Bribery, Air Conditioning and Juneteenth at 150: Friday’s Show (June 19, 2015)

Back in 1977, Congress passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. It stipulates companies can be held liable for unethical actions like bribery conducted by a foreign subsidiary or a contractor. Tom Fox, an attorney who specializes in corporate compliance with the FCPA, says Houston is at “the epicenter of the FCPA enforcement world.”

On this edition of Houston Matters, we talk with Fox about the law and why there have been so many investigations related to it with connections to Greater Houston.

Also this hour: Where would Houston be today without air conditioning? Paige Phelps explores the role A/C has played in Houston’s growth over the decades.

Then: From Tropical Storm Bill to the Astros/Cardinals hacking scandal to a Houston law firm rebuffed by the U.S. Supreme Court for trying to collect fees incurred defending its right to collect other fees, we discuss The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of this week’s news with our rotating “non-expert” panel. Today’s panelists: MochaDad.com parenting blogger Fred Goodall, freelance communications strategist Amber Ambrose, and Vlad Davidiuk, College Republican Chair at the University of St. Thomas.

Plus: Michael Hagerty reports on the sesquicentennial of Juneteenth.