News & Politics
October 27, 2022
It’s Okay to Fear the Robot Dogs Coming to UT
Scientists are unleashing the computerized canines on the Austin campus to study how humans interact with them.
By Rose Cahalan![Rose Cahalan's Profile Photo]()
News & Politics
Politics & Policy
October 27, 2022
Can Alexandra del Moral Mealer Save the Harris County GOP?
State Republicans and local business leaders are betting big on the 38-year-old political newcomer, pouring nearly $5 million into her campaign to unseat County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Polls suggest the race is a dead heat.
Politics & Policy
October 26, 2022
Why So Many Texans Don’t Vote
If nonvoters were a political party, they'd win every election in the state.
By Ben Rowen![Ben Rowen's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
October 25, 2022
Ted Cruz Wants to Be Popular. Why Is He So Bad at It?
On Monday’s ‘The View,’ and Sunday in Yankee Stadium, the senator tried again to be relatable and regular—with the usual results.
Politics & Policy
October 24, 2022
Wherever Donald Trump Goes, There You Are
The former president’s rally in Robstown was just like all his others in Texas, but he still commands state leaders’ attention.
Politics & Policy
October 24, 2022
Before Roe, Faith Leaders Helped Texans Get Illegal Abortions. What Will They Do Now?
Progressive religious leaders are mulling their options to help women who seek abortions—and some are willing to risk lawsuits and jail time.
Politics & Policy
October 21, 2022
Dan Crenshaw Is Phoning It In With ‘Reloaded III’
Where’s the passion? Where’s the intensity? And where are the robot arms, Congressman?
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
October 20, 2022
Why the Truth About Uvalde May Not Be Known for Years, If Ever
DPS director Steve McCraw could legally release mountains of evidence tomorrow. Instead, he is hiding behind a veil of secrecy.
News & Politics
October 18, 2022
Inside the Secret Plan to Bring Private School Vouchers to Texas
Political operatives descended on the Hill Country town of Wimberley with a scheme to send taxpayer dollars to private schools. Now they’re shopping the same blueprint elsewhere.
Politics & Policy
October 17, 2022
Minority Rule: How 3 Percent of Texans Call the Shots for the Rest of Us
Low primary-election turnout and an anemic Democratic party means statewide officials and legislators are far to the right of most Texans.
Meanwhile in Texas
October 14, 2022
Meanwhile, in Texas: Drought Revealed Previously Unseen Dinosaur Tracks
Plus, a man broke into an animal shelter and released more than 150 dogs, and a police officer completed an arrested driver’s food delivery.
Politics & Policy
October 14, 2022
Some Texas Lawyers Think Greg Abbott’s Border Initiative Is Unconstitutional—But They’re Afraid to Challenge It
As the federal judiciary has shifted to the right, many who represent migrants are wary of bringing Operation Lone Star before the nation’s highest courts.
Politics & Policy
October 13, 2022
A National Law That Would Keep the Spurs in San Antonio, and Other Texan Proposals in Congress
Texan legislators in Washington keep their eyes on the important things. Texas Monthly rounded up the latest.
By Ben Rowen![Ben Rowen's Profile Photo]()
Health
October 11, 2022
This UT Scientist Helped Spare Millions From COVID-19. Now He’s Unmasking Other Killer Viruses.
Jason McLellan’s groundbreaking research is changing the way vaccines are developed—including those for another formidable pathogen, RSV.
Politics & Policy
October 10, 2022
Texas Election Chief Speaks Out on Conspiracy “Nuts,” Death Threats, and President Biden’s Legitimacy
In an exclusive interview with Texas Monthly, Secretary of State John Scott urges “stop the steal” activists to accept the 2020 election results.
Politics & Policy
October 10, 2022
Are Texas Republicans Serious About Secession?
Calls for independence are growing louder on the right. Maybe that would change if more Texans understood the costs of such a move.
