Texas Politics & News
The Daily Signal highlights Texas as a leader in conservative policy and governance, covering Lone Star State legislation, elections, border enforcement, and energy dominance.
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- News
‘NORMALIZING INSANITY’: Elon Musk Decries Open Border in Visit to Eagle Pass, Texas
Elon Musk toured the U.S. southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Thursday as illegal aliens continue to stream across the border. Musk, the tech mogul and CEO of X, formerly known as Twitter, livestreamed portions of his trip, saying he wanted to show the “real story” of what is happening on the U.S….Virginia Allen -
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Biden Has ‘Completely Abandoned’ Border Patrol, Texas Lawmaker Says After Crossings Reach Record High
Customs and Border Protection encountered more illegal aliens on America’s borders and at U.S. ports of entry in August than any other single month on record. CBP released the latest numbers Friday, reporting 304,162 illegal aliens encountered in the month of August, surpassing the previous record high in December 2022 by nearly 2,000. “The…Virginia Allen -
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Cruz Says 2023 ‘Best Opportunity’ for Texas to Pass School Choice Program
Sen. Ted Cruz thinks it’s high time the Lone Star State start providing school choice to its residents. “I think this year is the best opportunity of your and my lifetime for the state legislature to pass a real and serious school choice program, to provide every child in Texas with hope and access to…Katrina Trinko -
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Texas Woman Testifies ‘Blood’ of Dead Mother, Daughter Is on ‘Multiple Hands in This Administration’
Elisa Tambunga became pregnant with her daughter when she was only 19 and, according to Tambunga, her little girl quickly became the center of her world. Usually, at about this time of year, Tambunga says she would be buying her elementary school-age daughter school supplies. Instead, the Texas mother sat before members of Congress at…Virginia Allen -
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‘Nipples Literally Peeling Off’: Texas Detransitioner Sues Doctors for $1 Million Over Botched Surgery
WARNING GRAPHIC: Some content in this story may be disturbing for readers. Another detransitioner who attempted a gender transition at age 17 is suing the doctors who operated on her, accusing them of ignoring her plethora of mental health conditions and pushing her down a destructive path. Soren Aldaco, who is now 21 years old,…Mary Margaret Olohan -
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Texas Heartbeat Act Has Saved Nearly 10,000 Babies from Abortion, New Study Estimates
Since September 2021, the Texas Heartbeat Act has protected unborn children from abortion after a heartbeat can be detected—as early as six weeks of gestation. It became the first enforceable law in the United States to protect unborn life within the first trimester since Roe v. Wade. In fact, the law went into effect nearly…Jonathan Abbamonte -
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Supreme Court Strikes Down Texas’ Challenge to Biden Border Policy
The Supreme Court Friday struck down Texas and Louisiana's legal challenge to new Biden administration border policies that violate federal statutes and harm citizens in Texas and Louisiana, the states argued. (Read the full ruling below.) All justices besides Samuel Alito concurred in the opinion that Texas and Louisiana lack standing to challenge the new…Tyler O’Neil -
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14 GOP Governors Sending National Guard Troops and Resources to Texas to Secure Southern Border
Republican governors are sending National Guard troops to the southern border. Governors of Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, and West Virginia announced this week they will send troops and resources to Texas to support the work of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Operation Lone Star to secure the…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Texas Bill Prohibiting Sexually Explicit Content in Public Schools Heads to Governor’s Desk
A bipartisan bill banning sexually explicit content in public school libraries has passed the Texas Senate and is on its way to the governor’s desk. HB 900, dubbed The READER Act, specifies what “sexual content” is and prescribes actions by Texas public schools to ensure that children aren’t given access to pornographic, sexually explicit, or…Tony Kinnett -
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Texas Set to Give Boot to Leftist DEI Offices at Public College Campuses
Texas may soon become the second state to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from public colleges. In early May, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation to prevent colleges and universities there from using federal or state funds on DEI programs. Like on many other issues, Florida and DeSantis have demonstrated that just a few…Jarrett Stepman -
