Control of Artemis II has been handed over to Houston: we’ll hear about the launch and what appears to be a big boost in interest in the space program. But it’s getting a little tight up there above the air: concerns about orbital traffic jams after a second Starlink satellite breaks apart. Texas prisons without air conditioning: a test case over cruel and unusual punishment. Also, a new documentary turns a spotlight on the role of Jewish Women in the story of Texas. Texas Standard is a listener...
Apr 02, 2026•50 min
What does it mean to born in the U.S.? It’s a question the Supreme Court is considering today. We’ll dig into what’s at stake. Guilty verdicts in the North Texas ICE shooting case meant a victory for the Trump administration in its fight against “antifa,” but how do we even define that movement? We’re heading back to the moon. We’ll look at the goals of the long-awaited Artemis II mission and the countdown to what could come next. If Texas stores can no longer sell smokable forms of cannabis but...
Apr 01, 2026•51 min
The Senate race may be capturing all the attention, but don’t forget there’s another election coming up: A look at a couple of the big races on the May primary runoff ballots. Water woes for more Texans: We’ll hear what’s happening in part of East Austin and why. Abandoned wells are all over the Texas oil patch. The same was happening in Oklahoma, until they figured out these polluting old wells could be repurposed to produce geothermal energy. NASA is going back towards the moon. We’ll dig into...
Mar 31, 2026•51 min
Tens of thousands of Texans statewide participate in “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration as Texas Republicans try to coalesce for the midterms. Conservatives gathered at CPAC in Grapevine this past weekend, hoping to fend off what may be the most serious Democratic challenge to the Republican monopoly on statewide offices in decades. A conversation with a top oil analyst who warns many Texans don’t realize just how bad a fuel shortage could become if the Iran war continues. Plus...
Mar 30, 2026•51 min
It’s not everyday you meet someone who has been to space — let alone someone who led a mission and broke barriers for women who might want to do the same. Still, not everyone knows about Eileen Collins and her accomplishments. A new documentary aims to change that. Here’s an extended conversation with Collins and film director Hannah Berryman. 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 ...
Mar 28, 2026•15 min
A jury orders Meta and YouTube to pay millions in damages over social media addiction — but it could be just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll look at what this means for Texas’ efforts to regulate kids and social media. Once-reliable water wells are running dry in a fast-growing Central Texas county. An investigation is shedding new light on how traffic stops are being used to pull people into deportation proceedings in Texas. Also, the week in politics and much more. Texas Standard is a listener-s...
Mar 27, 2026•51 min
As Corpus Christi scrambles to keep from running out of water, a complication arises: A petition to recall Mayor Paulette Guajardo. After last year’s deadly July 4 Hill Country floods, plans to reopen Camp Mystic are tearing friends apart. A confusing and chaotic primary in Central Texas’ Williamson County leads election officials to look back to the future. Plus, how to defend against a parasite moving north from Mexico that could devastate Texas ranches? Researchers testing a new idea to comba...
Mar 26, 2026•52 min
Federal immigration agents have arrived at both of Houston’s airports. What are they doing and has it reduced long TSA lines? Two North Texas Democrats who were once allies — Rep. Julie Johnson and Rep. Colin Allred — are battling for the nomination for a congressional seat. Many military dogs are living in sub-standard conditions. We’ll dig into reported problems at kennels at bases, including in San Antonio. The son of Texas baseball legend Don Baylor tells us why it’s especially meaningful to...
Mar 25, 2026•51 min
As data centers expand across the state, so does the need for energy. More power plants are popping up with Texas at the center of the AI data center boom. The federal government gives its first briefing on a new border wall planned in the Big Bend region. He helped U.S. troops during the war in Afghanistan — now the family of Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal wants to know how he died in ICE custody. It was known as the Green Book, a guide for Black Americans during segregation that showed places that ...
Mar 24, 2026•50 min
A secretive project to build a long water barrier in the Rio Grande is revealed as letters go out to landowners to build a Big Bend border wall. We’ll hear what locals are thinking. Look up to the sky: It’s a boom, it’s a flash… and a crash through a roof north of Houston. A UT geosciences professor helps us understand the meteor fragment impact that occurred this past weekend. We’ll also dig into the somewhat surprising findings of a new report from the Brookings Institution on the costs of hig...
Mar 23, 2026•51 min
Corpus Christi cuts its timeline to a water disaster and the state issues emergency orders to deal with what may be an unprecedented crisis. Today we’re coming to you from the place they call the Sparkling City by the Sea — yet despite its proximity to the water, the region faces the imminent threat of running out of it. We’re at the studios of KEDT, our partners in Corpus Christi. We’ll have the latest on the water crisis here, but also some of the extraordinary charms of the 8th most populous ...
Mar 20, 2026•50 min
Revelations over César Chávez’s reported history of sexual abuse has led to an immediate response across Texas. We’ll break it down. Texas is home to two of America’s four strategic oil reserves. We’ll dive into why the Gulf Coast was the right place for this storage — beyond its oil and gas infrastructure. We’ll take a trip to Brownsville for the Final Four — in college chess that is. And we’ll bring you a story about a Texas-led discovery in South Korea: A new dinosaur species, the Doolysaurus...
Mar 19, 2026•51 min
Time has run out for what many thought would be a game-changing endorsement in the GOP runoff for a U.S. Senate seat. President Trump has yet to weigh in on the race between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton. On the Democratic side of the aforementioned Senate race: What may be a difficult battle ahead for James Talarico, hoping to win more support from fellow Democrats. A federal judge orders an extension for school voucher applications. Gov. Greg Abbott announces steps to help with a water crisis in ...
Mar 18, 2026•51 min
A new report says the Trump administration created military zones on the border and charged people with trespassing. We’ll dive into why the cases are often flawed. Today is the deadline to apply for school vouchers. We’ll look at why students with disabilities are running into hurdles. Bob Odenkirk talks about his new film “Normal,” where he’s the sheriff of a small town hiding a deadly secret. And Texas will be well represented in the March Madness NCAA Tournament. We’ll break it all down. The...
Mar 17, 2026•51 min
Fire warnings, scary high winds, dust storms out west, temps plummeting 30 and 40 degrees in some places… We’ll get the latest on a wild weather weekend. Guilty verdicts in a trial involving the shooting of a police officer outside a North Texas immigration detention center. Could the Prairieland decision be a possible template for future federal prosecutions against antifa protestors? Texas’ laws on abortion access: New housing data suggests the economic ripple effects of such laws. And March M...
Mar 16, 2026•52 min
A recent change to Texas law now requires local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Driverless cabs are making headlines in Austin for all the wrong reasons. What this might mean for Waymo’s plans to expand statewide. Politics v.s. pragmatism in West Texas, long known for its oil, now making a sometimes-begrudging shift to solar to meet growing electricity demand. Their question? What’s in it for them? Also, why NASA’s hanging out the “help wanted” sign. The post W...
Mar 13, 2026•50 min
As gas prices nationwide skyrocket, President Trump announces a massive new Texas-based refinery in Brownsville he claims could spur thousands of new jobs. Plus, Exxon’s move may signal a tipping point for Texas as a center for business. Also, a cultural change in the U.S. military leads to growing concerns about reporting of sexual assault and harassment. And a rare record book gives a glimpse at faith on the frontier and health concerns spark action affecting ranches on both sides of the Texas...
Mar 12, 2026•50 min
Texas lawmakers did not get through a ban on THC sales this past legislative session, but new rules restricting them are about to go into effect. There’s been some confusing back and forth from the Trump administration on what exactly a border wall might look like in Big Bend. Another Texas university is making changes to race and gender studies programs. New so-called “man camps” are popping up in rural Texas. We’ll delve into what they’re for. Plus, Austin’s biggest festival, South by Southwes...
Mar 11, 2026•51 min
Corpus Christi, a major Texas port city, could run out of water as early as next year. What’s behind the looming crisis? We’ll track how the war in Iran is affecting prices at the pump and what to expect next. Will the national Democratic Party spend more money in Texas after James Talarico and other candidate’s strong showing in the primary election? Plus, pan dulce: A new masterclass teaches home cooks how to bake the beloved sweet bread. The post How Corpus Christi could be on the brink of a ...
Mar 10, 2026•50 min
Gasoline prices on the rise, a looming crisis in Corpus Christi, and more fallout from a Texas congressman’s decision to end his reelection bid. We’ll have the latest on Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales’ abrupt decision to end his reelection efforts amid a House ethics investigation on sexual misconduct allegations. Also, a deep-pocketed Aggie alunmus weighs in on what he calls the “politicization of his alma mater.” We’ll dig into what that could mean for Texas A&M. In Nacogdoches, Stev...
