A much-talked-about redistricting battle starts to take a back seat to other legislative priorities at the Texas capitol. As the battlefront over redistricting shifts to a multistate fight with Texas and California setting the pace, top California Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger has a message for his fellow Republicans in Texas. The Houston Chronicle’s Lisa Falkenberg tells us about her conversation with the Governator. Details of new anti-DEI laws set to take effect in just a few days. How law...
Aug 25, 2025•52 min
Asleep at the Wheel are celebrating 50 years in the business with their latest album out this week, “Riding High in Texas.” Longtime frontman Ray Benson joined Texas Standard to talk about the band’s legacy and the music of the Lone Star State in this extended version of a conversation that first aired in June. The full transcript of this episode of Texas Standard is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps. Th...
Aug 23, 2025•20 min
At the Texas Capitol, a big shift in focus as the spotlight swings from bare-knuckle politics to long-delayed flood relief. Food is labeling set to change in Texas as a sweeping new law takes effect aimed at, among other things, alerting shoppers to ingredients long the focus of concern in other countries. Austin-based filmmaker Noah Hawley likes to play in the worlds of some of his favorite directors – and he’s doing it again with Ridley Scott’s “Alien.” Hawley joins the Standard to talk “Alien...
Aug 22, 2025•52 min
President Trump claims a big win in Texas as the state House passes new congressional maps giving the GOP an edge in 2026. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom and Andrew Schneider of Houston Public Media share what it means for the political landscape going forward. Are Americans falling out of love with their credit cards? Not quite, but a new trend suggests a certain spending binge is over. Texas’ top taco journalist, Mando Rayo, previews the new season of the Tacos of Texas podcast. In the U....
Aug 21, 2025•51 min
A poll on Texas’ 2026 Senate race finds a tightening GOP battle between Ken Paxton and John Cornyn, and a Democratic preference for Beto O’Rourke – who isn’t yet in the race. This morning, a federal judge temporarily blocked 11 Texas school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms. We’ll bring you the latest. Texans are bracing for changes to SNAP requirements and cuts in funding to the program that were signed into law by President Trump last month. And: Some Black men say t...
Aug 20, 2025•50 min
The state says the West Texas measles outbreak is over. What that means for parents and children. Are natural gas wells, pipelines and storage facilities prepared for another dangerous winter storm? Mose Buchele of KUT News examines the inspection process. We know AI data centers need a lot of power, but they also use a lot of water in drought-stricken TX. Austin author Louis Sachar, perhaps best known for “Holes,” is back with his first adult novel, “The Magician of Tiger Castle.” And: Could Te...
Aug 19, 2025•52 min
After national headlines and a pledge from California to offset Texas’ redistricting plans, the walkout by Texas House Democrats is over. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom has the latest on the Dems’ return to Austin and what comes next. Old satellites, tools, even food wrappers: Space debris is piling up. Now, a Texas company’s recycling initiative has NASA’s attention. A new fight is emerging over the sale in Texas of kratom, an herbal supplement with opioid-like effects often found for sale...
Aug 18, 2025•51 min
Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom joins the show with a live update from the Capitol as the Legislature’s first special session ends amid a Democratic walkout. After flooding and a historically wet July, new concerns about water levels dropping. As students return to the classroom, more and more schools are being shuttered. The Standard’s Zachary Suri examines the long-term impact in Austin. Tesla now has a permit to offer ride-hailing in Texas through next August. The company’s been testing r...
Aug 15, 2025•51 min
Redistricting seems like the entire political conversation in Texas right now, so it’s probably no surprise it’s influencing the U.S. Senate race. Texas received millions in federal funding for adult education programs, but it was uncertain and came several weeks late. What are the impacts of programs that give money, with no strings attached, to people and families identified with high needs? We’ll dig into a study of such a program in Texas. A Houston police officer is suing a gun manufacturer...
Aug 14, 2025•51 min
Gov. Greg Abbott threatens a concurrent second special session with a Democratic walkout still underway. Is there any end in sight? Details from a new release of materials withheld by Uvalde County and the Uvalde school district in the wake of the 2022 Robb Elementary school shooting. What’s behind a massive growth in virtual schooling in Texas? W.F. Strong meditates on what welcomes Texans back home after a long time away. And: The scene at Voz de la Paloma, a women’s mariachi competition in ho...
