Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, June 8, 2021.
Thousands of immigrants living in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons cannot apply to become permanent residents. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that immigrants who crossed illegally but later gained Temporary Protection Status because they had escaped war or disaster in their countries, cannot apply for permanent resident status. Helping us break down this ruling is Geoffrey Hoffman, director of the University of Houston’s Immigration Clinic
Mexico’s National Guard on the Border
Vice President Kamala Harris is in Mexico meeting with that country’s president today. The focus of her trip are the root causes of migration. In recent years, most immigrants trying to reach the United States have set off from Central America. And those children, teens and families cut through Mexico on their journeys. Two years ago this month, Mexico’s president deployed the Na0ional Guard to the border. From El Paso, KTEP’s Angela Kocherga examines the impact.
One of the many efforts that failed during this past Texas legislative session was one to resurrect an agency that looked at how institutional racism affected health outcomes in Texas. KUT-Austin’s Ashley Lopez reports on the attempt to revive the agency that closed its doors in 2018.
Real Estate Agents
Texas housing markets have grown exponentially. By now, you’ve probably heard stories about what’s happening in the market where you live. Peter Holley from Texas Monthly has also heard these stories. His latest piece for the magazine puts it all in perspective and we’re talking with him once again.
When we think about expanding access to high-speed internet –broadband – we tend to focus on rural places, where wires often haven’t even been run. But the cost of broadband can also be a barrier. And as the pandemic proved, a fast, reliable connection is a necessity for anyone who needs to connect to work or school. As federal and state initiatives to expand broadband move ahead, what should policymakers do to encourage broadband expansion everywhere? Anna Read is senior research officer at the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Broadband Access Initiative.
How in Texas could anyone ever forget the Alamo? Even if you wanted to, even if you tried, it is a cultural touchstone from which one can never escape for too terribly long around here. Nonetheless, that is what the authors of a new book are asking Texans to do. “Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth” is the title of a book that takes aim at the story behind what many consider to be the Shrine of Texas Liberty itself. There are three authors of the book, all Texans: Jason Stanford, Chris Tomlinson and Bryan Burrough. Those last two spoke with Texas Standard host David Brown about their work.
Guns and the Lege, part 1
Two years ago, Texas was rocked by back-to-back mass shootings. The first was in El Paso. Then, four weeks later, Odessa. A total of 30 people died. Afterwards, some advocates and Democratic Texas lawmakers hoped stricter gun law might become a real legislative priority. But in the legislative session that just wrapped up – the first since the shootings – things moved in the opposite direction. Now, Gov. Greg Abbott is poised to sign a law making it easier for Texans to carry handguns. KERA’s Mallory Falk looks back at how lawmaker priorities shifted between the shootings and the session.
All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.
