Texas

Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) has refiled legislation to vacate the seats of lawmakers who skip work without authorization, after House Democrats once again absconded to block a quorum during a special session. Gov. Greg Abbott called the second special session Friday, but only 97 members were present—three short of the quorum needed to conduct business.

Democrats are planning to launch protests on August 16, targeting redistricting efforts underway across the country.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that Kellogg's has entered into an agreement to remove dyes from its cereals.

An Illinois judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Illinois State Sen. Jil Walker Tracy that sought to arrest 33 Texas House Democrats who fled the state to block legislative action. The case, filed in the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court in Adams County, aimed to domesticate Texas quorum warrants so Illinois law enforcement could detain the lawmakers and return them to Texas.

Gerrymandering hypocrisy is back in the spotlight after former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder blasted Republican redistricting while defending Democratic efforts to do the same.

Texas Democrats are reportedly planning to return to the state after fleeing in an effort to block legislative sessions.

The Texas Supreme Court has "expedited" the schedule for briefs to be filed in the case of Democrats fleeing the Texas House.

Activists searching for missing persons in Mexico have uncovered a killing field and incineration site near the Texas border that the Gulf Cartel has resumed using to execute and dispose of victims. The grisly discovery was made Sunday by members of the Amor Por Los Desaparecidos collective at an abandoned warehouse west of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, close to the Anzalduas International Bridge.

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) demanded that President Donald Trump end the redistricting efforts across the country, warning that Trump and Republicans are "playing with fire."

Tears and gratitude filled the Ingram Tom Moore High School event center Saturday as victims of the devastating July 4 Kerr County flood received $25,000 checks from country music legend George Strait’s fundraising efforts. The checks represent the first installment of assistance from Strait’s July 27 benefit concert in Boerne, which raised roughly $7 million for flood recovery. Governor Greg Abbott, Texas Division of Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd, and Strait’s longtime friend Tom Cusick personally handed out the relief funds.