The national competition challenges students to craft compelling scary stories in just 100 words. Carefully crafted story starters help young writers overcome the blank page and begin writing quickly, while the word limit encourages them to sharpen vocabulary and make intentional plot choices. The genre invites students to experiment with character, viewpoint, tension and structure. Jazmin’s winning entry, titled “I Don’t Want What You Have I Wanna Be You,” tells the haunting story of a narrator who discovers her own name on a missing persons list.

Governor Greg Abbott announced earlier today a $4,162,550 Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) grant to Arm Inc. for an expansion of their Austin campus for a new Semiconductor Lab with failure analysis capabilities. The expansion is expected to create over 320 jobs, and represents more than $71 million in Capital Investment. Arm’s Austin operation is central to designing advanced processors for mobile, cloud, and data center applications. 

“Programs in Minnesota for welfare and childcare were designed to channel resources into protecting vulnerable children, but were treated like an open ATM by criminals. The mass fraud in Minnesota shows that American taxpayers can no longer rely on Local & State politicians to prevent abuses, because those politicians have electoral and partisan incentives to look the other way," said Sen. Ted Cruz, as he, Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the "Payment Integrity Act."

This wasn’t just some regulatory tweak. President Donald Trump just delivered a knockout punch to Obama-era climate hysteria, and the bureaucrats are having a total meltdown. On Thursday, the Trump administration finalized rules repealing the EPA’s "Endangerment finding" — that dubious 2009 determination claiming six greenhouse gases threaten human health under the Clean Air Act.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock today announced that Texas will double its investment in Israel bonds from approximately $140 million to $280 million, marking the largest one-time investment in Israel bonds in Texas history and elevating the state from the 6th-largest to the 2nd-largest U.S. state investor in the securities. Texas has invested in Israel bonds since 1994.

Governor Greg Abbott announced Davie Defense Inc. will expand their shipbuilding capacity in Galveston and Port Arthur to build Arctic icebreakers, creating more than 2,400 new jobs and representing more than $730 million in capital investment. A Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) grant of $21,771,000 has been extended to Davie Defense. Davie Defense intends to make its Texas operations ground-zero for the revitalization of the American shipbuilding industry.

“When the news broke about the Childcare Service Fraud by Somali nationals in Minnesota, the American people were shocked and outraged. ​​But as soon as the magnitude of the fraud was amplified by independent investigators, the Mainstream Media & Radical Left immediately began calling the U.S. government’s actions 'racist,'” said Sen. Cornyn earlier today as he chaired a Senate Judiciary Hearing on the issue. Now, we know it may be just the tip of the iceberg.

Yesterday, every single House Democrat (except one) voted AGAINST requiring Photo ID to vote in Federal Elections. Think about that – and all the other daily activities that require a Drivers License or ID. If only U.S. Citizens should vote in U.S. elections, how come a handful of states today require absolutely no form of identification to vote. Elections are the foundation of our Republic, and that’s why I’m proud to support the "SAVE America Act."

In response to the recent increase in threats toward Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) introduced the Bulletproof Law Enforcement Vehicles Act to expand existing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resources for law enforcement vehicle security upgrades. The Bulletproof Law Enforcement Vehicles Act is endorsed by the Police Officers' Defense Coalition, the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition, and the Southwest Border Sheriff's Coalition.

The Trump administration is renewing the United States' emphasis and focus on the Western Hemisphere — and its a move I strongly support. We must prioritize what is happening in our own backyard to ensure the prosperity and stability of our region of the world. That's why, this weekend, I led a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Mexico to meet with Mexican lawmakers and other government officials.

Sen. Cornyn and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) recommended Mr. Raybould to President Trump following an extensive review and interview process of the candidate pool by the bipartisan Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee (FJEC). Sen. Cornyn and Sen. Cruz established the FJEC, a bipartisan panel of leading attorneys in Texas, to help identify the most qualified candidates to fill judicial and U.S attorney vacancies.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced today that more than 42,000 students applied for Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) on Feb. 4th, the first day of the program’s launch. The total represents a nationwide record for most enrollments for day one of a new school choice program, surpassing Tennessee’s 33,000 student applications in 2025. As of 11 a.m. today, more than 46,000 students had applied.

Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Military Preparedness Commission (TMPC) today announced a $17 million loan from the Texas Military Value Revolving Loan Fund (TMVRLF) to the city of Del Rio. The funds will be used to rehabilitate the San Felipe East Springs Containment Wall and expand and modernize the City of Del Rio’s Water Treatment Plant. The two water projects will add resiliency to the water capacity of the City of Del Rio and the Laughlin Air Force Base. 

Harmony Public Schools–Central Texas will host the third annual Central Texas Math Carousel on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, bringing together fifth-grade students from across the Austin metroplex for a high-energy academic competition focused on mathematics. The event, held at Harmony School of Endeavor, features individual- and team-based challenges designed to strengthen problem-solving skills, encourage collaboration, and build students' confidence in math.

"When violence or terror strikes, the best-trained men and women need to be able to respond without hesitation about the bureaucratic backlash,” said Cong. Tony Gonzales as he introduced  the "Homeland Threat Response Act" to close a longstanding gap in Federal Law. "With the Super Bowl around the corner, this is timelier than ever and would ensure that Law Enforcement can do their jobs,” Gonzales said. 

Texas families began submitting applications today for the state’s new Education Freedom Account (EFA) program. The application window opened February 4, 2026, and runs through March 17, 2026. Awards will be determined through a lottery process conducted by priority category. We believe every kid is capable, is worthy of respect, and deserves educational opportunities that treat them with dignity, foster the free movement of ideas and promote self-actualization.

By enforcing the immigration laws against those who are violating them in this country, the Trump administration has deterred illegal border crossings. According to DHS, the Border Patrol encountered a daily average of 5,110 individuals at the southwest border during the Biden administration, while daily encounters averaged only 251 in the first year of Trump's second term. This country must never go back to former President Joe Biden's open borders.

“It's ridiculous that we need to pass a bill to ensure that Americans alone are the ones voting in our Federal Elections, but thanks to Joe Biden’s reckless open-border policies and Democrat-run Sanctuary Cities, this is the reality we live in,” said Sen. John Cornyn, as he, Utah Sen. Mike Lee & Cong. Chip Roy launched a renewed push to pass the "SAVE America Act" to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, photo ID before voting in Federal Elections, and states to maintain accurate voter rolls.

Under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, millions of Americans are expected to see significantly larger refunds. Economic analyses project average refunds rising by $1,000 or more, with some estimates showing increases of 15 to 30 percent. In total, taxpayers could receive up to $50 billion more in refunds this year. That means more money staying where it belongs, with families, workers, and seniors who earned it.

"As always, Texans can rest assured the Senate will hit the ground running on day one of the 90th Texas Legislature to ensure the priorities of the conservative majority of Texans are accomplished including, but not limited to, continued property tax relief via ‘Operation Double Nickel,’ eliminating fraud and abuse in state government, strengthening the power grid, and promoting a Texas-first agenda across the board.”