The National Podcast of Texas

The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad’s creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was partly a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women’s bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don’t know yet—but should.

The legendary Democratic strategist on whether Texas is swingable and what it’ll take for Joe Biden to win.

Texas A&M epidemiologist on the critical systems being put in place to maximize safety in an uncertain time.

The pioneering vaccine scientist explains why he believes the White House has put Texas in grave danger.

On a special edition of the National Podcast of Texas, one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs on systemic racism and re-opening in a pandemic.

On The National Podcast of Texas, the LBJ School professor and author walks us through how protest, empathy, and action can dismantle racial oppression.

On the National Podcast of Texas, the leader of the beleaguered, but beloved, Dallas carrier on what it will take to survive the pandemic.

On a special edition of The National Podcast of Texas, the legislator and medical doctor weighs in on Texas’ reopening, masks and Trump’s reelection chances.

On a special edition of The National Podcast of Texas, our taco editor and the author of ‘American Tacos’ on the resilience of “the perfect food.”

On a special edition of The National Podcast Of Texas, the Baylor College Of Medicine investigator takes us inside the high-stakes world of coronavirus research and trials.