Meanwhile in Texas
May 6, 2021
Texas GOP Chair Allen West Challenges Tardy Reporter to Drop and Give Him Thirty
He challenged a reporter to perform the calisthenics, then decided to do them himself.
Politics & Policy
Reporting and commentary on the Legislature, campaigns, and elected officials
Politics & Policy
May 4, 2021
Some Legislators Want to Drown Out Local Austin Officials by Cranking Up the Volume at Bars
A House bill doesn’t identify the capital city by name, but would make it the lone municipality in Texas whose noise ordinances are set by the Lege.
Politics & Policy
May 3, 2021
What Exactly Does John Cornyn Do All Day? Well, for One Thing, He Tweets. A Lot.
A recent analysis found Texas’s senior senator is the most prolific tweeter in Congress.
Politics & Policy
May 2, 2021
The “Trump Effect” Helped One Republican Beat 22 Other Candidates in Texas Last Night
After Donald Trump’s endorsement, Susan Wright separated from the pack in the crowded congressional special election.
Politics & Policy
May 2, 2021
Austinites Ban Public Homeless Camps, While San Antonio Voters Protect the Police’s Ability to Collectively Bargain
Plus, Lubbock becomes Texas's largest "sanctuary city for the unborn."…
Film & TV
April 30, 2021
Is Randy Quaid Serious About Running for California Governor? His Tweet Sounds Like It.
Plus: Texas transplants Elon Musk and Joe Rogan attract yet more controversy, Ted Cruz gets into it with ‘The Daily Show,’ and Selena Gomez explores her dark side.
Politics & Policy
April 28, 2021
Why Dan Patrick Is in a Quandary Over a Bill to Allow Texans to Carry a Gun Without a Permit
The lieutenant governor is no stranger to forcing votes on controversial issues, but a new gun bill the House passed has concerned some members of his Senate caucus.
Politics & Policy
April 27, 2021
Texas Can Brag About Two New Seats in Congress, But It Should’ve Been Three
State officials didn’t make an effort to count every Texan, falling short of the census numbers needed to run up the score on California and other states.
News
April 24, 2021
Private Jets, “Shopping Homes,” and WhatsApp: How Mexico’s Elite Accessed Texas’s Vaccine Supply
As vaccination rollout in their country has been slow, wealthy Mexicans have spent thousands on expensive trips abroad to get inoculated.
Politics & Policy
April 22, 2021
Two Key Issues, Buried in Red Meat, to Watch for in the House’s Budget Debate
Amid a slate of culture war offerings, lawmakers are set to discuss Medicaid expansion and accessing COVID-19 relief funds for schools.
Politics & Policy
April 21, 2021
A Section of Trump Border Wall in South Texas Cost $27 Million a Mile. It’s Being Foiled by $5 Ladders.
“Ladders and walls go together like peas and carrots,” says one McAllen Border Patrol agent.
Politics & Policy
April 20, 2021
The GOP Case Against Texas’s Proposed New Voting Restrictions
A large majority of Texas Republicans believe the unsupported claims of leaders that the 2020 election was stolen. But some in the party think “election integrity” legislation could backfire.
Politics & Policy
April 19, 2021
An Anti-Trump Republican Dares to Run for Congress in North Texas
Michael Wood, a Marine reserve major, believes enough voters in the Fort Worth area share his views to push him into the runoff in a very crowded field.
Politics & Policy
April 17, 2021
Why Have Texas’s Restrictive Voter Bills Received Less Corporate Pushback Than the Ones in Georgia?
A few of Texas's big businesses have publicly criticized efforts to make voting more difficult. But many more, fearful of Republican retribution, are trying to keep their heads down.
Politics & Policy
April 16, 2021
10-Year-Old Activist Kai Shappley on Fighting for Trans Kids in the Texas Lege
The Pearland native went viral this week for her poised and powerful testimony against anti-trans bills.
