Texas Matters

In 1973, Willie Nelson held his first 4th of July picnic. There were some problems. The locals said it was "moral pollution" and Nelson was fined $1,000 for violating the Texas Mass Gatherings Act. But that didn’t stop Willie from doing it again and again. Dave Dalton Thomas is the picnic historian and has written a book about this Texas tradition.

Today on Texas Matters: The illusion of exceptions in the Texas Abortion law. Can the Texas Medical Board clear up the confusion? South Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar says he’s being targeted with his indictments. And a Central American teen tells the story of his journey coming to the U.S.

A discussion about Juneteenth and Texas with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annette Gordon-Reed

How "2000 Mules" is a fake documentary about voter fraud. But will Texas GOP leaders admit that? Juneteenth Rodeo, why 1970s photos of Black Rodeos were ignored for so long. And SA Mayor Maury Maverick on 1939 radio.

Can Texas lawmakers rein in sales of THC hemp products like Delta-8 and 9? The products are largely unregulated and widely sold, even to children. And in the time of growing drought, Mexico’s water debt is becoming a bigger issue along the border.

A century ago, a one-man wrecking crew on the Texas-Mexico border who inspired hate, violence, corruption and mass murder. The story of William Hanson—a chaos agent in South Texas.

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.

He was a witness to the U.S.-Mexico War. Not the 1846-to-1848 invasion, but the 1914 U.S. invasion and occupation of Mexico. It was documented by an American postcard photographer. He left behind a compelling visual record of a U.S. atrocity. Susan Toomey Frost joins us to tell the story.

During the American Civil War there were Texans who faced persecution and violence for their beliefs, but their courage helped preserve the United States. These Texans defied the Confederacy and fought for the Union.

Today on Texas Matters, could the West Texas Chihuahuan desert be greened? One Texan is trying to restore his 320 acres of West Texas hard scrabble into a desert forest.