Endorsement watch: A veritable plethora, part 5
Part 1 is here , part 2 is here , part 3 is here , part 4 is here and the full endorsements page is here . We finish with the Republican races with challenged incumbents.
Category Archives: Texas
Democrats accuse Texas of voter suppression in schools Source: AP
Democrats are alleging new attempts at voter suppression in Texas, where the GOP-controlled Legislature's electoral maps and a strict voter ID law already have been previously struck down in federal court and the nation's first primary of the year is less than two weeks away. At issue this time: unusual accusations by top Republicans that schools districts and educational groups are trying to unfairly sway elections.
Stratford settles guardrail ‘spear’ lawsuit for $400K
A proposed Canadian class action that alleged secret cost-saving design changes made to a highway safety guardrail had in fact turned the barrier into a potentially lethal spear has been settled, court documents show. This week's settlement of the $500-million action filed by the City of Stratford in February 2015 will see Trinity Industries pay $400,000 - without any admission it did anything wrong.
Florida executes inmate; Texas, Alabama executions halted
If executions set for Alabama, Texas and Florida were carried out as scheduled, it would have marked the first time in more than eight years that three convicted killers were put to death in the U.S. on the same day. But Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday accepted the recommendation of the state's parole board and granted clemency for Thomas "Bart" Whitaker.
Editorial Board picks in primaries
A man votes Tuesday Nov. 7 at the Olmos Basin Golf Course in San Antonio. Texans will vote again - early voting starting Tuesday - on federal, state and county primary races.
Governor, call a special session to fix teacher retirement system
The Texas Federation of Teachers held a protest rally in front of the Stafford office of Congressman Tom DeLay in 2003, wanting a bill granting teachers full Social Security spousal and family benefits in addition to their Texas Teachers' Retirement System benefits. That didn't come true and now rising insurance premiums are eating into their TRS benefits.
Beto O’Rourke banks $2.2M in six weeks in bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz
El Paso Rep. Beto O'Rourke, the Texas Democrat hoping to oust Republican powerhouse Sen. Ted Cruz, announced he's raised $2.2 million in the first six weeks of 2018. That's almost as much as O'Rourke raised in the final three months of 2017, when he posted a $2.4 million haul and outraised the sitting senator.
13 Russians charged in plot to influence 2016 elections, targeted Ted …
Thirteen Russians and three Russian entities were charged Friday with an elaborate plot to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, federal prosecutors announced Friday. The indictment, brought by the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, alleges that Russians used bogus social media postings and advertisements fraudulently purchased in the name of Americans to sway political opinion during the race between Republican Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent.
House Republicans add 5 members to incumbent protection program
The House GOP campaign arm announced Friday that it is adding five Republicans to the ranks of its incumbent protection program for this year's midterm elections. The National Republican Congressional Committee's Patriot Program now has a total of 23 GOP lawmakers on its roster as it tries to defend the House GOP majority.
U.S. border patrol agent died from fall, not attack: report
A U.S. Border Patrol agent who died three months ago in what President Donald Trump said was an attack likely was killed by an accidental fall into a deep culvert, a newspaper reported, citing a federal agency memo. The memo from the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to agency staff suggests agent Rogelio Martinez, 36, and another agent fell into the culvert on a moonless night on Nov. 18 near the town of Van Horn, Texas, said the El Paso Times, which said it obtained a copy of the memo.
Palin addresses Republicans at annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner in Denton
Sarah Palin, the ninth governor of Alaska, levied accusations against the press, attacked "fake feminists" and called Texas to "revitalize our identity" during Saturday night's Lincoln Reagan Dinner, hosted by the Denton County GOP. More than a thousand people attended Saturday's events, which included a silent auction and a tabling event for local election candidates, as well as a dinner that honored Palin as the night's keynote speaker.
Lawmakers push for budget vote to avert government shutdown
Lawmakers pushed to enact a massive budget deal Thursday along with a stopgap temporary measure to prevent a government shutdown at midnight. GOP leaders tried to shore up support among conservatives for a plan that would shower the Pentagon with the billions they favor but also balloon the deficits they despise.
FEMA, Other Relief Efforts Post-Hurricane Harvey Exceed $12 Billion…
It has been six months since Hurricane Harvey hit and devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands of Houston-area residents. But new information shows that survivors-including African American families-have received more than $12 billion to help them recover from the catastrophic storm in August.
Boosted by PACs, incumbents running for Texas House outraise rivals
State Rep. Matt Schaefer speaks during his campaign kick-off and fundraiser in Tyler, Texas, on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Representatives of Grassroots America, Texas Right to Life, Texas Eagle Forum, Empower Texans, Texas Home School Coalition, Gun Owners of America, and Texans for Vaccine Choice were in attendance.
Endorsement watch: Chron for White
Democrats need to choose the candidate who, quite simply, will appeal to the most voters in a contest against Abbott. We believe that candidate is Andrew White.
January 2018 campaign finance reports: Congress
That was the deadline for U.S. House and Senate campaigns to file finance reports covering the last three months of 2017. Those watching the races closely are sure to pore over the mishmash of donations and expenditures to separate viable candidates from the long shots.
Elizabeth Warren bellows rallying cry atactivist event: – We march in pink pussy hats!’
Progressive Texans burst into applause on Friday as Sen. Elizabeth Warren delivered a women's rights speech with the following rallying cry: "We march with pink pussy hats!" Annie's List, a group that aims to recruit progressive women for office in the Lone Star State, turned to the Massachusetts senator this year to energize its members. Ms. Warren's speech ran the gamut of issues addressed at a nationwide series of Women's March protests held Jan. 20-21.
The Latest: Ex-accountant put to death in daughtersa deaths
A former Dallas accountant condemned for fatally shooting his two young daughters while their mother listened helplessly on the phone has been put to death in Texas. John David Battaglia received lethal injection Thursday night for the May 2001 killings of his 9-year-old daughter, Faith, and her 6-year-old sister, Liberty.
At Annual GOP Retreat, Party Seeks To Sharpen 2018 Focus
A tragic train wreck almost put an early end to this year's GOP policy retreat as lawmakers grappled with whether or not to carry on after an Amtrak train carrying them to the Greenbrier Resort collided with a garbage truck and resulted in at least one fatality. "Personally I gave it a lot of thought.
Koch network targets Texas in push for prison reform in Trump era
It's part of a broader push by the network - backed by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch - to redouble its criminal justice reform efforts while embracing common ground with President Donald Trump and his administration, which have delivered mixed results at best for the unlikely alliances that have formed around changing the system. "We're going to meet people where they are," Mark Holden, a senior network official, told reporters here repeatedly - a kind of mantra for the network's eagerness to make progress on a host of policy issues in the Trump era.