Assad Regime

What exactly does the Texas House speaker do?

Dade Phelan is out, and a bruising battle for speaker of the Texas House is set to begin – unless it’s already over? Over the weekend, GOP members backed David Cook, but Dustin Burrows claimed he had enough votes to override the caucus. What does a House speaker do, anyway?
In a stunning turn of events, a coalition of Syrian rebels has overthrown Bashar al-Assad’s regime, ending decades of dictatorship. A top Texas-based expert weighs in.
Has Texas oil toppled Saudi control of the markets?
And: Medical treatments for trans minors are banned under state law; why some trans adults say they’re affected, too.

Texas Standard: April 5, 2017

Has the freedom caucus outlived its usefulness? Congressman Ted Poe on why he walked away and what that means for conservatives in Texas. Also, out of control: after hundreds of arrests and even deaths during spring break, South Padre demand a shift in the island’s image as the teenage party capitol. And from ranchers to rock stars, how the resurgence of chain stitched western wear could be a Texas sized boon for business. Also a warning to gephyrophobes about the scariest bridge in all of you know where. All that and more today on the Texas Standard: