Texas Standard
David Brown, Angela Kocherga & Laura Rice
April 9, 2026
Lawsuit challenges Texas crackdown on hemp-derived products
High stakes in Texas as cannabis businesses file suit over a new statewide ban on smokable hemp.This year’s midterm elections signal the biggest turnover in recent memory and Texas is part of that trend. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey on what’s behind this changing of the guard.Despite a tenuous ceasefire with Iran, tech expert Omar […]
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April 8, 2026
‘Western Star’ explores Larry McMurtry’s legacy and Texas storytelling
A proposed overhaul of Texas classrooms could change what millions of students read. We’ll look at how this could impact classrooms across the state.An investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales uncovers a pattern of pursuing staff members. What we know and how the congressman is responding.Billions of dollars in clean energy investment across Texas is now […]
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April 7, 2026
South Texas water crisis raises concerns about aquifer use
A deepening water crisis in Corpus Christi is raising questions about how South Texans get their water — and who gets it.For students pursuing job training instead of a traditional college degree, there are some long-awaited changes to financial aid. Now, new support could open doors for workforce programs.A reckoning over the legacy of Cesar […]
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April 6, 2026
What Trump’s election executive order could mean for voting
A runoff in the Houston area between challenger Christian Menefee and longtime incumbent Al Green is being seen as part of a much bigger fight for the future of Texas Democrats.Also, an executive order from the Trump administration may put the postal service in the middle of election-year politics.Also — explosions on the other side […]
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April 4, 2026
Texas Extra: City manager remains optimistic in the face of Corpus Christi’s water crisis
David Brown speaks with Corpus Christi city manager Peter Zanoni about how the city plans to beef up its water supplies, the state’s role and why no water emergency has been declared.
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April 3, 2026
Corpus Christi official says the city will never run out of water
Despite warnings of a water crisis, Corpus Christi’s top official overseeing water says “we will never run out.” Gov. Greg Abbott has warned of a state takeover if the city can’t deal with a water crisis. The city manager tells Texas Standard why he’s so reluctant to declare a water emergency. The maker of a […]
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April 2, 2026
What the Artemis II liftoff means for the future of space exploration
Control of Artemis II has been handed over to Houston: we’ll hear about the launch and what appears to be a big boost in interest in the space program. But it’s getting a little tight up there above the air: concerns about orbital traffic jams after a second Starlink satellite breaks apart. Texas prisons without […]
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April 1, 2026
Artemis II mission builds on lunar exploration legacy
What does it mean to born in the U.S.? It’s a question the Supreme Court is considering today. We’ll dig into what’s at stake.Guilty verdicts in the North Texas ICE shooting case meant a victory for the Trump administration in its fight against “antifa,” but how do we even define that movement?We’re heading back to […]
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About
Texas Standard is grounded in the best traditions of American journalism: fact-based, independent, and politically neutral reporting. The program is a one-hour daily news magazine that airs weekdays on more than 30 public radio stations across the Lone Star State. Visit texasstandard.org/listen to find it on a radio station near you. Or listen anytime to this podcast. Texas Standard is produced in the state capital in collaboration with KUT Austin, KERA North Texas, Houston Public Media, and Texas Public Radio San Antonio, as well as news organizations across Texas, Mexico, and the United States.
David Brown
David Brown is host of the daily statewide public radio news hour, Texas Standard. He is former anchor of the Peabody award-winning public radio business program Marketplace, and a veteran public radio journalist for more than three decades. Brown has covered national and international affairs for NPR and PRI’s Monitor Radio from bases in Atlanta, Boston, London, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. He has received numerous Murrow awards, National Headliner Awards, AP Broadcast honors and two Grand Prizes from the International Radio Festivals. Brown earned his Ph.D. in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, his Juris Doctor from Washington and Lee University School of Law, and is an active member of the California and U.S. Supreme Court Bars.
Angela Kocherga
Angela Kocherga is KTEP news director and also reports in the field on border issues including migration, the border security buildup, binational health, the trade. Her recent work earned a national and several regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. She is a 2019 recipient of the Maria Moors Cabot prize awarded by Columbia University for courageous reporting in Latin America in recognition of her body of work on the border and across Mexico. Emmy winning multimedia journalist Angela Kocherga is news director with KTEP and Borderzine.
Laura Rice
Though Laura’s official title with Texas Standard is Managing Producer, she actually wears many hats. Listeners will sometimes hear Laura on-air as an occasional host or reporter. More often, her work is behind-the-scenes. She helps make editorial decisions about what’s on the program and gives a second set of ears to the audio that makes it over the airwaves. Laura is passionate about working with the next generation of journalists through Texas Standard’s internship program. She also loves leading special projects for the team — including the National Edward R. Murrow Award-winning documentary “Out Of The Blue: 50 Years After The UT Tower Shooting.” Before joining the Texas Standard team, Laura worked just a few cubicles over in the local KUT Newsroom where she served as the station’s Morning Edition producer and fill-in host. Laura found radio after a start in television news. She worked as an anchor, reporter, and producer at stations in Austin, Amarillo, and Toledo, Ohio. She graduated from journalism school at the University of Missouri-Columbia and earned an MA from the University of Texas at Austin’s department of Radio-Television-Film.
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