Thousands of East Texans remain without power after winter storm shuts down most of state
East Texas experienced some of the worst freezing rain. Dense forests and icy roads are making it more difficult to restore electricity.
Census: Texas led U.S. in population growth in 2025, but immigration slowed
Texas’ population grew at a slower pace in 2025 than in previous years, according to new federal data. Nearly 32 million people now live in the state.
What you need to know before voting in the Texas primary election
The Texas Tribune helps Texans vote by producing comprehensive voter guides for every major election. Find and share all our voting resources here.
TribCast: Will Venezuela impact Texas’ oil industry?
TribCast dives into the potentially Texas-sized repercussions of President Trump’s plan to get U.S. companies to rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry.
AG Ken Paxton sues another out-of-state provider accused of illegally sending abortion-inducing pills to Texans
In 2024, Texas also sued a New York provider accused of prescribing abortion pills, but her state’s law has shielded her from prosecution.
Border czar Homan meets with Minnesota officials following immigration operation tensions
Border czar Tom Homan met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Tuesday as the Trump administration shakes up its federal immigration crackdown following two fatal shootings and subsequent protests in the Twin Cities. The meetings came after President Donald Trump on Monday replaced Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino with Homan to lead operations in Minnesota, days after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis. “Today I met with Governor Walz, Mayor Frey, and top law enforcement officials to discuss the issues on the ground in Minnesota,” Homan said in a post on X. “We all agree that we need to support our law enforcement officers and get criminals off the streets. While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point and I look forward to more conversations with key stakeholders in the days ahead.” Homan added that Trump emphasized that he wants American cities to be “safe and secure for law-abiding residents — and they will be.” TRUMP HAS ‘VERY GOOD’ CALL WITH MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR FREY, ANNOUNCES BORDER CZAR HOMAN MEETING Following his meeting Tuesday morning with Homan, Walz said he reiterated the need for “impartial investigations” into the recent shootings in Minneapolis involving federal agents, while calling for “a swift, significant reduction in the number of federal forces in Minnesota” and “an end to the campaign of retribution against Minnesota.” “The Governor and Homan agreed on the need for an ongoing dialogue and will continue working toward those goals, which the President also agreed to yesterday,” Walz’s office said in a statement, adding that it tasked the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as the primary liaison to Homan to address his priorities. Frey said he and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara had a “productive conversation” with Homan. JUDGE THREATENS CONTEMPT FOR ICE LEADER, ORDERS HIM TO APPEAR IN COURT “I reiterated that my main ask is for Operation Metro Surge to end as quickly as possible,” Frey wrote on X. “Public safety works best when it’s built on community trust, not tactics that create fear or division. I shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers.” Frey said he also made it clear that “Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe,” adding that city leaders “will continue to stay in conversation with Mr. Homan and his team.” Following the departure of Bovino in Minnesota — the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown — a White House official told Fox News Digital earlier Tuesday that claims the administration is “backing down” in Minnesota are incorrect. TRUMP SAYS WALZ WANTS TO ‘WORK TOGETHER’ AS MINNEAPOLIS TENSIONS FLARE AFTER FEDERAL SHOOTING Trump said during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday that the shake-up is not a “pullback.” “I don’t think it’s a pullback. It’s a little bit of a change,” he said. “You know, Bovino is very good, but he’s a pretty out there kind of a guy. And in some cases that’s good, maybe it wasn’t good here.” Trump said Monday he spoke with Walz after Pretti was shot and killed on Saturday, noting that the Minnesota governor was “very respectfully” open to deporting “any and all criminals that they have in their possession.” The president also spoke with Frey on Monday, who said after their call that Minneapolis “will continue to cooperate with state and federal law enforcement on real criminal investigations — but we will not participate in unconstitutional arrests of our neighbors or enforce federal immigration law.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Iowa man stops Trump at restaurant with unexpected request before speech
President Donald Trump paused during a restaurant stop in Iowa after a patron asked if he could pray for him ahead of the president’s remarks near Des Moines. Video shared on X by White House aide Margo Martin shows the moment unfolding inside the Machine Shed restaurant, where a man from the crowd addressed Trump directly. “Can I pray for you real quick?” the man asked. “Absolutely! Come on. Let’s go,” Trump replied, bowing his head as the man began to pray. TRUMP TELLS MARCH FOR LIFE PROTECTING THE UNBORN IS ‘BATTLE’ THAT ‘MUST BE WON’ The brief prayer thanked God for the president and asked for wisdom, discernment, peace and protection, as others in the restaurant joined in. “Lord God, we give thanks for this president,” the man said during the prayer, “Lord, thank you for him and the potential. Thank you for continuing wisdom, we pray for discernment. Pray for hope, we pray for more peace, Lord.” The prayer from the restaurant patron drew several “Amens” from the surrounding crowd. TRUMP HITS THE ROAD TO SELL ECONOMIC WINS, AS REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM SHOWDOWN The unscripted moment occurred as Trump made a stop at the Iowa restaurant before heading to deliver a speech in the Des Moines area to kick off his 2026 midterm campaign. The video shows patrons standing nearby as the prayer concluded, followed by applause and words of praise: “Amen, praise God.” The White House has recently shared a national invitation to prayer and spiritual re-dedication ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary. In a statement released by the administration, Trump encouraged Americans to pray for the nation and its people, saying the country has long been “sustained and strengthened by prayer.” Trump added that as the nation prepares to mark 250 years since its founding, Americans should “rededicate ourselves to one nation under God.” The White House was contacted for additional context on the stop and the timing of the visit.
