EL PASO, Texas — El Paso Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar on Monday sparred with Republican U.S. House leaders in dueling news conferences after the GOP toured the Texas-Mexico border in El Paso and labeled the current immigration situation “a crisis.” U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy led the 13-member congressional delegation’s visit. Those Republicans claim
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WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary, making her the first Native American to lead a Cabinet department and the first to lead the federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation’s tribes for nearly two centuries. Haaland was confirmed by a 51-40 vote.
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HOUSTON, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was in Houston on Monday, buoyed by key Republican ally state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, to address voting integrity legislation, ABC affiliate KTRK reported. Despite Texas Republicans retaining control of the state senate and house, not to mention the Texas Congressional delegation remaining in the GOP majority, the party
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas — El Paso’s Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar on Sunday pushed back on claims that the Biden administration is responsible for an influx of migrants at U.S-Mexico border. President Biden announced over the weekend that he is sending the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to help manage and care for the growing
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — Last weekend, a prominent Republican senator, Ted Cruz of Texas, and the second-ranking Democratic senator, Dick Durbin of Illinois, had an argument on the Senate floor about whether undocumented immigrants are eligible to receive checks from the pandemic relief bill President Joe Biden signed on Thursday, the American Rescue Plan Act. Cruz
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EL PASO, Texas — While many in the Borderland will receive a one-time $1,400 payment from the Covid-19 relief bill, that is just one small piece of the pie that makes up the American Rescue Plan. The bill passed by Congress and signed Thursday by President Joe Biden aims at American economic recovery. “We’ve lost
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ top law enforcement officer is suing leaders in the state’s capital for maintaining local coronavirus mask requirements, saying they illegally defy the governor’s order ending a statewide mandate. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Travis County District Court, names Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Mark Escott, the
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ top law enforcement officer has threatened to sue leaders in the state’s capital for maintaining local coronavirus mask requirements, saying they illegally defy the governor’s order ending a statewide mandate. Attorney General Ken Paxton, in a letter to Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown, said he would
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Matthew McConaughey says he is seriously considering a run for Texas governor. The “True Detective” star, whose home state is Texas, says he is thinking it over and it may be what he wants to do with the next chapter of his life. On a recent episode of Crime Stoppers of Houston’s
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas — El Paso healthcare workers held a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening to honor the more than 3,500 “healthcare heroes” who have lost their lives to Covid-19 nationwide. “It’s time that we pay attention to healthcare workers who are sacrificing so much and show them the appreciation they deserve through action,” said Erika
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AUSTIN, Texas — Texans will no longer be under a statewide mandate to wear masks in public as of Wednesday, but they shouldn’t be too quick to throw out their face coverings. Gov. Greg Abbott last week announced he would be loosening restrictions meant to stop the spread of Covid-19, including doing away with the
Continue Reading MISSION, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott, during a news conference Tuesday at the Texas-Mexico border to discuss the state’s border security efforts amid what the governor claimed was an “ongoing humanitarian crisis,” alleged that the Biden Administration was not providing access to Covid-19 vaccines to U.S. Border Patrol staff. Abbott’s remarks came after he took an
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — City of Austin leaders announced Tuesday that they will continue to require wearing masks amid Gov. Greg Abbott lifting the statewide mask mandate starting Wednesday, ABC affiliate KVUE reported. “In Austin, we’re committed to saving lives. Period. If state officials don’t want to do their jobs protecting people from the virus, then
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Democratic lawmakers from Texas are urging the state’s governor to accept federal funds to help with the testing and quarantining of migrants released from U.S. Border Patrol custody, according to a letter obtained by CNN. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has blamed migrants for spreading Covid-19, without evidence, while blocking federal plans to
Continue Reading MISSION, Texas — An American flag blew in the South Texas wind as Father Roy Snipes prepared to welcome 100 migrants to the school close to his church. He set the church bells to chime just in time for the migrants’ arrival and play “Santa Maria del Camino,” a hymnal honoring traveling pilgrims. But the
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(Editor’s note: In the video player above is Beto O’Rourke’s unedited responses during an ABC News Live interview on Friday.) EL PASO, Texas — Beto O’Rourke is on the road again, criss-crossing Texas and broadcasting his stops in small towns live. His efforts have been focused on the crises that have gripped the state: Widespread
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EL PASO, Texas — In a highly personal letter where he recounts the Covid-19 deaths of his mother and brother, El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser wrote to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday evening seeking authority for the city to impose its own mask mandate when the state’s is lifted next week. Leeser shares with
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EL PASO, Texas — An El Paso state lawmaker is intent on changing gun regulations in the first legislative session since the deadly mass shooting at the El Paso Cielo Vista Walmart 19 months ago. Rep. Joe Moody, (D – District 78), told ABC-7 that while lawmakers are intent on addressing the fallout from the
Continue Reading HOUSTON, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sought Thursday to respond to the criticism over his decision to rescind the statewide mask mandate, despite warnings from health experts that the pandemic is far from over. Texas is the largest state to end its mask order and other Covid-19 restrictions that were intended to prevent the
Continue Reading Katie Mehnert is CEO of ALLY Energy, ambassador to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Equity in Energy program and author of Grow with the Flow. The views expressed in this commentary below belong to the author. I was getting my first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Bayou City Event Center in Houston when the news
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is stalling efforts by the Biden administration to provide federal funds for Covid-19 tests for migrants released from custody, a senior Homeland Security official tells CNN. After announcing that he’s relaxing state Covid restrictions, Abbott alleged that migrants coming into Texas are exposing the state’s residents to the
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WASHINGTON, DC — The Biden administration is preparing to convert its immigrant family detention centers in South Texas into Ellis-Island-style rapid-processing hubs that will screen migrant parents and children with a goal of releasing them into the United States within 72 hours, according to Department of Homeland Security draft plans obtained by The Washington Post.
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — In April 2020, an optimistic Gov. Greg Abbott announced at the Texas Capitol that he would soon take initial steps to allow businesses to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. The loosening of restrictions, his team said, would be informed by a statewide “strike force,” composed of business leaders and four medical experts who would advise the
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — The board overseeing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the independent nonprofit entity that operates and manages the electricity grid that covers much of Texas, fired ERCOT CEO Bill Magness Wednesday night. The move by the board to vote in favor of a “60-day termination notice” came after they convened in a
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Masks are still required in Texas public schools unless local school boards decide to make them optional, the Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday. The guidance follows an announcement from the Texas Department of State Health Services that school and child care staff are now eligible for vaccines, effective immediately. It fills an information
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is facing a torrent of criticism over his surprise decision to roll back his state’s mask mandate and business restrictions — moves that strategists and activists in both parties said are aimed at appeasing an impatient Republican base ahead of his 2022 reelection bid and with an eye
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico’s Democratic governor has signed economic relief legislation that provides $600 rebates to low-income workers and a tax holiday for restaurants that have been hobbled by aggressive pandemic health restrictions. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday signed two bills that are part of an ambitious economic recovery package. New Mexico
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden sharply criticized states such as Texas and Mississippi for lifting Covid-19 restrictions against pleas from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other top public health officials, accusing those in power of “Neanderthal thinking.” “I think it’s a big mistake. Look, I hope everybody’s realized by now,
Continue Reading LUBBOCK, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott will end Texas’ statewide mask mandate and allow all businesses to reopen at full capacity as of next Wednesday, March 10. “It is now time to open Texas 100%,” Abbott said at a news conference Tuesday. “People and businesses don’t need the state telling them how to operate any
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AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Longhorns had just lost to rival Oklahoma for the third time in a row — this time after a quadruple overtime. The bruising loss was quickly overshadowed when then-Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger stood alone on the field for the playing of the university’s alma mater song “The Eyes of Texas,”
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