David Brown

Texas Standard: January 25, 2021

And so it begins: the Attorney General of Texas files a lawsuit against the Biden administration over immigration enforcement changes. The story today on the Texas Standard.

Coming up- new findings on pregnancy and COVID-19. We’ll talk with a Texas-based maternal-fetal medicine specialist.

Also, should funding for Texas public schools be based on attendance, or enrollment? A democratic lawmaker calls for a shift from the former to the latter.

And, though the push for racial justice has brought down statues across the U.S., a new one is going up in College Station. We’ll hear from the student leading the push to honor a founding figure at Texas A&M.

Texas Standard: January 21, 2021

The executive transition-from pardons to new executive orders President Joe Biden takes action to undo much of his predecessor’s legacy. The story today on the Texas Standard.

In all some 17 executive acts, orders, and directives in the first 24 hours of the Biden Administration. We’ll explore some of the top line changes, many of which stand to affect Texas and Texans in a big way.

Also, a top Texas expert in political rhetoric decodes the many messages of a Made-for-TV inauguration.

A sense of home: a new book explores the quest for belonging among ethnic Mexicans.

The new millennial millionaires powered by snapchat and much more.

Texas Standard: January 20, 2021

The beginning of a new chapter and a new era. With change coming to Washington, what are the implications closer to home? On this presidential inauguration day, what are the priorities for the 46th chief executive of the united states and what do they add up to for Texas? Coming up, we’ll hear from Texas experts, scholars and reporters on subjects ranging from what to expect when it comes to changes to environmental policy, immigration and asylum, the economy including the trillion dollar student loan debt crisis, dealing with the ongoing pandemic, and much more on a special edition of the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 18, 2021

Is there a doctor in the House? At least one COVID-19 case reported among Texas lawmakers and what that may mean for getting back to business at the Texas capitol, we’ll have the latest. Also, President elect Joe Biden says one of the first things he’ll do after inauguration is rejoin the Paris Climate accords but new research from Texas A&M suggests one of the targets for temperature limits is already on track to being exceeded. Game over? Not quite. We’ll hear why and what comes next. And federal officials approve new standards of health care in a crisis for people with disabilities. So what changes in Texas? Also, amid a new reckoning on race, remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 15, 2021

The November elections suggested it wouldn’t be business as usual at the state house, unless of course, lawmakers changed the rules, we’ll have details. Also, when republicans lost a key seat in the Texas senate, they lost their supermajority… a tool they’ve used to keep democrats from blocking their priorities. We’ll hear what a new rule change means for the status quo ante. And snow in Texas. Fun for kids, but farmers hope a harbinger of wetter and better days as they struggle with drought conditions. And the Latino voices of the pandemic in Texas. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 13, 2021

The Texas legislature has gaveled into session with a new house speaker and big news on the budget front. We’ll hear more on what’s happening at the Texas capitol. Plus from the nations capitol, a conversation with a U.S. congressman from the Rio Grande Valley on the realities ahead on the presidential impeachment front. And with the muting of the president on social media…a new conversation about the future of big tech and free speech. Also, the completion of an historic sculpture in Galveston more than a hundred years in the making. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 12, 2021

The start of the 2021 Texas legislative session, minus some lawmakers who plan to skip what they call as a super-spreader event. Also, as the governor announces several new hubs for the distribution of covid vaccines, others worry about Texas’ role as a hub for vaccine misinformation. Plus Dr. Fred Campbell of UT Health San Antonio takes on more of your questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine in Texas. And disorder in the court: as case go unresolved due to the pandemic. And fights over water: an ongoing part of the Texas story, but could the final chapter be forthcoming thanks to new research? Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 11, 2021

From pandemic to political upheaval, a budget shortfall and beyond, what promises to be a Texas legislative session like few in recent memory. We’ll have more on tomorrow’s start of the Lone Star legislative session. Also, after the storming of the U.S. Capitol, the role of Texas’ junior senator under growing scrutiny amid calls for his resignation. And a new strain of the COVID virus found in Texas, what it means for doctors and for Texans at large. And did air pollution make Hurricane Harvey worse than it would have been otherwise? New findings from Texas based researchers. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 8, 2021

Will prominent Texas politicians who sided with unsubstantiated election fraud claims pay a price for that position after Wednesday? And what is a coup? It’s a question many Americans are asking about and arguing over after the invasion of the capitol. We’ll talk with a Texas scholar whose focus includes authoritarian regimes. And she’s one of the few health providers for miles around in a rural part of east Texas. And right now she’s overwhelmed with demand for vaccinations, we’ll talk with her. Also the impact of the pandemic on the future of Texas public schools, the week in Texas politics and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 7, 2021

A normally ceremonial ritual of democracy stalled by the storming of congress. But it didn’t stop the confirmation of change. After violence at the capitol inspired by unsubstantiated claims of a fraudulent election, congress defies a mob and confirms Joe Biden as the next President of the United States and Kamala Harris as Vice President. But the political spectacle shocked many in the U.S. and around the world as images seldom seen from the capitol city recalled the toppling of the government of other nations, and the dissolution of the rule of law. We’re talking with Texans helping to make sense of Wednesday’s mayhem and what it means for our future, today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 6, 2021

