Christian nationalism is central to the Texas GOP primary runoffs for Senate and attorney general The movement, which stresses an overt role for a specific evangelical strain of Christianity in government, has been gaining strength nationwide in no small part because of Texas’ influence.

The Christian nationalist movement, which stresses an overt role for a specific evangelical strain of Christianity in government, has been gaining strength nationwide in no small part because of Texas’ influence.

Ken Paxton leads John Cornyn by 8 percentage points among likely GOP primary runoff voters, poll finds The new poll, conducted on behalf of Texas Public Opinion Research, shows that even an endorsement by President Donald Trump would not help Cornyn enough to close the gap with Paxton.

A new poll from the nonpartisan Texas Public Opinion Research shows state Attorney General Ken Paxton leading Sen. John Cornyn by 8 percentage points among likely voters in the Republican Senate primary runoff on May 26.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick argues there is no separation of church and state in U.S. Constitution Patrick spoke as chair of President Donald Trump's Religious Liberty Commission, which is planning to make federal policy recommendations in May.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick argued “there is no such thing as ‘separation of church and state’ in the U.S. Constitution.” He issued the statement in his role as chair of the Religious Liberty Commission, which makes federal policy recommendations.

Texas’ GOP attorney general candidates want to challenge decades-old Supreme Court rulings Emboldened by overturning Roe v. Wade, conservative legal groups hope Ken Paxton’s successor will help them overturn gay marriage and public school access for undocumented students.

Emboldened by overturning Roe v. Wade, conservative legal groups hope Ken Paxton’s successor as Texas attorney general will help them overturn gay marriage and public school access for undocumented students.

Texas House committee slaps Democrats with nearly $422K in penalties for 2025 quorum break The Committee on House Administration voted along party lines to fine 50-plus Democratic members more than $8,000 apiece for fleeing the state to try to block a GOP-led congressional redistricting plan.

A Texas House committee voted to impose financial penalties totaling nearly $422,000 on Democratic members who broke quorum last August to try to prevent the Republican-led Legislature from passing a controversial congressional redistricting.

‘We need new blood’: Texas voters look for leadership changes, fresh faces this election year Some vocal Texas voters say they want to get rid of politicians who've served the state for decades. Much of that sentiment can be boiled down to a preference for younger candidates with new energy — or even older ones who buck long-held status quo.

Ahead of this year's midterm elections, some Texas voters are hoping to see "new blood" in leadership.

Rising costs for food, labor, credit card swipe fees threaten Texas restaurants Half of all Texas restaurant operators failed to earn a profit last year, according to data tracked by the National Restaurant Association.

Texas restaurants are facing serious economic headwinds. According to data tracked by the National Restaurant Association, 50% of Texas restaurant operators failed to earn a profit in 2025.

A year after 'Liberation Day,' Trump's tariffs are hurting small businesses Many small business owners say the uncertainty that goes along with the high cost of the Trump administration's emergency tariffs is driving away customers and eating into profits.

Many small business owners say the uncertainty that goes along with the high cost of the Trump administration's emergency tariffs is driving away customers and eating into profits. n.pr/47N2U3W

Two Christian converts from Iran are in ICE custody in Houston. One faces potential execution if deported The two asylum seekers were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after showing up for routine check-ins in December, according to their church pastor in Houston.

Two Iranian Christian converts, who came to the U.S. seeking asylum, have been detained by ICE in Houston since December. One of the two men is in imminent danger of being deported to Iran, where his life would likely be in danger.

Soaring car insurance premiums force many low-to-middle income Texans to do without Approximately 12% percent of Texas car owners are uninsured. A new study from Texas Appleseed and United Way of Greater Houston finds that, for Harris County, that total is more than 14%.

Average car insurance rates have risen more than 50% across Texas since 2022, forcing many low-to middle-income residents to drop their insurance and risk legal penalties.

Stores scramble to sell smokeable hemp products before Texas-wide ban takes effect The March 31 ban comes as part of a set of stiff new regulations from the Texas Department of State Health Services, enacted earlier this month.

Texas’ ban on the sale of smokeable hemp products takes effect Tuesday. Stores in the Houston area and across the state have been scrambling to sell off their inventory before the ban takes effect.

Sweden’s foreign minister looks to deepen trade ties with Texas, stresses need to support Ukraine Maria Malmer Stenergard has served as minister of foreign affairs for Sweden since 2024. She led a diplomatic and trade mission to Houston and Austin this week.

During a visit to Houston this week, Sweden's minister of foreign affairs spoke about why the country chose Houston for its new consulate and about some of the leading foreign policy challenges involving Sweden and the U.S.

Afghan asylum seeker who aided U.S. Army Special Forces dies in ICE custody in Dallas Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, was seized by ICE agents outside his Richardson home last Friday morning, March 13. He died Saturday morning.

An Afghan asylum seeker who had aided U.S. Army Special Forces in Afghanistan for more than a decade was arrested by ICE in the Dallas area on Friday and died in custody the next day.

Texas businesses could wait years for tariff reimbursements — if they come at all — despite court rulings The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that more than $126 billion in emergency tariffs were illegally collected, and the U.S. Court of International Trade said the Trump administration must refund them.

The Trump administration has yet to signal when — or whether — it intends to repay tariffs implemented by executive order just over a year ago. Many businesses may wait years for reimbursement, if it ever comes.

USPS changes mean Texas mail ballots may need to be sent early to be counted in primary elections The changes, adopted last April and last December, could add at least a day to the time between when a mail-in ballot is sent and when it receives the postmark needed to be legally admissible.

A pair of policy changes at the U.S. Postal Service have the potential to impact whether some mail-in ballots are counted in upcoming elections, particularly in Texas.

