Ted Cruz's presidential campaign launched its first major TV ad in New Hampshire, a dramatic spot that seeks to shore up his border security credentials in a Republican primary race that has been dominated by the issue for months.

Taking advantage of a U.S. House recess this month, House Speaker Paul Ryan will make several stops in some of the richest pockets of the state: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Midland and San Antonio. Donors are being asked to contribute to a joint fundraising committee supporting Ryan's Republican colleagues in vulnerable districts across the country.

Intervening in what could be a landmark decision, the Obama administration, state and federal lawmakers and medical experts are among those who filed amicus briefs urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Texas’ 2013 abortion law. Wendy Davis signed onto a separate amicus brief with other current and former women legislators who have publicly disclosed their own abortions.

Texas A&M Athletic Director Eric Hyman will leave his post, university officials announced Tuesday, wrapping up a stint during which A&M grew its college sports profile but at times failed to meet expectations on the field.

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump told The Washington Post this week that Ted Cruz's Canadian birth could pose "a big problem" should his eligibility to serve as president become subject to a court challenge. Cruz responded first with a humorous tweet referencing the "jumping the shark" episode of "Happy Days" and then later by saying the legal rationale underpinning his eligibility to serve is "quite straightforward."

U.S. Rep. Gene Green, who is facing a potentially tough primary challenge from former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, earned this week an endorsement from the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Green's district is 80 percent Hispanic and the endorsement was made to convey the message that the incumbent can be trusted to represent Hispanic interests.

A Waller County grand jury took action Wednesday against the Department of Public Safety trooper involved in the July arrest of Sandra Bland, charging him with a single count of perjury. The charge stemmed from the apparent discrepancy between dashboard camera footage of the arrest and the trooper's written description of the incident. Bland died three days later in the Waller County Jail, pushing the incident into the ongoing national conversation about race and policing, jail safety and mental health awareness.

GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubio spoke at a North Dallas rally on Wednesday evening, his first public campaign event in Texas. The wide-ranging speech touched on a multitude of topics but Rubio avoided mentioning his rivals for the party nomination.

Gov. Greg Abbott's economic development and tourism division director defended the use of taxpayer-funded incentives to lure out-of-state businesses to Texas in an appearance Thursday before a House committee. Lawmakers seemed to agree, with some calling Texas’ recent fall from its longtime perch as the nation’s job creator a wakeup call.

America’s biggest retiree group wants state regulators to reject oilman Ray L. Hunt's proposal to buy Oncor, the state’s biggest electric transmission company, suggesting it will shift wealth from everyday Texans to rich folks in suits.

In an appearance at an event hosted by the free market-oriented Texas Public Policy Foundation, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday vowed to pass a bigger and better tax credit scholarship program — and possibly other school choice legislation — out of the Senate.

A district attorney in West Texas this week asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to weigh in on whether sheriff's deputies in Brewster County are allowed to place stickers in the shape of crosses on the back of their patrol vehicles.

Disclosure: Texas A&M University and the Texas Public Policy Foundation are corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune. Oncor was a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune in 2012. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.