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Debbie Hiott

@dhiott.bsky.social
770 followers 488 following 29 posts

GM of KUT News, Austin’s NPR affiliate, and KUTX, The Austin Music Experience. Former editor-in-chief, Austin American-Statesman. Dogs > cats.

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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Always enjoy seeing what my colleagues @austinpbs have in store for the year in their annual Made in Austin event. This year, I appreciated hearing from @PBS CEO Paula Kerger.
Austin PBS CEO Luis Patino and PBS CEO Paula Kerger on stage at the Austin PBS Media Center.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 10/04/2025
Two American Airlines jets, including one carrying at least six members of Congress from New York and New Jersey, clipped wings on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington on Thursday, officials said.
nytimes.com
Plane Carrying 6 Members of Congress Is Clipped at Reagan Airport
Two American Airlines jets clipped wings on a taxiway, officials said. Representative Grace Meng said that, in 10 years of flying to and from Washington, “This has never happened to me.”
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Amy Kristin Sanders @amykristinsanders.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
UT-Austin's loss is SMU's gain. So proud of Rachel and all she has accomplished. She's going to do great things in Dallas!
wfaa.com
Southern Methodist University names new executive vice president, provost
Rachel Davis Mersey will oversee the university's research and overall academic quality.
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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 01/04/2025
The new book from @liseolsen.bsky.social traces a forensic anthropologist’s decades-long attempt to restore the identities of the victims of one of Texas’ most prolific serial killers—and explores the shocking reasons why so many remained anonymous for so long.
texasobserver.org
The Scientist and the Serial Killer: Cracking the Case of Houston’s ‘Lost Boys’
More than 50 years later, some Houston families still wait for confirmation that their sons and brothers were among the victims of serial killer Dean Corll.
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Will Sommer @willsommer.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Right-wing YouTuber Tim Pool has made it to the White House pool — someone from his “Timcast” channel will be part of today’s pool duty covering the president. Last year, DOJ revealed Pool was receiving millions of dollars from the Russian gov. Pool says he didn’t know where it was coming from.
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
BREAKING: A federal judge has issued a restraining order against Kari Lake and the Trump administration barring the cancelation of funding for Radio Free Europe. The decision to terminate, the judge says, appears to violate the law/congressional intent. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25...
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Lauren McGaughy @lmcgaughy.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
ICYMI: DOGE identifies 38 federal offices/buildings to close across Texas. www.keranews.org/government/2...
keranews.org
General Services Administration lists several federal buildings to sell — surprising some occupants
More than 440 properties nationwide were listed as 'disposable.' Many—from the VA to the federal judiciary—have hundreds of workers. Two dozen in Texas include properties officed in by congressmembers...
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Thanks to nearby construction, the power is out @kutnews.bsky.social and @kutx.bsky.social . You can stream us at kut.org and kutx.org until we get back on the airwaves.
kut.org
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 02/03/2025
Breaking News: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Pentagon to halt offensive cyberoperations against Russia, officials said.
nyti.ms
Hegseth Orders Pentagon to Stop Offensive Cyberoperations Against Russia
The defense secretary’s instructions, which were given before President Trump’s blowup with the Ukrainian president, are apparently part of an effort to draw Russia into talks on the war.
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
Happy 10th to my favorite radio show, @texasstandard.bsky.social. Nothing on the airwaves informs you more about what’s going on in the state of Texas than this daily news hour put on by an incredibly dedicated, talented group of journalists. Wherever I am, I am on Texas Standard time.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 02/03/2025
If DOGE is a federal agency, it can’t shield its records from the public. If it’s not an agency, then its tens of millions of dollars in funding weren’t legally allocated and should be returned, some contend.
propub.li
DOGE’s Millions: As Musk and Trump Gut Government, Their Ax-Cutting Agency Gets Cash Infusion
The Department of Government Efficiency is funded — and acts — like a federal agency. But the White House has shielded DOGE from the rules that govern such agencies, ProPublica found as it examines…
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Andy Carvin @acarv.in · 01/03/2025
Solidarity with @w7voa.journa.host.ap.brid.gy after @voiceofamerica.bsky.social's parent org put him on leave for doing his job writing about the Trump admin eviscerating USAID. Trump envoy Richard Grenell called him "treasonous." Attacks on the press cannot be tolerated. #JournalismIsNotACrime
nytimes.com
Voice of America Journalists Face Investigations for Comments About Trump
The broadcaster placed a longtime journalist on leave amid growing concerns about its editorial independence.
