Opinion: Beyond media talking points with John McCaa

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington, Evan Grant and Joe Hoyt discuss the improbable rise of the Cowboys and what they have to do to make the playoffs. Hint: Probably ought to win out. Joe says Quinnen Williams has made all the difference on defense, and Kevin says George Pickens is the biggest reason for Dak Prescott’s newfound confidence in the offense. Evan and Kevin salute the departed heroes from the Rangers’ World Series title, then they consider the CFP prospects for Texas Tech, Texas A&M . . . and Texas?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A group of Texas families filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday to stop all Texas school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The new state law requiring the classroom displays has faced multiple legal challenges, with two federal judges finding it unconstitutional and blocking 25 school districts across the state from implementing it. In other news, Austin authorities said Tuesday that an ongoing investigation into the weekend falling death of Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera continues to suggest the 19-year-old did not die by homicide, but also cautioned they have not reached any conclusions; attorneys for a North Texas woman who was shown in a video screaming through contractions while hospital staff appeared to slow-roll her admission are requesting a meeting with the facility to discuss what happened and the possibility of financial compensation; a Dallas Morning News analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau found more North Texas adults with college degrees live in poverty today compared to a decade ago. That mirrors a trend across major metropolitan areas in the state and country. Since 2014, the number of North Texans with college degrees has increased by more than 50%; nd on a new list of the 50 best steakhouses in North America, two Dallas restaurants were recognized. The list, compiled by Robb Report, ranked Al Biernat’s at 43rd and Nuri Steakhouse at 39th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former U.S. Secretary of Education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center Margaret Spellings on the state of American education. She reflects on shaping national education policy under President George W. Bush, the push for No Child Left Behind and how school choice and school voucher programs work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Talmage Boston interviews Bret Baier, author and chief political anchor at Fox News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Texas Tech University System restricted how professors can discuss race and gender in the classroom Monday, banning content that advocates for one race or sex as “inherently superior to another,” according to a memo sent by Chancellor Brandon Creighton to the system’s presidents. In other news, the Texas attorney general is investigating global retailer Shein for potentially violating Texas law. Ken Paxton is looking into Shein US Services LLC Corp. and its affiliates for possibly breaking statutes related to unethical labor practices and the sale of unsafe consumer products; eight people were arrested Friday after the Collin County Sheriff’s Office busted an alleged cockfighting operation in the Farmersville area, a sting that occurred during the opening week of the illicit cockfighting season; and if you are planning to travel through DFW International Airport or Dallas Love Field without a REAL ID, you could pay a $45 fee. Starting Feb. 1, travelers who do not present acceptable identification and still want to fly will be given an option to pay the fee to use “TSA Confirm.ID”, an alternative identification system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arlington police had help potentially cracking the case. Fifteen students enrolled in a new class offered by the University of Texas at Arlington called Special Topics in Crime and Criminology: Forensic Assessment of Cold Case Files, who brought new eyes to an investigation that had long perplexed the original Arlington homicide detective, who died without ever identifying a suspect. In other news, the next Powerball drawing of $740 million will take place Monday night after no one claimed the hefty jackpot prize Saturday; for all the details about each lawsuit Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been involved in including how each case unfolded and the current status of each suit, check out the Dallas Morning News; Trevon Diggs  is expected to return from injured reserve for Thursday’s game against the Lions, his first since Oct. 12 at Carolina. Diggs opened his 21-day practice window Sunday, and if everything goes right, he’ll play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A popular Dallas restaurant has a new executive chef; Torchy's is getting a classy makeover at its Uptown outpost; and Tom Brady dined out at a classic North Texas steakhouse. The Dallas Morning News food team jumps in on these topics, more local news and a preview of trends that are played out and those to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grapevine-raised singer Post Malone electrified Arlington’s AT&T Stadium on Thursday at the Cowboys-Chiefs halftime show. In other news, the residents of the Sage Oak boutique senior living community enjoy an intimate, hyper-personalized dining experience where each dish is guided by the preferences and specificities of the person it’s made for. This personalized culinary strategy is uncommon in the senior living space, but as the demand for senior housing rises, boutique options such as this are likely to grow, especially in Texas, where the senior population is expected to increase by more than 24% in the next decade; volunteers recently helped clean up Mountain Creek Lake of “nurdles.” The lentil-sized plastic pellets — often smaller than 5 millimeters in size — are the raw material used to make plastic products like grocery bags and water bottles; and if Texas beats Texas A&M, do Longhorns deserve a spot in the College Football Playoff? Texas coach Steve Sarkisian doesn’t think it’s appropriate to talk about whether his Longhorns deserve a spot in the College Football Playoff until after today’s game against Texas A&M. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Call it the Sherrington Swoon Episode. As Calvin Watkins joins the fellas to break down the Cowboys’ big comeback over Philadelphia and the looming date with the Kansas City Chiefs, Kevin Sherrington can’t stop raving about George Pickens. Does Kevin really believe Pickens is a better talent than Michael Irvin? And do the guys think the Cowboys’ roll can extend into a three-game winning streak? Optimism (mostly) abounds. On to the Rangers, Kevin is in love with new outfielder Brandon Nimmo. Evan Grant, meanwhile, marvels at all the elements of a long, difficult offseason checklist the Rangers have already accomplished even before the winter meetings. And finally, it’s a huge week in college football in Texas. How many Texas teams will advance to their conference championships and to the CFP? Here, Evan takes over the love fest for SMU. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. We’re full of bright outlooks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some residents say they are increasingly frustrated with frequent closures of busy thoroughfares, difficulty accessing their neighborhoods during shoots and too-little communication from filmmakers. They welcome the jobs and growth but say they would like city leaders to protect neighborhoods from becoming makeshift soundstages. In other news, the Dallas Stars are taking us back to 1999 with a new jersey announced Tuesday. The team unveiled a new alternate uniform with a legacy Dallas Stars logo and the modern Victory green color scheme. The logo is inspired by the Stars’ uniforms back in the late 1990s and early 2000s; and tune into Gordon Ramsay’s new competition show that’s dropping next month and you’ll see two familiar faces. Dallas-Fort Worth bakers Maricsa Trejo of La Casita Bakeshop and Nikki Jackson of Absolutely Edible Cakes and Catering are competitors on the new series Next Level Baker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices