Author: Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor, Washington Examiner

(The Center Square) – The Texas state legislature now has enough votes to pass school choice initiatives after Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff election, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday night. “The Texas Legislature now has enough votes to pass school choice. This is a victory for every Texas family across our great state,” Abbott said after…

(The Center Square) – Venezuelan Tren de Aragua prison gang members are being arrested thousands of miles from the border after having illegally entered the U.S. in Texas. The Venezuelan prison gang is well-known for orchestrating murders, bribery schemes and money laundering, drug and arms trafficking, and kidnappings for ransom money. In March, U.S. Sens.…

(The Center Square) – Texas Department of Public Safety troopers continue to apprehend human smugglers and gang members and find dozens of people being held in stash houses at the border. Troopers foiled human smuggling events in Webb County this past week. On Tuesday, two alleged human smugglers were driving on I-35, which runs north…

Texas oil and gas upstream jobs saw gains for sixth consecutive months, according to employment data from the Texas Workforce Commission, expanding by another 2,300 jobs. Since the low employment point in September 2020, growth months in oil and gas have outnumbered decline months 11 to 2. For the past six months, employment gains have…

Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed $400 million in funding to boost law enforcement officers pay and prioritize recruitment of new officers to state and local law enforcement agencies. The proposal will be considered during the 2022 Florida legislative session, which begins in January. “While other states have turned their backs on law enforcement, even calling…

The field to replace Sen. Kel Seliger’s Senate District 31 seat in the Texas Panhandle is growing. The West Texas legislator announced in October that he was retiring and wasn’t running for reelection. Seliger, one of the most liberal Republicans in the Texas Legislature, repeatedly voted against property tax reform measures, banning taxpayer-funded lobbying, and…

Democratic leaders are targeting church goers to get out the vote, endorsing Democratic incumbent Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who is slightly behind in the polls for the first time after making controversial remarks about parents not having a say in their children’s education. Some argue the Souls to the Polls campaign violates IRS rules governing tax-exempt…

In the 2020 election, U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, D-New Mexico, lost to Republican Yvette Herrell in a district whose residents are reliant on oil and gas for survival. Despite trying to promote herself as a pro-oil and natural gas representative, Torres couldn’t shake off the effects of the anti-fossil fuel movement that has been…

U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is under fire for paying her daughter more than $80,000 in cash from her campaign this year and more than $1 million since 2003, according to media reports. Campaign finance records show the congresswoman’s campaign paid her daughter, Karen Waters, $81,650 in 12 payments over several…

Thousands of Californian parents, teachers and students participated in a statewide walkout protesting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students ages 12 and older. The mandate, the first of its kind in the nation, applies to school children in grades 7 through 12, age 12 and older. It would go into effect July 1,…