Politics & Policy
August 28, 2020
Yes, This Interchange in Houston Is the Same Size as an Entire City Center in Italy
Siena, Italy, crams 30,000 people into the amount of space occupied by a five-stack interchange in the Bayou City.
Politics & Policy
Reporting and commentary on the Legislature, campaigns, and elected officials
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Politics & Policy
August 24, 2020
Lina Hidalgo and Sylvester Turner Appear United. But Behind the Scenes Their Styles Clash.
The Harris County judge has frequently pushed for bolder pandemic policy than Houston’s mayor, adopting a new style of politics her critics say Texans aren’t ready for.
Politics & Policy
August 21, 2020
Why One Expert Predicts a Major Hurricane Hitting Houston Would Be “America’s Chernobyl”
Terence O'Rourke has spent a decade warning officials that a storm making landfall directly in Galveston Bay could be much worse than even Harvey.
Critters
August 19, 2020
A Texas Program Has Achieved Remarkable Success in Protecting Rare Sea Turtles. So Why Does the National Park Service Want to Defund It?
The world’s most endangered sea turtle has made an impressive comeback, attracting thousands of visitors to North Padre Island, but now advocates say it may be at risk again.
Politics & Policy
August 17, 2020
A Southwestern University Frat Tried to End Confederate Traditions—and Was Suspended
SU Kappa Alpha brothers believe they were disciplined for the content of a social media post; the national organization says they violated protocol.
The National Podcast of Texas
August 14, 2020
Paul Begala Wrote the Book on Defeating Donald Trump
On The National Podcast of Texas, the legendary Democratic strategist on whether Texas is swingable and what it’ll take for Joe Biden to win.
Politics & Policy
August 14, 2020
“I Have Nothing Left at the End of the Month”
A jobless Texan on life without the $600 federal unemployment payments.
Politics & Policy
August 11, 2020
What Sheryl Sculley Learned While Battling San Antonio’s Police and Fire Unions
The former city manager talks about a dead rat in a gift basket, a poop sandwich, and her timely new memoir, ‘Greedy Bastards.’
Politics & Policy
August 4, 2020
UT’s Plan for Reopening Is to Hope College Students Stop Acting Like College Students
UT-Austin hit students with a request that at any other time would have seemed ridiculous: before classes start, would they please spend 14 days in self-quarantine?
Politics & Policy
July 30, 2020
Texas Chefs: If Bill Doesn’t Pass, Many Restaurants Will Close for Good
Kevin Fink, Chris Shepherd, and others are lobbying lawmakers to pass the $120 billion grant program that has bipartisan support.
Politics & Policy
July 30, 2020
Congressman Gohmert Has Had a Louie of a Week
The East Texas Republican tested positive for the coronavirus after refusing to wear a mask—which almost made us forget about his supporters allegedly beating up his opponent’s campaign manager.
Business
July 29, 2020
How Tesla Was Lured to Austin
Travis County offered the electric car giant a package of tax incentives worth about $1,200 a year for each of the five thousand jobs it promises to create at its new factory.
Politics & Policy
July 24, 2020
The Rio Grande Valley Is Texas’s Coronavirus Hot Spot
The death rate from COVID-19 in deep South Texas is more than twice the state average.
Politics & Policy
July 22, 2020
Nearly Two Thirds of Texans Say That COVID-19 Is “Out of Control”
New polling indicates that the governor’s office is lagging behind mainstream opinion of the coronavirus pandemic.
Politics & Policy
July 22, 2020
After the Protests: Four Perspectives on the State’s Criminal Justice System
While demonstrators marched in cities and towns across the country, a police union rep, an activist, a legislator, and an attorney sat down to discuss how to break the deadlock and bring about better policing.
Politics & Policy
July 21, 2020
The Texas GOP Held Its Convention on Zoom—and It Was a Comic Disaster
When Texas Republicans gather for their biennial convention, it's usually an impressive show of force. This time, it was an embarrassment.
