A high-stakes stand-off between the Texas authorities and the US federal government has spurred talk of “civil war” in the US media. The conflict between Texas and the federal government centres around control of the US-Mexico border, especially in the Shelby Park area near Eagle Pass. With neither of two US government bodies willing to back down, tensions are running high with rising fears of armed clashes. Meanwhile, an emerging bipartisan border deal in the US Senate faces objections from both the right and the left. Donald Trump has been accused of encouraging Republicans to prevent any deal on the border in Congress.