Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Friday, January 7, 2022.
COVID’s impact on assisted living
As COVID cases spike and hospitals are stretched thin, what’s the status of the state’s nursing home and long-term care facilities? Today we’re talking with Texas’ long-term care ombudsman, Patty Ducayet about case counts, worker vaccinations and more.
Suicides, hardship among National Guard at the border
Gov. Greg Abbott deployed Texas National Guard troops to the Texas-Mexico border last spring to stem a rise in illegal border crossings. But in the months since, those guardsmen have faced hardships and low morale, including a recent wave of suicides. Now Gov. Abbott is taking heat from opponents on both sides. Joining us with more is Jeremy Wallace, who covers politics for the Houston Chronicle.
Over 200 Dallas first responders out with COVID
In Texas and across the country, police and fire departments have struggled with COVID and staffing. It’s gotten particularly bad in Dallas, where almost 19% of firefighters are out sick. From partner station KERA, Haya Panjwani reports on how the city is responding to the rise in cases among first responders.
Right-wing Texas law sparks banking scrutiny
The Texas office of the Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a probe of banks over policies relating to funding for fossil fuel and firearms companies, Reuters reports. A recent change to state law may be at the heart of it. Joining us with the story is Reuters correspondent Chris Prentice.
Kazakhstan protests, internet blackout felt in Texas
What started as peaceful protests in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan have turned violent. The unrest began when people in Almaty, the country’s largest city, demonstrated after the government lifted price caps on liquefied petroleum. Now, dozens of people have been killed in those protests, which have grown into a larger referendum on the state apparatus. State officials shut off internet access, making it almost impossible for Kazakhs abroad to check in on family and friends. Joining us with her perspective is Assem Kassymova, a native of Kazakhstan currently living in Austin.
Analyzing Biden’s Jan. 6 address
One year ago yesterday, armed protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt to overthrow the certification of the election of President Joe Biden. One year ago today, we invited Texas A&M professor and rhetoric expert Jennifer Mercieca to analyze then-President Donald Trump’s speech preceding the riot. On today’s program, professor Mercieca returns with a reaction to President Biden’s commemorative speech yesterday and an evaluation of where we are today.
All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.
