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Texas lawmakers could once again consider legalizing casinos in the state's 2021 legislative session — a move supporters say could help fill a $4.6 billion hole in Texas' budget amid the pandemic-induced recession. What are the pros and cons? Is a gambling "sin tax" enough to meaningfully rehab state finances?
Julián and Joaquin Castro call on Ted Cruz to resign after he objected to Joe Bidenâs victory just before pro-Trump rioters breached Congress Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, right, Sen. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, left, and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, center, walk from the House of Representatives to the Senate at the U.S. Capitol after a challenge was raised during the joint session to certify the 2020 election results, in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. (Source: REUTERS/Mike Theiler) By MITCHELL FERMAN | January 7, 2021 at 9:31 AM CST - Updated January 7 at 6:40 PM Julián and...
The best journalism of 2020: Covering the pandemic A year has passed since the novel coronavirus first emerged. Even with mass inoculation efforts underway, it continues to rage on, with little sign of abating. Throughout this year, we’ve relied on journalism to make sense of it all—especially as the virus’s spread frequently outpaced our abilities to comprehend and respond to it. Below, CJR has compiled some of the year’s most illuminating, hard-hitting, and enduring coverage of the pandemic. From the early days of the outbreak, McNeil Jr.’s prescient stories for The New York...
Analysis: Texans might be ready for casinos, but lawmakers aren't convinced By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune Share: It's going to take an extraordinary sales pitch to get the Texas Legislature to say yes to casinos. It's been attempted several times - often when money is short - but the state has remained resistant to major expansion of gambling since 1991, when voters approved the Texas Lottery. But here they come, as reported by The Texas Tribune's Mitchell Ferman and Patrick Svitek. After a generous sprinkling of campaign contributions during the 2020 general election, casino operator an...
Patrick Svitek and Mitchell Ferman Texas Tribune The casino empire helmed by GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson is zeroing in on Texas. Las Vegas Sands, among the world’s largest gaming companies, has set its sights on legalizing casinos in the state with a stable of high-powered lobbyists for the upcoming legislative session — and on Tuesday, a public acknowledgment of its ambitions. Andy Abboud, Las Vegas Sands’ top lobbyist, said the company was pursuing Texas as one of only a few expansion opportunities, along with places like Japan, Brazil and New York. “We view Texas as a worldwide d...