Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, January 21, 2021.
Roundtable on Transition, Pardons and Executive Orders
On President Trump’s last day in office he granted 73 pardons and 70 commutations. Rebecca Deen, chair of the political science department at the University of Texas in Arlington and Carlos Huerta, a professor of political science at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi talk to the Standard.
Dallas Eviction Task Force
Just after Christmas, then-President Donald Trump authorized $25 billion in rental assistance as part of that big coronavirus relief package. With rental assistance on the way, communities are scrambling to get ready to actually hand out the money to people who need it. KERA’s Christopher Connelly reports the help for renters comes as many are vulnerable to eviction.
Snapshot Millionaires
When it comes to the eyeballs of young people online, competition is fierce. YouTube, Instagram and TikTok all battle for Generation Z. But the China-based TikTok has a rival. Snapchat is now putting its money behind a new push for users, paying creators to bring their viral videos there. Tech expert Omar Gallaga has been looking at how Snapchat is taking on TikTok, and making creators rich in the process.
Rhetoric in Biden’s Address
Wednesday’s inauguration ceremony was full of both verbal and non-verbal messages. The Texas Standard talks to Jennifer Mercieca to decipher some of them. She specializes in political rhetoric as an assistant professor at the Department of Communications of Texas A&M University. She’s also the author of “Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump.”
Homeland: Ethnic Mexican Belonging
Belonging to a larger group is a human need. But when that ‘belonging’ becomes wrapped up in multinational politics and cross cultural boundaries – the concept becomes harder to grasp and can leave scars. A new book out this week by Aaron Sanchez explores this. It’s called “Homeland: Ethnic Mexican Belonging since 1900.”
Alaska Oil and Gas Leases + Show Reestablish
Earlier this month, the federal Bureau of Land Management did something it had never done before: it held an auction for oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But the auction didn’t go exactly as the bureau planned. Chris Tomlinson, columnist for The Houston Chronicle, talks to the Standard about the failed Alaskan lease auction.
All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Michael Marks with the talk of Texas.
