KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts

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

David Brown

Workers rally to fight state bill ending water breaks

As Texans brace for another week of extreme heat, there’s pushback against a new state law that nullifies local rules requiring mandatory water breaks for outdoor workers.

Austin has ended its policing partnership with the Department of Public Safety – but Gov. Greg Abbott is sending more troopers to the capital city.

Some legal experts say the Supreme Court’s student debt decision may have scrambled the issue of standing, or whether a plaintiff has enough interest in a particular matter to stand before the court to request legal intervention. UT Law professor Stephen Vladeck explains.

And a new documentary on Jesse Treviño honors the late San Antonio artist, long considered one of the city’s finest.

State policies cause Texas to slip from top business rankings

A lawsuit challenging Texas’ new prohibition on hormone blockers and other treatments for transgender youth.

Lawmakers failed to pass new rules on locating concrete batch plants – what do those pushing for change plan to do next?

A report shows modest economic growth in Texas, we’ll hear more. Plus – Texas slips in the rankings of business-friendly states. Why and what are the implications?

A hit, or a swing and a miss? A certain sport using bats and balls arrives in Texas for summer, but are Texans ready for professional cricket?

Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune.

What can Texas teach California about dealing with homelessness?

As temperatures rise, so does gun violence. What does this mean for a Texas already struggling with climate change?

A new study on police response times in Texas’ biggest city and what it hints at for other departments elsewhere in the state.

Send in the clones – after Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, are any of the alternates gaining traction?

California doesn’t often turn to Texas for policy tips, but more and more lawmakers from the Golden State are taking a closer look at how Texas cities are handling homelessness.

And a new book on the sitcom’s role in shifting attitudes toward the LGBTQ community.

Abilene volunteers serve Ukrainian refugees through soccer

2024 Senate race comes into focus as Gutierrez announces candidacy

In a second special session, Texas House and Senate leaders reach a deal on property tax relief. What does it add up to?

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez has announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate, making him the second high-profile Democrat – along with Rep. Colin Allred – to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz.

How Texas has become a ground zero for self-driving trucks, with word that driverless semi runs between Dallas and Houston could become a regular thing as soon as next year.

We’ll get the rundown on a legal battle between a group of nuns and a bishop in North Texas.

And a quick cooldown at a Texas ice house.

Is Paycheck Protection Program fraud partly behind the home price spike?

A planned buoy barrier along the Rio Grande designed to prevent migrant crossings faces legal obstacles of its own.

What’s known and what isn’t about the man who had been reported missing in the Houston area for eight years – who had only really been missing for about a day.

Could pandemic-era abuses be partly to blame for rising home prices?

And, how to lose friends and alienate the Legislature: Austin journalist Christopher Hooks on Gov. Greg Abbott’s legislative strategy and why he’s had so much trouble passing some key items on his agenda despite Republican majorities.

A Texas program pushes drivers to pay old tickets – and over 600,000 have lost their licenses

A federal courtroom was filled with anger and tears as relatives of the victims of the 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart faced the gunman ahead of his sentencing. Julián Aguilar of the Texas Newsroom shares more.

A program aimed at helping Texans pay off old tickets has left hundreds of thousands without driver’s licenses and tangled in red tape.

Amid a stalemate between House and Senate Republicans over property taxes, House Democrats weigh in with a plan.

A new study has found air pollution from U.S. oil and gas production is responsible for $77 billion in health impacts every year, with Texas among the states with the highest proportion of health damages.

Houston is celebrating 50 years of hip-hop with an exhibit and film screenings at the Houston Museum of African American Culture.

And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

Houston sues state over ‘Death Star’ law that will block local ordinances

Houston has sued the state to try and block the “Death Star” law that will block local regulations from being enacted at the city and county level.

Why several homes and businesses flooded during Hurricane Harvey may be passing up a last chance for compensation.

A new documentary, “Every Body,” turns the spotlight on people in the intersex community.

Plus, with digital streaming services upending the old model for making money in music, tech expert Omar Gallaga explores ways to support one’s favorite artists.

How the Legislature’s property tax cut proposals differ

A regular session and now two specials – what will it take to get lawmakers to agree on a property tax cut plan? A closer look at why the two approaches are at the center of a political battle.

Sentencing begins in a federal courtroom this week for the gunman who killed 23 people at an El Paso Walmart in 2019.

How some Houstonians without adequate air conditioning are trying to beat the heat as the thermometer rises.

Plus, what science is revealing about a common bird of prey and frequent defender of many a Texas garden.

Pumped: Food, fuel and the future of Texas – A Texas Standard special

We don’t think of gas stations much, yet they are fixtures across Texas, and tell us a lot about who we are and where we’re going. There are more than 11,000 of them scattered across the state – along major highways and tiny backroads alike, they fuel up long haul trucks, hungry commuters and sometimes whole communities.

In some ways, the gas station is the backbone of our economy and the center of conversation and community. In other ways, they’re a blight on the landscape and, many feel, a soon-to-be anachronism. “Pumped: Food, fuel and the future of Texas” is an exploration of an often-overlooked staple of our life.

Cormac McCarthy’s deep Texas ties

A tornado tore through the Panhandle town of Perryton on Thursday, leaving three dead, scores injured and many without homes – and forecasts say there’s more severe weather on the way.

Native American tribes are celebrating a big win before the Supreme Court in an adoption law case brought by a white foster couple from Texas.

What an expo in El Paso says about an aspect of border security that’s seldom talked about.

Remembering a giant of American novelists, Cormac McCarthy, and his ties to Texas.

And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

Summer heat is here – and so is the strain on Texas’ electric grid

Although Ken Paxton’s already impeached, Texas House investigators continue gathering evidence against the now-suspended attorney general. More scrutiny over the finances of Paxton and his wife, a Texas senator.

Temperatures are hitting triple digits across much of Texas. Can the power grid take the heat?

Tech expert Omar Gallaga on why the release of Diablo IV is more than a game for the video game industry.

And a new podcast, “Sugar Land” premieres this week, exploring a grim discovery that’s reshaping history in a city once called the sweetest place in Texas.

Why thousands of dead fish washed up along the Gulf Coast

Who implements a new law that bans “sexually explicit” material in Texas public school libraries – and how? We’ll talk with the president of the Texas Library Association about what’s being described by proponents as a child protection move, and by critics as the latest attempt to censor and ban books for young people with limited access.

The annual meeting of the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., Southern Baptists, debates women pastors and how to address abuse allegations.

Plus, what’s behind the tens of thousands of dead fish washing up on Texas Gulf Coast beaches.

Plans to dredge Matagorda Bay Superfund site proceed, over environmental worries

A Supreme Court ruling on redistricting in Alabama surprises critics – and raises hopes for Texans challenging political maps closer to home.

Why a plan to expand shipping in Matagorda Bay has many in the community sounding alarms.

An effort to lift the borrowing cap for graduate student loans raised hopes – and costs – but not the sort of opportunities expected, according to a new report using Texas data.

Also, a bit of sweetness in Uvalde as a favorite hometown festival makes a return.

What does Nate Paul’s arrest mean for Ken Paxton?

Impeached attorney general Ken Paxton won’t face trial in the Senate until late summer, but the indictment of prominent donor Nate Paul may have big implications for Paxton’s fate nonetheless.

Hurricane season is upon us, and the energy industry is making preparations for potential storms.

A colonia in El Paso is pulling water out of thin air using solar distillation.

A new podcast, “Under Cover of Knight, ” examines a death in small-town Texas – and why the CIA and local law enforcement wanted folks to stop asking questions.

And a longtime Texas radio journalist remembers NPR’s Wade Goodwyn.

‘Flamin’ Hot’ shares the spicy story of a snack food phenomenon

Legislation on the governor’s desk known as the “Death Star” bill takes aim at local ordinances statewide. Will cities strike back?

In a place known for years of drought, heavy rain has forced evacuations in Amarillo and Hereford.

We’ll meet Houston’s Benchawan Jabthong Painter, winner of the James Beard Award for best Texas chef. Her secret recipe? Cooking with grandma in Thailand.

The new movie “Flamin’ Hot” tells the story of a janitor at Frito-Lay who set the snack world on fire. We’ll talk to the film’s director, Corpus Christi native Eva Longoria, and stars Jesse Garcia and Annie Gonzalez.

Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

Insurers are bailing on homes in disaster-prone regions. Is Texas next?

The Texas Senate passed three new bills on border security – but with the House adjourned, does it mean anything?

The Texas Education Agency has taken over the Houston Independent School District, and already some major reforms are taking shape.

Two major insurance companies say they won’t write new homeowner policies in California, citing the costs of climate change. Could something similar happen in Texas?

Pro baseball is a favorite summer sport for many Texans, but a rule change is making it a little less lazy than it once was – for better or for worse? We’ll take a look.

The dire situation facing underfunded Texas schools

“It’s a fantasy,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said of Gov. Greg Abbott’s objectives to lower property taxes. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune joins with more on a growing divide between the state’s two top Republican leaders.

One top political observer says there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to school funding for rural districts.

Hurricane season is back. We’ll have the seasonal forecast from Space City Weather, plus how to prepare.

Plus, Cine Las Americas kicks off its 25th International Film Festival in Austin.

‘Lone Stars Rising’ profiles 50 Texans changing our world

The sheriff of Bexar County is pushing for charges to be brought over migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard.

Where did high-profile bills dealing with higher education wind up this legislative session? Kate McGee of the Texas Tribune joins with an overview.

An investigation has revealed a culture of sexism and discrimination in the El Paso Police Department.

Is air travel getting bumpier, or does it just seem that way? A Texas A&M expert explains what’s known as clear air turbulence.

Texas Monthly editor Jeff Salamon discusses “Lone Stars Rising,” a look at 50 Texans who have made a lasting impact in the past 50 years.

And stop the presses: A one-day walkout at the Gannett-owned Austin American-Statesman turns the spotlight on journalists in Texas moving to unionize.

What happened to the bill closing the ‘dead suspect loophole?’

Property tax cuts and border security are on the agenda as the Legislature’s special session moves into week 2.

A bill to promote police transparency received support in the House and the Senate, but now it’s apparently gone missing. KXAN investigative reporter Josh Hinkle explains.

There’s a shortage of mental health treatment for people arrested in Texas who are deemed in need of treatment before trial.

And Texas-based American Airlines has grounded planes amid an ongoing pilot shortage. What does this mean for summer travel?

×