Aug 13, 2025•51 min
Undocumented college students in Texas are no longer eligible for in-state tuition. As the new semester starts, many are in limbo. As we keep an eye on the special session where Texas Democrats broke quorum, a look at another state – Oregon – where Republican lawmakers staged a walkout. A new state law that bans cell phones, wearables and other electronic devices in Texas classrooms is raising questions from educators, parents and students about its implementation and impact. The University of T...
Aug 12, 2025•51 min
Just one more full week is left in the Texas Legislature’s special session, and with House Democrats away, what happens next? Some of those Democrats have decamped to California, which is now mulling a possible redistricting effort to offset potential Republican gains in the midterms. The IRS says churches can now endorse candidates, a move that could give Texas pastors more power than ever. And: The recent flooding in Travis County revealed fossilized dinosaur tracks. UT Austin paleontologist M...
Aug 11, 2025•52 min
Texas’ redistricting fight is has spread past state lines. New federal legislation aims to ban mid-decade congressional redistricting, and the brawl looks likely to impact upcoming elections and the 2028 presidential race. San Antonio is planning a massive sports and entertainment district, including a new arena for the Spurs, a convention center expansion and more – with local taxpayers footing part of the bill. San Benito native Charley Crockett went from street performer to arena headliner. H...
Aug 08, 2025•51 min
While the Texas House remains stalled due to a quorum break, the Senate continues its work, advancing a key education bill that could eliminate STAAR testing statewide. Texas is seeing a boom in data centers driven by AI and crypto – but the growth comes with major energy and water demands. Thanks to a $1 billion voter-approved investment, Texas is acquiring new land and developing trails to expand its state park system. And: The legacy of Claude Eatherly, a North Texas native who flew a weather...
Aug 07, 2025•52 min
Texas Democrats are facing legal threats and potential action from the FBI for fleeing the state during the special session. Concerns about artificial intelligence are coming to a head with the most recent round of college graduates. How it’s disrupting the job market. A proposed expansion for the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in the Panhandle had been in the works for years, but now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is backing away. The 1991 Yogurt Shop murders in Austin remain officially ...
Aug 06, 2025•51 min
The high-stakes battle over redistricting continues. Why Democratic Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins took the risk and left the state. Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to remove Democratic lawmakers from their seats for leaving during a special session, but can he legally do that? The history of partisan gerrymandering in the Lone Star State. Why Texas has become a professional services hub attracting top talent and creating new jobs. And: Remembering a Texas treasure – conjunto legend Flaco Jiménez. ...
Aug 05, 2025•52 min
More than 50 Democratic lawmakers have left the state so the Texas House would not have a quorum, trying to derail a redistricting plan that could add five more congressional seats for Republicans in the midterms. Harvest season is arriving in South Texas, but many cotton farmers are still reeling from drought, inflation, and weakened demand. Some are cautiously optimistic as new federal funding becomes available. The Standard’s Felicity Guajardo reports. And: One in four U.S. sports bettors say...
Aug 04, 2025•51 min
Why weren’t Hill Country communities alerted as a deadly wall of water roared down the Guadalupe on the weekend of July 4th? In their first public testimony on the floods, top emergency officials in Kerr County said they were away or asleep. Voting the old-fashioned way? A return to hand-marked ballots in Collin County is part of a change sweeping Texas and other parts of the country. Red-crowned Amazons squawk through summer nights in Brownsville – and they’ve been the city’s official bird sinc...
Aug 01, 2025•51 min
What we’re now learning about what happened – and what didn’t – before the Hill Country floods. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy has the details. Plus: Flood survivors are asking lawmakers meeting in special session right now to tap the state’s $24 billion rainy day fund to help them meet their immediate needs. Even without a pandemic, Texas food banks are facing shortages and surging need. The CEO of Feeding Texas joins us to talk about what’s driving the crisis. Funds for adult education...
Jul 31, 2025•52 min
Are Democratic lawmakers on the verge of a walkout to stop Republicans from redistricting during the special session? We’ll have the latest. We’re also tracking possible federal funding cuts to legal aid organizations that could leave thousands of Texans who can’t afford a lawyer without the help they need. Going beyond armed security guards, some Texas schools are turning to drones to increase security. The changing role of social media influencers was on display in the aftermath of the July 4 ...