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Without journalists to tell you about things like this, you wouldn't know where taxpayer-funded work has gone awry. @kutnews.bsky.social is proud to be able to serve the community with this reporting and more. You can help make it happen at donate.kut.org
donate.kut.org
Donate Now - KUT 90.5 Austin's NPR Station
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Axios @axios.com · 26/02/2025
President Trump is setting a new precedent for tight, punitive government control over a free press.
axios.com
Behind the Curtain: Trump's media-control strategy
Trump and his administration are doing this systematically, gleefully and unmistakably. But as we've written before, this unprecedented shift could set the precedent for future Democratic presidents,...
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Much love to our pals @paramountaustin.bsky.social, who understand the value that public media brings to Austin. Thanks for the shout out to @kutnews.bsky.social, @kutx.bsky.social and @texasstandard.bsky.social!
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Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
The big takeaway here is that Reuters won this case against the AI company on grounds they violated fair use—the judge found the AI company was guilty because, in using copyrighted works to generate its output, it “meant to compete... by developing a market substitute.” Huge.
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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
"Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office." www.ap.org/the-definiti...
The Associated Press issued this statement on Tuesday from Executive Editor Julie Pace:

As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism.

Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office. This afternoon AP’s reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing.

It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism. Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP’s speech not only severely impedes the public’s access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment.
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Keri Blakinger @keribla.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
US weather forecasters were banned from collaborating with international scientists before and it did not end well: www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/hou...
houstonchronicle.com
How the 1900 Galveston Hurricane warns us about restricting NOAA
Officials reportedly told NOAA to pause international communications. Galveston’s past offers a lesson in what can happen by restricting scientific transmission
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Andy Greenberg @agreenberg.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
A teen DOGE staffer recently given access to government systems worked at a startup known for hiring convicted hackers. Someone using a Telegram handle associated with him also solicited a cyberattack-for-hire service in 2022. All raising questions about his vetting. www.wired.com/story/edward...
wired.com
DOGE Teen Owns ‘Tesla.Sexy LLC’ and Worked at Startup That Has Hired Convicted Hackers
Experts question whether Edward Coristine, a DOGE staffer who has gone by “Big Balls” online, would pass the background check typically required for access to sensitive US government systems.
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Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
"But emails reviewed by [The NY Times] show that the Treasury’s chief of staff originally pushed for Tom Krause, a software executive affiliated with [DOGE], to receive access to the closely held payment system so that the Treasury could freeze [US-AID] payments." www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/u...
nytimes.com
Treasury Sought to Freeze Foreign Aid Payments, Emails Show
Trump administration appointees and allies of Elon Musk wanted to use the Treasury’s sensitive payment system to block payments.
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NPR @npr.org · 06/02/2025
A new immigration bill passed in Florida eliminates in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants. Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to veto the measure based on other parts of the bill, but students are wary about future tuition hikes.
wlrn.org
'We want to contribute to the community': The fight over tuition waivers for immigrants
As the GOP-controlled legislature considers contentious new immigration laws, in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants appears to be on the line. One previous recipient, now a primary care doctor ...
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
LOL at the president expressing sticker shock over the price of corporate media subscriptions.
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NPR @npr.org · 05/02/2025
Tariffs are now in effect on goods from China, and imports from Canada and Mexico could be next (again). Americans are likely to see higher prices on a wide variety of products as a result.
npr.org
Here's how Trump's tariffs could impact you and your wallet
Tariffs are now in effect on goods from China, and imports from Canada and Mexico could be next (again). Americans are likely to see higher prices on a wide variety of products as a result.
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NPR @npr.org · 03/02/2025
Staff at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were instructed by email to cease much of their work. Bessent, a wealthy Wall Street investor, replaces Rohit Chopra, who was fired on Saturday.
npr.org
Treasury Secretary Bessent, tapped to run CFPB, orders staff to halt work
Staff at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were instructed by email to cease much of their work. Bessent, a wealthy Wall Street investor, replaces Rohit Chopra, who was fired on Saturday.
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Mark Lemley @marklemley.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Giving access to SSNs, other data on government employees to non-employees like Musk is a violation of 5 USC 552a, and carries with it a penalty of $1000 per person whose data was accessed. We are building a case. Govt employees who want to participate should contact me directly
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Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
“A legal filing this week by the publication, Newsday, signals that it will sue Nassau County for repeatedly violating its First Amendment rights. It accused the county and its powerful executive, Bruce Blakeman, of retaliating for its coverage” www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/n...
nytimes.com
Newsday’s Fight With Trump Ally Bruce Blakeman Heads to Court
Newsday plans to sue Bruce Blakeman, the executive of Nassau County, N.Y., after he made The New York Post the government’s official publication.
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Texas has the second largest federal workforce outside of DC (after California), primarily to provide support and services for military.
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Houston Public Media @houstonpublicmedia.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
A Houston man pardoned by President Donald Trump for crimes during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was released from federal prison but is now wanted in Harris County on a 2016 charge of online solicitation of a minor.
houstonpublicmedia.org
Houston man pardoned for Jan. 6 crimes now wanted for online solicitation of a minor
Andrew Taake, 36, was released from a federal prison in Colorado on Jan. 20, despite a request from the Harris County DA's Office to hold him on a pending state warrant from 2016.
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Texas Standard @texasstandard.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Follow the folks that make the Standard and our partners around the state!
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Lauren McGaughy @lmcgaughy.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
NPR's investigations team analyzed more than 2K hours of comms from LA first responder channels. The audio chronicles how firefighters first noticed hydrants going dry and how they responded w/ depleted resources. Story by @nmcmillan.bsky.social + Chiara Eisner. www.npr.org/2025/01/18/n... @npr.org
npr.org
'The hydrants up here are dead.' Radio traffic shows how LA firefighters lost water
NPR transcribed more than 2,000 hours of radio communications from the LA fires. The analysis shows hydrants going dry and first responders fighting fires despite scarce resources.
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Lauren McGaughy @lmcgaughy.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
NEW: I just got a report UT Austin commissioned about the patio ceiling at the Hackerman Building last year. The cause? "Structurally deficient fasteners." The cost to fix? At least $750K. Also, a loading doc in the same building poses similar collapse risks. www.kut.org/education/20...
kut.org
Collapsed ceiling at UT Austin will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix, report says
A university-commissioned report finds the ceiling collapsed due to “structurally deficient fasteners” that were also used in a loading dock on the north side of the campus building.
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David Folkenflik @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
My interview w Pulitzer winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes about her resignation from WaPo over killed sketch on tech titans, including Bezos “They own a newspaper and they have an obligation, frankly, to protect the free press.” www.npr.org/2025/01/04/n...
npr.org
A Pulitzer winner quits 'Washington Post' after a cartoon on Bezos is killed
Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned after an editor rejected her sketch satirizing tech chiefs, including the Post's owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
All social media apps need an AI/No AI flip switch in preferences. I can’t even look at my dog videos on Instagram without that cheesy stuff dropping into my algorithm. And every time I accidentally click on one, I’m afraid it will bring me more.
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Chris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Between 2014-2018, Elon Musk's wealth grew by $13.9 billion but tax records obtained by @propublica.org show that during those same years he repeatedly paid relatively little (or nothing) in federal income tax: 2015: $68,000 in federal income tax paid 2017: $65,000 2018: $0 (published June 2021)
propublica.org
The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, ev...
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Matthew Watkins @mwatkinstrib.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
NEW: Texas has never publicly reported where it has built border wall. So @texastribune.org requested records, interviewed landowners and traveled the Rio Grande to compile a first-of-its-kind look of the $3.1 billion in construction. apps.texastribune.org/features/202...
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Nathan Bernier @kutnathan.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
I had a great time talking to Nikki at City Cast Austin about everything going on at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport! The conversation is about a half-hour long. megaphone.link/CC4014174113
megaphone.link
How the Big Changes Ahead at Austin’s Airport Will Affect You by City Cast Austin
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Knight First Amendment Institute @knightcolumbia.org · 17/12/2024
“It would do lasting damage to the First Amendment and our democracy if the Supreme Court let the TikTok ban go into effect even temporarily,” @jameeljaffer.bsky.social. Full statement at the link: knightcolumbia.org/content/TikT...
knightcolumbia.org
Knight Insitute, ACLU, EFF Urge Supreme Court to Block TikTok Ban
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Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 15/12/2024
The best kind of feature journalism: the writer disappears entirely, and brings you into the lives of their subjects as you were in the room with them. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/15/u...
nytimes.com
His Family Voted to Support Trump’s Deportation Plan. That Includes Him. (Gift Article)
His friends and family members in Rome, Ga., voted to support mass deportation. Now he’s scrambling to stay in the country.
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Michael Beschloss @beschlossdc1776.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
In case you missed it, @kutnews.bsky.social transportation reporter @kutnathan.bsky.social revealed yesterday that Austin's airport is running low on air traffic controllers during this peak travel season, with half the recommended staffing.
kut.org
Austin's airport has a critical shortage of air traffic controllers approaching the holidays
Controller staffing, already worryingly low last year, has dipped even further, leading to travel delays and fears of near-misses or worse.
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Nothing makes me feel old, cold and cranky quite like seeing UT students walking around in shorts in 40 degree weather.
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
We had our first KUT & KUTX Connections social mixer @austinbeerworks.bsky.social tonight. We weren’t sure what to expect in the cold, windy weather but hundreds of folks showed up looking to connect with fellow public radio fans. It was fun. Our listeners are the best!
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
See video of a patio ceiling collapse on the UT campus. No one injured on this Sunday afternoon, but the 'what could have been' scenarios here are pretty terrifying.
kut.org
UT Austin releases video of ceiling collapse at campus building
The video, which KUT News obtained through a public records request, shows the ceiling suddenly collapse over an outdoor patio area. No one appeared to be seated there at the time.
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
This is one of the most horrifying stories I’ve read in a long time. Great work piecing it together by @davidmcswane.bsky.social
propublica.org
A Hospital Helped a Beloved Doctor’s Practice Flourish Even as It Suspected He Was Hurting Patients
Hailed as a savior upon his arrival in Helena, Dr. Thomas C. Weiner became a favorite of patients and his hospital’s highest earner. As the myth surrounding the high-profile oncologist grew, so did th...
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Some fascinating stories in this latest episode of 24 Hours in Austin. This episode demonstrates so well how our mundane routines (navigating the airport) often occur in the midst of someone else’s life dramas. Next time I’m there I’ll be thinking about all the stories going on around me.
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Alejandro Serrano @serranoalej.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
New: A 2006 study found undocumented immigrants contributed more to Texas than they cost the state. The state hasn’t updated the analysis since. But a series of reports released by nonprofits and universities since then have reached similar conclusions. www.texastribune.org/2024/12/06/t...
texastribune.org
A 2006 study found undocumented immigrants contribute more than they cost Texas. The state hasn’t updated it since.
A comptroller’s report found that deporting the estimated 1.4 million undocumented immigrants living in Texas in 2005 would have cost the state about $17.7 billion in gross domestic product.
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Debbie Hiott @dhiott.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Like to read? Like to hear what your friends and neighbors are reading? Come join your fellow public radio nerds at the @kutnews.bsky.social book swap next Thursday!
kut.org
This Austin book swap will help you find your next great read before the holidays, Dec. 12
Reading season never ends, but it often does pick up during the holidays. Come wax poetic about the best things you read this year and find a new book to take home and cozy up with.
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Lauren McGaughy @lmcgaughy.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Heard anything about Ad Astra, Elon Musk’s new school near Austin? What about #Snailbrook? Neuralink? DM or email me at LMcGaughy@kut.org with any tips. #txlege #atx #bastrop #AdAstra #ElonMusk
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Sharyn Vane @sharynvane.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Your regular reminder that there are plenty of things you can and should be doing to prevent book bans before they start.
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