Emma Platoff, Texas Tribune | Texas Public Radio

Emma Platoff, Texas Tribune

Emma Platoff is a breaking news reporter at The Texas Tribune. She previously worked at the Tribune as a reporting fellow and is a recent graduate of Yale University, where she studied English literature and nonfiction writing. She has also worked as the managing editor of the Yale Daily News and as an intern at The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Hartford Courant.

Five Lawmakers Sue Gov. Greg Abbott Over $295 Million Contact Tracing Deal

By • Aug 6, 2020
GABRIEL C. PÉREZ | KUT

Five of the Texas Legislature’s most conservative members are suing Gov. Greg Abbott and state health officials, claiming Texas leaders overstepped their bounds when they awarded a major contract for tracking Texas’ coronavirus outbreak to a little-known technology firm.

A Singular Figure In Texas’ Coronavirus Response, Abbott Leads State Headed In Alarming Direction

By • Jul 18, 2020
Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas GOP leaders continue to resist a push by Democrats to expand mail-in voting.
Ricardo B. Brazziell | Pool via Austin American-Statesman

One evening, after making one of his most consequential decisions yet in Texas’ response to the coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott settled in for his pandemic routine: a rapid-fire round of local TV interviews from his campaign’s satellite studio in Austin.

As Texas Businesses Reopen, A Short-Lived Coronavirus Safety Net Is Dismantled

By • Jun 1, 2020
The Central Texas Food Bank hosts a food drive at the Toney Burger Activity Center in Austin on April 30, 2020.
Eddie Gaspar | The Texas Tribune

This spring, as a global pandemic promised historic suffering and economic ruin, Texas officials reached for unfamiliar tools. They wove together some protections for the vulnerable, expanding unemployment benefits and child care subsidies, limiting evictions, utility shutoffs and debt collections.

Texas AG Is Seeking More Power This Session To Prosecute Voter Fraud And Abortion-Related Crimes

By • Feb 4, 2019

As he begins his second term, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking to expand the prosecutorial power of his office, asking the Legislature for more resources and expanded jurisdiction to go after crimes related to abortion and voter fraud.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Pulls Senator's Chairmanship After Lewd Comment

By • Jan 23, 2019


State Sen. Kel Seliger has been stripped of his post as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, in an escalation of a feud with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the upper chamber.

Two Years Ago, The Texas Legislature Started With A Bang. This Year, It's Quieter.

By & • Jan 8, 2019

This time two years ago, the stage was already set for a political rumble.

Months before the 85th legislative session even began in January 2017, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had started laying out a hefty list of priorities, perhaps most notably the “bathroom bill,” a measure that would have restricted the use of certain public facilities for transgender Texans.

Federal Judge Rules Obamacare Unconstitutional, Handing Texas An Early Win

By & • Dec 17, 2018

In a ruling that could throw the nation’s health care system into chaos, Fort Worth-based U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor on Friday ruled that a major provision of the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional — and that the rest of the landmark law must fall as well.

O'Rourke Received Threatening Messages From Pipe Bomb Suspect Cesar Sayoc, His Campaign Says

By , & • Nov 1, 2018

Months before he was arrested on allegations of mailing bombs to several prominent Democrats, Cesar Sayoc sent threatening messages over Facebook to U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, a spokesman for O'Rourke's U.S. Senate campaign confirmed Wednesday.

At Houston Rally, Donald Trump Mocks Beto O'Rourke And Praises Ted Cruz As Key Ally

By & • Oct 23, 2018

HOUSTON — President Donald Trump, speaking Monday evening here at an uproarious rally, cast his 2016 battle with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz as a thing of the past and blasted Cruz’s Democratic challenger, Beto O’Rourke, as a “stone cold phony.”