INSIDER
Eliminating countywide voting in Texas would make the process harder on voters, cost more money, election leaders say
Read full article: Eliminating countywide voting in Texas would make the process harder on voters, cost more money, election leaders sayCurrently, more than 80% of Texas voters can vote anywhere in their home county, a model that originated in Lubbock County. If lawmakers approve new legislation, that would change.
Transgender Texans of all ages could lose access to transition-related care under Senate bill
Read full article: Transgender Texans of all ages could lose access to transition-related care under Senate billThe Senate advanced a bill that could create such high financial risks for doctors and health insurers that they’d stop providing or covering gender-affirming care — even for adults.
Texas Senate moves to end countywide voting on Election Day
Read full article: Texas Senate moves to end countywide voting on Election DayVoters in nearly 100 counties — mostly rural — can vote at any polling site in their county. The sponsor, without offering evidence, said the practice was not secure despite years of successful elections in Texas with the system.
‘He has a battle rifle’: Police feared Uvalde gunman’s AR-15
Read full article: ‘He has a battle rifle’: Police feared Uvalde gunman’s AR-15In previously unreleased interviews, police who responded to the Robb Elementary shooting told investigators they were cowed by the shooter’s military-style rifle. This drove their decision to wait for a Border Patrol SWAT team to engage him, which took more than an hour.
Texas GOP lawmakers warming to opioid harm-reduction policies they once opposed
Read full article: Texas GOP lawmakers warming to opioid harm-reduction policies they once opposedGov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans have expressed support for legalizing fentanyl test strips, which help users identify whether the drugs they are planning on taking contain the deadly synthetic opioid.
Texas GOP’s bills targeting transgender children have exacted a mental health toll, even if they don’t become law
Read full article: Texas GOP’s bills targeting transgender children have exacted a mental health toll, even if they don’t become lawAs the clock ticks on this year's legislative session, the House scheduled a Tuesday floor debate for a bill that would limit transgender children's sports team participation. Other GOP bills that would restrict or punish transition-related health care, like puberty blockers, missed a key Sunday deadline to advance.
Texas GOP state senator urged use of unproven hydroxychloroquine treatment for COVID-19. Now he's spreading doubt about vaccines.
Read full article: Texas GOP state senator urged use of unproven hydroxychloroquine treatment for COVID-19. Now he's spreading doubt about vaccines.In a period of sagging vaccination rates — particularly among staunch conservatives — state Sen. Bob Hall used his platform to promulgate debunked anti-vaccine conspiracies and push claims that have largely been eschewed by the medical community.