Ben Philpott
Ben Philpott covers politics and policy for KUT 90.5 FM. He has been covering state politics and dozens of other topics for the station since 2002. He's been recognized for outstanding radio journalism by the Radio and Television °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ Directors Association, Public Radio °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ Directors Incorporated, the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters and twice by the Houston Press Club as Radio Journalist of the Year. Before moving to Texas, he worked in public radio in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Ala., and at several television stations in Alabama and Tennessee. Born in New York City and raised in Chattanooga, Tenn., Philpott graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in broadcast journalism.
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Hurricane Harvey has been downgraded to a tropical storm but it is still dumping a lot of rain on Texas. In the capital Austin, thousands of people are without power.
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The arch-conservative Freedom Caucus has stymied congressional Republicans over the past several years. A copycat group in Texas and other places is forcing the state legislative agenda to the right.
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GOP presidential candidates may be spending most of their time in Iowa and New Hampshire right now, but delegate-rich Texas will be the far more consequential state in the Republican primary. -
Republican Rick Perry's presidential campaign has stopped paying its staff. It's a sign that the former Texas governor's second White House bid is struggling to gain support.
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George P. Bush is expected to win Tuesday's GOP primary for land commissioner. Ben Phillpott of KUT brings the story of the young Bush's low-key campaign and outreach to Hispanic voters.
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The Texas National Guard says it will not offer benefits to same-sex spouses. The announcement was made despite an order from the Pentagon that all marriages should be treated equally.
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The Republican race to succeed retiring GOP Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison wasn't supposed to be a heated primary battle, but it's become one of the hardest fought and most expensive intraparty races of the year. The runoff should be decided Tuesday. -
Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry has been aboard a bus touring Iowa hoping to score an upset in next Tuesday's caucuses. Perry spent Thursday trying to reverse the surge that challenger Rick Santorum has seen in a recent poll.
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Texas Gov. Rick Perry entered the GOP presidential race with great fanfare and immediately became a front-runner. But his candidacy quickly deflated. Now, Perry is trying to mount a comeback in Iowa, appealing to social conservatives with provocative ads and embarking on a bus tour of the state. -
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the current front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, visited Liberty University after what some considered a lackluster showing in this week's Tea Party debate in Tampa. Perry largely avoided politics, speaking about his inspirations and his faith.
