Aarón Torres

As the Texas Legislature convenes in a special session, in part to address flooding after the July 4 Kerr tragedy, we found that they repeatedly underfunded such efforts & did not pass key recommended legislation to help rural communities w/ @LChurchilll propublica.org/article/texas-…

#txlege select committees on disaster preparedness and flooding have adjourned today's 11.5-hour hearing. perry said NWS has offered to give a "private briefing" to lawmakers in the next two weeks. for a recap before our 2nd article on the hearing pubs: houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas…

Sen. Charles Schwertner questions why the Upper Guadalupe River Authority used a surplus for a tax break instead of building recommended flood alert upgrades. "I find it disturbing," he says. Qs in response this article #txlege houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

This story is so informative. Breaks down decades of local political fights that led us here and easily explains the state's river authority system. A must read by @neenareports and @keribla. houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga… #txlege

New from @megankimble, @neenareports & me: @TDEM Director Nim Kidd today told lawmakers that poor coordination between state and local emergency managers hampered the response to the July 4 flash floods that killed 136 people statewide. #txlege houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas…

DallasNews Corp. Board says its reviewing offer from Alden to buy The Dallas Morning News. Robert Decherd, DallasNews Corp. controlling shareholder says he favors moving forward with deal that allows Hearst to buy the company | @dallasnews: dallasnews.com/news/2025/07/2…

You may have seen reports about the release of Venezuelans the Trump administration sent to a Salvadoran prison and called "the worst of the worst." But when we set out to learn more about them, that's not what we found. 🧵

Cornyn, a member of Intel, says: “I agree with what the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence concluded, and that was that Russia was up to its old tricks, which is trying to influence the election. Thankfully, there's no evidence at all that they were successful in changing…

NEW for @dallasnews: I followed Amanda McLaughlin, a 65-year-old trans woman in Garland, as she navigated the regular #txlege session this year and learned about the current special session. Here’s the story of how she found her voice at the TX Capitol. shorturl.at/yTM1W

Multiple LGBTQ and civil rights advocacy groups holding “Texas Women United Against Trans Bathroom Ban” rally at Capitol this morning. The Gov. Abbott priority item would require people in public buildings to use bathrooms aligned with their sex assigned at birth.

NEW: Despite having $3.4 million in reserves, the Upper Guadalupe River Authority in Kerr County chose to cut taxes and turn down a 0% interest loan from the state rather than fund a $1 million flood warning system upgrade. W/@keribla houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

ICE releases deaf Mongolian immigrant after holding him for months without interpreter calmatters.org/justice/2025/0…

Statement we posted on our website last week: “Important Update: Last week we were very concerned to hear about Senator Angela Paxton’s legal claim of adultery and public claim of “recent discoveries” relating to her husband Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, that led to her…

I spent time with Javier Diaz Santana, who is deaf and unable to speak. He was working at a car wash when ICE raided it. Diaz is a DACA recipient, allowing him to live and work in the U.S., but ICE arrested him and held him for weeks in El Paso. latimes.com/california/sto…

.@RepTroyNehls, R-Texas, is backing @KenPaxtonTX over @JohnCornyn for Senate in '26. Why? "I'm kind of a term limit guy. If you can't get it done in 24 years, what makes you think you're gonna get it done in 30?" Nehls tells me. "I think Ken Paxton is a true America First guy.…

NEW: Gov. Greg Abbott told members of Congress he was skeptical about calling a special session to redraw Texas’ congressional maps. Most Texas Republicans were not a fan, either. Then Trump called. How the redistricting effort came to be: @TexasTribune texastribune.org/2025/07/22/tex…

Exchange in #txlege Senate shows how redistricting looms: Miles: "We spent all day today on the first day of a special session on what issue?" Eckhardt: "On a mid-decade redistricting that is not required by law." M: "Have we talked about any flood issues?" E: "Not once."

News —Speaker Mike Johnson shuts the door on a House vote before August recess on a resolution calling for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. “No,” he told me when asked if there’d be a vote before recess. Says wants to give administration “space” to deal with issue

Scoop: A WSJ reporter was slated to be part of the travel pool this weekend when Trump travels to Scotland. After the paper's Epstein story last week, the WH booted them from the pool. w/ @iriesentner politico.com/news/2025/07/2…

Soooo much good original reporting comes out of @kut and the Texas Newsroom, a collaboration of NPR and local stations.