Business
October 10, 2022
H-E-B Curbside Changed Me
The convenience of the store’s grocery-pickup service comes at a small financial cost. The personal price is up to you.
News & Politics
October 6, 2022
Decoding the Christian Language of Texas GOP Officials
By declaring that “evil will always walk among us” or calling for Texans to “unify in faith,” politicians communicate specific ideas to the electorate.
Politics & Policy
October 4, 2022
Texas Election Officials Are Fighting an Endless Battle With “Stop the Steal” Activists
Donald Trump’s baseless claims of fraud have made life more difficult and dangerous for poll workers.
Politics & Policy
October 3, 2022
Is Dan Patrick Campaigning—Or Auditioning to Be a Travel Influencer?
The lieutenant governor’s rural bus tour looks more like an extended vacation than a reelection bid.
Politics & Policy
September 30, 2022
Friday Night Sound Bites: The Debate Between Beto O’Rourke and Greg Abbott Happened, but Did It Matter?
It’s become a Texas tradition to hold brief gubernatorial debates during high school football prime time.
News
September 29, 2022
How Enron Foretold Our Greedy, Disastrous Present
When Texas Monthly covered Enron's fall in 2001, we wondered if the company was an outlier or the new normal. There's no longer any question.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
September 28, 2022
Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke Are Finally Debating. Here’s What They Need to Be Asked.
Ahead of Friday’s gubernatorial debate, Texas Monthly’s news and politics team came up with hard questions for both candidates.
Health
September 27, 2022
The Effort to Redefine Abortion Goes Beyond Ted Cruz
An abortion to save the life of a pregnant patient is “not an abortion,” according to Texas’s junior senator.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
September 26, 2022
The Forward Party Wants to Disrupt Traditional Politics. But Can It Win Elections?
Founded by Andrew Yang, Christine Todd Whitman, and David Jolly, the new party claims to encompass the left, right, and center. Its Houston launch, while well attended, prompted doubts about its viability.
Politics & Policy
September 23, 2022
During a Summer of Record Heat, Many Prisoners in Texas Struggled to Make It Through the Day Without AC
Seventy percent of Texas prisons do not have AC, except for a small number of ill and elderly inmates, an issue that the Legislature has repeatedly punted on.
News & Politics
September 23, 2022
Bearing Witness at Texas’s First Execution by Lethal Injection
In 1982, Dick J. Reavis chronicled the first government-led lethal injection in world history—and the last moments of Charlie Brooks's life.
Politics & Policy
September 21, 2022
Texas Moms Champion Beto With a Giant Roadside Reminder of the Uvalde Shooting
Uvalde-based activist group Fierce Madres partnered with Moms Against Greg Abbott to erect the anti-Abbott signage.
Business
September 21, 2022
A North Texan’s Guide to the Cult of H-E-B
The grocery chain opens its first north Dallas–Fort Worth location and hopes thousands of newly arrived Texans will understand its twang.
Politics & Policy
September 20, 2022
Biden’s New Border Patrol Leader in the RGV Promoted Trump’s Family Separation Policy
Twenty months after the former president left office, those who carried out his administration’s cruelest policy are still in place.
Politics & Policy
September 19, 2022
What’s Driving Greg Abbott’s Escalating Migrant Busing Scheme?
The Texas governor’s plan has been adopted by Ron DeSantis in Florida, and it has grown crueler as it spreads.
Politics & Policy
September 16, 2022
Ken Starr’s Pursuit of Righteousness
The conservative legal luminary, famous for the Clinton impeachment and his leadership of Baylor, mistook piety for doing what’s right.
Politics & Policy
September 15, 2022
Why Bringing More Affordable Housing to Austin Is a Block-by-Block Battle
A recent neighborhood fight demonstrates how the outsized influence of existing homeowners restricts supply in a city that badly needs 135,000 new homes.
Politics & Policy
September 14, 2022
Is There Anything Ken Paxton Could Do to Turn Voters Against Him?
