By Jack Phillips Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched its first Starship rocket on Thursday morning, but it exploded during a mid-flight failure over the Gulf of Mexico near Texas. “As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation,” the private space exploration company wrote on Twitter. “Teams will continue […]
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Texas Governor Seeks to Pardon Army Sergeant Convicted of Killing Gun-Wielding Protester
By Frank Fang Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he is seeking to pardon the U.S. Army sergeant who was convicted of shooting dead a man wielding a gun at him during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020. Abbott announced on April 8 that he will pardon Sgt. Daniel Perry, 37, who was working for […]
Supporters at Texas Rally See More ‘Determined’ Trump
By Janet Hisle WACO, Texas—Some of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters sense a shift in the former president’s tone. During his 2024 campaign kick-off speech in Texas this past weekend, Trump seemed more determined than ever to retake the helm and set a badly reeling nation back on course, several of his supporters said. Dylan Marshall, 36, of […]
Texas Lawmaker Introduces ‘TEXIT’ Bill Calling For Vote on Secession
By Jana J. Pruet A Texas Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill to allow Texans the opportunity to vote on secession from the United States. On Monday, Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton filed HB 3596, also known as the “TEXIT Referendum Act.” (pdf) If passed, the referendum would be placed on the 2024 general election […]
Fate of the Pfizer Whistleblower Case to Be Decided by Federal Judge in Texas
By Darlene McCormick Sanchez and Zachary Stieber BEAUMONT, Texas—Attorneys for a whistleblower alleging violations occurred during the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial argued in federal court on March 1 that their case should advance to the discovery phase. Attorneys for the defendants—Pfizer and two subcontractors, Ventavia Research Group and ICON—tried to convince the judge to dismiss the case. […]
Texas Border Sheriff Wants Smugglers to Get 5 Years Per Illegal Immigrant
By Charlotte Cuthbertson KINNEY COUNTY, Texas—The number of human smugglers arrested by deputies in Kinney County, Texas, has more than quadrupled in the past two years and the sheriff wants the penalties to increase. Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe said his deputies arrested 741 smugglers transporting illegal immigrants from the border in 2022, up from […]
Texas Sues Biden Admin Over Public Charge Immigration Rule Change
By Caden Pearson Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Thursday to stop the Biden administration from ignoring a federal immigration law that prevents illegal immigrants from residing in the United States if they’re likely to rely on taxpayer-funded programs. “I’ve sued [President Joe] Biden over a dozen times to secure our southern border,” Paxton […]
Texas Builds Shipping Container Border Wall to Fight Illegal Crossings
By Tom Ozimek Texas has bolstered security along the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso by adding shipping containers along the Rio Grande in addition to a mile of razor-wire fencing set up earlier to prevent illegal crossings. The shipping containers started to be set up earlier this week, according to a statement on Thursday by Texas Gov. Greg […]
Greg Abbott Says Texas Has Bused Nearly 16,000 Migrants to Sanctuary Cities This Year
By Jana J. Pruet Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday said the state has bused nearly 16,000 migrants to sanctuary cities this year. “Texas has bused over 15,900 migrants to sanctuary cities,” Abbott wrote on Twitter. “ … We’re providing relief to local communities overwhelmed by President Biden’s open border policies.” Since April, the Republican governor has transported at least 8,900 migrants to […]
Texas National Guard ‘Border Force’ Blocking Illegal Crossings
By Tom Ozimek Texas National Guard troops deployed to El Paso have constructed a razor-wire barrier along the Rio Grande and have been blocking people from making unauthorized crossings into the United States amid a migrant surge and legal back-and-forth about ending Title 42, a Trump-era rule that helped stem the tide of illegal immigration. Acting under orders from […]
Texas Supreme Court Rules Harris County Should Count Over 2,000 Votes Cast Late on Election Day
By Katabella Roberts The Texas Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Harris County should include over 2,000 votes that were cast during an extended one-hour period of voting on Election Day in its certified election results. The court also ordered the county to determine whether the votes cast later would affect the outcome of any races. In a temporary order (pdf), the court ordered Harris […]
Legislation in Texas Could Make Voter Fraud a Felony
By Joe Gomez Several Republican lawmakers have filed bills in the Texas House of Representatives that would increase the penalty for election fraud from a Class A misdemeanor to a felony. One such bill authored by State Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Fort Worth) would make illegal voting a “felony of the second-degree unless the person is convicted of an attempt, […]