Politics & Policy
July 17, 2020
Greg Abbott’s Penchant for the Path of Least Resistance Has Led Texas to the Brink of Disaster
The COVID-19 crisis is the predictable result of the governor muddling through things.
Politics & Policy
July 16, 2020
“Your Butt Is Perfect”: Those Austin Police Department Thank-you Cards Are Even Stranger Than You Thought
An APD tweet went viral after internet sleuths theorized that the cards were a police stunt. We got ahold of documents to find the truth.
Politics & Policy
July 15, 2020
Roundup: Texas Primary Runoffs 2020
MJ Hegar defeated Royce West in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Troy Nehls crushes Kathaleen Wall in Fort Bend County, and other key results.
Politics & Policy
July 14, 2020
Facing a Tough Runoff Election, Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore Discusses Her Record on Race and Police Brutality
After running second in the Democratic primary to a progressive challenger, Moore argues that her critics haven’t done their homework.
Politics & Policy
July 13, 2020
Can You Vote Curbside in the Texas Runoffs?
Access to mail-in ballots has been restricted by the courts, but Texans might be able to vote from their car.
Politics & Policy
July 13, 2020
How a New Jersey Divinity Student Helped Transform the Texas Criminal Justice System
Jim McCloskey, the godfather of the innocence movement, changed the way we think about crime and punishment.
Politics & Policy
July 13, 2020
Senator Eddie Lucio Jr. Is Likely to Hold His Office, but He’s Campaigning As If He’s on the Ropes
A sleepy Democratic primary runoff against challenger Sara Stapleton-Barrera heated up last week when a mailer, using a nickname for the incumbent, incited numerous political allies to rally behind him.
Politics & Policy
July 11, 2020
Trump’s Impeachment Drove Pete Sessions to Run for Congress Again. Then He Got Tangled Up in the Inquiry.
Republican primary runoff candidate Renee Swann has circled around her opponent’s implication in the Ukraine scandal, perhaps worried that any attacks might not play well in a bright red district.
The National Podcast of Texas
July 10, 2020
Dr. Peter J. Hotez on How the Federal Government Failed Texas on the Coronavirus
On the National Podcast of Texas, the pioneering vaccine scientist explains why he believes the White House has put Texans in grave danger.
Politics & Policy
July 9, 2020
The Primary Runoffs Have Finally Arrived. Here’s What to Watch For.
Originally scheduled for May and pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic, the elections feature a few key races, some scandal-ridden candidates, and many old friends.
Health
July 9, 2020
Mr. Westbrook’s Last Song
He was a high school band director and the cornerstone of a lively music scene in southeast Texas—and then a Saturday night gig exposed him to the coronavirus.
Politics & Policy
July 9, 2020
Kathaleen Wall Is All Over Local TV, Thanks to Her Ads. In the Real World, She’s Harder to Find.
Facing a runoff to become the GOP candidate for a congressional district south of Houston, Wall is putting her personal wealth—but not much shoe leather—into her campaign.
Texas History
July 3, 2020
Why Texas Still Celebrates Confederate Heroes Day
Recent attempts to abolish the holiday have failed. But things might be different when lawmakers return to Austin in January.
Politics & Policy
July 2, 2020
Meet the Republican Candidates and Elected Officials in Texas Promoting QAnon
Some politicians fully embrace the conspiracy theory while others say they’re embracing it just to get attention.
Politics & Policy
June 30, 2020
A Socially Distanced Senate Runoff Debate Finally Got MJ Hegar and Royce West to Throw Down
The race to choose a Democratic challenger to John Cornyn has been overshadowed by other news, but it finds the Texas Democratic Party bitterly divided.
Politics & Policy
June 29, 2020
Mike Pence Preaches to a Maskless Choir in Dallas
With Donald Trump’s approval rating dropping among his formerly reliable white evangelical base, the administration dispatched the vice president to Robert Jeffress’s First Baptist Church.
Politics & Policy
June 26, 2020
The COVID-Related Death of a Local Republican Official Points to the Risks of an In-Person Texas GOP Convention
Days after he attended his county party convention, Bill Baker was hospitalized with COVID-19. In three weeks, more than 7,000 Republicans will descend on Houston.
