Texas Standard

From Houston to Fort Worth, thousands of Texans joined people across the country over the weekend in a national day of protest against the Trump administration.The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey gets us up to speed on what’s happening at the state Capitol with six weeks left in the legislative session.Four Houston-area suicides among members of law […] The post Harris County deputy suicides raise questions about mental health support appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Texas Extras are special and extended content put together just for our podcast listeners! Texas Standard recently revealed our Top 10 list from April: the Top 10 Typewriter Rodeo poems from the past decade. Each poem is pretty short, usually just about a minute long, but we still didn’t have time to play them in […] The post Texas Extra: Our favorite Typewriter Rodeo poems appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Bird flu is spreading fast among wildlife including foxes and raccoons in Panhandle counties.Twenty-seven candidates are running to become the next mayor of San Antonio – the city’s biggest field in recent memory – as voters head to the polls next month.Deployed Resources, a Texas company that grew into a contracting giant building tent shelters, […] The post Bird flu is spreading across Texas wildlife appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

For the first time ever, the Texas House votes to approve the use of taxpayer money for private school education. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom shares what comes next.Many farmers in South Texas say a water treaty with Mexico is costing them dearly. Now the Trump administration appears ready to get involved.Thousands of acres […] The post Texas House gives initial approval to school voucher bill appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

An area known as the Roosevelt Reservation is getting renewed attention thanks to an executive order allowing for military control. What it could mean for border communities.Texas disability organizations are closely watching a legal fight involving the Social Security Administration.SpaceX is becoming the go-to provider for military launches. How the Texas-based company secured contracts that […] The post WNBA draft sends top pick Paige Bueckers to Texas appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

How a secretive gambler known as “The Joker” and his partner helped take down the Texas Lottery.A new order from the Trump administration took effect yesterday requiring documentation of cash transactions along the U.S.-Mexico border.A plan to expand the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in the Panhandle is now in peril. The Texas Standard’s Michael Marks […] The post Plan to expand Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is in peril appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Almost half of all Texas counties don’t have a hospital or birth center that provides obstetric care. A look at the challenges and what’s being done to support pregnant people across rural Texas.How some Houston fourth graders are calling for changes at school by petitioning for reusable lunch trays and learning how to make their […] The post Could SpaceX’s Starbase become an actual city? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Texas House has approved its version of the state’s two-year budget. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom gets us up to speed on what Texas’ representatives want to spend taxpayer money for, and where they’ll have to work out the kinks with the Senate.A test for President Trump in South Texas – and how […] The post Valley bakery raid sparks immigration debate in region swept by Trump appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

More than 500 student visas are revoked, many in Texas. What’s happened, why and what could come next.With Texas lawmakers considering bills affecting public schools, how some students are deciding to get involved themselves.Tech companies are teaming up with video game makers to develop new standards for accessibility.A golden age of Texas golf is shining […] The post All eyes are on Texan Scottie Scheffler at the Masters appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Cases continue to rise in Texas’ ongoing measles outbreak. Experts say they know how to stop the spread. What’s preventing that?One priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick this legislative session is clawing back the state’s legalization of hemp-based products. Where that effort stands.You’ll need a REAL ID to travel by air starting May 7. How […] The post Living near oil and gas wells linked to childhood leukemia appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

How shutting down the Department of Education will affect the rights of students with disabilities.Dallas-based company Colossal Biosciences says it’s successfully created three genetically engineered wolf pups resembling the long-extinct dire wolf.How the state makes it hard for journalists to track the deaths of abused and neglected children.Military veterans helped elect President Trump. Now many […] The post A Texas company says it’s brought the dire wolf back from extinction appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A second child has died of measles in Texas as cases continue to rise. How this latest outbreak compares with that of the ’90s.Baylor has just hired its first-ever E-sports director and coach: Adam Stanley of Brewton-Parker College, a small private college in Georgia and powerhouse in E-sports.Hosting the Final Four of the college men’s […] The post Baylor bets big on E-sports with first-ever program director and coach appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

March was all about music for Texas Standard. We debuted our latest Texas Standard special – “Rap to the Ranch: The Ballad of Mason ‘Bric’ LaDue.” And we celebrated ten years of the show with a top 10 list of our favorite music interviews and stories from the past decade. The first weekend in March, […] The post Texas Extra: My KUTX appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

As China announces retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., the possible toll on Texas ranchers is generating lots of anxiety. A Texas A&M trade expert who’s worked on previous trade deals takes a closer look as the implications of extended trade wars loom large.Fatalities related to child abuse in Texas fall dramatically – but the numbers […] The post There’s no online registry for ranchers’ brands – but that could change appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

One of Texas’ top economists weighs in on the impact of Trump’s tariffs, what looks like the end of a U.S.-led free trade era, and what it could add up to for Texas.It looks like John Cornyn may have a serious challenger for his seat in the Senate: Attorney General Ken Paxton.The latest AI trend […] The post Trump’s new tariffs could hit Texas businesses hard appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Houston’s affordable housing project has winners and losers – and the winners are not the renters. Digging into a new investigation from the Houston Chronicle.Changes in funding for refugee resettlement programs have nonprofits scrambling to figure out how to continue to help.Matthew McConaughey and industry reps push for Texas lawmakers to beef up the state’s […] The post ‘Mistaco’ teaches kids how tacos can make everything better appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Torrential rain in South Texas leads to dangerous flooding, trapping people in their homes. How the Rio Grande Valley is recovering.A new DEI directive led the Pentagon to purge certain historical figures from web pages. Why that decision has now been reversed.Some churches are looking to re-purpose buildings and land to help residents who need […] The post Deadly floods swamp South Texas, shatter records appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A Texas House committee is set to debate school choice legislation this week, reviving a contentious issue that’s repeatedly stalled in the lower chamber.Since San Antonio’s annual César E. Chávez March for Justice began in 1997, musicians Los Inocentes have composed ballads telling his story.An investigation into child abuse deaths in Texas reveals a system […] The post 30 years after her death, Selena’s legacy only grows in Corpus Christi appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Major cuts in federal funding for infectious diseases as West Texas struggles with a growing measles outbreak. We’re checking in with Brad Burt at KTTZ in Lubbock.Remembering Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the trailblazing Texas politician who famously called herself “one tough grandma.”Muslim women are speaking out about the stigma surrounding menstruation during Ramadan, when they are […] The post Remembering Carole Keeton Strayhorn, a trailblazing Texas leader appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Justice Department announces the arrest of a Salvadoran gang member as questions grow about deportations and presidential power. NPR’s Sergio Martinez-Beltran gets us up to speed on the Trump administration’s deportation push, and the pushback.Five years after COVID, why some health officials in Texas are worried about whether we’re ready for future pandemics.Why the […] The post Long-awaited historical marker will recognize Sherman Riot of 1930 appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The man who’s admitted killing 23 in a racist mass shooting in El Paso in 2019 will be given a plea deal that does not include the death penalty. What’s behind that decision.A federal judge temporarily prevents Texas A&M from enforcing a ban on campus drag performances, setting the stage for this week’s Draggieland.A long-lost […] The post A forgotten history of DeWitt County comes back to life appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

As the legislative session reaches the halfway mark, the pace to pass bills is picking up. A look at which ones could move to a vote.We’re also tracking the politics of vaccines: As a measles outbreak in West Texas grows, some lawmakers want to make it easier to opt out of getting a shot.Why police […] The post New idea touts nuke power to clean dirty frack water appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

How hot is it in Texas prisons? After many questions about deadly heat, a new discovery: the facts as presented may have been fake. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of The Texas Newsroom with the discovery of falsified records in an ongoing scandal about heat-related deaths behind bars. A Houston inmate jailed for 18 years who […] The post How a Houston man spent 18 years in jail without a trial appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

