The Source

What's known as "dark money" in U.S. elections reached a record-shattering $1.9 billion in recent federal election cycles, nearly doubling the previous record. This surge traces back to the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision. Now dark money has grown into a mysterious massive force, as billionaires and organizations exploit loopholes in campaign finance disclosure laws.

Flock cameras and license plate readers are rapidly expanding across Bexar County. They are deployed by local police departments, private businesses, and HOAs. Law enforcement officials say they help keep communities safer but there are concerns regarding mass surveillance, civil liberties, and data sharing.

Two data centers on San Antonio's West Side will be powered with on-site natural gas-fired and diesel generators. Nonprofit groups are saying these data centers are trying to avoid clean air regulations and laws — and will have a negative impact on San Antonio's air. The groups say they are preparing to sue over the projects.

World War II concluded with Japan's unconditional surrender after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What led to President Truman's order to deploy this new weapon? Was the first and only wartime use of nuclear bombs justified?

The Democratic Socialists of America are winning elections across the nation, including in San Antonio. There are three San Antonio City Council members who belong to the progressive party. The Republican Party is calling the DSA "communists." DSA supports universal health care, benefits for workers, opposition to billionaires and stopping data centers.

With a Super El Niño brewing in the atmosphere, there's concern about what the weather pattern means for the U.S. and the Southwest. Texas is already experiencing another summer of weather extremes: destructive rainfall and flooding followed by dangerous heat, with Tropical Storm Bertha now moving across the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Rising summer temperatures mean more Texans are spending time outdoors and are more likely to encounter venomous snakes in parks, wooded areas, along waterways and even in backyards.

In June the Republican-controlled State Board of Education approved new statewide reading requirements. Students in every grade are required to read Bible passages. Supporters say students need biblical literacy to understand Western literature. However, opponents say the selections disproportionately favor Christianity, particularly Protestant interpretations.

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is confronting major questions about the city's finances, growth and relationship with the federal government. Jones joins “The Source” Monday to discuss a projected $158 million city budget shortfall and the difficult choices it could force over services and spending.

Texas is confronting a widening gap between its long-term water supply and the needs of its growing population and economy. The state is projected to be in a water crisis in coming decades unless new conservation measures are installed and new water sources are created,

Texas is again facing severe flooding after heavy rainfall in the Hill Country and the region west of San Antonio. Evacuations are underway along with high water rescues and road closures.

Lone Star Beer has marketed itself as a Texas tradition dating to 1884, but a new book argues the familiar brand grew from two distinct San Antonio breweries operating in different eras.

Why are Texas school children as young as 10 years old ending up in trouble with the law? Data shows how districts across the state are arresting and citing children for common misbehavior. The children are left with lasting trauma as the Legislature rejects bills to raise the age of criminal responsibility and floods schools with even more police.

The New World screwworm is back in Texas. The lone star tick is on a tea. And the air is thick with blood-sucking mosquitoes. These are all parasites, and they are aggressively on the hunt for their next victim. We share the planet with these creatures, and we need to understand them to protect ourselves. Are they the villains of the animal kingdom or are they misunderstood?

The jailhouse informant can have quite an influence on the outcome of a trail. Frequently prosecutors rely on the accounts of prisoners who happen to hear incriminating claims of a defendant on trial. However, sometimes their testimony helps convict an innocent man in an effort to get a sweetheart deal. Investigative reporter Pamela Colloff tells the story of a classic jailhouse snitch and the lives he destroyed in her new book "Catch the Devil."

New generations of Americans are taking to the street in protest, demanding change and accountability. And they are discovering what protestors of the 1960s and '70s found out— protesting is hard, frustrating and requires sacrifice. But protest songs can help. Songs demanding freedom and justice go back generations and are also being composed today. We hear from Stephen Stacks about his new book The Resounding Revolution: Freedom Song After 1968.

From jazz to present-day pop, drum kits make up one of the most transformative musical inventions. In his book "Kick It," musician, professor and author Matt Brennan dives into the history of drums and drummers, and their impact on both creative culture and society as a whole.

Michael Jackson thrilled, Madonna wowed, Prince had doves cry and Lionel Richie couldn't slow down: it was 1984. This was a year the changed the music industry and American culture. And it was the last great year for American pop music.

'ET,' 'Star Trek,' 'Wrath of Khan,' 'Blade Runner,' 'Poltergeist,' 'The Thing' — these are just some of the now classic science fiction films that came out in the summer of 1982. What was it about that moment in Hollywood that made it open to fresh ideas and high concept films and what would it take to do it again?

When the July 4 flood tore through the upper Guadalupe River, ripping apart neighborhoods and destroying homes, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country stepped up by helping families find shelter and new homes. How will Kerrville celebrate the Fourth of July on what will be the nation's 250th birthday — while also commemorating the lives lost one year earlier?

On July 4, it will be one year since the flash flood disaster that took the lives of 119 people along the upper Guadalupe River in one of the worst calamities in Texas history. How is the region recovering? What lessons have been learned? And what's being done to prevent this from happening again?

Can the new faultline in American political tribalism be broken down along the masculine question? Republican attacks against Texas Democratic candidate for Senate James Talarcio falsely claim he's vegan as a challenge to his masculinity. While others in the GOP say they want to repeal women's right to vote. What is the overarching strategy here?

Former South Carolina congressman Joe Cunningham says the Democratic Party has lost touch with voters it once counted on and must rebuild trust before it can rebuild a winning coalition.

At the recent Texas Republican Convention delegates approved a platform opposing In vitro fertilization - medical procedure primarily used to treat infertility and help individuals or couples achieve a successful pregnancy.The platform itself doesn't change Texas law but it sets the course for conservatives to do so in the future.

