Zero hour in one of the most contentious confirmation battles in American history as the Senate moves on the Kavanaugh nomination. Plus, one school official calls it the thermonuclear option: mass closing of schools under consideration in Dallas. Also, communication breakdown: a quarter century after the dot-com revolution, rural Texas is still waiting for reliable internet. And with the Red River showdown set for Saturday, we remember a game of gridiron chicanery the Longhorns might sooner forget. Plus, the week in Texas politics and a whole lot more… today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: October 4, 2018
As senators get their first look at an FBI report, it’s a Texan at the center of the fight over the Kavanaugh Supreme Court Nomination. Plus, Ted Cruz is now on a top 10 endangered senators list, and a Texas congressional district that used to be a GOP easy win, now looking like more of a toss up. Also, it was a tough season for the flu last year. Now, a top Texas researcher says the flu vaccine this year may be marginally less effective. We’ll hear why officials say its important to give it a shot. And a surprise hit at the state fair is a return to its rural roots. Tips for your weekend getaway, and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 2, 2018
The White House tells the FBI it can interview anyone in its Kavanaugh investigation. But does the FBI need the President’s permission? A Texas-based veteran on the FBI on questions of scope and independence in the investigation of the Supreme Court nominee. Also we’ll hear from the Texas scientist who can now call himself Nobel prize winner for his work advancing cancer research. And Mexico City 1968: new answers about a massacre before the Olympics 50 years ago. Plus LBJ brought Mission control to Houston, but the Texas space industry may owe more to Richard Nixon than you might think. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 1, 2018
A deal between the U.S. Mexico and Canada goes down to the wire with agreement reached at the eleventh hour, and yet it’s NAFTA no more. What used to be called the North American Free Trade Agreement has a new name and some new rules. We’ll walk thru the changes in what’s now being called the USMCA. Also, did you catch the Texas gubernatorial debate Friday night? Don’t worry, we’ve gotcha covered. And two years after a new law and protests over the concealed carry of firearms on Texas college campuses, what’s happened and what hasn’t? We’ll take a look at that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 28, 2018
It’s a who’s who of Texas politics and it happens over one weekend each September. And we’re there- broadcasting live from the Texas Tribune Festival.
Today we’re coming to you from one of the most iconic streets in Texas: Congress Avenue in Austin. Where thousands of political movers and shakers from across Texas and the nation, have descended to discuss the state of the Lone Star State and our future. From immigration to criminal justice, voter participation, local control and the shrinking political center… it’s all on the table. So, pull up a chair for a special edition of the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: September 27, 2018
A new phase in the fight over the Kavanaugh nomination gets underway, raising questions of what due process means in the Me Too era. The latest on the confirmation of President Trump’s high court nominee and placing the proceedings in a different sort of historical context. Also, the 5G revolution: experts tell us it will change our lives. But as local officials look at regulation, the Feds now say hands off. Tech guru Omar Gallaga with what’s at stake. All of those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 24, 2018
9 people dead, 22 others injured, since 2006 because of natural gas leaks. What are Texas regulators doing about it? An investigative reporter with the Dallas Morning News tells us about dangers facing homeowners due to natural gas leaks and the failure of Texas regulators to to hold companies accountable. We’ll hear details. And going up? Normally gas prices drift lower as we move into fall, but a 4 year high in the price of crude today has some worried. We’ll look at what’s behind it. And our attitude toward doctors: bad for our health? All of that and then some coming up today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 19, 2018
You’ve heard of the Friday night lights? On this September 21st, the main event across Texas: the Friday night fight: Cruz versus O’Rourke. It’ll be live nationwide, will you be tuning in? R.G. Ratcliffe of Texas Monthly joins us with a cheater’s guide to tonight’s first of three debates between democratic congressman Beto O’Rourke and the GOP incumbent, Ted Cruz. Plus, you’ve heard about the wall? As arguments continue over funding, legal walls go up in the nation’s most diverse city: we’ll explain. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 20, 2018
They called it the Battle of the Sexes, although to many it resembled a circus. We’ll take a look at an event staged in Houston in the 70’s that reverberates even today. Also, the decision stands: the Supreme Court refuses to intervene in a lower court ruling that may force political nonprofits to reveal major donors. What it might mean for the midterms. And beyond all the talk of trade wars, tariffs now hitting texans down on the farm. We’ll take a look. And you didn’t rent the movie: you bought it online. But you might not be able to keep it? How the digital age is redefining what’s yours and what might not be. All of that and a whole lot more on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 19, 2018
A political upset in Texas: a Democrat friendly district picks a Republican to fill a vacated seat less than two months out from the midterms. On top of last night’s Republican win by Pete Flores over Pete Gallego for a vacated state Senate seat, new numbers suggest that tight contest between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke might not be so tight after all. We’ll take a closer look. Also, as frustration grows over rising student debt in higher ed: Texas’ top ranked private university announces free tuition room and board, for those who qualify. And the sixth Rolling Stone, Texas’ own in the spotlight. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 18, 2018
