Texas Matters

Today on Texas Matters: As measles continues to spread in Texas, will state leaders learn a lesson about the need for vaccine requirements? And there is more evidence that the Texas abortion ban made childbirth more dangerous. But the state doesn’t want you to know that.

Today on Texas Matters—Protests are rising up across the country against the Trump/Musk administration. Migrant shelters in Texas are nearly empty. And how important are the arts to the economy of Texas?

Gov. Abbott is making water an emergency item. Sarah Schlessinger, the CEO of Texas Water Foundation, explains the Texas water problem and what can be done to secure water supplies to Texas' future.

Today on Texas Matters – How the Trump mass deportation anti-immigration crackdown could impact Texas agriculture. We hear from Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller. We also talk to Kathleen Bush-Joseph — a Policy Analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, co-author of “With “Shock and Awe,” the Second Trump Term Opens with a Bid to Strongly Reshape Immigration.”

Today on Texas Matters—Can a progressive agenda pass in the conservative Texas legislature? We hear the legislative plan for the Sierra Club, The AFL-CIO and Move Texas.

We drive over them often, maybe everyday, and they still manage to take our breath away. The highway flyover interchanges that climb up into the sky. But why are they so high? And why does Texas make them higher than any other state? What does that say about us?

There is a diversity of styles and musical genres embraced in the book Corazón Abierto: Mexican American Voices in Texas Music. Based on interviews with legendary recording stars and with newcomers who are crafting their own sound, Kathleen Hudson's book documents the musicians' stories.

This week on Texas Matters —Governor Greg Abbott unveils a new border security strategy. How the state’s multi-billion-dollar border wall is failing. And a Texas town is recovering from a police chief who used his authority to sexually abuse young girls.

President-elect Donald Trump promised to declare illegal immigration a national emergency on the first day of his new term. He has said he will invoke both the Insurrection Act and the Alien Enemies Act—which could allow him to deploy the military. We hear from Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. She he has just published “How Trump Could Deploy the Military for Mass Deportation.”

Ban all THC from Texas—that’s what Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants this coming legislative session.Patrick says since 2023, thousands of stores selling THC products popped up across the state, and many of these products are getting in the hands of children. But will a ban work?

Texas women are paying the price for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. More stories are coming to light of Texas women dying from treatable crisis pregnancies. Meanwhile the state’s Maternal Mortality task force announced it’s going to ignore maternal deaths for 2022 and 2023. And how OB-GYNs are fleeing the state due to fear of the state’s anti-abortion law.

Richard Coke, the 15th governor of Texas, is a pivotal and controversial figure in post-Civil War Texas. Rosser Newton has written a book about his ancestor called “Richard Coke: Texan.”

Today on Texas Matters: Stories about helping asylum seekers from the Interfaith Welcome Coalition and their book "Traveling Mercies."And one Texas death row inmate—who could be innocent—is closer to being executed while another death row inmate, thought to be innocent, is a step closer to being freed.

Republican Donald Trump promises, if elected, on day one he’ll sign orders for his mass deportation plan. Anyone in the country who is not a U.S. Citizen could be targeted to be removed. The plan calls for millions of people to be deported using the Alien Enemies Act. And this has happened before. What can we learn about Trump’s deportation by looking at history?

This week on Texas Matters: Is Attorney General Ken Paxton perverting the facts about the death of baby Nikki and the looming execution of Robert Roberson? In a report to the public about the Roberson case, the AG Office made a number of untrue and debunked statements about the death of Nikki, Roberson and his trial. We get a response from Roberson’s attorney Gretchen Sween.

This week on Texas Matters: Early voting kicks off on Monday across the state. What to look out for and whom to call if your voting rights are violated.And since the fall of Roe, how has Texas restricted access to birth control?

Robert Roberson is due to be executed on October 17. The East Texas man was convicted of the shaken baby syndrome death of this two-year old daughter, Nikki. But shaken baby syndrome is now considered to be junk science, and evidence shows that Nikki died from a chronic illness. I spoke with Roberson on Texas death row to hear his story.

This week on Texas Matters. Governor Abbott has a plan to eliminate your property taxes. That could sound great but what would that look like? The state would have to take a chainsaw to schools and services. And the sales tax would hit 22%, by far the highest in the nation. Low income citizens would pay more, but it would be a boon— for big corporations.

Today on Texas Matters—The intersection of the Texas abortion ban and immigration enforcement means women in the border zone have no options. Also, the latest data on Texas maternal mortality shows a worsening crisis. And is Attorney General Ken Paxton using his office to try to suppress the vote to keep Texas from flipping blue?

Texas Senate holds a hearing to draft new anti-squatter laws. The harmful effects of LED lights for some people and the music boxes of Villa Finale.