The Source

Who are the ultrarich in America and what do they want? Evan Osnos, author of The Haves and Have-Yachts, pulls back the curtain on the hidden world of the massively wealthy, their unbelievable lifestyles and their unchecked influence on American politics—which directly impacts our lives while distorting the economy.

What does it mean to be a father? Fatherhood is one of history's enduring puzzles. Why are fathers the way that they are? We look at being a dad through the lens of history, philosophy and the examples of some of Western civilization's most emblematic fathers to understand how this role of protector, caretaker, provider and disciplinarian evolved. Augustine Sedgewick is the author of "Fatherhood: A History of Love and Power."

Misty Spears and Angi Taylor Aramburu have advanced to the runoff election.

District 8 runoff candidates are Ivalis Meza Gonzalez and Paula McGee.

Former Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force and two-time Democratic congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones will face former Republican Texas Secretary of State Roland Pablos in the June 7 mayoral runoff election after no candidate received a majority of votes in the May municipal election.

District 6 runoff candidates are Kelly Ann Gonzalez and Ric Galvan. They are the two remaining candidates from a diverse field of eight, and only 28 votes separated them after the final count on election night.

District 1 Councilmember Sukh Kaur, who faced nine challengers in the May 3 election, is headed to the June 7th runoff against Patty Gibbons, a retired business owner and conservative.

How did the Avocado become the toast of the nation? The humble tropical fruit is now common in supermarkets, but even in the 1980s many Americans had never seen an avocado, much less tasted one. How did this once obscure alligator pear come to occupy a central spot in American culture?

Bexar County is in a prolonged exceptional drought, and we're already dealing with 100-degree days.And due to climate change it's only going to get hotter and dryer in the coming years. How do we garden and landscape using drought and heat tolerant plants? How can you make your lawn Texas tough and beautiful?

What's it like to be a child in Central America, forced to flee to the United States and then spend months in immigration detention? “Detained” is the first-ever memoir of a child's experience in detention on the U.S.-Mexico border under President Trump's infamous family separation policy. The book tells a story of pain, cruelty, friendship, and resilience.

President Trump and the Republican controlled congress are planning deep cuts to Medicaid to help cover the cost of $4.5 billion in tax breaks. This could knock off over 8 million people from Medicaid and reduce services for millions more. Texas rural hospitals will be especially hit hard along with Texas new mothers and children.

Alcohol use disorder doesn't mix well with marriage. It frequently leads to personal chaos. That's the story that Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje has written in her tell-all memoir about her journey to sobriety. Her book “Drunk Love: A Marriage Under the Influence” explores the depths of addiction and the redemptive power of love.

America's rivers are a vital resource for drinking water. They support wildlife habitats and are critical for transportation and industry. However, across the U.S., many of the largest and most important of these waterways are at risk from pollution, poor flood management and more. These endangered rivers include the Mississippi and the Lower Rio Grande.

Beto O'Rourke is again finding big crowds across Texas with townhall meetings. The former congressman and Democratic presidential candidate says he wants to give Texans an opportunity to ask questions about state and federal issues and have conversations about America's future. O'Rourke joins us to talk about protecting rural Texans and the future of the Democratic Party.

Few have ever valued literacy as much as the enslaved Black people of the American South. For them, it was more than a means to a better life; it was a gateway to freedom and, in some instances, a tool for inspiring revolt. Few governments tried harder to suppress literacy than did those in the South. When knowledge is power, the powerful make knowledge unobtainable or illegal.

Antidote, the latest documentary from Emmy Award-winning filmmaker James Jones, is an exposé on the perilous journey of whistleblowers confronting Vladimir Putin's regime. Premiering at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, the film delves into the lives of individuals who risk everything to unveil the Kremlin's covert operations.

President Donald Trump vowed to deport one million people in the first year back in office. And he has turned to possibly unlawful executive orders to do so. At least a dozen U.S. citizens have been ensnared in Trump's immigration crackdown, and many more legal residents. They are being accused of being gang members and are being deported without due process.

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.”

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 thesource@tpr.org or find us @texaspublicradio on social media platforms.

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 thesource@tpr.org or find us @texaspublicradio on social media platforms.

The San Antonio Area Foundation has commissioned a report on the state of the local news landscape and its findings will be released at the first-ever Local News in the Heart of Texas Summit on Thursday, April 17, from 9 a.m. -1 p.m. 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 thesource@tpr.org or find us @texaspublicradio on social media platforms.

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 thesource@tpr.org or find us @texaspublicradio on social media platforms.

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 thesource@tpr.org or find us @texaspublicradio on social media platforms.

