Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023:
Vote for U.S. House speaker moves into second day
After a day of voting, the U.S. House of Representatives still doesn’t have a speaker, with far-right Republicans denying fellow Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to serve as leader. Sean Theriault, government professor at the University of Texas at Austin, has more.
What was behind Houston’s delay in issuing a boil water notice?
The city of Houston’s delay in notifying residents about a boil water notice in November has residents and council members asking why they weren’t informed sooner. Houston Chronicle city hall reporter Yilun Cheng joins us with more.
This Central Texas waterfall was damaged during December’s freeze
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Georgetown has confirmed a portion of Crockett Gardens Falls collapsed during last month’s arctic cold front. From KUT in Austin, Kailey Hunt reports on the future of the Central Texas landmark:
How concerning is the COVID surge in China?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new COVID testing requirements for all travelers coming from China to the U.S. Chinese officials say the new rule more about politics than safety as much as global politics. How dire is the COVID surge in China? Dr. Jennifer Bouey, chair of the global health department at Georgetown University, joins us with more.
Why Texas and the U.S. need larger apartments
The nation suffers from a lack of “family sized” apartments, writes Andrew Justus. The housing policy analyst with the Niskanen Center joins us to talk about this missing link in housing policy.
Witnesses point to more nefarious circumstances surrounding civil rights leader’s death
Southern civil rights leader Frank J. Robinson died in East Texas in 1976 under mysterious circumstances. The official ruling was suicide, but Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has found evidence that challenges this narrative and points to the possibly of murder. Today, we share part two of his investigative series.
The treasure of the Port Mansfield Cut
Up until the late 1950s, you could drive the entire 113 miles of Padre Island if you had a vehicle with decent four-wheel drive. That option was blocked in 1957 when the Port Mansfield Cut was dredged. Commentator W.F. Strong tells us how the island was split – and what was found.
A fact-check about the U.S. trade deficit with China
A U.S. congressman told a conservative radio host in December that the U.S. trade deficit with China has gone from $80 billion a year in the 1990s to $400 billion a year. Is that a fact? Here with a fact-check is the Austin American–Statesman and PolitiFact’s Nusaiba Mizan.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