Mar 09, 2026•51 min
Director Sam Firstenberg and film restoration pioneer Michael J. Dennis stopped by the Texas Standard studio this week to talk about the movie “Riverbend.” This is an extended version of the interview that aired on Texas Standard. 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. The post Texas Extra: Extended ‘Riverbend’ film interview appeared first on KUT &...
Mar 07, 2026•27 min
After winning a spot in a runoff, Congressman Tony Gonzales drops his bid for reelection amid growing pressure over an affair scandal. We’ll dig into the latest today. Also, confusion at some polling places on primary day: What really happened and what’s the fallout? And a film of Black resistance shot in Texas — but largely lost to history — has now been resurrected. We’ll share more about the rediscovery of “Riverbend.” Plus, three big takeaways from a busy week in Texas politics. Texas Standa...
Mar 06, 2026•52 min
South Texas lawmaker, Rep. Tony Gonzales, is facing a runoff and has now admitted to carrying out an affair with an aide who later died by suicide. Now a House committee is investigating the scandal. How the primary election turned Tejano music star Bobby Pulido into a Democratic political contender in the general election. The taco truck: A staple of life in Texas. Taco journalist Mando Rayo on why many working in those trucks are feeling more anxious right now. A preview of the Texas Film Awar...
Mar 05, 2026•52 min
Excitement among Democrats, challenges for some incumbents and a few lingering legal questions after last night’s primary election. The top-line race on both sides of the aisle was for U.S. Senate. Democrat Jasmine Crockett conceded Wednesday morning to fellow progressive James Talarico, but for the Republicans it’s incumbent John Cornyn versus Ken Paxton in a runoff. How did Republican redistricting affect Texas congressional races? We’ll get a better answer in November, but we’ll dig into what...
Mar 04, 2026•52 min
It’s primary Election Day. We’ll check in with our reporters at polling places across the state. A federal appeals court cleared the way for tariff refunds to begin, so what’s next and what should you do if you’re owed money? Teachers are among those who caught hundreds of errors in the new religious curriculum introduced in Texas public schools. Now, the state is making corrections. And why more Texans are choosing green burials. The post Texans head to the polls on primary Election Day appeare...
Mar 03, 2026•52 min
Fighting widens as U.S. and Israeli warplanes pound Iran. Iran and its proxies hit back, leading to a spiraling expansion. We’re following a rapidly expanding Middle East conflict with a close eye on the implications for Texas. UT international affairs expert Jeremi Suri answers some of the critical questions right now. Also, we’ll have a warning about energy prices Texans may be facing with the conflict underway as well as reactions from people in Texas with ties to Iran. Plus, a deadly shootin...
Mar 02, 2026•51 min
Who’s up, who’s down, and who’s in trouble — a final poll before primary day in the Lone Star State. We’ll go over what the numbers are telling us. President Trump is in Corpus Christi today, hitting the hustings on this last day of in-person early voting before crucial primaries in Texas. James Henson of the Texas Politics Project joins us with results of a new survey. Also, echoes of politics of the past as Texas prepares to mark 190 years since its own declaration of independence. Michael Adk...
Feb 27, 2026•52 min
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton files suit against a California doctor and a larger international organization for providing abortion pills to Texans. Paxton’s lawsuit is not the first time he’s gone after out-of-state providers of mifepristone — though so far, he’s had little to show for it. After the floods in Kerrville, volunteers round what may be a post-flood turning point. A political scandal involving South Texas Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales is gaining attention. We’ll delve int...
Feb 26, 2026•52 min
Gov. Greg Abbott is urging Texans in Mexico right now to follow shelter-in-place orders as violence sweeps much of that nation. We’ll have a report from Mexico City on the wave of coordinated retaliatory attacks and widespread uncertainty as wanted drug cartel leader, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes – known as “El Mencho” – is killed by Mexican special forces. The start of a federal trial of nine people connected to a July 4 shooting outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. ...
Feb 25, 2026•50 min
Texas came up more than once during President Trump’s State of the Union speech. We’ll have an analysis of what he mentioned and what he left out. Camp Mystic is facing troubles in court after the way it handled deadly flooding in July. But a comment from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick could spell even further challenges. After the deaths of two men in detention at a tent facility in Fort Bliss, we’re learning more about the kinds of medical emergencies happening at the camp in El Paso. Evidence one Texas...
Feb 25, 2026•52 min
