Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, June 15, 2022:
What did Gov. Greg Abbott know about police response in Uvalde?
The story Gov. Greg Abbott told in the immediate aftermath of the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde has fallen apart. While Abbott claimed authorities bravely charged in quickly, in reality, police indecisively waited over an hour before directly confronting the killer there. Caroline Ghisolfi, data reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, got a copy of Abbott’s handwritten notes following his first briefing on Uvalde and tries to sort out whether Abbott was “misled,” as he claims.
Texas officials could block shooting records with legal loophole
Pressure is building to release more information surrounding law enforcement’s response to the Uvalde mass shooting. But there are concerns that Texas officials may use a legal loophole to block the release of records related to the shooting. Acacia Coronado, Texas correspondent for the Associated Press, joins us to discuss the latest.
Military lags behind on number of recruits
Military leaders say this year is shaping up to be one of the worst in decades for recruiting. At the halfway mark in this year’s recruiting process, the Army is at less than 30 percent of its goal. One problem is that the armed services have become overly reliant on recruits who come from military families. Reporter Jonathan Ahl has been looking into this for the American Homefront Project.
The one musician to get a ticker-tape parade was a Texan
New York City has held over 200 ticker-tape parades since 1886 honoring the Statue of Liberty. The parades have also celebrated politicians, sports figures and other notables. But as Texas Standard commentator WF Strong tells us – only one musician.
A new group looks to harness the political power of Asian American/Pacific Islander populations
With primary races mostly decided, attention is ramping up for Texas’ general election in November. And there’s a new group that wants to make sure the state’s fastest-growing population is represented among those showing up to the polls. Rise AAPI (which stands for Asian American Pacific Islander), a new nonprofit affiliated with the national progressive group AAPI Victory Alliance, launched this month. Nabila Mansoor, the group’s executive director, joins us with more.
Architecture critic examines rise and fall of the shopping mall in a new book
When was the last time you went to a shopping mall? While the pandemic changed habits for many, the indoor mall was trending down way before that. With anchor stores being abandoned because of low profitability and everything you might want to buy available with the click of a button, why deal with the hassle of parking and walking through a mall? Architecture critic Alexandra Lange joins us to explore this and more in her new book, “Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall.”
A fact-check with PolitiFact Texas
In a June 2 address, President Joe Biden said that there had been 20 more mass shootings since the Uvalde school massacre. Is that a fact? Nusaiba Mizan with PolitiFact Texas, based at the Austin American-Statesman, joins us with more.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
