Recent polls show Hillary Clinton within single digits of Donald Trump in Texas. And Clinton herself said last month that she believed the state was flippable. Yet all signs point to Clinton ceding the state to Trump.

It has been almost two months since Ted Cruz dropped out of the presidential race, and — at least publicly — his attitude toward the man who beat him has not changed. Hanging over the already fraught Cruz-Trump dynamic are growing efforts to revolt against Trump in Cleveland.

Looking to capitalize on the news Democrats made in Washington last week with a daylong sit-in on the House floor, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett returned to his gun-friendly state on Wednesday trying to drum up enthusiasm for gun control.

The legal battle to defend Texas' 2013 abortion restrictions — which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional on Monday — cost Texas taxpayers more than $1 million.

Reprising a familiar theme from his abandoned presidential campaign, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz convened a hearing Tuesday and repeatedly charged that the Obama administration is "willfully blind" to the root of terrorism in the United States.

A majority of Texas’ registered voters believe Muslims who are not U.S. citizens should be banned from entering the country, according to results of a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his Alabama counterpart have dropped their legal bid to squelch a U.S. Virgin Islands investigation of Exxon Mobil after the U.S. territory agreed to end its investigation into the company.

Disclosure: The University of Texas and Exxon Mobil Corp. have been financial sponsors of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Jason Miller will serve as senior communications adviser to Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee's campaign announced Tuesday morning. Miller previously worked in a similar role for Ted Cruz, who waged a bloody battle against Trump in the primaries.

Gov. Greg Abbott has named Joel Arrigucci of El Paso, Liam Fry of Austin and Bridgette Walshe of Fort Worth to serve on the Nursing Facility Administrators Advisory Committee through 2021. The group makes recommendations on the Nursing Facility Administrator Licensing Program to the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services.

Abbott named Trey Didway of Brownfield judge of the 121st Judicial District Court in Yoakum and Terry Counties through the November election. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary for the seat in March and will not face major party opposition in the general election.

Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton has named Katie McKee, a public relations veteran, as his new director of public affairs this week. She worked most recently at Elizabeth Christian Public Relations, where she repped several clients in the health care, insurance and higher education sectors.

Dallas County Treasurer Pauline Medrano has been elected the new president of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Medrano, currently NALEO's educational fund chair, was elected the organization's next president unanimously and will serve a three-year term.

Katherine Romans has been named executive director of the Hill Country Alliance after spending the last five months filling the position on an interim basis. She brings extensive nonprofit and legislative experience, and also served previously as director of landowner outreach for the alliance.

Disclosure: The Hill Country Alliance and Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations have been financial sponsors of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.