The Source

An analysis of the municipal election results and what you need to know about the upcoming runoff races.

Robbery, kidnapping, extortion, rape and murder— that’s what migrants face on their journey north. Jason De León spent years interviewing human smugglers in Mexico and Central America. De León argues it’s far more complicated than what American politicians and the media portrays. His book Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling won the National Book Award.

Many of us tend to take our muscles for granted. They are the unsung heroes of our bodies. They are the stuff that moves us and keeps us healthy. But as we age, how much can we rely on our muscles? What are the secrets of our muscles? Journalist and author Bonnie Tsui takes a deep dive into the science, history, and personal narratives that shape our understanding of muscle in her book, On Muscle: The Stuff that Moves Us and Why it Matters.

Public libraries are perhaps the most American of institutions. But today, libraries are under assault. There is book banning, and the Trump administration is gutting the federal agency that provides funding to public libraries. A new PBS documentary, “Free for All: The Public Library,” defends the importance and continued relevance of the local library.

Texas has one of the toughest abortion bans in the nation. And while the number of abortions performed within Texas has plummeted, the overall number of abortions obtained by Texans has actually increased. We look at the state of abortion access after Dobbs and discuss the new book “After Dobbs: How the Supreme Court Ended Roe but Not Abortion,” written by law professor David S. Cohen and sociologist Carole Joffe.

A sociopath is a person with a mental health condition. The term refers to a pattern of antisocial behaviors and attitudes. A sociopath might consistently show no regard for right and wrong and ignore the rights and feelings of others. It’s estimated sociopaths make up 5 percent of the population. Patric Gagne writes about her life as a sociopath and her struggle to understand her disorder.

In Texas and many other states, lethal injection is used for executions. The new book Secrets of the Killing State by Corinna Barrett Lain pulls back the curtain of secrecy surrounding lethal injection. The author claims there is gross incompetence by woefully inept executioners and a state indifference to the fate of the condemned.

The public’s faith in the safety and efficacy of prescription drugs and vaccines has been shaken as never before. There’s skepticism about the role the big pharma plays in rolling out new medications, yet there are amazing breakthroughs in treating once fatal diseases. And then there’s the price for critical treatments that can be beyond the reach for many. How did we get here and how can we fix it? We are joined by Dr Jerry Avorn, professor of medicine at Harvard University Medical School and author of the new book, “Rethinking Medications: Truth, Power and the Drugs you Take.”

The San Antonio Area Foundation has commissioned a report on the state of the local news landscape and its findings were released at the first-ever Local News in the Heart of Texas Summit on Thursday, April 17, at UTSA's downtown campus.

Listeners are encouraged to call in to participate and engage with the candidates on topics important to them and the San Antonio community. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email [email protected] or find us @texaspublicradio on social media platforms.