As lawmakers return to the Texas capitol today, a loud warning from a top state official: money’s tight. What that means for everyday Texans. Plus, yesterday we were at the border. Today we’re looking at another aspect of potential change to Texas in a new political era: a fight over so-called sanctuary cities. Also lights, camera, and cash? Why plans are in the works to shut off incentives for Texas filmmakers. And he’s been called the first social media president. Now some Texas researchers have been given the white house ok to explore what that really means for modern politics. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 9, 2017
From El Paso to Brownsville: a barrier promising to reshape our landscape and our future.
Today a focus on the wall–a special edition of the Texas Standard.
It was a staple of his presidential campaign. And there are signs, even before his inaguration, work is already underway on Donald Trump’s wall.
But how does the campaign rhetoric square with the reality on the ground… Who’ll build it and at what cost? How will change our communities, our way of life, and how we see each other. On both sides of a new great divide?
Today we’re live from Brownsville, our starting point for “the wall”.
Texas Standard: January 6, 2017
The report cards are in —and what do they teach us about the state of Texas public schools? A collision course over the grading system. Also, water closets everywhere, but who gets to use which ones? Texas lawmakers move to regulate public bathrooms a la North Carolina, as business groups warn that the price could be billions of dollars lost. We’ll hear all about it. Plus Texas bankruptcies on the rise. An ominous sign, or a hint that the worst of the oil bust may be behind us? And some new potential challengers to Ted Cruz and the rest of the week in politics plus a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 5, 2016
He once called him a buffoon with the fear mongering arguments of a child. Now, a top Hispanic leader is joining the Trump team. Our conversation today. Also massive protests and reports of looting in cities all across Mexico as parts of the country come to a virtual standstill. We’ll hear what’s behind it. And a closer to home a tightening job market. How some Texas companies are trying to win over the best and brightest with coffee bars, free college courses and other perks. Plus how much does it really cost to educate Texas kids? The state rethinks the numbers. And the promise of 2017, from high tech to tacos. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 4, 2017
A matter of life and death: the state’s attorney general suing the Food and Drug Administration over execution drugs. Plus just how open are the public’s records? With days to go before the launch of the next Texas legislative session, a bipartisan move to let in more sunshine. Also off the rail, but for how much longer: sings of a shift in attitudes over how to get around one of the nation’s fastest growing cities. And few six shooters, and not so many cattle, but cowboy culture’s big in east Germany…the backstory of an unlikely cultural appropriation. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 3, 2017
As members of congress return to Washington, Texas lawmakers get ready to return to austin. The road ahead reconsidered today. Also when police use deadly force against an unarmed suspect, what happens next? A new investigation in Houston suggests very little. We’ll have details of a new investigative report. And Texas wine versus Texas cotton? A decision by the EPA could pit the two against each other, we’ll hear why. And Sinatra versus Sinatra in a Texas courtroom: the issue? Love and marriage. And bitcoin is ballooning, or is that a bubble getting ready to burst? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 2, 2017
A federal judge in Texas issues a nationwide injunction seen as another blow to transgender rights and the Obama administration, we’ll explore today. Also, we’ve heard the warnings from the mayor himself: Dallas could be forced into bankruptcy because of a pension fund meltdown. Now, the mayor’s asking the Texas Rangers to step in. Plus, it’s black Monday for pro football. Why this matters to you, even if you’ve never so much as touched a pigskin. And what do you call a fish found all across Texas that doesn’t swim? Our resident expert calls it a pest. What you can do if you find yourself on the hook. All that and much more coming up on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 26, 2016
What were the top stories of 2016? This hour, we’re revisiting the people and events making news across the lone star state. Plus in 2014 people called it the surge. This year, as the numbers of Central American families crossing the border broke new records, what was being done to keep them from coming in illegally? We’ll take a look. Plus what used to be a US monopoly, we’ll revisit the national helium reserve as it runs out of gas. And a cure for what plagues central Texas? We’ll meet the man who sends in the hawks. And playing possum – the backstory of a legendary musician…all that and much more today on the Standard:
Texas Standard: December 23, 2016
Twas the weekend of Christmas and all thru the state, the challenge of homelessness would not abate. Pregnant and homeless… how much room for compassion, with resources already stretched thin. Also one year ago a twisters ripped thru North Texas. Today, a return to ground zero to re-explore the ongoing efforts to rebuild a sense of community. And a few years ago, he wrote a song that said a little too much about holiday gatherings…and to his surprise it became a Texas classic. A conversation with Robert Earle Keene about christmas with the fam-o-leee. All that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 22, 2016
A foreign government cyberattacks the election. The US president pushes back. But is the response big enough to satisfy Texas? We’ll explore. Scores of Texas hospitals on a list for federal cuts and why in this case the injuries might be self-inflicted. Also: the doctor sees the symptoms, but what about the whole person? We’ll hear about a culture shift underway in medicine. Plus, a quiet revolution in how Texans are getting their energy. And worried you waited too long for holiday decorations, our tech guru tells us what you might need is laser like focus….or maybe not. All that and a whole lot more…turn it up, its Texas Standard time:
Texas Standard: December 21, 2016
Texas officials fulfill a promise: no more Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood. The implications and what comes next. Plus a multi million dollar emergency infusion for child protective services. The plan: hire new caseworkers and give raises to keep others from leaving. But there’s a hitch, just in time for the holidays. We’ll hear about it. Also she was a full throated communist, cast as a a working class hero and a villain. And then her story was almost lost to history. A revival of interest in the lady called ‘the passionate one from Texas’. And veterans signing on to wage a new kind of war…in cyberspace. All of that and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 20, 2016
The assassination of a symbol of the old order. The rise of populist nationalism. Can history help us, or are we kidding ourselves? We’ll explore. Also events in the US, Turkey and Germany this week have millions turning to the past to help make sense of the future. A Texas-based scholar will try to help us make sense of the search for historic parallels. Plus deja vu in Corpus Christi. The latest water ban and by no means the first. As the taps reopen, out come the lawsuits and recriminations. We’ll have the latest. And charitable giving for political access. A Texas based group with ties to the future President comes under fire…those stories and a whole lot more, today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 18, 2016
The last word on the election of a new president? In Texas, it comes down to a vote at the Capitol today. We’ll explore the rules for college discipline. Plus Miguel Navarro was just 15 years old when he followed his older brother to a party, a party he never should’ve gone to in the first place. And before he or anyone else could realize what was happening, everything wen’t horribly wrong. Miguel’s story, and what it tells us about kids and the criminal justice system in Texas. An exclusive investigation by the Texas Standard. Also, it’s bigger than Corpus Christi: a warning about water systems across Texas, and the high price of doing nothing to fix them. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 16, 2016
A federal warning for pregnant women: do not travel to Brownsville. But what if you live there? What the new Zika warning means for a mother to be..today on the Standard.
