Texas Tribune Brief

The former congressman from El Paso also says he will not run for the U.S. Senate next year. Meanwhile, Trump leads all Democratic presidential candidates in Texas.

The governor’s decision to force homeless people from under state overpasses drew the ire of city leaders and homelessness experts, who criticized Abbott’s “fear-based approach.”

An investigation by The Texas Tribune and Grist shows that regulators in the Lone Star State have given a hand up to struggling coal companies as they face millions of dollars in mandated land restoration costs.

The Texas Legislative Budget Board is hemorrhaging staff and has been without an executive director for a year.

A suspect has been arrested.

A bitter child custody dispute became a flashpoint in the state’s culture wars this week as Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged state involvement.

"That was crazy. That was absolutely crazy," said one Texas Democrat after a day of partisan unrest in the U.S. Capitol.

About 222,140 Texans ages 60 and older had student loan debt in 2017, carrying a median load of $15,754, according to government data.

By Tuesday morning, more than 30 House Republicans had either called for the speaker's resignation or had stated they no longer supported him.

Voters have 10 proposed constitutional amendments on their ballots. And in three special elections, some Texans will elect new state lawmakers.