Politics & Policy
April 14, 2021
How Greg Abbott Became the Most Powerful Governor in Texas History
The state’s top elected official used to have limited sway. But Abbott has steadily seized authority from the Legislature and governing boards—a process accelerated by the pandemic.
Books
April 9, 2021
When the Political Gets Personal
Veteran Austin journalist Bill Minutaglio’s latest book is a crowd-pleasing account of heated political battles in Texas over the past 150 years. But does it get the big picture right?…
Politics & Policy
April 8, 2021
How the Digital Divide Is Failing Texas Students—And Why That Might Be About to Change
For rural families who lack reliable, high-speed internet, Zoom-style instruction is a luxury.
Politics & Policy
April 7, 2021
The GOP’s Voter Restriction Bill Would Be a Do-over of the Attempted Voter Purge of 2019
Provisions of Senate Bill 7 would require some naturalized citizens to prove their right to vote.
Politics & Policy
April 3, 2021
Forty-seven Days Without Running Water After the Winter Storm—and Counting
In Houston’s Third Ward, where some residents’ homes were extensively damaged, a fight for repairs has reached a breaking point.
Politics & Policy
April 2, 2021
Natural Gas Producers Are Getting a Pass From the Lege After the Blackouts
Many industries bear a portion of the blame for the failure of Texas’s electric grid. But one seems to be escaping strict requirements to better prepare for future storms.
Politics & Policy
April 1, 2021
Meet “Big Dan” Rodimer, the Jersey Guy Who Wants to Be a Texas Cowboy (and Congressman)
You ain’t a cowboy till your stunt double’s been bucked off.
Politics & Policy
March 26, 2021
Seven Texas Lawmakers to Watch
A guide to the key players in the 87th Legislature who are trying to stuff ten pounds of “priorities” into a five-pound sack.
Politics & Policy
March 25, 2021
Briscoe Cain Has Proved Ineffectual at Chairing the House Elections Committee. So Why Does He Have the Job?
Governor Greg Abbott has identified passing “election integrity” bills as one of his priorities for this legislative session, but the man in charge of ushering such legislation through the Texas House seems not up to the task.
Politics & Policy
March 19, 2021
Why Is Dan Patrick All in on Repricing Electricity Overcharges?
The lieutenant governor has long responded to crises with more talk than legislation. But is something different this time as he deals with the aftermath of the blackout?…
Politics & Policy
March 17, 2021
Dan Patrick Declares War on “Green” Wall Street Investors
The lieutenant governor wants to require state pension and education funds to divest from financial giants that are trimming their investments in oil and gas—but he hasn’t thought through the potential consequences.
Politics & Policy
March 17, 2021
Why Is Art Acevedo Leaving Houston?
Political insiders say the police chief’s move to Miami follows a turbulent year in which his hopes of being elected mayor began to look delusional.
Politics & Policy
March 17, 2021
They Couldn’t Show Up to Court in Person. Their Evictions Proceeded Anyway.
Houston has become a hot spot for pandemic removal proceedings. For tenants such as Evelyn Powers, relief has been hard to come by.
Business
March 16, 2021
Some on Wall Street Profited off Texas Blackouts. In a Private Call, a Top Regulator Pledged He Would Try to Protect Their Windfall.
Public Utility Commission chairman Arthur D’Andrea apologized to investors last week for the “uncertainty” around its profits.
Politics & Policy
March 14, 2021
Texan Adoptees Are Fighting for the Right to Access Their Own Birth Certificates
Fed up with DNA tests and expensive investigators, some adult adoptees are fighting the state for access to their original birth records.
Food
March 8, 2021
“A Matter of Life and Death”: Latino Food Workers Are Terrified as COVID-19 Restrictions End
They fear that the end of the mask mandate and the influx of spring break crowds is a recipe for danger.
