Conservatives are gaining power in Grapevine, fueled by a once-fringe movement that calls on evangelicals to control the seven key “mountains” of American society — including education. A cellphone company with a Christian nationalist agenda heeds that call and sets its sights on winning school board seats in Grapevine, following an example set a year earlier in the neighboring city of Southlake.

CORRECTION (Oct. 4, 2023, 08:40 p.m. ET): A previous version of this episode misstated the amount of money Patriot Mobile Action spent in school board elections in North Texas in spring 2022. It was nearly $500,000, not $600,000.

 

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A mother named Sharla publicly accuses a high school teacher in Grapevine, Texas, of using a graphic novel called “The Prince and the Dressmaker” to convince her child to change genders. Reporters Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton set out to investigate the allegation. Sharla’s child, Ren, and Ren’s English teacher, Em Ramser, tell them a different story.

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The team behind Southlake is back with the story of a neighboring north Texas school district, where a parent has accused a teacher of convincing her child to change genders. Hosts Antonia Hylton and Mike Hixenbaugh show how these types of allegations against teachers are tied to a national movement to impose conservative Christian morality in public schools. This is a special excerpt of episode 3 of Grapevine, a new six-part podcast series from NBC News Studios. To hear the show, follow now: https://link.chtbl.com/grapevine_alw_

Two years after conservative activists in Southlake, Texas, turned critical race theory into a right-wing rallying cry, the political fight has shifted. Now, the team behind the Peabody Award-winning podcast Southlake tells the story of one family broken apart in the midst of a new anti-LGBTQ culture war, and the high school English teacher caught in the middle. This is a special preview of episode 1 of Grapevine, a new six-part podcast series from NBC News Studios. To listen to the first two episodes, follow now: https://link.chtbl.com/grapevine_alw_

Two years after conservative activists in Southlake, Texas, turned critical race theory into a right-wing rallying cry, the political fight has shifted. Now, the team behind the Peabody Award-winning podcast Southlake tells the story of one family broken apart in the midst of a new anti-LGBTQ culture war, and the high school English teacher caught in the middle. Listen to a special preview of Grapevine, a new six-part podcast series from NBC News Studios, and follow now to get the first two episodes on Wednesday, October 4: https://link.chtbl.com/grapevine_fdlw

As a bonus for listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News,” a new original podcast series from MSNBC. In each episode, Rachel Maddow and co-host Isaac-Davy Aronson seek a deeper understanding of a story in today's headlines by asking: Has anything like this ever happened before? Would knowing that help us grapple with what’s happening now… and what might happen next? Listen to the first episode now and follow the series: https://link.chtbl.com/rmpdn_fdlw

As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Season 2 of Dateline: Missing in America. The chart-topping podcast series is back with a brand-new season and brand-new cases.

Are you the key to solving a mystery? Correspondents Josh Mankiewicz, Andrea Canning and Keith Morrison report on perplexing missing person cases brought to Dateline’s attention by our social media followers. Each episode focuses on one person’s story, as told by those left behind. Listen carefully to the details, descriptions and clues offered by family, friends and investigators. Something you hear might jog a memory that could help authorities crack a case.

You can listen to the first two episodes of Dateline: Missing in America season 2 here: https://link.chtbl.com/mias2_fdlw

As a preview for Southlake listeners, here’s a sneak peek from a special new episode of Truthers: Tiffany Dover Is Dead*, an NBC News podcast about misinformation and conspiracy theories. Nine months after the series ended without landing an on-the-record interview with its subject, Tiffany Dover speaks out for the first time. In this clip, she shares her side of the story and why we haven’t heard from her until now. Follow the podcast to listen to this episode or catch up on the whole story: https://link.chtbl.com/ttdisbe_fd

As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for The Girl in the Blue Mustang, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Keith Morrison. 

 

When 18-year-old Michelle O’Keefe is found murdered in her shiny new blue Mustang in a California park and ride, investigators encounter a confusing crime scene and a witness who seems to know too much. In Dateline’s latest original podcast series, Keith Morrison takes us to the High Desert outside Los Angeles for a story featuring twists, turns and a sharp-eyed Dateline viewer who steers the case in an entirely new direction. Get the first two episodes for free on Tuesday, March 14, or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to episodes 1 and 2 now.  

 

Listen to the first 2 episodes now for free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts. Subscribers get early access to new episodes and can listen to all Dateline podcasts ad-free: https://link.chtbl.com/tgitbm_fdlw

As a bonus for Southlake listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of Letters from Sing Sing, a new original podcast from NBC News Studios. Letters from Sing Sing tells the story of a man convicted of murder, his fight for justice, and how the letters he sent NBC News producer Dan Slepian sparked a 20-year investigation that changed both of their lives. Listen to the first two episodes now: https://link.chtbl.com/lfss_fdlw