Tired of Texans running for president? 2024 may be reprieve
February 24, 2023 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — It’s early yet, but next year’s presidential race may feature something the political world hasn't seen in the last 50 years: no Texans.
The Texas-size hole in the field will be on stark display Friday at a closed Republican donor event outside the state capital, Austin, featuring the likes of former Vice President Mike Pence, who is expected to mount a campaign, and former South Carolina Gov.
Texas’ Abbott uses televised address to target border, crime
February 17, 2023 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered no hints about whether he might run for president in a rare primetime address Thursday night, but used it to make a case that hard-line immigration measures, tougher criminal penalties and a humming economy are a model for the rest of the U.S.
Texas’ Abbott begins 3rd term promising safer schools
January 17, 2023 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promised safer classrooms Tuesday without mentioning the Uvalde school shooting as he began a record-tying third term in office that puts the Republican in line to remain a rising national figure.
Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows
December 16, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas; Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.; Dr. Ashish Jha, White House COVID-19 response coordinator; Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova.
El Paso Walmart shooting case gets new district attorney
December 15, 2022 GMTEL PASO, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday named a new El Paso district attorney after the previous one resigned under mounting pressure over the handling of the 2019 Walmart attack that left 23 people dead and has yet to go to trial.
Texas governor picks veteran GOP lawmaker for elections job
December 6, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday tapped a longtime Republican lawmaker to be Texas' new elections chief, a pick who could enjoy a smoother confirmation process following the blowback and scrutiny his two previous picks faced.
Texas’ top election official resigns after midterms
December 5, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas' top elections official resigned Monday after an intense year of trying to reassure election skeptics, navigating the rocky launch of new voting laws that resulted in thousands of discarded mail ballots and overseeing a limited audit of the 2020 election.
Texas sends next busload of migrants to Philadelphia
November 15, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that Philadelphia will be the next destination for migrants the state is transporting from the U.S.-Mexico border by the thousands to Democratic-led locales, putting a new bus on the road a week after the Republican easily won reelection.
From sensation to struggles: Dem stars Abrams, O’Rourke fade
November 10, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Stacey Abrams and Beto O'Rourke catapulted to Democratic stardom in 2018 by defying expectations and nearly pulling off upsets in Georgia and Texas.
GOP’s Abbott wins 3rd term as Texas governor, beats O’Rourke
November 9, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott decisively won a third term Tuesday night, defeating Democrat Beto O’Rourke in a midterm race that tested the direction of America’s supersized red state following the Uvalde school massacre and a strict new abortion ban.
California’s Newsom wins 2nd term, is White House run next?
November 9, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democrat Gavin Newsom easily won a second term as California’s governor on Tuesday, beating a little-known Republican state senator by mostly ignoring him while campaigning against the policies of Florida Gov.
Why AP called Texas governor race for Greg Abbott
November 9, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — WHY AP CALLED TEXAS FOR GREG ABBOTT
Gov. Greg Abbott had a wide lead in the same 13 Texas counties that he won in 2018 — and that Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke also won in a Senate race that year.
Uvalde families gather at Texas Capitol for Day of the Dead
November 2, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Families of some of the 19 children killed in the Uvalde school massacre commemorated the Day of Dead with a rally, procession and a decorated altar outside the Texas Capitol on Tuesday night.
Uvalde families make last push for shakeup on Election Day
October 28, 2022 GMTUVALDE, Texas (AP) — Just hours after voting started in Texas, Kimberly Rubio cast her ballot in the same Uvalde city building where she waited in May to learn that her daughter, Lexi, was one of 19 fourth-graders fatally shot at Robb Elementary School.
NY Post fires employee for ‘vile’ takeover of Twitter feed
October 27, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The New York Post fired an employee on Thursday for putting false and racist content targeting politicians on the newspaper's website and Twitter feed.
The tweets and fake news stories included calls for the assassinations of President Joe Biden and U.S.
Judge dismisses case of Texas man who waited 6 hours to vote
October 21, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge has dismissed illegal voting charges against a Houston man who stood in line six hours to cast a ballot in the 2020 presidential primary and became a figure over Republican efforts to tighten election laws.
Florida spent almost $1 million for two more migrant flights
October 15, 2022 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida has paid nearly $1 million to arrange two sets of flights to transport about 100 migrants who entered the country illegally to Delaware and Illinois, according to documents released Friday by the Florida Department of Transportation.
Texas governor’s race surpasses $100M in money raised
October 11, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas governor's race on Tuesday surpassed $100 million in total money raised this year by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke with still weeks to go in one of the most expensive contests of November's midterm elections.
GOP makes push to weaken Democrats’ grip on Texas border
October 10, 2022 GMTHARLINGEN, Texas (AP) — Just weeks before Election Day in Texas, once again there is big money, new signs of shifting voters and bold predictions of an upset that will turn heads across the U.S.
Uvalde shooting, border dominate only Texas governor debate
October 1, 2022 GMTEDINBURG, Texas (AP) — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday night that Texas would send busloads of migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to more cities and Democrat challenger Beto O’Rourke pledged tighter gun laws as parents whose children were killed in the Uvalde school shooting stood outside an auditorium hosting the only debate before November's election.
High stakes for O’Rourke in Texas governor’s debate Friday
September 29, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Beto O'Rourke spent his 50th birthday this week behind the wheel of his pickup in Texas, fast approaching a big moment in his uphill climb for governor.
Texas vow to ‘eliminate all rapists’ rings hollow at clinics
September 25, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When Texas' new abortion law made no exceptions in cases of rape, Republican Gov.
California governor urges overhaul of Democrats’ strategy
September 25, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for an overhaul of Democrats' political strategy on Saturday, saying the party is “getting crushed” by Republicans in part because they are too timid, often forced to play defense while Republicans “dominate with illusion.”
‘Sanctuary’ cities navigate migrant influx from GOP states
September 21, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — There are few places in the U.S. with a more deeply ingrained reputation as a refuge for immigrants than New York City, where the Statue of Liberty rises from the harbor as a symbol of welcome for the worn and weary.
GOP’s hard-line tactics on migrants refocus midterm debate
September 20, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — They’ve delivered migrants on planes and buses to Washington, D.C., New York City — even Martha’s Vineyard.
Surprise is key part of migrant travel from Florida, Texas
September 17, 2022 GMTEDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) — The chief executive of Martha's Vineyard Community Services was wrapping up work when she looked outside to see 48 strangers at her office with luggage, backpacks and red folders that included brochures for her organization.
Court rules in favor of Texas law on social media regulation
September 16, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal appeals court Friday ruled in favor of a Texas law targeting major social media companies like Facebook and Twitter in a victory for Republicans who accuse the platforms of censoring conservative speech.
Texas board denies posthumous pardon for George Floyd
September 15, 2022 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — A Texas board on Thursday declined a request that George Floyd be granted a posthumous pardon for a 2004 drug arrest made by a now-indicted ex-Houston police officer whose case history is under scrutiny following a deadly drug raid.
Migrant buses dropped off by Texas near VP Harris’ residence
September 15, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Two buses of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border were dropped off near Vice President Kamala Harris' home in residential Washington on Thursday morning in the bitter political battle over the Biden administration's immigration policies.
Pritzker calls up Guard to help care for arriving migrants
September 14, 2022 GMTSPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday called up 75 members of the Illinois National Guard to help organize shelter, food and medical care for migrants arriving by bus from Texas.
Chicago mayor seeks help for immigrants bused from Texas
September 5, 2022 GMTCHICAGO (AP) — Chicago officials have asked the public for volunteers and donations to help immigrants being bused to the city from Texas amid the Republican-led state's political battle over the immigration policies of President Joe Biden's administration.
Pecan farmers get caught in power vacuum on Texas border
September 2, 2022 GMTEAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) — A Texas pecan farm nearly the size of Disneyland has become entangled in a turf war between the Biden administration and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over immigration enforcement on the southern border.
Texas buses 75 migrants to Chicago in political battle
September 1, 2022 GMTCHICAGO (AP) — Seventy-five immigrants bused from Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott have arrived in Chicago, the latest chapter of the bitter political battle over the immigration policy of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Texas governor pushes back on raising gun age after Uvalde
September 1, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday pushed back on calls by Uvalde families for new gun control measures in Texas, saying that raising the minimum age to purchase weapons like the one used in the Robb Elementary School massacre would be “unconstitutional."
Beto O’Rourke resuming campaign stops in Texas after illness
August 31, 2022 GMTEL PASO, Texas (AP) — Democrat Beto O'Rourke said Wednesday that he will resume campaigning in his race for Texas governor after pausing his schedule last weekend and canceling events because of an unspecified bacterial infection.
Illness interrupts O’Rourke campaign for Texas governor
August 28, 2022 GMTSAN ANTONIO (AP) — Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O’Rourke said Sunday that he had cleared his campaign schedule after receiving treatment at a San Antonio hospital for an unspecified bacterial infection.
For Republican governors, all economic success is local
August 20, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, often knocks President Joe Biden for high inflation and a looming recession — a standard GOP argument going into the November elections.
Abbott spent hours at fundraiser after Uvalde shooting
July 29, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said that he stopped at a campaign fundraiser following the deadly school shooting in Uvalde and “let people know” he couldn't stay, but a newspaper reports that he was there for nearly three hours.
DC requests National Guard help with busloads of migrants
July 28, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The District of Columbia has requested National Guard assistance to help stem a “growing humanitarian crisis” prompted by thousands of migrants that have been sent to Washington by a pair of southern states.
