Bummed to be saying this with fundraising deadlines and a #txlege special session right around the corner, but Friday was my last day covering politics at The Dallas Morning News. I’ll have more to say on what’s next later. For now, I’m leaving Texas soon and have a lot of packing to do

Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred says he’ll campaign differently this time: “I’m a football player. I think in football, we sometimes learn more from a loss than we do from a win, and so I’ve analyzed the tape.”

Starting today, college sports will never be the same. Universities can begin paying athletes directly as a result of a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement approved last month. I spoke with ADs across Texas about how they’ve prepared for this change ⤵️ www.dallasnews.com/s...

Texas Republicans, who control both chambers of the Legislature and all statewide offices, quickly flooded social media with praise for the president’s leadership and the U.S. military www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock proposes his own legislative text to help resolve an impasse between the House and Senate over a bill that includes a salary increase for judges #txlege

ACLU of Texas and other civil liberties groups say they will sue Texas if its Ten Commandments bill becomes law

While you were sleeping, the Texas Senate passed a pair of bills in the wee hours Wednesday that would protect parents who misgender their children and require state government data to reflect people’s biological sex #txlege

The House amended the bill Sunday to add a provision saying the state AG will defend schools in lawsuits arising from the legislation. It returns to the Senate now

The Texas House advanced a bill Saturday requiring classroom displays of the Ten Commandments in public schools, setting up a Sunday vote to send the proposal to Gov. Greg Abbott #txlege

“This settles a raft of old claims, many of which have already been resolved elsewhere, concerning product policies we have long since changed,” said José Castañeda, a Google spokesperson. “We are pleased to put them behind us.” dallasnews.com/news/politic...

It's already illegal for foreign nationals to donate or spend money in U.S. elections under federal law. But Rep. Dennis Paul says “enforcement is rare and often focused on national races.” #txlege

Critics said HB 5510 amounts to a bounty because it would allow anyone to sue to recover six-figure damages against someone who participated in the distribution of an abortion pill. #txlege www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

Remember that it is the opinion of the Texas AG's office that affirming and supporting a trans child constitutes child abuse - but under HB 1106, doing the opposite would not be considered child abuse.

“That’s exactly why I have this piece of legislation, because there’s people out there that think it’s abusive if I tell my son that he’s a boy, and it’s not abusive,” state Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, said. “I would argue that it is abusive if I tell my boy he’s a girl.” #txlege

“I think that it is important to understand that those who think that their oath of office is to the president of the United States and not to the Constitution need to rethink and reread their oath of office and the oath they took,” said Judge David Ezra, a Reagan appointee

A Frisco man was charged with harassing Texas Supreme Court justices after sending them too many emails. Now he's suing, alleging the statute used to charge him — and another like it — violates constitutionally protected free speech dallasnews.com/news/politic...

Crockett raised $1.68 million from January through March, marking the best fundraising quarter of her young career as a federal candidate

New story: I was among the few reporters present for the roundtable discussion with Nico Harrison & Rick Welts. Harrison stands behind the Luka Doncic trade despite fan discontent. He also believes the Mavs, when healthy, are the most versatile team in the NBA. www.dallasnews.com/sports/maver...

A federal judge sentenced Austin real estate developer Nate Paul to five years of supervised release, four months of home confinement (from 7p-7a) and a $1 million fine to be paid within two years. He will not have to wear an ankle monitor, the judge said dallasnews.com/news/politic...

Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra, a Reagan appointee, said DOJ's firing of an AUSA for being candid in court was a "slap in the face" to people who believe in justice. Ezra said his comments may cause a MAGA Republican congressman from Texas to try to impeach him. "Bring it on!" he said

“If pride flags are political, then so are the values of respect and belonging. Our students deserve better than a false neutrality,” Sen. Molly Cook, D-Houston, said. #txlege

Former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has a bill that would cap out-of-state contributions in Texas elections at $5,000 for statewide candidates, $2,500 for district office candidates and $1,000 for county office candidates #txlege

The CEO of a private health insurance company who admitted in a legislative hearing Wednesday to hiring private investigators to spy on customers has been fired #txlege

TX GOP lawmakers filed a range of bills to ban teaching about sexual orientation/gender identity, limit the ability of teachers/students to discuss sex/gender outside the classroom, outlaw support for gender transitions and protect employees who refer to transgender students by their biological sex

Paxton opinion says court orders to change sex markers on driver's licenses and birth certificates ask DPS and DSHS “to violate the very laws they are bound to obey.” He says agencies should correct docs that were altered for transgender Texans dallasnews.com/news/politic...

