Texas Matters

Richard Coke, the 15th governor of Texas, is a pivotal and controversial figure in post-Civil War Texas. Rosser Newton has written a book about his ancestor called “Richard Coke: Texan.”

Today on Texas Matters: Stories about helping asylum seekers from the Interfaith Welcome Coalition and their book "Traveling Mercies."And one Texas death row inmate—who could be innocent—is closer to being executed while another death row inmate, thought to be innocent, is a step closer to being freed.

Republican Donald Trump promises, if elected, on day one he’ll sign orders for his mass deportation plan. Anyone in the country who is not a U.S. Citizen could be targeted to be removed. The plan calls for millions of people to be deported using the Alien Enemies Act. And this has happened before. What can we learn about Trump’s deportation by looking at history?

This week on Texas Matters: Is Attorney General Ken Paxton perverting the facts about the death of baby Nikki and the looming execution of Robert Roberson? In a report to the public about the Roberson case, the AG Office made a number of untrue and debunked statements about the death of Nikki, Roberson and his trial. We get a response from Roberson’s attorney Gretchen Sween.

This week on Texas Matters: Early voting kicks off on Monday across the state. What to look out for and whom to call if your voting rights are violated.And since the fall of Roe, how has Texas restricted access to birth control?

Robert Roberson is due to be executed on October 17. The East Texas man was convicted of the shaken baby syndrome death of this two-year old daughter, Nikki. But shaken baby syndrome is now considered to be junk science, and evidence shows that Nikki died from a chronic illness. I spoke with Roberson on Texas death row to hear his story.

This week on Texas Matters. Governor Abbott has a plan to eliminate your property taxes. That could sound great but what would that look like? The state would have to take a chainsaw to schools and services. And the sales tax would hit 22%, by far the highest in the nation. Low income citizens would pay more, but it would be a boon— for big corporations.

Today on Texas Matters—The intersection of the Texas abortion ban and immigration enforcement means women in the border zone have no options. Also, the latest data on Texas maternal mortality shows a worsening crisis. And is Attorney General Ken Paxton using his office to try to suppress the vote to keep Texas from flipping blue?

Texas Senate holds a hearing to draft new anti-squatter laws. The harmful effects of LED lights for some people and the music boxes of Villa Finale.

Are Texans living in a state of voter suppression? We look at a pattern of legal action by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that seek to limit voting. And we see why Texas is one of the toughest states to vote in.