Texas governor signs ban on so-called ‘sanctuary cities’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday night signed what he calls a ban on so-called "sanctuary cities" that allows police to ask about a person's immigration status and threatens sheriffs with jail if they don't cooperate with federal authorities. He did so over intense opposition from immigrant-rights groups and Democrats, who say the law echoes Arizona's immigration crackdown in 2010 that prompted national controversy and lawsuits.

Desperate search for eight-month-old baby boy

Golden girl! Melania glows in Australia's national color as Trump makes a triumphant return to New York and gets a hug from Rupert Murdoch at dinner aboard aircraft carrier with Aussie PM Turnbull 'She's a victim of her own poor choices': Drug dealer's lawyer says doctor mom-of-three who died of cocaine overdose after a night of partying in NYC is not his victim and her family is NOT entitled to compensation Police officers are now 'demoralized', scared to fight back and no longer being proactive as they believe anti-cop sentiment has become the 'new norm', claims FBI Do they come with the house? Semi-naked, gold-painted models star in an outrageous video designed to sell a $100m Beverly Hills mansion - complete with a 170-bottle champagne room AND a gold Lamborghini Gangsters admit killing mime artist by shooting him 59 times with AK-47s and handguns in a case of mistaken identity Fyre ... (more)

Is he for or against regulation? Trump swings in 1 day

In this Friday, April 21, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks at the Treasury Department in Washington, where he signed an executive order to review tax regulations set last year by his predecessor, as well as two memos to potentially reconsider major elements of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reforms passed in the wake of the Great Recession. While Republicans in Congress craft a bill to unwind the tighter financial rules that took effect after the 2008 crisis, President Donald Trump is looking in another, seemingly opposite direction: He's entertaining the idea of restoring the Depression-era firewall between commercial banking and its riskier investment side.

Texas congressman tearfully begs God’s forgiveness for abortion, same-sex marriage

In case anybody didn't know that Texas U.S. Rep. Randy Weber was conservative, his tearful request for God's forgiveness removed all doubt. Weber, R-Alvin, took the podium at the annual "Washington - A Man of Prayer" event in the nation's capitol in Wednesday, April 26, 2017.

Texas House OKs a sanctuary citya ban with tough jail penalty

The Republican-controlled Texas House approved a strict ban on "sanctuary cities" early Thursday, empowering local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law against anyone they detain and threatening police chiefs and sheriffs who refuse to do so with jail. The vote came just before 3 a.m. and followed 15-plus hours of heated, sometimes tearful debate, much of it from outnumbered Democrats.

Texas House OKs ‘sanctuary city’ ban with tough jail penalty after 15 hours

The Republican-controlled Texas House approved early Thursday a strict ban on "sanctuary cities" in the country's second-largest state, seeking to empower law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law against anyone they detain and threatening to jail police chiefs and sheriffs who refuse to do so. The vote came just before 3 a.m. and followed 15-plus hours of heated, sometimes tearful debate, much of it from outnumbered Democrats.

Texas poised to pass ‘sanctuary city’ ban with jail penalty

Texas Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, at podium, is surrounded by fellow lawmakers as he speaks against an anti-"sanctuary cities" bill that has already cleared the Texas Senate and seeks to jail sheriffs and other officials who refuse to help enforce federal immigration law today in Austin, Texas. AUSTIN, Texas>> Texas Republicans were poised today to take a big step toward banning "sanctuary cities" in their state, debating a bill through which police chiefs and sheriffs could even be jailed for not cooperating fully with federal immigration authorities.

The Latest: Texas inmate in murder plot loses appeal

A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal from a 60-year-old Texas inmate condemned for helping a former suburban Houston police officer murder his wife more than 22 years ago. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday refused arguments from lawyers for Joseph Andrew Prystash that raised questions about jury selection and juror instructions and the propriety of evidence.

the Drive: Obama returns; Syrians sanctioned; double execution set for tonight

President Barack Obama lifted the veil on his retirement Monday at a University of Chicago forum, engaging students with a message calling on them to use empathy and listen to those with whom they disagree. “I have to say that there's a reason why I'm always optimistic when things look like they're sometimes not going the way I want.

Russia investigations on the Hill: Where things stand

Multiple committee investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign will continue to push forward as Congress returns this week. Members of the House Intelligence Committee are hoping to get back to work after chairman Devin Nunes withdrew himself from the panel's Russia investigation amid ethics complaints.

Coming Up: This week at the Texas Legislature

Negotiations to write a final state budget, combining the Senate and House versions that are about $500 million apart in dollars but light years apart in how to pay for everything, will start the week off with a bang. The reason is that late Friday, Attorney General Ken Paxton sided with the Senate in its ongoing budget war with the House.

Legal rulings could force Texas back into federal oversight

A run of legal defeats over its voting laws means Texas could risk becoming the first state forced back into federal oversight since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act four years ago. The justices' 2013 ruling struck down a provision in the 1965 law that required Texas and other states with troubled histories of racial discrimination to "pre-clear" any voting law changes with the federal government before enacting them.

Continue reading Prison company struggles toget license to hold children

A top private prison company is struggling to convince Texas lawmakers to license one of its facilities to hold immigrant parents and their children together -- a practice that President Donald Trump's administration recently committed to upholding. The Karnes Residential Center, 60 miles south of San Antonio, opened as a family detention center in 2014 and used to hold detainees for months, until a federal judge ruled that children held longer than 20 days must be housed in "non-secure" facilities with child care licenses.

Court again finds intentional voter discrimination in Texas

A Republican-drawn map setting the boundaries of Texas' statehouse districts violates the U.S. Constitution by intentionally discriminating against minority voters, a federal court found Thursday - the third such ruling against the state's voting laws in roughly a month. The latest ruling means Texas' strict voter ID law, congressional maps and state legislative maps - all of which were enacted in 2011 - have recently been found in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.

Donald Trump’s border wall could leave some Americans sealed off on ‘Mexican side’

Photo/AP The border wall President Donald Trump has imagined and promised throughout his election campaign could seal some of his voters on the "Mexican side". The structure could leave some Americans on the opposite side of the barrier - technically on U.S. soil, but outside of a wall built north of the river separating the two countries, it was reported on Sunday.