Biden’s border policies, while going after Gov. Greg Abbott’s.
Abbott ends inspections that clogged commercial traffic at U.S.-Mexico border for more than a week
The deals Abbott made with three of the four Mexican border governors don’t include any new security measures south of the border. Abbott threatened to restart the inspections if Mexican states don’t slow migration to Texas.
Democrats are in danger of losing three congressional strongholds in South Texas
The seats in question are held by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo and Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen. A third vacant seat recently belonged to Filemon Vela of Brownsville, who stepped down to take a private sector lobbying job.
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela’s resignation announcement sparks a sudden special-election scramble in hotly contested South Texas
A special election will determine who finishes Vela’s term, and while the winner will only serve for a short period, Republicans are already eyeing the contest to show momentum in South Texas.
Republicans more than doubled turnout in the Rio Grande Valley compared with the last midterm primary
Democrats in the region still had higher turnout, but Republicans celebrated the narrowing of the gap. Despite the improvement, nearly 87% of registered voters in the Rio Grande Valley did not vote in the primary, similar to the rate in 2018.
Texas far-right conservatives spent millions to oust House GOP leaders, to little avail
In the Texas House, the biggest intraparty attack on Republican leadership came from the Defend Texas Liberty PAC, led by former state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford. Backed by hard-right donors like Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, West Texas oil tycoons, the group spent at least $5.2 million from January onward.
Greg Casar, Jessica Cisneros and Jasmine Crockett, young progressive candidates for Congress, want to push Texas leftward
Redistricting has empowered activists of both parties to push platforms further right or left. Progressives view three key Democrats’ advancements in the Texas primary election as a potential turning point for their movement.
Parties’ activist wings see mixed results in Texas as Abbott advances, progressives fall short of goals
Gov. Greg Abbott and most other statewide elected officials won their primaries Tuesday night. But Attorney General Ken Paxton was forced into a runoff, and progressive Democrats fell short of their congressional goals.
Feds seek to protect rare Texas plant in the path of border wall construction
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule earlier this week to list the prostrate milkweed, which lives along the Texas-Mexico border, as an endangered species. The rare plant is threatened in part by border security activities, scientists say.
Republican incumbents hold big leads in statewide March primary races, UT poll says
The poll shows Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have a significant advantage over their primary opponents. Democratic respondents heavily support Beto O’Rourke for governor but don’t know enough about the party’s candidates in other races.