Official summons is what the envelope says. Would you open it? An election year fundraising letter triggers outrage and questions of legality: we’ll explore. Also our era of political coarseness and division, how will historians see us tomorrow? Pulitzer prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin tells us how history may be able to help us get thru our times today. Also a breakthrough curriculum for latino/latina studies. And electric scooters swarm the streets of Texas big cities, some see them a public nuisance, but could they signal better times for Texas bicyclists? We’ll take a look. And the tale of the last town crier in America and so much more on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 17, 2018
Less than a month do go before the deadline for registering to vote in the midterms, do you know if you’re registered? We’ll have a Texas primer. Also, a border patrol officer has been arrested and charged with the murders of 4 women. The victims all worked as prostitutes. We’ll tell you what authorities are saying. And with Florence and before that Harvey, the greatest threat: flooding. Has our current hurricane rating system left us twisting in the wind? Plus Texas beat USC this weekend, but once upon a time, USC pushed Texas across the line to desegregate the gridiron. We’ll hear how and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 14, 2018
The Harvey effect: as Florence bears down on the Carolinas, meteorologists say theres an shift in how major hurricanes are doing damage, we’ll have the latest. Also, Walmart bets big on high end out door gear, but some brands are telling Walmart to take a hike, we’ll hear why. And remember smokin in the boys room, or girls room? Nowadays its vaping in the classroom, for real. Texas teachers trying to get students to kick the habit amid calls for a federal crackdown on the marketing of vape pens. Plus the police chief leading the charge to make Corsicana the Hollywood of Texas, and it appears to be working. All that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 13, 2018
Hurricane Florence bears down on the Carolinas. But closer to home, officials in south Texas claim after flooding there they got stiffed by FEMA, we’ll have the latest. Also, we thought there are big discrepancies in health care for minorities, but now the agency examining those inequities nixed. We’ll hear why and what it means. And a year after a major quake in Mexico city killing more than 300: a new report blames corruption for many of the buildings that toppled. We’ll have details of the investigation. Plus tighten those crash helmets: Texas cities on a collision course with electric scooters. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 12, 2018
This time, it’s for real: the National GOP worried that Beto O’Rourke has a real shot at tipping the balance on Capitol Hill. We’ll take a look at the details. Also, Bob Woodward’s book just out this week details chaos in the Trump Administration, but there’s nothing chaotic about the systematic dismantling of environmental regulations. What’s happening, and what it means for Texas. And Harvey dumped 127 billion tons of water on Texas last year: help from FEMA? A mere trickle so far. What’s holding things up? Plus kids at the center of a culture war over remembering the Alamo and so much more, today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 11, 2018
Public frustration boils over into the streets after manslaughter charges in the fatal shooting of an innocent man by a Dallas police officer. We’ll have the latest. Also, after 2016, do you trust political polls? With election day now just 8 weeks away, the horserace begins in earnest. We’ll explore how the polls became such a major institution in American politics. And a historic moment for the Boy Scouts as they start recruiting Texas girls. Why they’re doing this and how it’s going so far. Plus the race to save the Texas horny toad and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 30, 2018
Latinos tipping the scales this election year? Turns out its not just the Democrats who stand to gain from a get out the vote effort, we’ll look at the numbers. Also, a Texas city now topping the nation as the most dangerous place to drive in the U.S. A combination of high speed, heavy congestion and infrastructure to blame. We’ll have more. Plus oil prices rising, but why? We’ll look at the good the bad and the ugly. Also a photo of an emaciated Texas horse goes viral sparking questions about the real definition of animal cruelty. We’ll explore and a whole lot more on todays Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 4, 2018
Chaos as the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings kick off on capitol hill. But as the focus falls on the high court, another judicial transformation underway? We’ll take a look. Also, it’s long been called the sleeping giant in Texas politics: the latino vote. Texas Democrats are trying wake that giant and do something that’s been difficult in the past: get them to the polls in bigger numbers. We’ll explore. And labor groups scoring victories in a push for paid leave, but are they wasting time and money? Plus chasing Lightin’ in Houston: a 1959 recording of bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins back in print. We’ll explore his hold on Texas and American music, plus a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 3, 2018
As Texans headed out for the long holiday weekend, a surprise ruling in a Texas courtroom over a Texas challenge to DACA. DACA is the Obama era program protecting young immigrants brought here illegally from being deported. Now a judge in Texas, considered sympathetic to the state’s claims to stop DACA, refuses to pull the plug. Why does Attorney general Ken Paxton think he’s closer to victory? We’ll find out. Also, labor day signals the final sprint in the race to election day. We’ll size up the top races across Texas. And a resurgence of unions? In the Lone Star State? The numbers say yes. All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 31, 2018
Down to the wire: Canada racing to do what Mexico did: strike a deal with the U.S. and save NAFTA. If they can’t, what will it mean for Texas? We’ll take a look. Also, politics watchers nationwide are enthralled by the Senate race in Texas. One of the most serious challenges from the Democrats in decades and hispanics may hold the key. Question is: will they turn out to vote? But more than that, how will they vote? Republicans rethinking their strategy. Also, business is booming in construction across Texas, just one problem: where are the workers? Those stories and a whole lot more on todays Texas Standard: