Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday halted new H-1B visa petitions by state agencies and public universities as the state investigates potential program abuse. In the letter, the governor cited reports of cases in which U.S. workers were allegedly displaced by lower-paid foreign labor. “In the most egregious schemes, employers have even fired American workers and replaced them with H-1B employees, often at lower wages,” Abbott wrote.  STATE...

A longtime Democratic strategist said the choice between the leading candidates in Texas’ critical U.S. Senate race is “very stark” as Republican infighting continues in the bitter primary contest. Longtime Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn is facing off against state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Houston-area Rep. Wesley Hunt in the state’s GOP primary race. Whichever candidate emerges victorious will then face either rising Democratic state Rep. James...