President Trump signs an order effectively dismantling the education department. What does it add up to for education in Texas? The Las Vegas Sands Corp. folds, for now, on its push for a resort casino in Irving. We’ll hear why and what it says about the industry’s attempts to cash in on Texas. Also, the […] The post Rediscovering Texas farm worker history through photos appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A U.S. Navy destroyer armed with tomahawk missiles enroute to the gulf waters off the coast of Texas. What’s this all about? Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of The Texas Newsroom with word that the Texas government appears to be maintaining a list of people asking for information about changing the sex on their driver’s licenses. […] The post Navy destroyer headed to the southern border region appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Did the Trump administration defy a court order by sending planeloads of alleged gang members to El Salvador?As wildfire anxiety grows, Austin plans to designate half the city as at risk of fire damage.A bill headed to the Texas House would establish a specialized task force to combat petroleum theft, aiming to curb millions of […] The post Lawmakers renew push for legalized sports gambling appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A Houston-area midwife and two others have been arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortions, marking the first instance of criminal charges under Texas’ restrictive abortion law.In West Odessa, the demand for water has outpaced the infrastructure. Now, a grassroots effort is underway to secure a more reliable water supply.Dallas is working to make it easier […] The post West Odessa residents take water crisis into their own hands appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Weekend winds toppled trucks and fueled wildfires, one of the worst of which is still burning north of Fredricksburg. We’ll get the latest on the Crabapple Fire, which has burned almost 10,000 acres.A hunters’s day out in West Texas leads to an unexpected archaeological trophy: the discovery of a mammoth tusk in a dry creek […] The post West Texas hunter stumbles upon rare mammoth tusk fossil appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Emergency officials warn of extreme wildfire dangers across much of the Lone Star State as residents of the Panhandle mark one year since the largest wildfire in state history. The Texas Newsroom’s Rachel Osier Lindley reports on the long road back to normal.From basketball to soccer and more, women’s sports is having a major moment. […] The post Fans are overjoyed for Texas’ first women’s sports bar appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Legislature is considering bills that would lift restrictions on how Texas’ maternal mortality committee can investigate maternal deaths, including by reviewing abortion-related deaths.Looking for a Tesla? Or trying to sell one? How politics appears to be reshaping the market for the Texas-based company long considered the leader in the electric vehicle space.Also: Seismic activity […] The post What are current struggles signaling for Texas-based Tesla? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The fight against the measles outbreak in West Texas is being hampered in part by poor infrastructure.Two days before a death row inmate was set for execution, it’s been delayed for the second time. The back-and-forth over evidence – and how victims families are feeling.Another day of high wildfire danger across Texas. How one county […] The post Galveston becomes a major hub for the luxury cruise industry appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Texas comptroller’s race is underway in what’s expected to be a very crowded field. Who’s running and what’s at stake?President Trump delayed tariffs on products from Mexico for a month. As a new deadline looms, we look at how Texas companies are coping.Also, is testimony from inmates against other inmates reliable? We’ll examine a […] The post How border businesses are reacting to Trump tariffs appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Protests planned and hearing scheduled at the Capitol this week. The issue? Taxpayer money for private schooling. Blaise Gainey of the Texas Newsroom with the latest on what to expect this week at the Legislature.Millions in federal funds to help legal immigrants is now being held up in D.C. How is this affecting services in […] The post ‘Uvalde Mom’ profiles woman behind viral act of bravery appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Mason LaDue raises cattle on family land in Central Texas. But before he was a rancher, he was mostly on the road, managing tours for artists like Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa.His journey from the Dallas hip-hop circuit to the homestead is the focus of today’s special program, Rap to the Ranch: The Ballad of Mason […] The post Rap to the Ranch: The Ballad of Mason ‘Bric’ LaDue – A Texas Standard special appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The passing of a giant: Remembering Sylvester Turner, a longtime legislator, mayor of Houston and member of Congress.The Neiman Marcus flagship store, a symbol for Dallas for more than a century, is set to close for good, despite local efforts.The history of vaqueros and a legacy that continues in many a Texas kitchen and beyond. […] The post Remembering Sylvester Turner’s life and legacy in Houston appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Wildfires are burning in different parts of the state. The latest on containment efforts and on the continued risk.President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress received an intensely divided reception. What he said that could impact Texas.In our ongoing exploration of how Texas came to get the energy system it has today, we […] The post Fire danger and the weather ahead appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Texas is in the crosshairs as tariffs against Mexico and Canada take hold. Why, what it means, and could short-term pain add up to long-term gain? At the state capitol, a bill aimed at raising wages for workers who care for people with disabilities. Why some fear it won’t be enough to stem a critical […] The post Why Texas is so vulnerable to tariff impacts appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

With a hot, dry summer looming, how some state lawmakers want to reduce the risk of wildfires.It’s been decades since active-duty troops patrolled Big Bend. Now they may be headed back to the national park.Nearly two years after one of the deadliest human smuggling incidents in Texas, a look at how victims’ families and survivors […] The post Troops may return to Big Bend National Park appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

One year later, how are people in the Panhandle managing recovery after the biggest wildfire in Texas history?The impact of DOGE cuts hits national parks in Texas, including a historical park in San Antonio. Jack Morgan of Texas Public Radio has more.Capital Metro, Austin’s transit agency, saw its payment system collapse for about a month […] The post A year after the Smokehouse Creek Fire appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Amid reports of mass layoffs at the IRS, what does the math look like for tax season?More than a million Texas kids have been kicked off Medicaid rolls since 2023. What’s happening? We’ll talk with a reporter at Public Health Watch.Texas school districts are racing to meet a deadline to move students getting special instruction […] The post What potential mass layoffs at the IRS could mean for your tax filing appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

One person has now died in the Texas measles outbreak that’s up to more than 120 official cases.Hit the road in many parts of Texas these days and you’re likely to see some Teslas. So how are those drivers feeling about the very public and controversial latest moves by CEO Elon Musk?Teacher pay increases may […] The post What’s affecting El Paso’s air quality? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

An appeals court upholds a decision to remove the judge who pushed the state to improve conditions for foster children. What happens now?A controversial lottery win leads Texas to ban third-party apps selling tickets.A federal court has blocked the SAVE plan, a Biden-era initiative aimed at lowering – and in some cases, erasing – student […] The post Controversies and resignations at the Texas Lottery Commission appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

What would be the implications for a Texas constitutional amendment “protecting the right of parents to raise their children”? Blaise Gainey of The Texas newsroom tells us who’s pushing it and the questions surrounding it.Texas-based Southwest and American Airlines are joining with Delta, JetBlue and United to ask a court to overturn a rule requiring […] The post Major airlines target rule setting standard for disability accommodations appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We’re taking a closer look at what’s been happening at this Texas Legislature on school choice, aka school vouchers – and why there could be an early battle between the House and Senate.Plus, the first in a series of profiles of the people behind the politics at the Legislature, starting with Rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez.What’s […] The post What’s in the forecast for Texas’ real estate market? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A nearly $5 billion bill filed in the Legislature seeks to provide across-the-board raises for teachers and put more money toward bonuses.Lithium-ion batteries are a major fire threat. Learn why and what consumers can do.Texans love sharing their favorite under-the-radar barbecue spots, but how often do they actually live up to the hype? Texas Monthly […] The post Lawsuit challenges federal wildlife trapping in Texas appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.