Jul 30, 2025•51 min
The Trump administration releases billions of dollars in education grants it previously withheld. What it means as students head back to school. How the U.S. military is responding to a new kind of warfare that uses small, inexpensive drones. The story of a Cuban man who raised a family in Texas and spent years working for a school district near Abilene – and now is locked up in an ICE detention center. A high school student’s plan to help schools coping with a shortage of mental health counselo...
Jul 29, 2025•49 min
A peek into the week ahead for the Texas Legislature’s special session: We’ll hear the latest on a much-talked-about possible walkout by Democrats. A plan to relieve congestion in Austin was approved by voters years ago – but so far, there’s not much to show for it. Is Project Connect off the rails? The rollback of USDA diversity programs is impacting East Texas, which is home to more Black farmers than anywhere else in the U.S. Plus: A big deadline for tariffs with Mexico on the table. If a dea...
Jul 28, 2025•51 min
As Texas lawmakers move to consider regulations on THC products, what’s legal, and what’s not? KUT News reporter Nathan Bernier joins us to break it down. As many see the future of energy as cleaner renewables, why many in the city of Port Arthur are pinning their hopes for a comeback – on oil. At the Austin YMCA, adults are conquering their fear of water and gaining life-saving skills through swim lessons designed just for them. Texas Standard producer Sarah Asch has the story. Plus: Two years ...
Jul 25, 2025•51 min
Texas lawmakers hear 12 hours of testimony as they take up what happened before during and after the devastating Hill Country floods. Repeated plans to improve flood warning systems were repeatedly scuttled in the years leading up to the July 4th weekend. Neena Satija of the Houston Chronicle with what she’s learning about why. As the Americans with Disabilities Act marks 35 years, advocates say we need to go beyond “accessibility” to build truly inclusive spaces – especially in disaster plannin...
Jul 24, 2025•51 min
The Epstein controversy has federal lawmakers taking an early recess, putting off important business. Summer heat means some Texans have to choose between paying for air conditioning or basic necessities. Is a violent protest at an ICE facility in North Texas the new normal as the country copes with a rise in extremism? What’s happening in Harris County jails, where a dozen people have died so far this year. And: A preview of Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game, happening tonight in Austin. Texa...
Jul 23, 2025•51 min
Over the weekend, the number of missing in the Texas Hill Country dropped drastically. What happened? Checking in with those whose livelihood is at stake after the flood, including farmers and ranchers in the region. Why so many Texans don’t have flood insurance. The governor ordered an end to remote work for state employees, but now he’s backtracking. What happened? We’ll break down the research on remote work. Could your medicine one day be made in space? And we’ve all heard two heads are bett...
Jul 22, 2025•51 min
Lawmakers recently ended a regular session of the Texas Legislature, but on this Monday, they’re back. They call it a special session: 30 days to complete a long list of action items including a response to the Hill Country flooding, the regulation of THC consumables, and a rare mid-decade push for redistricting that has some Democrats complaining the fix is in for next year’s midterms. A hold on billions of education dollars sends Texas public school administrators scrambling. Also, European sa...
Jul 21, 2025•51 min
As lawmakers return to Austin for a special session, who got the most accomplished in the regular? Why the numbers don’t tell the whole story. With state legislators set to take up flood relief and related matters, we’ll hear how the region’s fairing two weeks after those deadly flash floods, and we’ll hear about efforts concentrated on the Spanish-speaking community in one of the hardest-hit counties. A longstanding effort to provide healthcare services at the border, shut down over cutbacks. P...
Jul 18, 2025•50 min
As lawmakers get ready to return to the Capitol in a special session, a new report shows billions more are needed to address flooding. Who are the most productive lawmakers in the Legislature? The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey takes a closer look. Remember when there were growing concerns about a population explosion? In a new book, UT economist Dean Spears is sounding the alarm about quite the opposite. Plus: Director Ari Aster on his new western, set in an era of pandemic and protest. Texas S...
Jul 17, 2025•51 min
Online rumors are blaming cloud seeding for the deadly Texas floods, even though the science doesn’t support it. Along with flood recovery and THC regulation, Texas lawmakers are tasked with redrawing congressional districts in their special session. The connection to racial gerrymandering. Volunteers and rescue workers have descended on the Hill Country to help with flood recovery – and unfortunately, so have scammers. What experts say everyone needs to know. The impact of recent budget cuts on...
Jul 16, 2025•50 min
