Here are the stories on the Texas Standard for Tuesday, May 17, 2022:
Meet the two Democrats running for Texas land commissioner
Early voting in Texas’ May 24 runoff election is underway, and voters will determine which Democrats and Republicans make it to the ballot in November. Among the statewide races to be decided are both parties’ nominees to head the Texas General Land Office. This important but often overlooked position oversees management of about 13 million acres. Today, the Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports on the two Dems vying for Land Commissioner: Sandragrace Martinez and Jay Kleberg.
Sweden, Finland look to join NATO in response to Russia’s Ukraine invasion
Sweden is joining Finland in seeking NATO membership: a sweeping, historic step in direct response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sweden has been nonaligned militarily for more than 200 years, while Finland has practiced a version of nonalignment for decades. Professor John Schuessler with the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University joins with an overview:
In Rio Grande Valley, Greg Abbott touts Texas economy
Gov. Greg Abbott touted economic wins for the state when he spoke at the Rio Grande Valley Business Summit on Monday in McAllen. Texas Public Radio’s Carolina Cuellar reports:
The Texas lawyer influencing SCOTUS’ draft overturning Roe v Wade
In the leaked draft opinion penned by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to overturn Roe v Wade, some observers spy a Texas connection. Arguments Alito makes in the draft resemble those offered in an amicus brief from Jonathan Mitchell, former state solicitor general and architect of Texas’ bounty-style enforcement of abortion prohibitions. Texas Monthly executive editor Mimi Swartz wrote about the arguments both men make for overturning Roe. She joins us today.
Ted Cruz succeeds in SCOTUS lawsuit to kill campaign finance rule
Campaign finance laws limit how much candidates can repay themselves with donor dollars. Candidates could use donations to refund loans they personally made to the campaign, but only up to $250,000. But yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the cap on reimbursements, siding with the plaintiff in the case: U.S. Senator from Texas Ted Cruz. Deborah Hellman, law professor at the University of Virginia, joins us with more.
The life of DJ Screw, as told by the people who knew him
His life and his legacy are among the most influential in modern day hip-hop. And now, two decades after his death, a new book examines Houston legend DJ Screw through the people who knew him. We’ll hear from Lance Scott Walker, author of “DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution.”
The fierce urgency of extinguishing hatred after the racist killings in Buffalo
Saturday’s racist attack on the Black community in Buffalo, N.Y., left 10 dead and three wounded. But Texas Standard commentator Peniel Joseph says the shooting’s actual target was all people of goodwill who believe in equality, justice and what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called “the beloved community.”
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
