Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, July 22, 2024:
A conversation with the Texas congressman who first called on Biden to step down
Over the weekend, President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and offered his endorsement to Vice President Kamala Harris. The historic move comes after cascading calls from within his party to withdraw following a highly criticized debate performance in June against former President Donald Trump.
After that performance, Lloyd Doggett, the veteran congressman from Austin, was the first Democratic lawmaker in Congress to call for Biden to end his reelection bid. On Sunday, he called the president’s decision “courageous.”
Doggett joins us today.
What can we expect between now and Election Day?
So with Biden out, what happens between now and November?
To answer some of those questions, we’re joined by Daron Shaw, Frank C. Erwin Jr. Chair of State Politics at the University of Texas at Austin:
Remembering Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
Longtime Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee died late Friday at the age of 74.
Jackson Lee, who was running for a 16th term, announced in June that she’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She had a reputation as a firebrand and a prominent voice on civil rights and progressive issues in Texas and across the country.
Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider reports on Jackson Lee’s legacy.
You’re not imagining it – COVID cases are back up
If a lot of people you know have tested positive for COVID-19 recently, you are not alone.
While a lack of access to testing compared to earlier in the pandemic makes it hard to know exactly how many cases are popping up, the CDC tracks viral COVID activity in wastewater. This metric shows that COVID activity levels are high in a number of states, including Texas.
Dr. Catherine Troisi, a professor at the School of Public Health at UT Health Houston, joins us with an update.
First Baptist Dallas plans to rebuild historic downtown sanctuary destroyed by fire
Members of First Baptist Dallas say they’ll rebuild after a massive fire destroyed their historic sanctuary Friday night.
KERA’s Miranda Suarez reports they gathered this Sunday at the convention center downtown:
This summer seems less of a scorcher for many, but for how long?
Depending on what part of Texas you’re in, you may have heard more than a few friends note that this year doesn’t seem to be quite the scorcher of recent summers past. But do such perceptions line up with the facts?
Bob Rose, a meteorologist with the Lower Colorado River Authority in Central Texas, joins us to discuss.
Putting Biden’s decision into a historical context
We continue our coverage of President Biden’s historic announcement Sunday that he would be stepping out of the presidential race. The last time an incumbent president announced he wouldn’t run for reelection was Texas’ Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1968.
To help put all this into some historical perspective, we’re joined by Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Raul Alonzo with the Talk of Texas.
