Gov. Rick Perry followed through on his threat to do something about border security, activating up to 1,000 National Guard troops. He said the Guard, which has strict limitations on what it can do in a law enforcement capacity, would serve as a "force multiplier" to state troopers already at the border as part of a surge operation. The federal government has plans to review Perry's action.

Perry's Guard announcement had one immediate impact: a planned binational border governors conference will be scaled back to only a dinner with the elected officials.

Two conflicting rulings by federal appeals courts cast some doubt on whether the federal government will be able to subsidize health care coverage purchased through the federally-run exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act. Texas could be impacted because the state never set up an exchange but things will remain as is until the matter is settled by the courts.

Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams told federal education officials the state would take an additional year to pilot a new teacher evaluation system based in part on student standardized test performance.

A new study concluded that abortions in Texas decreased by about 13 percent statewide and 21 percent in the Lower Rio Grande Valley after strict abortion regulations went into effect last November.

The Texas Ethics Commission has ordered Michael Quinn Sullivan, leader of the conservative advocacy group Empower Texans, to pay a $10,000 fine for failing to register as a lobbyist in 2010 and 2011. The ruling will be appealed in state district court and a final decision is not likely for a long time.

Two years after a national polling consortium opted to scale back its survey of Texas voters, the group plans to increase its exit polling in the state during this year's November elections.