Business
May 11, 2022
The U.S. Is Offering Meat Processors $1 Billion in Grants. Will It Actually Help?
Today’s the deadline to apply for federal aid, but some experts say decreasing regulations and hiring more inspectors would be more useful.
Politics & Policy
Reporting and commentary on the Legislature, campaigns, and elected officials
Politics & Policy
May 11, 2022
Don’t Be Certain the Draft Decision Ending Roe Will Drive Texas Turnout
Democratic leaders have predicted that the leaked draft decision will get Texas liberals to the polls. History provides caution.
Politics & Policy
May 10, 2022
Collin College Has a Free Speech Problem
At the sprawling North Texas community college, four professors say they were let go for speaking their minds. They’re not going quietly.
By
Ben Rowen
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Politics & Policy
May 9, 2022
Texas Abortion Doctors Face a Difficult Choice: To Flee or Not to Flee
With an abortion ban looming as the Supreme Court prepares to overturn Roe, the heartbreak of trying to provide reproductive care is too much for some.
Politics & Policy
May 9, 2022
Rick Perry, Drug Pusher
How did the former governor become a leading advocate for psychedelics?
Politics & Policy
May 6, 2022
Will the Threat to Abortion Rights Shake Up Texas’s Tightest Primary Runoff?
U.S. House candidate Jessica Cisneros predicts it will, but most national Democratic leaders are standing behind the incumbent, Henry Cuellar.
Politics & Policy
May 5, 2022
Campaign Cash From Out of State Is Flowing Into Heated School Board Races in the Dallas Suburbs
Frisco is one of Texas’s top school districts. Well-funded candidates for its board are running campaigns designed to stir discontent with public education.
Politics & Policy
May 4, 2022
In a Houston Suburb, Book Bans Fuel a Bitter School Board Race
Two right-wing activists in the high-performing, highly diverse Katy Independent School District aim to unseat incumbents in Saturday’s election.
Politics & Policy
May 4, 2022
What the Bleep Is Going On With Texas Property Taxes?
No, sorry, we can't blame the Californians. Here's more than you ever wanted to know about your home’s skyrocketing appraisal.
Politics & Policy
May 3, 2022
When Reality Meets Wedge-Issue Politics at the Border, Politics Wins
Kevin McCarthy’s trip to Eagle Pass laid bare the bipartisan bankruptcy of U.S. policy.
Politics & Policy
April 29, 2022
Are Texas Republicans on the Verge of Winning Hispanic Majorities?
Greg Abbott says yes. New polling tells a different story.
Politics & Policy
April 27, 2022
Republicans Have Their Knives Out for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
But for now, her two GOP challengers are busy slashing at each other before the May 24 runoff election.
Politics & Policy
April 26, 2022
Cancel Culture Comes for Beto O’Rourke
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate says he wants to have a dialogue with Texans of all persuasions. But in one rural community, Republicans worked to make sure he would have no place to talk or listen.
Politics & Policy
April 20, 2022
Greg Abbott Tried to Act Presidentially. He Might Have Run Afoul of the Law.
A legal expert says the governor’s effective blockading of the border could have violated the U.S. Constitution.
Politics & Policy
April 15, 2022
Greg Abbott’s Unintentionally Warm Welcome of Asylum-Seekers
The governor’s move to bus migrants to D.C. may be an attempt to stick it to Joe Biden, but it’s playing out in ways he didn’t anticipate.
Politics & Policy
April 14, 2022
“Migrant Lockdowns” Are the New Active-Shooter Drills in the Rio Grande Valley
When undocumented immigrants venture near campuses, many schools institute security protocols. But criminal acts by migrants aren't common.
Politics & Policy
April 13, 2022
Is Our Children Learning Too Much?
There’s a long tradition in Texas of moral panics over what schools are teaching kids. The newest iteration is particularly quaint.
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2022
The Dead Sea of West Texas Just Got Deadlier
Dangerous gas leaking from an abandoned well has become an issue in the colorful Railroad Commission runoff election.
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2022
Who Is Greg Abbott?
After a quarter century in statewide office, Texas’s most popular politician remains an enigma—even to the folks who keep electing him. But the truth about the governor is hiding in plain sight.
By
Mimi Swartz
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Politics & Policy
April 8, 2022
Meet the King Ranch Scion Who Wants to Be Texas Land Commissioner
Conservationist, businessman, and filmmaker Jay Kleberg offers unusual qualifications for the job.
Politics & Policy
April 7, 2022
Greg Abbott’s Latest Border Theater
The governor's plans to bus migrants to D.C. and ramp up vehicle inspections at ports of entry have little to do with federal immigration policy.
Politics & Policy
April 6, 2022
A Democratic Congressman’s Gift to the GOP
By chasing an early retirement and triggering a special election, veteran Rep. Filemon Vela of Brownsville has opened up a big opportunity for Republican candidate Mayra Flores.
Politics & Policy
April 5, 2022
Bad News for George P.—Lots of Texas Republicans Just Don’t Like Bushes
Two-fifths of Texas Republicans say they would never vote for a Bush.
Politics & Policy
April 5, 2022
A Texas County Welcomed a Border Militia Last Fall. Now Some Officials Have Grown Weary of It.
The Patriots for America answered Kinney County's call for help cracking down on immigration. The group's methods concern civil liberties groups.
Politics & Policy
April 4, 2022
Texas Abortion Providers Feel “Ignored” by the Biden Administration
After the state’s abortion ban went into effect last year, the president promised a response that experts say has not materialized.
Politics & Policy
April 2, 2022
Texas Log Cabin Republicans Will Settle for a Slightly-Bigger-Tent GOP
At an event of the group of “GLBT” conservatives in Houston, speakers studiously avoided discussion of their party’s anti-trans policies.