As Georgia goes, so goes Texas? What the results of the senate runoffs in Georgia may tell us about changing politics in the Lone Star State. Major population growth, shifts in suburbs once reliably republican… sound familiar? Could politics in the peach state tell us something about political change coming to Texas, too? Texas based ABC News analyst Matthew Dowd with a closer look. Also, Texas’ two senators, both Republicans, not on the same page when it comes to certification of the electoral college vote…more on that plus why people of color in Texas may have less of a shot at getting the COVID-19 vaccines they need. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 5, 2021

Even as more Texans get vaccinated, hospital beds fill with COVID-19 patients and Texas may be approaching a critical tipping point. COVID-19 patients now occupy one in 5 hospital beds in Texas, and many ICUs statewide are at their limits. The state of the state of care and what health officials fear may come next. Also many Texans eligible for vaccination, but can find anyone to administer the vaccine. And asylum seekers south of the Texas border hoping for change from the Biden administration. Plus what that change at the White House might mean when it comes to Texas and the courts. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 4, 2021

A Texas senator joins almost 11 colleagues in a pledge not to certify the electoral college results. Political theatre or something more? We’ll explore. Also, demand at food banks has doubled since the pandemic. What happens now with cuts to a critical fresh food program? How the pandemic has accelerated the widening of the gap between rich and poor. Also a federal crackdown on the marketing of CBD and what it might mean for Texas. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 1, 2021

It promises to be a new year like few others, if any in Texas history. What’s on the docket as state lawmakers get back to work at the capitol? This much seems certain: it’ll be a legislative session like few others in modern Texas history. From budget shortfalls, to an ongoing fight against a COVID-19 and political redistricting, much is at stake in the 87th lege. Coming up, we’ll talk to the person who’s been doing the numbers about where we stand financially. Also, the possibility of whether changes in drug laws in other states will spark change in Texas. And transparency of government during a pandemic. These stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 31, 2020

No matter where you are we’ll bet you’re ready to say goodbye to 2020. This hour, the year in review in the Lone Star State. From extremes of partisan politics to a pandemic to protests and a reckoning over race…2020 will go down in history as a turning point for millions statewide and beyond. But what are the lessons of the past year and how might 2021 be different? Our roundtable with reporters. Also a shakeup at Fort Hood this year, one considered by many to be long overdue and some of the stories that didn’t make the front pages but nonetheless marked the end of an era. It’s a special year in review of the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 30, 2020

Lights camera, Texas! In 2020, the eyes of Texas were on small screens everywhere as streaming video reached a new peak. From Selena revisited to a journey inside Texas Boys State, from a drag queen in Paris, Texas to the untold story of Johnny Cash’s first wife who hailed from San Antonio. Texans and Texas itself took center stage as the world went on lockdown and turned to the big streams. This hour, we’re looking at TV and film with a Texas twist in a special year end edition of the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 29, 2020

As many anticipate the start of the New Year, many Texas public school officials fear what the stroke of midnight might mean for them. A hold harmless guarantee for Texas public schools expected to expire on December 31st. For districts facing a drop off in attendance, will there be enough money to maintain operations? Also, racial disparities in the pandemic spark a rethink of who’s most at risk to COVID-19. We’ll also look at concerns about social isolation and seasonal affective disorder. And with the launch of a U.S. Space Force, plans to find a home for the U.S. space command. Could it be landing in Texas? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 28, 2020

A new survey shows changing attitudes on vaccinations in Texas, and the numbers offer even more surprises and important insights. We’ll take a deeper dive in to what that means. Also, 12 states have not expanded medicaid, Texas among them. Economist Ray Perryman on why Texas lawmakers should consider 2021 an opportunity to turn things around. Plus a happier new year for Texas’ top energy commodity? Our energy insider with a reality check. And a profile of the person tapped to head up the Dallas police department. Plus the protests of 2020 and those of 5 decades earlier: a new book recalls the often overlooked intersection of activism and the church. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 25, 2020

How many times must it be said that 2020 was not the happiest of years? Today we have some reasons to smile on this special edition of the Texas standard. Do you want the good news first or the bad? For once, we’re spending an entire hour on the former, as we use this moment to turn our attention to the sunnier side: the stories that captured our attention, sparked the imagination, and reminded us of the good that remains all around us. In a year of struggle and heartache, there are still reasons to celebrate. Our producers have made their lists, checked em out twice….and it’s all about the nice on this special Christmas Day edition of the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 24, 2020

No matter where you are, you can’t escape Texas music. But as 2020 draws to a close, what is the state of the musical arts in the Lone Star State? We’ll take a look. Made here and played here, that is perhaps the simplest definition of Texas music but one that only hints at the wide range of cultures and backgrounds represented by what has sometimes been stereotyped as a genre unto itself. In a year full of extraordinary challenges for singers songwriters and musical performers, how has Texas music changed over the past year and what comes next? It’s a musical coda for 2020 on this special edition of the Texas Standard: