Government and Politics

Texas Majority PAC and the Texas Democratic Party recruited 104 candidates to fill uncontested races. Gov. Greg Abbott's strategist said it amounts to a gimmick "if they don't back it up with serious resources."

The attorney general's complaint form is the latest effort to enforce new state restrictions on which restrooms transgender people can use in public buildings.

Most of the package is earmarked for row-crop producers. It aims to help farmers – especially those who grow soybeans – balance out losses from high costs and a trade war with China.

Seven residents launched a challenge in 2022 to the removal of 17 books, which included topics on race and gender. They won a reinstatement of the titles, but lost on appeal.

The governor must first win over lawmakers who have rejected similar proposals. The state may have to backfill more than $17 billion for school funding alone.

An approaching primary election was a factor in Thursday’s Supreme Court decision to set aside a lower court’s ruling that had blocked the Republican-backed map from taking effect. A key question moving forward is whether the lines were redrawn based on race or partisan politics.

With reports of bird flu in Lubbock, our Bishop Van Buren reports on a warning from the City of Lubbock asking residents to avoid handling sick or dead birds. Those who find sick or dead birds to report them to Lubbock Animal Service by calling 806-775-2057. Tonight at 6 P.M. is the deadline for candidates to file to run in Texas’ March 2026 primary elections. And after the Supreme Court ruled the state can use its 2025 redistricting map for the congressional midterms, Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider reports Democrats are frustrated but hopeful.

The reliability of the Texas energy grid could be shaken by the rapid expansion of data centers in the state. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports on a new study that shows that could be especially evident in extreme weather conditions. Lubbock County Commissioner Jason Corley has entered the race for Texas’ 19th Congressional District, currently held by Jodey Arrington, against whom he competed against for the 2016 Republican primary. The filing deadline for candidates is Monday, Dec. 8.

The Supreme Court has cleared the way for a Texas congressional map that may help the GOP win five more U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterms. A lower court found the map is likely unconstitutional.

Laws include restricting transgender people's access to public bathrooms, allowing lawsuits against abortion pill providers, and replacement of the STAAR test.