Appeals court upholds Texas block on school mask mandates
July 26, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order that forbids school districts from imposing mask mandates on schools to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has been upheld by a divided federal appeals court panel.
Mayors ask Biden to help with influx of asylum-seekers
July 21, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The Democratic mayors of New York and Washington are asking the Biden administration to help with what they say is a surge in their cities of asylum-seeking migrants from border states, eliciting gleeful reactions from Republicans who say the pleas are evidence the U.S.
O’Rourke’s campaign for Texas governor outraises Abbott
July 15, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrat Beto O'Rourke on Friday reported raising nearly $32 million in his bid for Texas governor during the first half of 2022, more than Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and a haul that puts their race on track to smash spending records in November's midterm elections.
Governor: Uvalde video ‘shocking’ account of police response
July 14, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday again said he was initially misled about the police response to the Uvalde school massacre, calling newly leaked video of officers hesitating for more than an hour “shocking” and not what he had been told when he originally lauded officers for a swift and brave confrontation.
Texas governor authorizes state to return migrants to border
July 8, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday authorized state forces to apprehend migrants and return them to the U.S.-Mexico border, pushing the boundaries of their enforcement powers and the Republican's escalating efforts to curb the rising number of crossings.
Report: Justice Department probing Texas’ border mission
July 6, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating potential civil rights violations in Texas' multibillion-dollar border security mission that has given the National Guard arrest powers and seen state authorities bus migrants to Washington, D.C., according to public records.
Texas’ border mission grows, but crossings still high
July 2, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Following the horror of a human-smuggling attempt that left 53 people dead, Republican Gov.
Texas inmate asks to delay execution for kidney donation
July 1, 2022 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — A Texas inmate who is set to be put to death in less than two weeks asked that his execution be delayed so he can donate a kidney.
New lawsuit filed over Texas trans family investigations
June 10, 2022 GMTThree Texas families sued the state Wednesday seeking to halt investigations of them over gender-confirming medical treatments their transgender children received, in a renewed challenge to the state looking into such treatments as child abuse.
Officials: Texas shooter talked about guns in private chats
May 27, 2022 GMTTexas authorities said Friday that the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers inside an elementary school discussed his interest in buying a gun in private online conversations, but backed away from earlier descriptions that he made public threats less than an hour before the attack.
EXPLAINER: Social media and the Texas shooter’s messages
May 26, 2022 GMTCould technology companies have monitored ominous messages made by a gunman who Texas authorities say massacred 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school? Could they have warned the authorities?
Beto O’Rourke interrupts briefing, echoing US debate on guns
May 26, 2022 GMTUVALDE, Texas (AP) — Surrounded by fellow Republicans on a high school stage, Gov. Greg Abbott was wrapping up his opening remarks about the killing of school children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas, when Beto O'Rourke strode forward from his seat in the audience.
Angry Newsom criticizes Texas governor, US judges on guns
May 26, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday harshly criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in the wake of an elementary school shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead and assailed two federal judges as “extremists" for their rulings undermining California's gun control efforts.
Mixed Texas ruling allows trans youth parent investigations
May 13, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court on Friday allowed the state to investigate parents of transgender youth for child abuse while also ruling in favor of one family that was among the first contacted by child welfare officials following an order by Republican Gov.
EXPLAINER: Schools may be Texas’ next immigration fight
May 7, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Forty years after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right to a public education for all students regardless of legal status, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says that decision is another longstanding precedent worth challenging.
New Mexico seeks opportunity in Texas border disruptions
May 5, 2022 GMTSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is highlighting its support for proposals that would route an international rail line through its Santa Teresa border crossing, capitalizing on Mexico's unease with disruptions along the Texas portion of the U.S.
Change trains: Mexico favors N. Mexico over Texas
May 3, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government is snubbing Texas and moving a proposed border rail link to New Mexico after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott backed up border crossings with state inspections in April.
Guardsman who drowned on Texas border had no float device
April 27, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas National Guard member who drowned on the U.S.-Mexico border while on duty was not equipped with a flotation device when he jumped in the Rio Grande to help a migrant who was struggling to swim across, state officials said Wednesday.
Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke tests positive for COVID-19
April 25, 2022 GMTEL PASO, Texas (AP) — Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic nominee for governor in Texas, said Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
The former congressman and presidential candidate said he was experiencing mild symptoms and is fully vaccinated and boosted.
Crews recover body of missing Texas guardsman on border
April 25, 2022 GMTEAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) — Search crews on Monday recovered the body of a Texas National Guard member who went missing after jumping in the river on the U.S.-Mexico border to help a migrant who was struggling to swim across.
Texas halts truck inspections that caused border gridlock
April 15, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday repealed his traffic-clogging immigration order that backed up commercial trucks at the U.S.-Mexico border, after a week of intensifying backlash and fears of deepening economic losses.
