David Brown

Is there such a thing as climate-friendly beef?

Two high-profile Texas attorneys have been tapped to lead the case against Attorney General Ken Paxton in his Senate impeachment trial. Lauren McGaughy of the Dallas Morning News joins us with more about the legal top guns brought in by the Texas House.

A disagreement over property taxes between Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick may point to a much wider rift among Texas Republicans. USA Today’s John Moritz explains.

The USDA green-lights so-called climate-friendly beef. But when grilled about it, the lack of answers raises questions of whether it’s mostly marketing sizzle.

Also, James Barragán of the Texas Tribune with the week in politics.

What did the Legislature accomplish for rural Texans?

The U.S. House approved a measure lifting the debt ceiling, but we’re not out of the woods quite yet.

As state lawmakers continue to tangle with the governor’s priorities, what actually was accomplished in the regular legislative session? A roundtable of Texas reporters looks at changes for rural Texans.

A federal district judge will hear arguments today on the future of DACA in a case brought by the attorney general of
Texas, who’s now been impeached and suspended. How much does that change things, if at all?

Also, they’re not just a time suck but a money pit, too: What can be done to cut the cost of meetings?

Uvalde mariachi team’s win was a bright spot in a year of darkness

Why couldn’t Republicans who control the Legislature see eye to eye?

There’s a cost to Texas taxpayers that comes with the Legislature going into overtime. Professor Mark Jones of Rice University helps us crunch the numbers.

The Texas Education Agency is expected to take over the Houston Independent School District on Thursday. We’ll take a look at what state-appointed managers face once they start getting settled in.

How did a fight over state incentives to attract business in Texas turn out – and did business boosters get what they wanted?

Plus, the young mariachi band that gave Uvalde something to cheer for.

What’s in store for lawmakers’ first special session?

The gavels have fallen on the 88th legislative session, yet lawmakers are still in action, as the governor called the first of what are expected to be multiple special sessions. We’ll look at the unfinished business on the agenda, and a special focus on where we stand with several bills related to public education.

The nonprofit organization Refugee Services of Texas – the largest resettlement agency in the state – is shutting down after four decades, citing mounting financial pressures.

Also, journalist Maria Hinojosa with more on a new special on Uvalde set to debut on PBS tonight.

Reviewing this session of the Texas Legislature

For the first time in Texas history, the House voted to impeach the state’s highest law enforcement official, setting the stage for a trial in the Senate for Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The drama comes as the Texas Legislature gets set to end its 88th session today. But already, with some of the Gov. Greg Abbott’s top priorities still unfinished, there’s plenty of reason to think we’ll be going into overtime.

Memorial Day travel in Texas is back to pre-pandemic levels – a harbinger of summer?

Also, a big change could be coming for those registering a motor vehicle in Texas.

Texas House committee recommends impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton

As the Texas Legislature moves into the final hours of the 88th session, a Republican-led House committee has issued 20 articles of impeachment against state Attorney General Ken Paxton, alleging a yearslong pattern of misconduct by the state’s top law enforcement official.

What happened to the $30 billion+ surplus lawmakers started out with this session?

Revenge of the Swifties: A bill signed into law this week cracks down on robot ticket scalpers.

And Mando Rayo on the art of the taco truck.

What are the weirdest laws in Texas?

At the Capitol, an intraparty rivalry between Republicans explodes into the open. The dueling charges between Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dade Phelan are so personal and serious, some longtime Capitol watchers are characterizing the battle as among the most significant in Texas political history. Lauren McGaughey of the Dallas Morning news will have details.

After a scandal at a Bastrop foster care facility, Texas lawmakers pass two new bills to crack down on abuses.

We’ll have more on a vigil last night in Uvalde marking the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.

The Texas Legislature will finish its session having made lots of new laws. But there are plenty of old laws on the books that seem pretty weird by today’s standards.

And debt collectors get a new high-tech tool.

Sen. Roland Gutierrez on Uvalde, one year later

On the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Uvalde that left 19 fourth-graders and two teachers dead, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez says he’s still pushing for gun reform. Meanwhile, trust in police remains frail in Uvalde.

A report from Matamoros on migrants in limbo after the end of Title 42.

As Austin firefighters rack up millions in overtime, the department is working to address mental health needs.

And state officials team up with a Texas producer for a walk on the wild side: a musical celebration of Texas parks.

What do Texans think of the Legislature’s actions this session?

Economists call it political theater, but the implications of failure to reach a debt ceiling deal are very real.

As Washington faces a debt deadline, lawmakers in Texas race to beat the clock on the end of the legislative session, and one issue in particular could send them into overtime: The latest on the big divide over cutting property taxes.

With much of this session focused on culture war issues, where do registered voters in Texas stand? A new survey from the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation may offer more than a few surprises.

It’s do or die for the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup race.

And a toxic worm that’s got Texans talking.

Why the Rio Grande Valley is a transit desert

It started 5 months ago, and if all goes according to plan, it ends this week. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom joins us with his look ahead at the final days of the Texas legislative session. And what happens to the many proposals that didn’t pass? To understand, a knowledge of zombies might be beneficial.

Why have so many Democrats been lining up with Republicans on key items this session?

And you’ve heard the song “Whiskey River”? Though the song’s a fable, a new book shows how whiskey flows through Texas history more than you might expect.