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 thesource@tpr.org or find us @texaspublicradio on social media platforms.

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 thesource@tpr.org or find us @texaspublicradio on social media platforms.

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 thesource@tpr.org or find us @texaspublicradio on social media platforms.

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 thesource@tpr.org or find us @texaspublicradio on social media platforms.

Hundreds of children die in Texas each year from abuse and neglect. The state has employed several policies and laws intended to reduce the number of kids entering the system — at times with deadly results. But rather than fix the problem to keep children safe, the state is changing the guidelines. A Texas Public Radio special investigation shines a light on preventable deaths of children in Texas.

President Trump's tariffs are designed to disrupt global trade. The new trade barriers will be perilous for small, heavily indebted countries in the Global South, increasing poverty and human suffering. What will happen to fair trade? Paul Rice joins us. He is the founder of Fair Trade USA. His new book is "Every Purchase Matters: How Fair Trade Farmers, Companies, and Consumers Are Changing the World."

Nvidia has become one of the most valuable corporations on Earth. The computer chip maker won big in gambling on AI. Those chips promise changes that will rival the industrial revolution. Stephen Witt is the author of the book "The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip."

It was a time when Americans were afraid to speak out. A swirling political and cultural hysteria was part of life. Anyone who questioned American policy was targeted and ruined. Books were taken from libraries. School teachers were being scrutinized. It was the Red Scare. In post-World War II America being called a communist was a serious charge. America was willing to abandon freedoms because of alleged conspiracies. Clay Risen joins us to discuss his new book "Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America."

Did Donald Trump win the White House in 2024? Or did Kamala Harris lose it? It was one of the most unusual contests for the presidency in recent history. And it left many in the nation wondering what happened? And what were some of the decisions that could have changed the outcome? We hear about the new book, "Fight – Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House."

Texas is seeing a direct challenge on the separation of church and state. It's happening with school vouchers, a Bible-based curriculum for public schools, and a bill in the legislature requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms. We discuss the ways this agenda threatens religious freedom and more.

The West Texas measles outbreak continues to spread, and more children are being diagnosed with measles. Each case represents a system failure that a safe vaccine could have prevented. Why do parents turn away from vaccination and potentially endanger their own children and the health of the wider population? Dr. Adam Ratner, author of “Booster Shots,” joins the conversation.

A New York Times investigation exposes how many rural regions of Texas violate the rights of individuals charged with misdemeanors. Digging into Maverick County there are questions about why indigent suspects are rarely given access to an attorney—even when they ask for one—leaving them in jail without charges.

President Donald Trump recently issued an executive order that demands broad changes to how elections are run in the United States. Critics say the order is overreaching and unconstitutional but if allowed to stand would prevent millions of qualitied Americans from being able to vote in federal elections.

Dr. Dale Bredesen discusses his new book "The Ageless Brain: How to Sharpen and Protect Your Mind for a Lifetime," in which he shares the latest, cutting-edge science on Alzheimer's disease and neurodegeneration. He offers a preventative program that he claims readers of all ages can put into practice to optimize their cognitive health now and sustain it for years to come.

We go behind the computer screen to understand how social media is aiding extremists—including brutal jihadist organizations like the Islamic State group and white supremacists around the world— and in the United States. Terrorgram is an online community used to recruit would-be domestic terrorists. A ProPublica-Frontline investigation charts the rise and fall of Terrorgram,

It's a decision that can save your life. Colon cancer screening is crucial because it allows for early detection and removal of precancerous polyps, preventing or significantly improving outcomes for colorectal cancer, which is a leading cause of cancer deaths. When colorectal cancer is detected early, it's often highly treatable and curable.

There's a 30-acre site in Central Texas that has yielded over 2.6 million artifacts about the early human presence in the Americas. The Gault Archaeological dig is rewriting the history and our understanding of the earliest people who inhabited Texas. But saving this site from exploitation has been a fight. We'll hear about the documentary “The Stones are Speaking.”

Research shows that you can alter your personality traits by behaving in ways that align with the kind of person you'd like to be—a process that can make you happier, healthier, and more successful. What is the science behind creating lasting change in who you are? Olga Khazan is the author of Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change.

We think of the surrender of Robert E. Lee as the end of the Civil War, but the end really wasn't clear at the time. The Galveston News reported Lee's surrender as a positive development for the Confederacy and encouraged Texans to fight on. How did Lincoln's peace take hold? How did a divided nation come together? Michael Vorenberg's new book is Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War.

As the Trump administration continues with mass firings in the federal government, one might think the one place that would be spared would be the immigration courts. These judges play a critical part in the Trump mass deportation plan. And these firings could mean an increase in expedited deportations without due process.