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PODCAST

Texas Matters

David Martin Davies

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.

government

All Episodes

28:59

Texas Matters: Pass The Biscuits, Pappy - Part Two

Texas Matters ·

2026/01/02

“Pass the Politics Pappy” explores the remarkable political rise of W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel, a flour salesman who used his popular radio show and catchy slogans to rocket into becoming Texas Governor and then U.S. Senator in the late 1930s and 1940s. Part 2 of the series focuses on O'Daniel's time as governor and delivered very little on his grand promises. Ultimately O’Daniel’s story serves as a cautionary tale of media-driven political populism.

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28:59

Texas Matters: Pass The Politics, Pappy

Texas Matters ·

2025/12/26

W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel was a flour salesman turned broadcaster who mastered early mass media to build a political machine. As host of a hugely popular radio show featuring his Hillbilly Boys band, he blended homespun entertainment with relentless self-promotion. He converted his audience into votes, winning the Texas governorship in 1938 and later a U.S. Senate seat. O’Daniel’s radio fame let him bypass party elites and critics, turning airtime into personal power and profit.

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28:59

Texas Matters: Remembering Joe Ely and 'Love in the...

Texas Matters ·

2025/12/19

Texas lost a flatlander troubadour — songwriter Joe Ely.The Amarillo native established himself as a songwriter’s songwriter and a musician’s musician, who sidestepped mainstream popularity but nevertheless attracted a devoted fanbase and legions of famous admirers. We take a look back to an interview from 2020 with the great Joe Ely.

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29:00

Texas Matters: Blood Work — Inside America’s...

Texas Matters ·

2025/12/12

As a growing number of people are caught in the affordability crisis, they are turning to selling their blood plasma to make ends meet. That plasma is used to make many lifesaving medications but are the donors being fairly compensated? We take a look at how the international blood plasma economy works and why Texas is the leading source for plasma.

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28:59

Texas Matters: Skip Hollandsworth and "She Kills"

Texas Matters ·

2025/12/05

For over 30 years Skip Hollandsworth has been a master storyteller at "Texas Monthly." He’s been investigating and telling the stories of Texas true crime with a keen eye for detail and a way of getting people to spill the tea. We hear from Skip about his new book “She Kills: The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales."

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28:59

Texas Matters: FEMA follow-up in Kerr County;...

Texas Matters ·

2025/11/21

This week on Texas Matters: How did FEMA actually perform after the July 4th Hill Country flood? Texas Rangers continue to search for flood victims. And investigating how pregnant women in labor are ignored while in jail.

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28:59

Texas Matters: Killing hemp and ending school...

Texas Matters ·

2025/11/14

This week on "Texas Matters": Governor Greg Abbott announces he's running for a fourth term with a five-point plan to eliminate school property taxes. But what does that mean for funding Texas Public schools? And how the federal banning of hemp derived THC is being felt across the state.

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29:00

Texas Matters: SNAP politics and porch pirates

Texas Matters ·

2025/11/07

This week on Texas Matters—Texans struggle with SNAP disruption. Also, we learn about how Texas is one of the worst states for porch pirates. What are homeowner rights when confronting a package thief?

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28:59

Texas Matters: The future of AI and water in Texas

Texas Matters ·

2025/10/31

This week on Texas Matters: The demands of massive AI data centers are growing every day.ERCOT projects the state’s grid will need to double in the next five years to meet the demands of AI.AI also uses a lot of water. It’s projected AI will consume nearly 7% of the state’s water supply by the year 2030, a significant drain on a state already dealing with water scarcity.

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28:59

West Texas and the rise of U.S. conservatism

Texas Matters ·

2025/10/24

West Texas is a reliably hard-red political stronghold. In the last presidential election, the region voted about 80% for Donald Trump. West Texas is the reddest place in the country, according to Jeff Roche, author of "The Conservative Frontier." He says cowboy conservatism is rooted in the dusty landscape. But how well does that political philosophy serve the communities of West Texas?

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28:59

Texas Matters: Colin Allred is back and running for...

Texas Matters ·

2025/10/03

Former Texas congressman Colin Allred gave up his seat in the House to run for Senate against Ted Cruz. He came up short— but he outperformed the Democratic ticket. He says he wants another shot and he’s running again for the Democratic nomination for Senate where he could face either incumbent John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

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Texas Matters: Candidate Bobby Pulido and 'The...

Texas Matters ·

2025/09/26

Tejano Singer Bobby Pulido is using his voice in a new way. He’s running for congress in the 15 District of Texas. And how the Tuba is Saving kids in the Rio Grande Valley.

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29:00

Texas Matters: How community organizers beat Corpus...

Texas Matters ·

2025/09/19

This week on Texas Matters: How community organizers beat the city of Corpus Christi and Big industry to stop ocean desalination. And the CDC advisory panel on vaccines recommends restricting access to the MMRV vaccine. What would that have meant for the Texas measles outbreak?

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28:59

Texas Matters: Robert Roberson, death row and shaken...

Texas Matters ·

2025/09/12

Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson is set to die on October 16. There is mounting evidence that Roberson's daughter, Nikki Curtis, didn't die from shaken baby syndrome but from illness. And Texas could be on the verge of executing an innocent man.

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28:59

Texas Matters: Why Conan The Barbarian is a Texan

Texas Matters ·

2025/09/05

He dreamed up Conan the Barbarian from his lonely town of Cross Plains, Texas. But where did Robert E. Howard find his inspiration for the sword-and- sorcery, weird tales that still resonate today? Howard dipped his pen in the inkwell of Texas history, tall tales and the boom and bust of the oil fields. How Conan is really a Texan.

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28:59

Texas Matters: Texas to ban same-day voter registration

Texas Matters ·

2025/08/31

Why Gov. Abbott ordered the Texas Legislature to “prohibit same day voter registration in Texas.” And the court challenge to the controversial congressional redistricting says it's an illegal racial gerrymander.

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28:59

Texas Matters: The Ten Commandments on hold

Texas Matters ·

2025/08/22

A federal judge has granted a temporary halt to a new Texas law that requires the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. He found that it was a violation of the freedom of religion—but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is promising to appeal. We hear from Rabbi Mara Nathan about why she joined the suit and how she feels about the future of religious freedom in Texas.

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28:59

Texas Matters: Gene Autry — The New Deal cowboy crooner

Texas Matters ·

2025/08/15

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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28:59

Texas Matters: The future of AI and water in Texas

Texas Matters ·

2025/08/08

This week on Texas Matters: The demands of massive AI data centers are growing every day.ERCOT projects the state’s grid will need to double in the next five years to meet the demands of AI.AI also uses a lot of water. It’s projected AI will consume nearly 7% of the state’s water supply by the year 2030, a significant drain on a state already dealing with water scarcity.

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29:00

Texas Matters: The Kerr County flash flood hearing...

Texas Matters ·

2025/08/03

After the July 4 flash flood that turned the Upper Guadalupe River into a disaster area and killed over 130 people, Texas lawmakers came to Kerrville to get answers about what went wrong. But this hearing also fits into the effort to suddenly redistrict Texas to give the Republican Party five more congressional seats after the midterms.

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112 results

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