Disease-spreading ticks are posing a widening health and agricultural threat in Texas, where the blood-feeding parasites remain active throughout much of the year and become especially abundant during the warmer months.

Lax laws have left the for-profit adoption industry ripe for abuse. FRONTLINE and Retro Report investigate how so-called "baby brokers" have targeted pregnant women in the United States desperate for cash and families desperate to adopt. And asks if national standards should be put in place to protect women, babies put up for adoption and families.

The world is moving full speed ahead with renewable energy and away from carbon-burning power — except for the United States. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. is actively falling behind in the global clean-energy race. In fact, billions of tax dollars are being spent to scrap domestic renewable projects. How does this policy choice threaten American competitiveness, national security and access to reliable affordable electric power?

A Rio Grande Valley murder case was botched and evidence lost by local police and by Texas Rangers. The Texas Observer investigates the case and raises questions about the state's elite law enforcement agency.

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is confronting a series of politically difficult decisions involving water rates, property taxes and the use of a city-owned entertainment venue for a concert with Kanye West, the rapper whose current legal name is Ye.

Cuba is in a deep crisis. Food and medicine are scarce; power outages are widespread. And the communist government is facing a military threat by the United States.A San Antonio organization, The San-Havana Project, is working to bring humanitarian relief to the people of Cuba.

San Antonio will mark Juneteenth with celebrations and recognitions of renewed reflection on the unfinished struggle for racial equality include the opening of the St. James AME Church Culture Crossing enhancements along San Pedro Creek and other events.

America's bees are dying in record numbers — and the way we grow our food is partly to blame. In 2025 beekeepers lost more than 60% of their colonies, and wild native bees are also in steep decline. If we lost the bees, it would be a massive blow to U.S. crop production. How Big Ag is a threat to the bees?

The New World screwworm has crossed into Texas from Mexico, threatening livestock, wildlife and pets. Human infections are rare, but officials warn the parasite's spread poses a growing challenge for communities across South Texas.

The Trump administration is accelerating plans for new border barriers along hundreds of miles of the Texas-Mexico border, prompting protests, property disputes, and lawsuits from landowners and environmental groups.

We examine the Commonwealth Fund report's findings and what they reveal about health care access, affordability and outcomes across Texas.

School districts across Texas are rapidly closing campuses due to falling public school enrollment, funding shortfalls, and charter school competition. In San Antonio specifically, local districts are pushing forward with recent campus closures and "optimization" plans. What does this trend mean for providing quality public education into the future in Texas?

"America — love it or leave it." That's a bumper sticker slogan that sums up the long-standing tension between patriotism and the exercise of constitutional freedoms. As the nation celebrates America's 250th birthday we explore where healthy patriotism ends and toxic nationalism begins. We discuss how "America First" could sometimes lead to a slippery slope towards tyranny.

Rising homelessness in San Antonio is prompting health professionals, educators and community advocates to examine how the community can more effectively meet the health and social needs of people experiencing homelessness.

New data underscores the sustained and complex challenges facing college students and young adults today. According to UnitedHealthcare's fourth annual Young Adult and College Student Behavioral Health Report, over 60% of young adults reported experiencing a mental or behavioral health concern in the past year. A Bexar County study found similar results.

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones faces a consequential City Council vote on water rates while also pushing a new voter-engagement initiative and finding time to defend the city from Charles Barkley.

Two cases of New World screwworm were confirmed in the U.S. — in Zavala County. The parasite, carried by flies, targets the live flesh of warm-blooded animals, including cattle, pets, wildlife and humans, causing severe wounds or death. Spread of the New World screwworm could have a major economic impact on the cattle industry.

We are living in a time when extreme wealth is held in the hands of very few. These modern-day robber barons are using their riches to break democracy and create a system that saps income from the general population to add to their own treasure — making the poor poorer and the rich richer. Stanford economist Mordecai Kurz explains "Private Power and Democracy's Decline."

The fight over Project Marvel could upend how San Antonio votes on bond projects. District 4 Council Member Edward Mungia is proposing breaking out the downtown Spurs and Entertainment area specific to District 1, as opposed to part of a broader infrastructure package.

The U.S. Supreme Court is supposed to be above politics and committed to preserving the Constitution by deciding on complex legal issues. Critics of the High Court, especially on the left, say that is no longer the case. But Sarah Isgur writes in "The Last Branch Standing" SCOTUS is holding to its charge.

In San Antonio oak trees can stand majestic and add to a home's property value. But they are vulnerable to oak wilt, a fast-moving disease that can spread quickly and kill entire clusters of oaks. It can be devastating. Learn how to protect your tress against oak wilt.

As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, historian Robert G. Parkinson reminds us that the founding document also contains 27 grievances to King George that demand attention.

Under the boot of dictator Vladimir Putin, Russia has declined into a second-rate nation with nukes and a bleak future according to Marc Bennetts, author of "The Descent: Witnessing Russia's Spiral into Madness Under Putin."

As Washington debates how to protect America's lead in artificial intelligence, some independent inventors are warning that national security begins with the patent system.

Frontline: The War Cabinet premiering May 26, 2026, on PBS, examines the inner circle of advisors shaping President Donald Trump's military strategy. The documentary explores key decisions, including actions in the Middle East and relations with allies

What is the connection between early childhood education and developing San Antonio's workforce of tomorrow? Research shows that when children are engaged in their most formative years it sets them and the community up for future success. We hear about the work that's being done today and the need for more investment in these efforts, before it's too late.

Ninety-five percent of people who are incarcerated in the United States will eventually be released. How they're treated while behind bars profoundly affects their chances of success on the outside. Americans across the political spectrum agree that making prisons more humane and more conducive to rehabilitation is important for the health of our society.