The Burning Question: Recent Episodes
Houston Chronicle
Go beyond the headlines. Beyond the he-said, she-said of the news pages. Join Houston Chronicle Opinion Editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Lisa Falkenberg as she and editorial board members tackle urgent, vexing and just plain intriguing questions in the news. From Beto to Trump, bail reform to education, the migrant crisis to church abuse – they explore issues in Houston, Washington and across Texas through the lens of a single question. Sometimes, they even agree on the answer.
Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists joins Houston Chronicle editorial board members Monica Rhor and Harold Jackson to talk about the controversy following President Trump's statements regarding Hurricane Dorian’s potential to impact Alabama, his use of a Sharpie-altered weather map and the dangers of the Trump administration's war on science.
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On August 31st, a man armed with an AR-15 rifle went on a shooting spree in the Midland-Odessa area, killing seven people and injuring 25, including three police officers and a 17-month-old girl who had her teeth knocked out by a bullet. On the heels of massacres in El Paso (22 dead), Santa Fe High School (10 dead) and the Sutherland Springs church (26 dead), the question becomes: When will Texas do
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In this edition of "The Burning Question," we ask why we are not taught the full history of our country and the impact created by those gaps in knowledge.
Join Deputy Opinion editor Michael Lindenberger, editorial writer Monica Rhor, and our guest, Rice University history professor Caleb McDaniel as they debate this week's burning question.
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It's the question many people were asking in the wake of a mass shooting that left 22 people dead and more than two dozen injured: Why El Paso?
In this week's episode of The Burning Question, we discuss the terrorist attack that targeted the Latino community in that Texas city, the anti-immigrant rhetoric that may have inspired the gunman, the fear many Latinos now feel and the issue of gun reform.
Join editorial writers Monica Rhor,Harold Jackson and Luis Carrasco as they debate this week's burning question. This week, they are joined by State Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso, who talks about the impact on his city.
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Two years after Harvey, six Houston libraries and one Harris County library damaged in the storm remain closed. That got us to thinking about the role of libraries and what they mean to communities. How have libraries changed? Do libraries still matter?
Join editorial writer Monica Rhor and Viewpoints editor Jim Newkirk as they debate this week's burning question.
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Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before two congressional committees Wednesday, mostly underlining the conclusions that were present in the 448-page report made public in April: Investigators did not find evidence pointing to conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but the president could not be exonerated when it came to obstruction of justice. So, what does Congress do now? Should the president face impeachment?
Join Opinion editor Lisa Falkenberg, deputy opinion editor Michael Lindenberger and editorial writers Harold Jackson and Luis Carrasco as they debate this week's burning question.
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There is little doubt that President Trump’s latest comments, telling four Democratic congresswomen of color to “go back” to their countries, were racist. But is the president an opportunist exploiting racist sentiment or a racist himself? And does that distinction matter? Join Opinion editor Lisa Falkenberg and editorial writers Monica Rhor, Harold Jackson and Luis Carrasco as they debate this week’s burning question.
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Of course a mermaid can be black — a mermaid can be any color. But you wouldn't know it from some of the response online to the casting of 19-year-old Halle Bailey as the lead character in Disney's live-adaptation of "The Little Mermaid." Join editorial writers Monica Rhor and Luis Carrasco as they discuss race and the need for representation in popular culture.
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No, America isn’t full. But is the president on to something when he plays to the fears of his most loyal voters. Michael Lindenberger, the Chronicle’s deputy opinion editor, and editorial writer Luis Carrasco discuss the changes that have left so many Trump voters seeming to look for a return to an often mythologized past. In addition, Carrasco, who just returned from a trip to the border, discusses his reporting that shows how central immigration has been to Houston’s success.
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Special prosecutor John Raley spent 10 months investigating whether former death row inmate Alfred Dewayne Brown needed to be re-indicted or whether he was "actually innocent" in the 2003 murder of Houston police officer Charles R. Clark. Raley tells Houston Chronicle Opinion Editor Lisa Falkenberg how he reached his decision. What's the truth? How can Raley be so sure he got it right? Find out in this revealing interview that will either leave you nodding your head or shaking your fist.
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Decades in, scandal involving pedophile priests and elaborate coverups still festers within the Catholic Church like an open wound. Law enforcement officials recently raided the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston for evidence on a Conroe priest accused of abuse. To understand why scandal persists and what should be done to fully address it, we talk to Anastasiya Zavyalova, assistant professor at Rice Business School who specializes in reputation management of organizations in crisis. From Tylenol to VW, companies face controversies that can destroy them if not handled properly. Find out how the horrifying pattern of child abuse within the Catholic Church affects victims, the faithful and individual parishes and why it’s is an exceptional crisis in desperate need of resolution.
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When we look at the videos of the white Catholic high school kids in MAGA hats in the National Mall, we see different things. Cruel hecklers disrespecting a Native American veteran. Innocent victims of a black hate group spewing toxic insults. Pawns of a biased media hellbent on smearing Trump supporters. In the end, what we see comes down to who we are. As a nation, the controversy revealed just how divided and quick-to-judge Americans are. Join Chronicle editorial board members Lisa Falkenberg, Michael Lindenberger and Harold Jackson as we discuss.
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Members of the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board weigh in on the court decision that rocked the border debate when a federal judge declared last week that the Trump Administration’s decision to include the question on the next census illegal. The decision is sure to be appealed, but deputy editorial editor Michael Lindenberger and viewpoints editor Jim Newkirk weigh in on its fiery language, sweeping conclusions, its impact and what’s likely to happen next.
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After President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer had their dueling national addresses Tuesday night, Houston Chronicle editorial board deputy editors Michael Lindenberger and Evan Mintz weigh in on the conversation. They discuss the facts along the border, the difference between legal and moral and a relevant episode of The Simpsons.
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Members of the Houston Chronicle editorial board discuss O’Rourke’s political future and specifically address the concerns raised in op-eds by Andrew White, Dan Derozier, Billy Freeland and Elizabeth Bruenig.
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We explore this question with Houston writer Claudia Kolker, who wrote a recent op-ed for the Houston Chronicle about what she saw at the border as a volunteer translator for migrant mothers separated from their children. “What I saw at the border was far worse than I imagined,” Kolker wrote. “Not only because of what these families experienced, but because of what had happened to the American workers guarding them.” Kolker talks to us about the traumatized children she saw and the stories she heard from mothers recounting cruel conditions and guards put in an untenable situation.
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We get a little heated debating this one. Bush was roundly respected as a statesman and a family man who conducted himself with integrity. So why did he fail to win a second term in the White House? In the wake of Bush’s passing, Houston Chronicle Editorial Board members debate whether Bush didn’t get enough credit for his accomplishments or whether they were outnumbered by his shortcomings.
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The White House revoked press credentials for CNN reporter Jim Acosta, after a testy exchange with President Trump during a Nov. 7 press conference. What are the implications for the press? Does a reporter have a right to challenge the President? Are reporters annoying? Isn’t that the point? Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle editor of Opinion, Deputy Opinion Editor Michael Lindenberger and Senior Editorial Writer Harold Jackson discuss the affair in this pilot episode.
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