San Antonio Spurs’ No. 1 draft pick could be a game-changer

A bill would provide $10 billion in low-interest loans that would benefit the oil and gas industry, in the name of beefing up the power grid; there are a lot of questions over the push for those loans, aimed at preventing statewide blackouts.

Almost one year after the worst school shooting in Texas history, state lawmakers are running out of time in this legislative session to make changes to gun laws.

In San Antonio, the silver and black are back as Spurs fans get lit up over a No. 1 draft pick.

Also, actress Christina Vidal on a new streaming series, “Primo” about coming of age in the Alamo City.

Singer-songwriter Robert Ellis returns with new sound and perspective

Texas is on the brink of becoming the latest state to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asks the governors of other states to provide police and military forces to help secure Texas’ border with Mexico, as the numbers of reported unauthorized entries plummet.

Tech expert Omar Gallaga tells us about congressional hearings on regulating artificial intelligence.

And the musician formerly known as the Texas Piano Man sheds his fancy white suit and hat: Robert Ellis tells us how fatherhood and Fort Worth factor into his new release, “Yesterday’s News.”

Kate the Chemist aims to answer ‘the big questions’ about science with new podcast

Erin Douglas of the Texas Tribune joins with details on water infrastructure efforts that have bipartisan support, but a chasm separating House and Senate proposals – and just 11 more days to come to agreement.

More money for Texas public school teachers? Some educators say the proposals on the table aren’t enough to keep them in the classroom.

In San Antonio, what appears to be a first-of-its-kind effort to dramatically improve access to public bathrooms for people with disabilities.

And UT-Austin chemistry professor Kate Biberdorf – aka Kate the Chemist – shares a preview of her new podcast, “Seeking a Scientist.”

How the ‘We Buy Ugly Houses’ company preyed on desperate and elderly sellers

Migrant crossings at the border with Mexico are reported to be dramatically down after the end of Title 42.

Adolescent medicine doctors at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin are out amid calls from politicians for an investigation of gender-affirming care at the hospital.

A bill to preempt new local regulations on a variety of issues including labor and the environment moves quickly toward an expected passage in the Texas Senate.

And what’s the story behind those “We Buy Ugly Houses” signs? A ProPublica investigation reveals that the buyers behind the signs took advantage of elderly homeowners.

How UT scientists are using AI to read thoughts

What happens to a Republican-led plan to provide taxpayer money for private education if the Texas Senate and House can’t reach agreement in less than two weeks? The governor’s promising he’ll keep the Legislature in session.

The latest on bills aimed at banning access to gender-affirming care for young people.

Mind-reading technology? We’ll talk with a UT researcher at the forefront of the tech using artificial intelligence to interpret brain activity.

Also: Finding the best burgers in Texas.

Podcast explores whether a Texas Ranger extracted a false confession

Two major changes in federal policies within the past 24 hours having outsized implications for Texas. Change number one: the end of Title 42 rapid deportations. But for tens of thousands now trying to cross the Mexico border into Texas, the deportations continue.

The end of an era for the pandemic as the national emergency is lifted, but a Texas epidemiologist says that doesn’t mean an end to the COVID-19 threat.

A confession of guilt during a Texas murder investigation, but was the confession real or compelled by questionable interrogation techniques?

Also the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and poetry from the Typewriter Rodeo.

Title 42 expires as border braces for migrants’ mass arrival

The end of an era, and the start of what could be a dramatic new chapter in the history of border and immigration policy. Title 42 ends at the stroke of midnight, and predictions of a period of chaos at the border are coming from President Biden on down. We’ll talk to someone on the front lines of providing shelter and food to migrants crossing into the U.S.

What rights does a fetus have in a post-Dobbs America? How the end of Roe v. Wade has states testing the limits of fetal personhood.

Nueces County charges ahead with plans for a new Tesla lithium refinery despite concerns about some of Elon Musk’s other big Texas projects.

What to watch for as the Texas Legislature sprints to Sine Die

With just 19 days to go before the end of the 88th Texas legislative session, where do we stand?

A bill to raise the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle made it out of a House committee – but as the Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports, it may not get much further.

Hundreds of migrants line up in El Paso for processing in advance of a major change to immigration policy tomorrow.

What some believe is a banking crisis: Should Texans be worried, and should there be a different approach to regulation?

Also, the story of a teacher fired in 1975, and why it resonates with the politics of Texas today.

A man died working on the Tesla Gigafactory. The company didn’t tell officials.

A car crash in Brownsville: 8 dead, 10 injured. An accident or was it intentional?

One day before a vote to expel a Texas house representative, a resignation. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom on the state lawmaker accused of an inappropriate relationship with an intern.

Questions about the heat death of a worker helping to build Tesla’s Texas Gigafactory and whether reporting rules are being followed.

And a Texas based Go-Go, Head Over Heels about her new role with a stage production. Our conversation with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Kathy Valentine.

What we know about the mass shooting at an Allen outlet mall

Another Texas community is reeling after a mass shooting that killed eight people, this time at an outlet mall in Allen, outside of Dallas.

Following local elections across the state, we’ll have reports on some closely watched propositions in San Antonio, El Paso and Austin.

Fort Hood in Central Texas is formally set to be renamed Fort Cavazos for the nation’s first Hispanic four-star general. Hispanic and Latino civil rights groups are applauding the move but looking for more substantive change.

And the the University of Texas at Austin is getting a new school of civic leadership – but some questions are being raised by some students and faculty.