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Pornographic Books Found in Texas School Libraries Result in Bipartisan Action to Remove Them
Warning: This report contains sexually graphic images from commonly available books in school libraries, which The Daily Signal has obscured in part. A bill that has passed the Texas House with bipartisan support could become the model for ensuring public school libraries don’t provide sexual content to children. HB 900, sponsored by four Republicans and…Tony Kinnett -
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Texas on the Verge of Allowing Chaplains in Public Schools
A bill allowing chaplains in schools passed the Texas Legislature Tuesday evening after the state’s House of Representatives voted largely along party lines, according to Religion News Service. House Bill 3614 was introduced by Republican state Rep. Cole Hefner in March and if signed into law would allow schools to “employ or accept as volunteers chaplains,” according…Kate Anderson -
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Smirnoff Drag Queen Partner Flashes Bystanders at Texas Capitol
After Bud Light’s “ill-fated marketing campaign” that featured a transgender woman, it appears that Smirnoff, a brand of vodka produced by the British company Diageo, has made a failed attempt to keep its partnership with Texan drag queen and transgender-identifying woman Maxine St. James LaQueene quiet. In September 2022, LaQueene expressed his excitement in joining Smirnoff’s “Show…Abigail Olsson -
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Bracing for Post-Title 42 Surge: Biden Sends 1,500 Troops to Border, Texas Cities Issue Emergency Declarations
Republicans and Democrats agree on one thing at least: Encounters with illegal aliens at the southern border will increase when Title 42 expires on May 11. President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security “expects that encounters at the southwest border will increase as smugglers spread disinformation, which will place a strain on our immigration system,…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Americans Will Rally in Texas, Demand Lawmakers Act to Secure Southern Border
Thousands of Americans are expected to gather April 29 in Austin, Texas, for a rally calling on state lawmakers to secure the southern border. “I actually expect this to be the biggest border event in the history of the country,” Mark Meckler, president of the Convention of States and a founder of the tea party…Virginia Allen -
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How 2 Texas Lawmakers Propose to Solve Problem of Ammo Shortage Amid Crime Surge
Two Republican state lawmakers in Texas propose establishing a Texas Ammunition Manufacturing Facility as an office within the state’s Department of Public Safety. Noting a shortage in the supply of ammunition and soaring prices amid growing crime, state Sen. Pete Flores sponsored a bill in the Texas Senate (SB 1851) and state Rep. Ellen Troxclair sponsored…Fred Lucas -
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Democrats’ Boycotts of Texas, Arizona Field Hearings on Illegal Immigration Inexcusable
All 15 of the Democrats on a House committee last week boycotted a field hearing on the crisis at our southern border, aptly held in Texas for the express purpose of focusing lawmakers’—and national—attention on the out-of-control problem of illegal immigration. Worse, the March 15 hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee in Pharr,…Peter Parisi -
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In Texas, Democrats Struggle to Fight School Choice Bill as Support Booms
A Texas bill that would offer families an education savings account of $8,000 per child caused an extraordinary stir Wednesday at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. For the bill’s first hearing by a Texas Senate committee, advocates and critics flooded the hearing room to argue about the effects on students, families, and schools of…Tony Kinnett -
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‘We Are Under Siege,’ Texas Sheriff Says of Border Crisis
Kinney County, Texas, is “under siege by illegal aliens and smugglers,” Sheriff Brad Coe testified Wednesday during a House committee hearing. “The number of migrants seen on game cameras … , we’re averaging between 160 and 180 people per night that are going through the county unchallenged,” Coe said during the Homeland Security Committee’s hearing in…Virginia Allen -
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Texas Abortion Ban Viewed as Virtually Untouchable. A Lawsuit Aiming to Change That Has Problems.
In an era of increasing litigation over state abortion bans since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, one ban in Texas so far has avoided a post-Roe legal challenge. Texas’ Heartbeat Act, also known as SB 8, bans abortions performed after a fetal heartbeat can be detected (at around six weeks’ gestation). The…Sarah Parshall Perry