Texans have stood by their attorney general through two criminal indictments and a host of other scandals. Is there any misdeed that might stick to his Teflon coating before the November election?
By Ben Rowen![Ben Rowen's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
September 13, 2022
What Makes Beto Run—Again?
On his summer barnstorming tour of Texas, Beto O’Rourke argued that Republicans are waging war against Texas values.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Business
September 9, 2022
Why Empty Offices Are Becoming Apartments in Texas’s Big Cities
With workers continuing to stay home post-pandemic and housing in short supply, developers in the state’s largest metros are giving a second life to old buildings.
Politics & Policy
September 8, 2022
Dan Patrick Demanded That Texas Retirement Funds Divest From BlackRock. But He Kept His Shares in the Firm.
The lieutenant governor said the company was “discriminating against the oil and gas industry." He didn’t mention his own holdings in the firm.
By Russell Gold
and
Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Texas History
September 8, 2022
Farewell to the Dean of Texas’s Capitol Press Corps
How Texas Monthly’s Paul Burka held the powerful to account—and made Texas a better place.
By John Spong![John Spong's Profile Photo]()
News & Politics
September 8, 2022
While Campaigning on “Parental Control,” Top State Officials Champion School Vouchers
Undermining public schools has been a winning strategy for governors in several states. But for many rural, conservative communities in Texas, such schools are the only game in town.
Politics & Policy
September 6, 2022
The Politics of Adobe Could Reshape Far West Texas
The humble material has long been used to build homes in the desert. But working with adobe isn’t so simple anymore.
Politics & Policy
September 1, 2022
An Iconic Texas Spring Was Dry for Months. Is Mother Nature or Man to Blame?
Plans were underway to revive tourism at Fort Clark Springs in southwest Texas. But then, in a scenario increasingly common across the state, the water stopped flowing.
Politics & Policy
August 26, 2022
Will Hispanics in South Texas Vote for Abortion Rights?
The region has long been characterized as adamantly opposed to abortion rights. But the reality is more complicated. And times are changing.
Politics & Policy
August 22, 2022
How True the Vote Fabricates Claims of Election Fraud, for Fun and Profit
Gregg Phillips, a former Texas official who claims that “2,000 mules” stole the 2020 election from Donald Trump, has raised millions of dollars to chase nonexistent fraudulent votes.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
August 19, 2022
A Presbyterian Minister Is Leading the Opposition to Anti-Transgender Texas Policies
Remington Johnson has become a touchstone for the families of transgender children.
Energy
August 18, 2022
Texas Leaders Shut Renewables Out in Planning the Power Grid’s Future
On a state advisory committee, only one member has experience developing wind or solar power. And he’s voiced some eyebrow-raising ideas.
Health
August 16, 2022
When Does the Life of a Pregnant Texan Count Under the State’s New Abortion Ban?
We asked for clarification from 99 Texas legislators who support the law, plus the attorney general who will enforce it, for clarification. Only one granted an interview.
News & Politics
August 15, 2022
This UT Lab Conjures Clean Drinking Water Out of Thin Air
Chemical engineer Guihua Yu’s team works with tiny particles to try to solve some of the world’s biggest problems.
Politics & Policy
August 12, 2022
The Trump Raid’s Newest Victim: The Texas GOP
After the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, state Republicans near-unanimously lined up behind the former president—before details of the investigation left them silent.
Meanwhile in Texas
August 12, 2022
Meanwhile, in Texas: Roads Melted in the Excessive Heat
Plus, a man stole $10,000 worth of bleachers, and landscapers discovered human remains in a backyard barbecue pit.
News & Politics
August 12, 2022
Another Extreme Texas Winter? Here’s What the Farmers’ Almanac (Right “About 85% of the Time”) Predicts
The periodical, first published in 1818 and known for its simplistic and broad extended forecasts, says its largest readership is in Texas. We talked with the editor about why that might be—and what’s in store for the state this winter.