Red State Voters Approved Progressive Measures. GOP Lawmakers Are Trying to Undermine Them.
In the wake of ballot measures that increased abortion access and improved sick leave for workers, a coordinated effort is…
Politics
admin Texas Lawmakers Pull Funding for Child Identification Kits Again After Newsrooms Report They Don’t Work
For the second legislative session, lawmakers have withdrawn funding for a company selling kits that promise to help find missing…
North Dakota Ethics Commission Has No Authority to Punish Officials Violating Ethics Laws, State Leaders Argue
Voters created an ethics watchdog agency seven years ago. But officials keep pushing to weaken it, even as North Dakotans…
Inside Elon Musk’s Stellar Year at the Texas Capitol
While Elon Musk took Washington, D.C., by storm, his company representatives and lobbyists were also notching up big political wins…
Elon Musk Hired a Dozen Texas Lobbyists This Year. State Law Keeps the Extent of Their Influence Under Wraps.
Musk, the billionaire businessman behind Tesla and SpaceX, influenced several new Texas laws this year. How his lobbyists came about…
Utah Sen. Mike Lee Says Selling Off Public Lands Will Solve the West’s Housing Crisis. Past Sales Show Otherwise.
Last month, Lee introduced a now-removed amendment to Trump’s policy megabill that mandated the sale of up to 3 million…
Why Gov. Greg Abbott Won’t Release His Emails With Elon Musk
We asked Abbott for his and his staff’s emails with Elon Musk and Musk’s companies. The governor’s office won’t turn…
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Is Outsourcing More of His Office’s Work to Costly Private Lawyers
Despite having an office of hundreds of attorneys, Ken Paxton is frequently opting for private lawyers — many to whom…
The IRS Says Churches Can Now Endorse Candidates. That Could Give Texas Pastors More Power Than Ever.
While the IRS move applies across the country, Texas — with more than 200 megachurches — will be the epicenter…
These GOP Lawmakers Referred Constituents to the CFPB for Help. Then They Voted to Gut the Agency.
Many of the same Republican lawmakers who have targeted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for cuts have collectively directed thousands…