Texas Matters: Gene Autry — The New Deal cowboy crooner
The first singing cowboy of the movies—Gene Autry —was one of America’s most popular stars. As the Texas native sang "Back in the Saddle Again" he was also promoting ideas that supported the New Deal and friendly relations with Mexico. His messages rang true with his fans during the Great Depression. On this episode, we unpack the ways this western folk hero, Gene Autry, used his talents to support a positive pro-America agenda.
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Texas Matters: The state of measles
As measles cases continue to spread across Texas, we consider how Texas dealt with massive measles outbreaks in the past. New research shows that measles could soon be common in the United States if vaccination rates don't increase.
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Texas Matters: 'When Home is the Danger'
Texas Public Radio spent more than a year analyzing more than 1,200 deaths from abuse and neglect between 2018 and 2023. The project, funded by the Pulitzer Center, brings stories of children who died when the state of Texas failed to intervene. TPR Accountability reporter Paul Flahive uncovered a child welfare system so intent on reducing its contact with troubled families that children have routinely been left with violent, unstable, drug-abusing parents.
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Texas Matters: Why Texas highway flyovers are so high
We drive over them often, maybe everyday, and they still manage to take our breath away. The highway flyover interchanges that climb up into the sky. But why are they so high? And why does Texas make them higher than any other state? What does that say about us?
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Texas Matters: RFK Jr: Measles and the cost of an outbreak
Today on Texas Matters: The Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says measles is not a deadly disease. Last week he attended a funeral for a measles victim in West Texas.And what does a measles outbreak cost? Why supporting vaccination programs saves money for taxpayers.
Texas is a big state with a growing, diverse population and as the population grows, the issues and challenges facing its residents multiply. Texas Matters is a statewide news program that spends half an hour each week looking at the issues and culture of Texas.
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