EXPLAINER: Why did Texas hold up trucks on border for days?
April 15, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to impose additional inspections of trucks entering Texas from Mexico was his latest move in an unprecedented foray into border security, which has long been the federal government's domain.
Texas moves to ease border gridlock over ‘sense of urgency’
April 15, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The logjam of trucks at the U.S.-Mexico border finally began breaking Thursday after nearly a week as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott eased off his latest dramatic action over immigration that has gridlocked some of the world's busiest trade ports and taken a mounting economic toll.
Texas keeping most truck inspections despite border gridlock
April 14, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday defied intensifying pressure over his new border policy that has gridlocked trucks entering the U.S. and shut down some of the world's busiest trade bridges as the Mexican government, businesses and even some allies urge him to relent.
Frustration grows over truck backlogs at Texas-Mexico border
April 12, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — One of the busiest trade ports on the U.S.-Mexico border remained closed Tuesday as frustration and traffic snarls mounted over new orders by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requiring extra inspections of commercial trucks as part of the Republican’s sprawling border security operation.
Texas takes new border action; ex-Trump officials want more
April 6, 2022 GMTSAN ANTONIO (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday delivered new orders along the U.S.-Mexico border and promised more to come as former Trump administration officials press him to declare an “invasion” and give state troopers and National Guard members authority to turn back migrants.
Caseworkers: Texas order on trans kids handled differently
April 1, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott put in motion abuse investigations into the parents of some transgender kids, child welfare supervisor Randa Mulanax said what happened next strayed from normal protocols.
Officials: South Texas wildfire destroys 3 homes, none hurt
March 27, 2022 GMTCASTROVILLE, Texas (AP) —
A wildfire has burned more an 1,000 acres in South Texas forcing some people to evacuate, destroying three homes and knocking out power to more than 100 others, officials said Sunday.
Texas Democrat Filemon Vela resigning early from Congress
March 24, 2022 GMTBROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela of Texas said Thursday he will soon leave office for a job in the private sector rather than finish what was already his final term in Congress.
Bill promotes California as US refuge for transgender youth
March 17, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California could provide legal refuge to displaced transgender youth and their families under a proposal announced Thursday that joins a growing list of initiatives from the nation's most populous state aimed at counterbalancing actions in Texas and other conservative places.
Indiana attorney general bills state $2,300 for border trip
March 14, 2022 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office spent at least $2,300 for his trip the U.S-Mexican border in January that included a stop at a Donald Trump rally along the way, state records show.
Texas judge blocks investigations of trans youth parents
March 12, 2022 GMTA Texas judge on Friday blocked the state from investigating as child abuse gender confirming care for transgender youth.
District Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued a temporary injunction preventing the state from enforcing Republican Gov.
Officials: Texas foster care center sex-trafficked minors
March 11, 2022 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — State officials told a federal judge Thursday that employees at a foster care center under a state contract to shelter children who had been trafficked for sex had been trafficking those children themselves.
Texas loses appeal over investigation of trans teen’s family
March 9, 2022 GMTA Texas court on Wednesday tossed out the state's appeal of an order preventing child welfare officials from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager over gender-confirming care the youth received.
Oil billionaire GOP donor sues Beto O’Rourke for defamation
March 7, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas oil pipeline billionaire is suing Beto O'Rourke for defamation after the Democrat criticized his $1 million donation to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's campaign following last year's deadly winter blackout.
Hospital stops therapies after gender-confirming care order
March 6, 2022 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — The nation’s largest pediatric hospital has announced it has stopped gender-affirming therapies after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state’s child welfare agency to investigate reports of gender-confirming care for kids as abuse.
Texas appeals halt of investigation of trans teen’s parents
March 4, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas is appealing a judge's ruling that prevents the state from investigating a transgender teenager's parents over gender confirming care she received.
Judge blocks Texas investigation of trans teen’s parents
March 3, 2022 GMTA Texas judge on Wednesday blocked the state from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager over gender-confirmation treatments, but stopped short of preventing the state from looking into other reports about children receiving similar care.
Bill would prohibit US funds for spent nuclear fuel storage
March 2, 2022 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. senators from New Mexico and Texas are proposing legislation that could affect efforts by private companies to build temporary storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel from commercial power plants around the U.S.
Texas primary sets up Abbott-O’Rourke race as midterms begin
March 2, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott will face Democrat Beto O’Rourke after voters in Texas opened what could be a lengthy, bruising primary season poised to reshape political power from state capitals to Washington.
Lawsuit: Texas investigating parents of transgender youth
March 1, 2022 GMTThe parents of a transgender teenager in Texas said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the state is investigating them after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered officials to look into reports of gender-confirming care for kids as abuse.