Texas Standard for May 2, 2022

As Gov. Greg Abbott weighs the possibility of declaring an invasion at the southern border, legal challenges over immigration policy pile up. We’ll have details. And: Growing calls for a European embargo of Russian oil and the ripple effects felt closer to home. Also: A medical mystery in south Texas as health officials warn of a rash of pediatric hepatitis cases in young kids, sometimes necessitating liver transplants. We’ll talk with a specialist from UT Health San Antonio. Plus: A production in Fort Worth bearing witness to racist violence against Black people blurring the boundaries between actors and audiences. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

By Texas StandardMay 2, 2022 9:30 am,

Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, May 2, 2022.

There have been many court cases about the border. Let’s sort them out and what they mean. 

Legal maneuvering over state and federal immigration policies have set the stage for upcoming court battles over programs like Operation Lone Star and the pandemic-related immigration order known as Title 42. Here to help us break down some of these latest legal challenges is Elissa Steglich, co-director of the University of Texas at Austin School of Law’s Immigration Clinic.

The looming showdown over how Medicaid covers Texans with disabilities  

For years Texas Republican leaders have chosen to opt out of matching federal funds to expand Medicaid. That’s affecting intellectually and developmentally disabled people who are on waiting lists for underfunded programs that are in high demand. Houston Public Media’s Caroline Love tells us the federal government says Texas has to revamp how it runs those programs, with or without Medicaid expansion.

Houston birders are helping researchers uncover the secret nightlife of migratory birds 

Spring bird migration is underway, and millions of birds are passing through Texas under the cover of darkness. That’s why much about the individual birds is unknown, even to the most avid birders. But now, recordings of nighttime bird calls are helping researchers understand this unseen migration. Houston Public Media’s Katie Watkins has more.

It’s Matt Smith Monday ⛽ 

It’s been almost 70 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, and global oil supplies could tighten even more as the European Union mulls an embargo on Russian crude. Oil prices ticked upward late last week as reports came that Germany was likely to join other nations in shunning Russian oil. Matt Smith, lead oil analyst for the Americas at Keplr, offers an overview.

A pediatric mystery has public health officials looking for answers 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert regarding cases of hepatitis-like symptoms in young children, at times severe enough to necessitate liver transplants. While the first U.S. cases were detected in Alabama, the illness has been reported in other states, including a fatality in Wisconsin. Now the illness has been detected in Texas, with UT Health San Antonio reporting cases in South Texas. UT Health San Antonio’s pediatric gastroenterology chief, Dr. Naveen Mittal, joins us with more.

Insect bites bite!  

Wizzie Brown, our go-to insect expect at Texas A&M AgrilLife Extension Service, stops by with some insect intel. Anything bugging you? Buzz us with your bug questions and we’ll pass them along to our expert.

Black rage and riotous comedy in Stage West’s ‘What to Send Up When It Goes Down’ 

Atatiana Jefferson. Botham Jean. Breanna Taylor. The list of Black people killed by police goes on. In response to these tragic events, Stage West in Fort Worth offers the play, “What to Send Up When It Goes Down.” KERA’s Jerome Weeks spoke with actors and audience members about a show that’s angry, cathartic and wildly inventive.

Diagnosis diabetes: A serious issue that needs to be taken more seriously

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 37 million people in the U.S. have Type-2 diabetes. And that number is on the rise. However, many people don’t realize they’re at risk for a diabetes diagnosis. Texas Public Radio’s Yvette Benavides and David Martin Davies spoke to people about how diabetes is impacting their lives.

All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.

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