Repeal and replace Obamacare. What’s that gonna mean for coverage? We’ll take it up today with the powerful Texas lawmaker who’s setting the stage right now with a rare recess conference on Capitol Hill.
Also, as holiday fliers prepare to deal with screaming babies on board, the one thing worse–and ways to cope.
Plus, could it happen this Christmas? A legendary honkytonk awaits the return of Gary Floater. But don’t hold your breath. Or maybe you should. All that and more…today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: December 15, 2016
Don’t drink the water. Don’t even bother boiling it. Corpus Christi closes schools and lines form for bottled H2O in a fresh scare over safety. Details today on the Standard.
What’s afta NAFTA? With a promise from the President-elect to pull out of the trade deal, Congressman Will Hurd gets an earful from Texans living along the border. And we’ll hear from the Congressman.
And the energy capital of the US is…Denver? Colorado snags BP operations from Houston. What the move means for Texas.
Plus the best Texas book from 2016? The editor of Kirkus Reviews says nothing else comes close. We’ll hear his pick –and why. Plus a whole lot more all coming up today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: December 14, 2016
The countdown is on- just 5 days left until a new rule takes effect across Texas, and no one’s quite sure how to implement it. The story today on the Texas Standard
Closing in fast on 500: across the border from what was recently called the safest city in the nation, a new surge in killings could shatter records. We’ll hear the backstory…
Also, a wave of resignations and a serious shortage of police in Dallas. This, only months after reports of an avalanche of applications from would be cadets.
And its official, but as Rick Perry prepares to be grilled for a gig as energy secretary, how do his past statements rate on the Truth-o-Meter? All that and much more today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: December 13, 2016
Commerce, education and…the third one… I can’t…oh yes: Rick Perry has been tapped for energy secretary. Is he ready? The story today on the Standard.
Federal officials come to Texas and get an earful from parents of special ed students. We’ll hear what they heard.
Also, notes of dischord among musicians in Fort Worth have some big city symphonies trying to maintain harmony. We’ll hear how.
From frosted flakes to shoes and home appliances: the new political frontier– is everywhere and everything. How the politics of what we shop for affects the state of our union.
Plus, potential SCOTUS picks and more…turn it up y’all , it’s Texas Standard time.
Texas Standard: December 12, 2016
An oil industry tycoon from Wichita Falls and a hacking scandal involving presidential politics. What do they have in common? The story today on the Texas Standard.
As college students cram for finals, an tumultuous test for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. One that could put the degrees of thousands of students in jeopardy.
Also, what’s the color of liquid gold? The west Texas town of Fort Stockton bets it’ll be crystal clear. We’ll hear why.
And the desiccation of the Alamo: will cooler heads prevail in the coming battle to save it?
Texas Standard: December 9, 2016
Breaking news: three top members of the Texas Veterinary board resign after a scathing state review. A state senator bites back today on the Texas Standard.
What’s the difference between a light drinker and a heavy drinker? It may be the genes. A possible breakthrough reported by a Texas researcher.
For the 30 thousand kids in the state’s troubled foster care system, a new plan to help them stay healthy, we’ll hear how it works.
One of the state’s best known Texas republicans opens up her political warchest to battle for women. The moment that sparked her outrage, and what she’s doing about it.
Plus the week in politics and much more—turn it up, it’s Texas Standard time.
Texas Standard: December 8, 2016
He’s one of the most colorful figures in Texas politics, and published reports say he’s a major source of fake news. His explanation? That’s today on the Texas Standard.
A state of emergency: with child deaths and case mismanagement making headlines, the Governor announces action to protect the most vulnerable kids in foster care. We’ll hear the plan.
A Texas measles epidemic by 2018? A warning from a top pediatrician about the state as a battleground over mandatory childhood vaccinations.
And a stir in education circles over a plan to force schools to share information about a child’s sexual orientation with parents.