Here’s what’s coming up on Texas Standard for Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Listen on your Texas public radio station, or ask your smart speaker to play Texas Standard. Check back later today for updated story links and audio.

Supreme Court keeps laws holding protest organizers responsible in place

The Supreme Court has announced it will not hear a case concerning laws restricting the organizers of protests. By declining the case, the court lets stand an appeals court ruling making organizers responsible if any protester commits an illegal act. The lower court ruling covers Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

University of Texas School of Law chair Tara Grove joins the Standard with more.

Racism in the health care system is killing Black pregnant Texans

Texas is among the worst states in the country for maternal mortality – the death of someone during pregnancy or within a year of the end of their pregnancy – and Black Texans die from pregnancy-related causes at two to three times the rate of their white counterparts.

KERA’s Elena Rivera has more.

North Texas performer Cedric Neal was nominated London’s version of the Tony

Dallas actor-singer Cedric Neal gained acclaim for his performances in North Texas musicals. Now he’s acclaimed in England as well.

KERA’s Jerome Weeks reports that, though he didn’t win, Neal was up for London theater’s highest honor, an Olivier Award.

10 years with the Houston Dash

It’s been a decade since the Houston Dash played their first National Women’s Soccer League game. While their record hasn’t always been stellar, the Dash made their first playoff appearance in 2022, marking significant growth for the program.

Theo Lloyd-Hughes recently explored this topic for Squad Depth. He joins the Standard today.

Comedian Jeff Hiller returns to his home state for Moontower Comedy Fest

Jeff Hiller has worked in the entertainment industry for over two decades, helping write shows like “30 Rock,” “Community” and the critically acclaimed HBO series “Somebody Somewhere.”

Hiller was born and raised in South Texas, and he’s returning to his home state for the Moontower Comedy Festival, an annual comedy fest held in Austin. We’re happy to welcome Hiller to the Texas Standard.

Austin to be hit as Tesla announces 14,000 layoffs

Signs of turmoil at Tesla continued yesterday after the company told employees it would lay off more than 10% of the workforce to cut costs. The job cuts amount to about 14,000 people across the company’s global operations.

Those cuts will be felt in Austin, where Tesla is one of the biggest employers. The Austin Business Journal’s Bob Sechler joins the show with more.

All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.

Denny Hamlin looked primed to win his third race of the 2024 Cup Series season, leading with under 20 laps to go in Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

A late caution changed everything.

On the ensuing restart, Hamlin battled door-to-door with Chase Elliott before getting loose going into Turns 3 and 4 and spinning into the outside wall. Instead of picking up the win, Hamlin walked away with a P30 finish. Elliott, instead, went onto win at Texas, snapping a 42-race winless streak.

Hamlin, speaking on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast after the race, said he thought he had “clear sailing” to victory before the late race caution.

“Took the lead back over with 20 to go and I’m just cruising,” Hamlin said. “Chase, I just passed him. The 6 [Brad Keselowski] was coming, but I was running a pace just to stay in front of all those guys. I definitely had a little more left in the tank. That’s managing a race to me. And so, while winning the second stage would be great, like I didn’t get any stage points because I was just being a little timid on the restarts because I got put in a couple bad spots and I’m like, ‘I wanna win this race. While I wanna go get some stage points, I wanna win this race. And I’m gonna do what it takes to win the race. I’m gonna put myself in the front after this last pit stop.’ And that’s what we did.

“I thought that we had clear sailing. I mean, the field — you worry about cautions right after a caution, but we had 15, 20 laps or so and I passed Chase back for the lead.”

Denny Hamlin breaks down battle for lead with Chase Elliott at Texas Motor Speedway

Hamlin added he felt he had the car to pass Elliott for the lead had NASCAR not decided to go to a Green-White-Checkered following the final caution during regulation.

“He got me on the restart, I think because I was just being a little timid. Don’t get loose under him, don’t make a mistake,” Hamlin said. “So, he took the lead on the restart. … I did [think I could pass him after the restart] if they didn’t run so many f****** laps under caution. Like, I think that caution happened and there was like eight or nine laps to go and I’m like ‘Well s***.’ … If he clears me, if he controls the restart and he clears me, if I have 2 or 3 laps, I will get back around him. I mean, that’s my irrational confidence but that’s what I think will happen.

“But when we go into a Green-White-Checkered, it’s all about who clears first. Whoever clears first is gonna win the race. There’s just not enough time to build momentum back to get back around. So, that’s why my sense of urgency was to mat it in Turns 3 and 4 and try to stay beside him but yeah, damn it, I’m so frustrated because every single week, we’re like gonna win. We’re so fast every week. I think we’ve led every race this season and not like bull**** led, we’re leading laps. Like legitimately, we drive up there and we’re contending.

“So, this is a really, really fun year for me so far because every week I know that I’m one of the top three guys in terms of speed. But damn, two weeks in a row of not getting the finish we deserved. And this one’s on me for sure.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott slammed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the border crisis, saying he has told nothing but lies to the American people.

“What Mayorkas has said is nothing but a bunch of lies,” Abbott said in an interview with FOX4 News. 

Abbott said he proves he is telling lies and has been impeached, in part, because he lied to Congress, by telling Congress and America that the border was secure. 

“The Biden administration has not secured the border. What SB4 does, is to authorize Texas to assert the powers that Congress has given to the federal government,” Abbott said. “Now let me be clear about this, Congress has passed three laws, not one that requires the President to detain anybody or try to deter anyone from entering the country illegally.”

HOUSE TO DELIVER MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES TO SENATE AFTER GOP-LED HEARING ON CAPITOL HILL

“Texas is trying to step up and enforce by state law, the same law that Congress passed which is to deny illegal immigrants, detain people who enter the country, and build border walls. Biden is doing none of those three things,” Abbott continued. 

Abbott also posted a video on X, showing more paneling being added to the Texas border.

“More panels are being installed at the Texas border wall in Maverick County. Texas will never back down from our historic efforts to secure the border,” Abbott wrote.

Texas, as part of Operation Lone Star, has set up razor wire and other barriers along the border in an effort to curb the historic surge of illegal migration in the area since 2021.

“Texas will exercise our sovereign authority to protect our southern border — and our nation — because President Biden refuses to enforce federal immigration laws,” Abbott previously said. 

MAYORKAS DEFLECTS WHEN ASKED IF ‘ABOVE 85%’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE RELEASED INTO THE US

This all comes as Fox News confirmed that the House will send articles of impeachment for Mayorkas to the Senate at 2 pm Tuesday. 

An initial effort seeking to impeach him failed last month. He is the first Cabinet secretary to face charges in nearly 150 years.

“He has taken a bad situation and actually accomplished an amazing feat. He’s actually made it worse, not better. Not only that, he’s violated the public trust by repeatedly lying under oath to Congress and the American people. If these aren’t impeachable offenses, I don’t know what would qualify. Secretary Mayorkas must be held responsible for his actions,” Sen. John Coryn, R-Texas, said. 

ABBOTT SENDS BIDEN MESSAGE ON ‘SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY’ AS TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD REINFORCES BORDER RAZOR FENCING

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to appeal a federal ruling that blocks a state law that would have allowed authorities to arrest illegal immigrants and give state judges the power to order deportations.  (Getty Images)

Republicans are seeking to impeach Mayorkas over failing to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and for repeatedly telling Congress that the Biden administration maintained operational control despite historic levels of migrant encounters and crossings.

The specific article charges Mayorkas with having “refused to comply with Federal immigration laws” and the other of having violated “public trust.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

The effort to impeach Mayorkas comes as border security remains one of the most important issues for voters around the country.

Fox News Digital’s Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.