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder calls for ICE to be ‘defunded and disbanded’: ‘This is not freedom’
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be “defunded and disbanded” after the second fatal shooting this month of an American in Minneapolis involving federal immigration agents. Cohen said he initially planned to create an ice cream honoring Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old woman shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis, but that he did not have it in him to make the treat after Border Patrol agents on Saturday fatally shot Alex Pretti, also 37, while he was recording immigration enforcement operations in the same city. Pretti, an ICU nurse, appeared to be attempting to assist a woman agents had knocked down when he was sprayed with an irritant, pushed to the ground and beaten, according to video and witness accounts. An agent was later seen pulling Pretti’s lawfully owned firearm from his waistband before other agents fired several shots, killing him. “I was prepared to make a special ice cream today to memorialize and celebrate the life of Renee Good, but now that Alex’s murder makes it clear that the murder of Renee and the government’s lies were not a mistake but standard operating procedure, I just don’t have it within me,” Cohen said in a video posted to X. JUDGE THREATENS CONTEMPT FOR ICE LEADER, ORDERS HIM TO APPEAR IN COURT “We all live in Minneapolis now, because Minneapolis is only the beginning of what they have in mind. They’re coming for anyone, anywhere who doesn’t submit,” he continued. “A brazen, arrogant, masked militarized force loyal only to Trump and immune from prosecution.” Cohen asserted that people in the U.S. must “submit” to the Trump administration or risk being killed by federal agents for exercising their First Amendment rights. “Submit or be murdered. Video them and be murdered. Protest and be murdered, or at least be placed on a list of domestic terrorists and investigated,” he said. TIM WALZ COMPARES MINNESOTA ICE ACTIONS TO HOLOCAUST AND ANNE FRANK: ‘HIDING IN THEIR HOUSES’ “This is not freedom,” he added. “This is not the right to free speech or the right to protest. This is not America. This is sheer cruelty. This is the beginning of the end of the land of the free, unless we make it the home of the brave, unless we’re brave enough to stand up for justice, to stand up for our neighbors, to stand up for compassion.” Cohen then called for ICE, which was formed in 2003 following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, to be dissolved and to restore the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which handled immigration issues before the attacks. “ICE must be defunded and disbanded,” he said. “Before 2001, ICE did not even exist. Immigration issues used to be handled by the INS, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which was part of the Department of Justice. And it was just.” “Let’s go back to that,” Cohen suggested. The ice cream creator also appeared to take issue with Republicans who publicly speak about their Christian values while they also defend efforts to target immigrants in the U.S. “You know, I don’t get it. They say this is a Christian nation. What did he mean when he said, ‘I was a stranger, and you welcomed me?’ ‘Love thy neighbor.’ ‘What you do to the least of these you do to me,’” Cohen said, quoting the Bible.
