AUSTIN, TEXAS — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered another special legislative session to again try passing a GOP voting bill after Democrats left the state in protest to again prevent Republicans from changing the state’s elections laws.

       The announcement was expected and comes as more than 50 Democrats, who left Texas for Washington on July 12, were on the cusp of running out the clock on the current special session and torpedoing the sweeping voting package for a second time since May.

       “I will continue to call special session after special session,” Abbott said.

       The cross-country exodus marked the second time that Democratic lawmakers staged a walkout on the voting overhaul, which they say would make it harder for young people, people of color and people with disabilities to vote. But like the effort in May, there remains no clear path for Democrats to permanently block the voting measures, or a list of other contentious GOP-backed proposals up for debate.

       Senators wrapping up work on $1T infrastructure bill; CBO says legislation would increase national debt by $256B

       2h

       ‘We lost Greenville’: Wildfire decimates Northern California mountain town, leveling most of its historic downtown and leaving blocks of homes in ashes

       3h

       Coronavirus Health officials urge COVID tests for Lollapalooza goers. Crowds were ‘literally pressed against each other, maskless,’ says one attendee planning to get screened.

       3h

       Horoscopes Daily horoscope for August 5, 2021

       12:00 AM

       Breaking News If you went to Lollapalooza, get a COVID-19 test this week, Champaign-Urbana health department urges local residents

       8:46 AM