Politics & Policy
March 29, 2022
Lina Hidalgo Aides Are Accused of Steering a Contract to an Ally. Internal Communications Paint a Murkier Picture.
Documents shared with Texas Monthly reveal the thinking of some of the Harris County Judge’s staffers in awarding an $11 million bid.
Politics & Policy
March 28, 2022
A Fundamentalist East Texas Church Bought a Sawmill. Injuries and Child Labor Violations Began to Pile Up.
Almost 25 percent of severe injuries at mills in the state since 2017 have occurred at a single facility, owned by members of the Church of Wells.
Politics & Policy
March 21, 2022
Democratic Voters Aren’t Behaving as if They Think Ken Paxton Is Vulnerable
Texas’s attorney general is seen as the most beatable statewide Republican, but Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski are struggling to motivate the Democratic base.
Film & TV
March 19, 2022
A Christian Parent of a Trans Child Battles the Texas Government in a New Doc
‘Mama Bears’ ties together the stories of three conservative families with LGBTQ children, but as the only trans child in the film, Kai Shappley stands out.
Politics & Policy
March 15, 2022
Wendy Davis Lost Her Fight Against Abortion Restrictions. A New Documentary Pretends She Won.
‘Shouting Down Midnight’ is a hagiography of the state senator that tries to impose a triumph narrative for Texas Democrats where none exists.
Politics & Policy
March 14, 2022
How a 27-Year-Old Texan Became the Face of Russia’s American TV Network as It Imploded
The Russian-funded network may have folded, but Texas native Rachel Blevins is still propagandizing for Putin.
Politics & Policy
March 10, 2022
Why Can’t the Biggest County in Texas Run an Election?
The new voting law passed by the Legislature created headaches for those who cast ballots, but the problems with election administration in Harris County run far deeper.
Politics & Policy
March 10, 2022
Texas Democrats Have a Recruitment Problem
Beyond Beto O’Rourke, the candidates on the party’s statewide slate are short on experience in elective office and in statewide campaigns.
Politics & Policy
March 9, 2022
Latinas Are Pushing a Political Revolution in South Texas—to the Right
Monica De La Cruz, Mayra Flores, and Adrienne Peña-Garza, all from Hidalgo County, hope to flip congressional seats across the region.
Politics & Policy
March 8, 2022
Republicans and Democrats Are Both Claiming Victory Based on South Texas Primary Turnout. Who’s Right?
Trying to use March voter counts to predict results in November, as many politicos have done over the past week, is fraught.
Health
March 8, 2022
Texas Aimed to Ban Abortion Pills—But the Law Has Had Little Effect
“Medication abortion,” already the state’s most common method of ending a pregnancy, has only gained in popularity since the legislature restricted it.
Politics & Policy
March 7, 2022
Is It Illegal to Have a Transgender Child in Texas?
Answers to your questions about the state's new rules targeting transgender kids.
By
Dan Solomon
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Sports
March 7, 2022
How Baylor Great Brittney Griner Became a Political Prisoner in Russia
Over the weekend, news broke that the WNBA star, one of the best basketball players Texas has ever produced, has been in custody for weeks.
Politics & Policy
March 2, 2022
Results: Texas Primary Election 2022
Greg Abbott wins the GOP nomination outright, Ken Paxton is heading to a runoff against George P. Bush, and democratic socialists running for U.S. House have a good night.
Politics & Policy
February 25, 2022
Forget About November. Thanks to Gerrymandering, the Texas Primary Matters More Than Ever.
The new maps have done away with nearly every competitive district, meaning most races will be decided next week or in the May runoffs.
Politics & Policy
February 25, 2022
The Attorney General’s Race Is Texas Democrats’ Best Statewide Pickup Opportunity
With Republican incumbent Ken Paxton's legal troubles, Democrats have plenty of contenders this year.
By
Dan Solomon
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Politics & Policy
February 23, 2022
How the West Campaign Was Lost
Former Texas GOP chair Allen West is a darling of the right wing. But the grassroots in Texas is not the kingmaker it used to be.
Politics & Policy
February 21, 2022
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Madison Cawthorn, and Mike Lindell Walk Into the Houston ’Burbs
The three Trumpian firebrands came to support U.S. House candidate Christian Collins, whose primary run is dividing prominent Republicans.
Politics & Policy
February 18, 2022
Brazoria County Is Poised to Elect Its First Black Congressman. Not Everyone Is Happy About It.
Brazoria County is diversifying fast, but its top elected officials are all white.
Politics & Policy
February 17, 2022
One Candidate Shows Her Breasts. Another Dies Tragically. A Third Is Accused of Graft.
The campaign for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, usually a low-profile affair, is getting more attention—and that’s a good thing.
Politics & Policy
February 17, 2022
Some of Texas’s “Big Lie” Candidates Are Looking Like Big Flops
In Texas's Republican primaries, the stop-the-steal message doesn’t seem to be catching fire.
Politics & Policy
February 15, 2022
Louie Gohmert Is Pitching Himself as Ken Paxton Without the Baggage. Will It Work?
The nine-term congressman and right-wing firebrand from Tyler is staking his career on unseating the indicted attorney general.
Politics & Policy
February 14, 2022
Will the Bush Dynasty Die With George P. Bush?
Jeb’s son is running for his political life in the Texas attorney general’s race. But Donald Trump may get the last laugh.
Politics & Policy
February 13, 2022
Can Justice Democrats Swing Two Texas Congressional Districts to the Left?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came to Texas to back two candidates who share her platform.
By
Dan Solomon
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