“I think it should set off alarm bells for a lot of people, especially allies or those who have been saying this is only restricted to kids.” A freshman lawmaker has filed a bill to expand the state's ban on gender-affirming care to include adults #txlege

NEWS: The whistleblower case against Texas AG Ken Paxton is still ongoing. Now, they're making the case that they're owed $6.7M in damages, @nolandmccaskill.bsky.social reports. www.dallasnews.com/news/politic... #txlege

Senior officials who were fired after reporting Attorney General Ken Paxton to law enforcement for alleged criminal conduct in 2020 asked a Travis County judge Thursday to award them $6.7 million in damages.

Citing President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, AG Paxton floated the elimination of the State Bar of Texas. The state Supreme Court this morning dismissed an ethics case against Paxton from the bar's Commission for Lawyer Discipline

NEW: @club4growth is launching a six-figure ad campaign in Texas to pressure House Republicans to back SB 2, the school choice bill. I'm told the campaign could grow to seven figures. The Senate passed SB 2 last night #txlege

It’s not easy being Green. The Houston Democrat said he stands alone in wanting to impeach Trump. Green filed articles of impeachment against Trump in 2017, ‘18, ‘19 and ‘21. Today, he said the latest “movement to impeach the president has begun.” www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will meet with President Trump in the Oval Office this afternoon, per White House guidance

About 15 minutes before doors close, this is a glimpse of the scene for @GovAbbott’s State of the State address

Rep. Dustin Burrows raised more than $750K in the first two weeks of December as he was running to become the next House speaker. Dec. 14 was the last day state legislators could accept political contributions until June 23 #txlege www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

Happening now: The Texas House is voting to elect a new speaker. Three candidates are running, each represented by a different color light #txlege

Lots of bills have been filed for #txlege, but an unexpected proposal made it to the House floor Tuesday: a marriage proposal www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

A Texas investigation “discovered virtually endless amounts of extreme and mature videos presented to minors as young as thirteen,” the lawsuit said. “Much of this content would shock the conscience of an individual of any age, let alone impressionable minors.” www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht enters a new phase of his career tomorrow: retirement. He called his colleagues on the bench "capable, experienced people with sound judgment" but said he's had no conversations with Abbott about his successor dallasnews.com/news/courts/...

Inbox: Cornyn will serve on five Senate panels in the next Congress: - Foreign Relations - Budget - Judiciary - Finance - Intelligence

In her first 10 years in Congress, Granger missed 278 votes. She missed 279 votes this year alone dallasnews.com/news/politic...

Three Texans are on Biden’s clemency list. The White House says he issued 39 pardons and 1,499 commutations

AG Paxton has sued 3M and DuPont for alleged violations of the state's deceptive trade practices law over their marketing of household products containing PFAS chemicals. Texas is seeking at least $1M in damages and civil penalties of up to $10K per violation www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

Speaker Dade Phelan will not seek a third term as leader of the Texas House, he said Friday #TXlege www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

“Stop collecting trans people’s information,” said an email signed “Joe Mama.” www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” Biden says, announcing he has signed a pardon for his son, Hunter

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, this afternoon filed what his office calls the “Integrity 7,” a package of election bills #txlege

This Cowboys-Commanders game is INSANE 🤯

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's “migrant busing effort ultimately transported at least 119,000 migrants to cities like New York, Chicago and Denver... In hindsight, it may have helped Donald Trump win the White House again.” www.nytimes.com/2024/11/18/u...

New: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott supports the creation of a state-backed loan fund to build nuclear power. #txlege www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

Outgoing state Rep. Carl Sherman will undergo open-heart surgery today at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. “I hope to be back part-time within four weeks, God willing, and fully return to my duties with even more vigor within two months,” he says #TXlege