What propositions are on the Texas March primary ballots Primary ballot propositions may not carry the force of law, but they can shape the legislative agendas the parties pursue next year. In the case of the GOP, that makes them particularly worth studying.

A list of ballot propositions will be tacked onto the end of both parties' primary ballots this March making an already lengthy ballot even longer.

High-profile endorsements help Alex Mealer, Briscoe Cain lead crowded GOP primary field in redrawn TX-9 President Donald Trump endorsed Mealer on his Truth Social platform late Monday. The move counters Gov. Greg Abbott's earlier endorsement of Cain.

Early voting starts today for the March 3 primary election. One of the most hotly contested races in the Houston region is in the redrawn 9th Congressional District.

Christian Menefee opens wide lead over Al Green in Democratic primary for new TX-18, poll finds The latest survey from the UH Hobby School also shows U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia is poised to beat back primary challenges in the new TX-29 by former state Rep. Jarvis Johnson and Robert Slater.

Newly sworn-in U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee has opened up a substantial lead over longtime U.S. Rep. Al Green in the upcoming Democratic primary for the redrawn Texas 18th Congressional District, according to a new survey.

Bonck, deZevallos and Pratt lead crowded GOP field vying to succeed Hunt in TX-38 Texas’ 38th Congressional District was drawn with U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt in mind. He's vacating the Houston-area seat to run for U.S. Senate.

Texas’ 38th Congressional District, stretching across west and northwest Harris County, is a solidly Republican seat drawn with U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt in mind. Twelve GOP candidates are vying to succeed Hunt now that he’s running for the U.S. Senate.

Sen. John Cornyn battles for political life in GOP primary contest with AG Ken Paxton, U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt Cornyn is seeking Texas Republicans’ nomination for a fifth term, in a contest that has seen bitter and expensive attacks on all sides. A new poll shows Paxton pulling away from Cornyn, but with no candidate leading by enough to avoid a runoff.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who is seeking a fifth term, is facing one of the toughest Republican primaries of his long political career, with serious challenges from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Houston-area U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Houston voters will finally pick the next representative in the 18th Congressional District Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards are competing in a special election runoff Saturday to complete the term of late U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died last March.

The long wait to fill the vacancy in Texas’ 18th Congressional District is coming to an end Saturday. That's when voters in the Houston district will make their final choices between two Democrats, Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards.

What to know about Arnold & Itkin, the Houston law firm linked to the Maine plane crash The business jet that crashed at Bangor International Airport on Sunday evening is registered to a company at the same address as Arnold & Itkin, a personal injury firm that has won multiple billion-dollar verdicts.

Here's what to know about Arnold & Itkin, the Houston personal injury law firm linked to the Maine plane crash.

Crockett, Talarico take on affordability, ICE and Trump during Texas primary debate The Democratic U.S. Senate candidates weighed in on everything from foreign policy and the recent U.S. military actions in Venezuela to healthcare costs and whether they'd support raising taxes on billionaires.

The Democratic U.S. Senate candidates weighed in on everything from foreign policy and the recent U.S. military actions in Venezuela to healthcare costs and whether they'd support raising taxes on billionaires.

Amanda Edwards, Christian Menefee debate in Humble ahead of TX-18 congressional runoff Edwards, a former Houston City Council member, and Menefee, previously the Harris County attorney, weighed in on issues ranging from health care to voting rights. The two Democrats refrained from attacking each other, saving their fire for President Trump and Republican state officials.

On Tuesday evening, former Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards and former Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee met at The Luke Church in Humble for the sole debate of the special election runoff for Texas’ 18th Congressional District.

More than 160 Texas faith leaders urge school boards to oppose setting aside time for prayer, Bible readings The letter, circulated by a coalition of religious freedom organizations, comes less than two months before a deadline for public school boards and charter school governing bodies to vote on whether to adopt such policies, as mandated by Senate Bill 11, passed last year.

More than 160 Texas faith leaders urge school boards to oppose setting aside time for prayer, Bible readings.

Jon Lindsay, the longest-serving Harris County judge, dies at 90 Lindsay, a Republican, followed his 20 years in county office with a decade in the Texas Senate.

Former Harris County Judge Jon Lindsay, who held the position for a record 20 years, died on Wednesday morning. He was 90 years old.

Crockett, Talarico duel for chance to break Democratic losing streak in Texas race for U.S. Senate | Houston Public Media U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and Austin state Rep. James Talarico are the two leading candidates in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat held by Republican incumbent John Cornyn.

Two major Democratic candidates remain in the fight for their party's nomination for the U.S. Senate, making it likely the party will choose its candidate on March 3, rather than having to go to a May runoff election. Both candidates visited Houston in mid-December. #TXpolitics

Appeals court rules in favor of upstream homeowners in Hurricane Harvey flooding case The ruling Monday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which held that the federal government is liable for flood damage caused by Harvey in 2017, applies directly to six test cases but opens the door to thousands of more claims for compensation.

A ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which held the federal government is liable for flood damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, applies directly to six test cases but opens the door to more claims for compensation.

U.S. Senate hopefuls Crockett and Talarico swing through Houston in dueling campaigns for Democratic primary U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and state Rep. James Talarico of Austin are the leading Democratic candidates, while incumbent Sen. John Cornyn is facing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt in the Republican primary.

The two leading Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate seat held by Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn -- U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and Austin state Rep. James Talarico -- made campaign swings through Houston this week.

As Texas Democrats try to end statewide drought, new poll finds voters are undecided on primary picks Among likely voters who had made up their minds, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin held a sizable lead over all her Democratic rivals in their bid to challenge GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, according to a new Texas Southern University survey.

A new poll of likely Democratic voters shows Austin state Rep. Gina Hinojosa with a commanding lead over her rivals in the gubernatorial primary election in March. But most Democratic voters have yet to decide on a candidate.