Business
March 4, 2021
Despite Losing Power for Days, Texans Will Pay Higher Power Bills—Perhaps for Decades to Come
The bankruptcies and staggering electricity charges are beginning to arrive. Could it go from bad to worse?…
Energy
March 3, 2021
The Great Texas Blackout Was Caused by a Failure to Ensure Supplies of Natural Gas
State leaders have pointed fingers at everything from windmills to the bureaucrats at ERCOT. But the real issue is the electric grid’s reliance on a lightly regulated natural gas production industry.
Politics & Policy
March 2, 2021
Greg Abbott Celebrated Texas Independence Day by Ending COVID-19 Restrictions
The vast majority of Texans have yet to receive a single dose of vaccine, but the state is done imposing public health measures.
Politics & Policy
March 2, 2021
Ted Cruz’s Attempt to Court Trump’s Base Meets a Predictable Obstacle: Trump
In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Texas’s junior senator tossed red meat but was overshadowed by the former president.
Politics & Policy
February 26, 2021
He Rioted at the Capitol. Then for Weeks He Lived in Luxury While Hiding From the FBI.
Luke Coffee, a director and actor who appeared on NBC’s ‘Friday Night Lights,’ found QAnon during the pandemic and then spent a month trying to evade the consequences of the path it led him down.
Politics & Policy
February 25, 2021
They Accused a Man of Sexual Assault in a Small West Texas Town. That Was Only the Beginning.
When several women spoke out against a powerful man in the former ghost town of Terlingua, the backlash was fierce.
Politics & Policy
February 25, 2021
Who’s Responsible for the Texas Blackouts?
Our governor and lawmakers want to blame everyone but themselves for the February blackouts, the latest crisis of their own making.
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2021
Ed Hirs Has Been Predicting This Mess for Years
The Houston-based energy economist is our blackout Cassandra. Will state officials finally heed his advice?…
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2021
Q&A With ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness
Texas Monthly talks to the ERCOT chief about why the blackouts happened and what needs to change now.
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2021
The Texas Blackout Is the Story of a Disaster Foretold
Those in charge of Texas’s deregulated power sector were warned again and again that the electric grid was vulnerable.
Politics & Policy
February 18, 2021
Steve and Ted’s Excellent Adventures
Austin’s mayor, Steve Adler, and the state’s junior senator, Ted Cruz, are the latest Texas politicians to take ill-considered vacations.
Politics & Policy
February 18, 2021
13 Curses to Mutter Against Ted Cruz While You Boil Snow to Drink
May you make direct eye contact with your neighbor during your yard pee.
Politics & Policy
February 17, 2021
The Winter Storm, in Photos: How Texans Are Surviving the Historic Freeze
As multiple crises unfold across the state, photographers captured Texans doing their damnedest to keep warm and safe.
News
February 17, 2021
What Went Wrong With Texas’s Main Electric Grid and Could It Have Been Prevented?
An energy expert explains why some four million Texans suffered a barrage of winter storms without heat in their homes.
Politics & Policy
February 11, 2021
What the Newest Lone Star Secessionists Really Want
Some Texans have long argued for leaving the Union. State representative Kyle Biedermann’s recent agitating about doing so is attracting an eager audience.
Politics & Policy
February 11, 2021
Californians Could Ruin Texas—But Not the Way You Might Think
Lone Star State leaders have worried about transplants importing West Coast values and politics here. But they’ve largely ignored the more pressing challenges newcomers are bringing with them.
Politics & Policy
February 11, 2021
There’s One Thing Missing in the Biden Administration: Texans
Lone Star Democrats have almost nowhere to hang their hats in the most diverse administration in U.S. history.
Politics & Policy
February 10, 2021
How Republican Lawmakers Might Redraw the Texas Congressional Map
The state is expected to receive three new U.S. House seats. But those looking to expand the GOP majority in the congressional delegation won’t have an easy task.
Business
February 8, 2021
The Buc-ee’s Stops Here: Why the Iconic Chain Is Facing a Backlash East of the Sabine
Turns out not everyone loves Texas-size gas stations (or 13 varieties of jerky).