Trump launches midterm push in Iowa, warns losses would derail agenda: ‘We gotta win’
President Donald Trump kicked off an aggressive midterm push Tuesday night in Iowa, warning supporters that losing control of Congress would jeopardize his tax cuts, border policies and broader second-term agenda as he urged Republicans to turn out and “win the midterms.” “If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about, and it would lead to very bad things,” Trump said during remarks that framed the 2026 midterm elections as a test of his presidency. Speaking after Reps. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, Trump said holding both chambers of Congress was critical to advancing his agenda. NEW MAGA COALITION LED BY SEAN SPICER TARGETS VOTING DEMOGRAPHIC THAT WILL BE CRUCIAL IN 2026 MIDTERMS “We got to win the midterms. That means Senate. And it means House. We gotta win,” he told the crowd. Trump explicitly cast the Iowa stop as the opening act of his midterm campaign, arguing that presidents who fail to campaign aggressively often lose ground in off-year elections. “I’m here because we’re starting the campaign to win the midterms. We have got to win the midterms,” he said. “The midterms are very important. We’re going to really work hard on winning the midterms.” The president warned that a Democrat-led Congress would reverse his economic and border policies, telling supporters that control of Capitol Hill would determine whether his priorities survive. “If they won, this country would be cratering right now,” Trump said as he contrasted Republican and Democrat candidates. “We have candidates that roll with common sense. Not this craziness.” Trump repeatedly tied the midterm stakes to his economic record in his speech, touting what he described as a dramatic turnaround in inflation, investment and job growth since returning to office. “Today, just after one year of President Trump, our economy is booming. Incomes are rising. Investment is soaring. Inflation has been defeated,” he said. “Our border is closed, totally closed.” REPUBLICAN SENATORS HIT BORDER, TOUTING TOUGHER SECURITY AND TAX CUTS, IN 2026 KICKOFF Trump credited tariffs and trade policy for increased domestic investment, saying his administration had secured what he called “commitments for a record-breaking $18 trillion.” He also praised companies like John Deere for expanding U.S. manufacturing and touted tax provisions he said would benefit seniors, tipped workers and employees who work overtime, pointing to “no tax on tips,” “no tax on overtime” and “no tax on Social Security for our seniors.” At several points, Trump returned to immigration as a defining midterm issue, arguing that border security and deportation policies would be undone if Republicans lost control of Congress. “The worst is open borders,” he said. “We can never forget what that group of morons did to this country. We can never forget. And we’ve got to win the midterms.” DAVID MARCUS: WHY REPUBLICANS DESPERATELY NEED A TRUMP-CENTERED MIDTERM CONVENTION Trump acknowledged the historical challenges facing the party in power during midterm elections but said aggressive campaigning could overcome them. “Even if you’re a good president … whoever wins the presidency has a hard time with the midterm,” Trump said. “But I campaigned hard. We got it. We got to win the midterms.” Trump closed the political portion of his remarks with a direct call to action, urging supporters to mobilize to protect his agenda and elect Republican candidates up and down the ballot. “So, remember that you got to get out, and you got to vote,” he said. The Iowa stop is part of a broader push by the White House to put the president on the road regularly ahead of the 2026 midterms. Administration officials have said Trump plans to make weekly appearances in states with key congressional races as Republicans work to defend narrow House and Senate majorities, with a particular focus on motivating core GOP voters who don’t always turn out in off-year elections or when the president’s name isn’t on the ballot. The president made clear that he views the elections not as a referendum on Congress but as a vote on the future of his presidency. “We got to win them,” he said of GOP candidates. “We have great candidates. Again, Senate and House. We got to win them.” The White House referred Fox News Digital to President Trump’s remarks. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Emma Colton contributed to this reporting.
Virginia judge voids redistricting push, rules lawmakers overstepped authority
A Virginia circuit court judge has struck down a General Assembly-approved redistricting amendment, ruling lawmakers overstepped their authority during a 2024 special legislative session and violated constitutional requirements tied to elections and voter notice. In a sweeping ruling issued Tuesday, Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack S. Hurley Jr. invalidated actions taken to advance the proposed constitutional amendment, blocking it from moving forward and barring it from being submitted to voters. The lawsuit focused on whether lawmakers could take up a redistricting-related constitutional amendment during a special session initially convened to address budget matters and whether the General Assembly followed its own rules when expanding the scope of that session. “Certainly, both houses of the Commonwealth’s legislature are required to follow their own rules and resolutions,” Hurley wrote. TRUMP TURNS UP THE HEAT ON RED STATE REPUBLICANS BLOCKING NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAPS Hurley found lawmakers improperly added redistricting to the list of issues allowed during the special session without the required unanimous consent or supermajority vote. As a result, the court ruled the joint resolution proposing changes to how congressional and legislative districts are drawn fell outside the limits lawmakers themselves set when the special session was called. “The Court FINDS that adding… [a] joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia related to the reapportionment or redistricting violated… the General Assembly’s own call to the Governor for the 2024 Special Session, and the Court ORDERS that any such action is void, ab initio,” Hurley wrote. REPUBLICANS APPEAL JUDGE’S DECISION REJECTING NEW YORK CITY GOP DISTRICT LINES The decision also addressed when a constitutional amendment may be validly advanced under Virginia law, rejecting arguments that an election occurs only on Election Day rather than during early voting. Hurley noted that more than 1 million Virginians had already cast ballots in the 2025 House of Delegates elections before lawmakers voted on the amendment. “For this Court to find the election was only on November 4, 2025, those one million Virginia voters would be completely disenfranchised,” Hurley wrote. REDISTRICTING BATTLES BREWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PARTIES COMPETE FOR POWER AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS The ruling further found lawmakers failed to comply with a state law requiring proposed constitutional amendments to be publicly posted and published ahead of the next election. Because those steps were not taken, the court ruled votes cast during the 2026 regular session could not count as the constitutionally required second approval. “Therefore, the Court FINDS that the provisions of… the Code of Virginia have not been complied with, and therefore all votes on the proposed Constitutional Amendment… are ineffective as being a ‘SECOND’ VOTE OF THE General Assembly,” Hurley wrote. Hurley issued both temporary and permanent injunctions blocking further action on the amendment. The ruling delivers a major setback to lawmakers seeking to alter Virginia’s redistricting process and underscores limits on legislative power during special sessions.