Ken Paxton and James Talarico are neck and neck in U.S. Senate race, new poll finds

The vast majority of Republicans indicated they had moved on from the bitter GOP primary and now support Paxton. Talarico had commanding leads among independents and moderates.
Texas’ big health priorities — dementia research, food labeling and ivermectin — have hit roadblocks

Priorities for Republican leadership last legislative session have either been stuck in the courts or left to linger in the state rulemaking process.
Data centers not welcome: New poll shows most Texans oppose them in their communities

Opposition was most intense in rural counties. Texas is poised to be the No. 1 market for data centers in the U.S., with the most planned projects of any state.
Recent rain gives Corpus Christi a 9-month reprieve on projected water crisis

Emergency restrictions are now expected to hit in September 2027, so the coastal city still faces a challenging future.
SCOTUS orders Texas court to reconsider man’s 1997 murder conviction

The ruling came after Cooke County District Attorney John Warren told the U.S. Supreme Court that “the State no longer had confidence in the verdict.”
U.S. Supreme Court denies Texas death row inmate’s intellectual disability claim

Attorneys and experts for both the state and for death row inmate Victor Saldaño agree that he should be allowed to present evidence of his disability to a state criminal appeals court.
Austin-area hospitals denied miscarriage care despite clarification to Texas’ abortion ban, federal complaint alleges

Lynn Callaway says she was sent home from two hospitals, despite an infection, due to healthcare providers’ fear of the state’s abortion ban.
Court filings: Unsafe homes and a child death still dog Texas’ foster care system amid improvement

The reports note that in recent years, the troubled child welfare system improved caseworker training and caseloads, but unsafe conditions for children persisted.
Judge blocks feds from using immigration database to check voter eligibility

A federal judge cited Texas’ use of the SAVE database, which flagged several voters who were actually citizens, and said the checks violated privacy and voting rights.
Judge blocks Biden-era immigration rule hours after Texas AG and Stephen Miller’s group sued DOJ

On Monday, Ken Paxton’s office asked the judge to block the rule, a request the federal agency then agreed with. The suit echoes a similar move in 2025 that killed a 24-year-old state tuition law.