Politics & Policy
June 25, 2020
Will Politics Prevent Us From Dealing With the Next Wave?
After initially deferring to city and county leaders on COVID-19 response, Governor Abbott has renewed his battle with local government.
Politics & Policy
June 24, 2020
Ronny Jackson Was Trump’s Doctor. Now He Wants to Be the President’s Best Friend in Congress.
It’s an unusual and risky campaign strategy: Jackson is trying to appeal primarily to Trump, in the hopes that the voters will follow.
Border & Immigration
June 23, 2020
I Finally Became a U.S. Citizen Amid the Pandemic
After a lifetime of wanting to taking the oath, the moment finally came in a quick, socially distanced ceremony in San Antonio.
Politics & Policy
June 19, 2020
A Broadway Veteran Channels Ann Richards
Holland Taylor’s renowned one-woman play about the late Texas governor is now airing as a part of PBS’s ‘Great Performances.’
Politics & Policy
June 19, 2020
“It Felt Like We Could Finally Take a Deep Breath”: A DACA Recipient on Thursday’s Supreme Court Ruling
Greisa Martinez Rosas tells Texas Monthly about her feelings on the decision, and the future of the immigrant rights movement.
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2020
Greg Abbott Invites You to Figure Out What His Coronavirus Executive Orders Allow
A month and a half after telling local officials they couldn't mandate masks, the Texas governor congratulated a local official on realizing that, actually, they could.
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2020
Could Voting by Mail in November Become an Act of Civil Disobedience?
Unless the courts rule decisively, Texas voters could face a terrible choice: risk their health at the polls, or risk prosecution by using a mail-in ballot.
Energy
June 18, 2020
The “Mother Fracker” Reckons With the Mother of All Oil Busts
Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield has been through more ups and downs than just about anyone in the business. This bust, he says, will change everything—forever.
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2020
The Next Legislature Will Meet Amid an Economic Nightmare. What Could Go Wrong?
It's March 2021 and Democrats are in power again, the state budget is a bloodbath, and the coronavirus stalks the Capitol.
Health
June 18, 2020
The Key to Mending the Economy? Expanding Health-Care Access
No, Medicaid expansion isn’t a perfect solution. But it’s the best way to ensure more workers can return to their jobs.
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2020
A Civil Rights March in Lockhart Was Peaceful, but Counterprotesters Threatened Violence
A social media “rant” from a deputy constable led to a flurry of comments about ramming demonstrators, but the action went on without incident.
Politics & Policy
June 17, 2020
Remembering William S. Sessions (1930–2020), the San Antonian Who Ran the FBI During the Branch Davidian Standoff
From bringing down the “Duke of Duval” to becoming the first FBI director to be fired, Sessions was a lawman to his core.
Politics & Policy
June 13, 2020
Texas Has Shifted to an “It’s Your Responsibility” Pandemic Plan
As new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations reach their highest levels yet, the state is relying less on restrictions and more on individual decisions.
Politics & Policy
June 11, 2020
The Texas GOP Gives Itself a Tough Task: Rooting Out Racism in the Party
After GOP leaders in 12 counties posted racist responses to the George Floyd protests, top Republicans declared war on bigotry in their party. It’s not going to be easy.
Politics & Policy
June 10, 2020
Black Studies Scholar Peniel Joseph on the Significance of the BLM Protests
The UT professor sees echoes of the past—and hope for the future—in the demonstrations rocking the nation.
Politics & Policy
June 10, 2020
The Military Trained Him in Iraq. Now, as a Protester, He’s Watching Police Use Similar Tactics.
Taye Johnson has been demonstrating outside Austin police headquarters with a message informed by his own service.
Politics & Policy
June 6, 2020
Black Lives Matter Comes to Vidor—Yes, Vidor
On Saturday, a diverse crowd of 150 showed up in Vidor, once known as a Klan stronghold, to turn their backs on the town's past.