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KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

David Brown

Texas Standard: August 23, 2016

Lynch mobs are thriving in Texas, only these days they’re online, and kids are often the victims. Now a push for a law to stop them. Today on the Texas Standard.

What’s less likely than this: Donald Trump stumping for votes in the solidly democratic capitol of the reddest of states? We’ll hear what really behind his Texas swing.

Also, the feds say they want to close private prisons, now Texas is talking prison closings too…but not for the same reasons. We’ll have the back story.

And the politics of science: in a debate over what’s causing earthquakes in north Texas, the EPA shakes things up.

Texas Standard: August 22, 2016

File under impeccable timing: on the first day of school for many across Texas, a ruling to stop a controversial bathroom policy- details today on the Texas Standard.

The decision by a federal court in Texas affects schools nationwide, temporarily putting the brakes on an Obama Adminsitration order to accomodate transgender students. We’ll explore the implications.

Also, a stay of execution for a Texas death row inmate convicted of murder who never actually killed anyone.

Plus: life in south Texas, under the all seeing eye. The border between security and 24/7 government surveillance.

Texas Standard: August 18, 2016

The Aleppo boy in the ambulance – could a haunting photo mark a tipping point in what’s been called a forever war? The case today on the Texas Standard.

The feds are phasing out private prisons. How did we get there in the first place? Would you believe Texas led the way?

Also the dwindling population at the nation’s biggest military base raises new opportunities- for civilian homehunters looking for the ultimate in gated communities.

Mental health behind the badge: how the stuff they don’t tell you at the academy can hurt, and what’s being done to help.

It started with a game between New York and San Francisco. This weekend, Texas hosts the world series of gay softball.

Plus the week in politics, and much more to share— the Texas Standard is back on the air.

Texas Standard: August 18, 2016

In a year of deadly storms, and torrential downpours, one south Texas sheriff is wishing for a hurricane. His radical call for relief near the border, we’ll explore. Also he’s accused of being a deserter but new evidence suggests Bowe Bergdahl wanted to be something else: a Russian mob hitman. We’ll hear the latest on the eve of a potential turning point in his court martial. And if its good enough for kids, why not for schools? A plan to give Texas educators grades of A to F. And when it comes to the unofficial state entree, one town must be crowned as most improved. We’ll taco all about that and much more in just a moment, on todays Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 17, 2016

11 people dead in Louisiana, the floodwaters now moving south and the national media somewhere else. A drought of concern? We’ll explore. Also two years after the so-called surge of central americans crossing the Texas border, what we’re learning about a sweetheart billion dollar deal to lock them them up. Plus its true, big oil didn’t have major stakes in the fracking boom, but now that oil prices have gone bust, guess who’s getting in the fracking business? All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 16, 2016

Texas politicians have to disclose how they’re spending on campaigns unless they’ve bought a campaign in a box. The lid comes off today we’ll explore. Plus more than just the facts: new research shows how race and social media combine to shape perceptions of events like the recent Dallas police shooting. Also, a beer battle coming to a head…why Texas craft brews are battling the big dogs in court. And dig this: 7 very famous skeletons and how their celebrity tells us about much more than the distant past. And a personal journey from the Bayou city to the executive mansion, takes center stage. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 15, 2016

In drought-prone Texas, is rain a hazard to our health? Why state officials might want to keep the answers on the down low, we’ll explore. Plus the constitution says owing money is not a crime, but many texans get locked up for it anyway. What some cities are doing to change that if they can. And powered by incentives: tax breaks for energy alternatives will eventually run out of steam. What then? And the Dallas police shooting revisited: what could have caused the shooter to do what he did? What the experts are saying about a possible trigger. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 6, 2016

When Isis inspired shooters attacked an event last year in Garland did the FBI know in advance? Perhaps egging them on? We’ll explore. Plus the department of homeland security appears to be having a change of heart when it comes to family detention centers. We’ll here why and what it means. Also tax free weekend in Texas. Who wins and who stands to lose. Plus grabbing for the gold in Rio can mean big cash even for student athletes? We’ll hear about a loophole and the potential payout for a Texas swimmer. And we’ll tackle the story of the football team that’s undefeated since 1941…believe it… Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 4, 2016

the supreme court recently struck down Texas abortion rule. Today, a state panel takes up new abortion rules. We’ve got all the details. Plus: if a terrorist wanted to build a dirty bomb, where do you think they would they find the nuclear material? Texas, anyone? Details of an undercover investigation. And its outlawed in Massachusetts: prospective employers can’t ask job seekers their current salary. Why some wonder if this might help close the gender gap in Texas wages. And as the Olympics get launched, Texas athletes planting their own flags beyond US borders, we’ll hear why. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 3, 2016

The state attorney raised concerns about laws being broken. She was fired and offered money not to sue. Now her story’s coming out, we’ll explore. Plus: days from now, Texas is set to put to death a man who didn’t actually kill anyone. We’ll hear why. Also, as the media spotlights a scuffle between Donald Trump and a gold star parent, one Texas soldier starts a conversation about the quiet struggles faced by most military parents, we’ll talk to him. Oil slips back below the 40 dollar a barrel mark: some sense a saudi strategy to put the boot on Texas. And are there really two Mexico’s? We’ll do the numbers and much more, don’t touch that dial, it’s Texas Standard time:

Texas Standard: July 29, 2016

A front row seat to history? We can do better than that. Dallas sheriff Lupe Valdez on the view from the podium. Plus disorder in the court? A federal challenge to the way Texas picks its top judges. And the aging population of the lone star state are Texas towns and cities ready? Plus, in some state facilities, levels of lead as bad at Flint Michigan: what’s being done and what isn’t. Also 50 years after the Texas tower shooting, what’s changed when it comes to guns? Plus the week in Texas politics and much more, today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 28, 2016

Hillary in Texas: who was that prime connection from the 70’s her husband name checked at the convention? We’ll explore the backstory. Also if you’re an attorney general, when is it ok to take a donation from the owner of a company your office is investigating? Plus you remember the line when you wish upon a STAAR? Keep wishing, test haters. Why talk of scrapping the annual student exam seemed to fail at the last minute. Corpus, Midland, Austin: is there life after Uber and Lyft? We’ll consider the alternatives in a high tech reality check plus the woman on a mission to restore a missing mission. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 27, 2016

Glass ceiling shattered, so whats next? Texas Democrats and Republicans point to a possible challenge to Ted Cruz from a prominent Latino, we’ll explore. Also what’ll it take to sell Texas’ Bernie Sanders supporters on Hillary Clinton? What about Bernie himself? The former candidate makes the case personally to the Texas Delegation today, we’ll hear how that went down. Plus lawmakers thought they’d come up with a way to beat synthetic marijuana. But a new wave of overdoses in Houston suggests otherwise. Also 50 years after the Texas Tower Shooting, the state of gun violence and mental health. And the man in the hat, was he really all that? Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 26, 2016

Have you noticed the many Texas democrats grabbing the spotlight in Philadelphia? We’ll have the latest news on the red state blues. Also, as the democratic convention moves toward making the ticket official, whither one Julian Castro? We’ll explore his political future, which may turn out to resemble that of a certain Texas Republican. And remember the lawsuit over newborns in Texas getting denied birth certificates because of their parents ID? With little fanfare that case has been settled…we’ll hear why, and it means. Plus college life across the US forever changed by one day in Texas. All that and much more on todays Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 12, 2016

The nation mourns for Dallas. President Obama in North Texas today to remember 5 police officers. And bending the President’s ear. A US Representative from Dallas tells us what she has to say to the President… and what she wants her colleagues in Washington to know. And a convention in Cleveland. Events begin to ramp up for the Grand Old Party’s party… but not everyone is celebrating. Plus tens of thousands of precious Texas artifacts have been removed from the Alamo… where they’re going and why. And bats just might be useful allies in the fight against Zika… but don’t count on them to eradicate it. We’ll explain… Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 6, 2016

A Texas delegate pens an open letter to the head of the national GOP…get out of the way and get ready for a shakeup. A texan plotting to trump Trump at the party convention… we’ll hear her story. Also, if you’re homeschooling kids, do you really have to, if you’re convinced that the rapture is coming? A Texas Supreme Court decision triggers consternation, ridicule, and celebration, we’ll have details. Also check your pulse: are financial worries exacting too high a toll on the health of Texans? Plus, how a big move for a Japanese automaker has triggered what some call the Toyota effect…those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 5, 2016

Ready… Aim… Now what? After calling the gun control sit-in a publicity stunt House GOP leaders prepare for a vote. Plus there was a plan to crack down to crack down on repeat offenders in domestic violence cases. But a new report says in real life, more repeat offenders are getting more lenient treatment, we’ll hear why. And how many cans of mosquito repellent can Texas buy for 30 million dollars? The state’s about to find out in its preemptive war on Zika. And the gap between America’s rich and poor –bigger in San Francisco? Or south Texas? And the Texas slave who became a Mexican millionaire…an overlooked chapter in US history. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 4, 2016

What if British businesses staged their own miniature Brexits and moved to Texas? We’ll explore Governor Greg Abbott’s British Invasion. Plus attention big oil: you’ve been subpoenaed. Why California’s attorney general is investigating some of the biggest names in Texas energy. They promise miraculous cures thru stem cell technology…but experts warn a lot of it’s snake oil. Bogus stem cell clinics and why they’re big in Texas. And ready for a dip? Who wants to be lifeguard? That’s the problem… a lifeguard shortage some are calling a crisis. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 1, 2016

After Brexit and big decisions from the supreme court, remember the gun control sit in? now comes a Gun control redux, we’ll explore. Also seat’s upright and in a locked position? Good. Cuz there’s a shortage of pilots. We’ll hear how the industry hopes to pull out of a tailspin. And you’ve heard of the live music capitol, what about the stolen music gear capitol? Both are in Texas, but one may no longer live up to its billing, we’ll hear why. And No mas cerveza…the challenges facing sober Texans committed to their own kind of independence. Plus a review of politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:

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