Politics & Government

One Texas man’s long trip through the U.S. immigration system.

Calm down. Of course Rick Perry told President Donald Trump he’s God’s chosen one. Perry’s from Texas. He’s doing what must be done to protect Big Awl, the oil bidness. Why do people think Perry’s even in D.C.? But I forget. Most people outside of Texas probably don’t remember for…

If you were concerned about recent media reports that New York City is busing hundreds of homeless people to Dallas, don’t be. They’re lies. That’s according to the City of Dallas, which attempted to dispel the rumors in a memo released late Friday. City staff called the New York City…

There was a time, way back in 2015 and 2016, that Texas Republicans were part of the last line of defense against the looming specter of President Donald Trump. Former Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Ted Cruz and a bevy of Lone Star Never Trumpers held the line as best they could,…

For a decade and a half, Texas politics may have driven you crazy, but they were easy, or at least fairly easy, to understand. There were the radical conservatives and theocrats, motivated either by their fervor or will to power. Then there were the moderate Republicans, motivated by their belief…

For more than two years, Energy Secretary and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was an anomaly in President Donald Trump’s administration. He managed, largely, to tiptoe through the tulips, staying out of the headlines and keeping his job, unlike so, so many others in the executive branch. That run is…

It sounds like the setup to a joke: Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick all went to church together on Sunday. Rather than setting up some humor at the expense of two of the world’s biggest celebrities and Texas’ most powerful politician, however, the unlikely trio…

A few weeks ago, a group of out-of-town activists told their followers they were going to make a “mighty impact on Dallas” by marching through downtown on Saturday, “spreading the joys of straight pride” to all who would hear. On Saturday morning, three people showed up. The march had, in…

The most surprising thing about Mina Chang’s resignation is that it took this long. Monday afternoon, five days after NBC News outed her as a fraud, Chang quit her post at the U.S. State Department. “It is essential that my resignation be seen as a protest and not as surrender because…

The Federal Government’s newest round of proposed anti-immigration rules targets asylum seekers and will put a strain on those here in North Texas and the organizations and people who support them, advocates say. The new rule would double the wait time for a work permit.

All things considered, Faith Johnson is probably better off today. Sure, she got waxed by Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot in the 2018 election, losing by 20 points, but she was never expected to win anyway. Since her loss, however, the former judge has picked up a sweet partnership…

VisitDallas remains an organization non grata for multiple Dallas City Council members, that much is clear after Wednesday’s City Council meeting. That didn’t stop the embattled tourism promotion firm from winning grudging support for contractual changes meant to fix the long list of problems with way the organization keeps its…

Last November, an audit of the Dallas Police Department’s off-duty work policy landed with a thud. Due to lax oversight and departmental controls, the audit said, DPD put itself at risk for officers working up to 112 hours per week when off-duty law enforcement work was factored in, officers doing…

In 1991, Saddam Hussein used tanks and helicopters to subdue rebelling Kurds in northern Iraq. Terrified that Hussein would again use chemical weapons, as he had in 1988, millions of the country’s persecuted Kurdish minority fled. Saman Gardy was one of them. He and his family were living in Erbil,…

The mainstream media analysis of Beto O’Rourke’s decision to kill his campaign is evidence that we now live in separate dimensions and speak different languages, defined mainly by generation. On the surface, it would be hard to poke even a pinprick into most of what was said by boomer analysts…

In a different world, or maybe just a different time, Rick Perry, the ex-governor of Texas and soon-to-be ex-secretary of energy, would still be in the news this week. He would have testified Wednesday, as he was asked to do by House investigators, about his role in conducting President Donald Trump’s…

Another election night is over in Texas, but don’t expect to feel it, at least not for awhile. Voters in Dallas and around the state gave the legislature a big thumbs-up Tuesday night, overwhelmingly signing off on nine of the 10 amendments to the Texas Constitution on offer. Both of…

Over the last couple of weeks, a certain U.S. representative from East Texas has popped up a couple of times in your friendly neighborhood news vertical. It’s been with good reason, too. He’s stormed a secure facility at the U.S. Capitol, threatened civil war over the potential impeachment of President…

There’s evidence, from donation totals and turnout, both in the 2018 election and at rallies like the one held by President Donald Trump in Dallas a couple of weeks ago, that North Texas is more engaged than ever politically. The region is the epicenter of the 2020 fight over the…

A new term for me, a bit of an epithet I guess, was applied to me several times recently by a genial retired oil industry person sitting nearby at a wedding reception. Smart man, perfectly likeable. He suggested in the course of the evening that some people — I definitely…

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke is done running for president. Friday afternoon, the former U.S. representative from El Paso, stuck polling in the low single digits, said that his campaign couldn’t win the Democratic nomination due to a lack of resources. O’Rourke did not endorse one of his Democratic competitors,…

This Sunday, yet another new immigration policy will go into effect: immigrants coming into the country will be required to show proof of health insurance or the ability to secure health insurance or pay for medical costs, within 30 days of entering the US.