After a little more than a year in office, the Texas Secretary of State is stepping down. We’ll look at why, and what it means for Texas. Other stories we’re tracking: how a Texan who may be mulling a presidential run in 2024 could, win or lose, shake up politics in Texas in a big way and why. Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News explains. Also the murder trial of a former Fort Worth police officer gets underway after lengthy delays. We’ll hear more. And the rise and fall of crypto and its impact on the Texas power grid. Plus, TCU: Cinderella no more as the Horned Frogs land in the college football playoffs. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
2020
Texas Standard: September 27, 2021
A full forensic audit of the November vote in Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties… but why? And why these four counties? The election audit was announced hours after a letter to the Governor from former President Trump. We’ll have the latest. Also, allegations of graft against Houston’s mayor results in the sacking of the person overseeing affordable housing. And call them signs of leadership: the former aide to Ann Richards finds a novel way to remind Texans of the former Governor’s legacy. The backstory on the Ann Banners. Those stories and much 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 23, 2020
Read any good books lately? We sure have. As we fast approach the end of the year, and a certain holiday known for gift giving we hit the stacks. They served on the front lines of a revolution in Mexico that revolutionized Texas, too. A new book reclaims the often overlooked stories of revolutionary women. Also, living the dream: the Texas author who’s writing the books she wished she’d been able to read as a kid. And a how-to book with a Texas twist you won’t find stashed away in the tool shed: how to be an astronaut and much more as we chat with authors about some memorable books of 2020 on todays Texas Standard:
Farewell 2020
It has been a bit of a rough year. Some might say, “dumpster fire.” This Typewriter Rodeo poem is a (not-so-fond) farewell.
Softness Surrounding
It’s been said many times over that 2020 has been a tough year. This Typewriter Rodeo poem is a reminder to be kind to yourself.
Texas Standard: December 7, 2020
Front line workers in Texas get to get COVID-19 vaccines but educators and staff are demanding a better place in in the vaccination line. We’ll have details. Plus as Texas lawmakers get ready to start a new session, both republicans and democrats prepare to take on issues of voter fraud and voter access. Also, powering up: with a new administration in Washington, what’s set to change for the energy capitol of the U.S.? And billions of federal dollars for pandemic relief and time’s running out for Texas to spend it all. Where’s the money going? Plus listener questions about COVID-19 and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 25, 2020
You now the saying so many books, so little time? Well if you’ve got an hour, we’ve got a page turner for you. We’ll take a trip to the library. From ideas about voting and civic duty, the untold story of a war often repeatedly revisited, an agent of change who might otherwise have been lost to history, the tale of a Texas music scene that breaks all the stereotypes and loving sports when they don’t love you back. Conversations with authors from across the Lone Star State and beyond as we hit the bookshelves for a very special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 10, 2020
He is a major political figure who has yet to publicly recognize Joe Biden’s victory in the general election. But he’s not a republican hold out, either. Texas democrats upset that the president of Mexico, a country often seen as maligned by President Trump, is reluctant to accept the outcome of the U.S. general elections. We’ll explore why not. Also, this is the season for the Texas legislature: packages calling for voting reform and more land at the capitol in the run up to the next session. And NASA says to a company in Midland with big plans for space. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 6, 2020
The magic number is 270. Is this the end of the general election of 2020? Texas-based political analyst Matthew Dowd joins us for an overall look at where we stand in the presidential contest and what it means long term for Texas. Also as COVID-19 spikes once more, it’s not just El Paso and more rural hotspots that need to be concerned. We’ll have an overview of the state of the virus in the Lone Star State as we approach the holidays. And new findings about covid spread among Texas contruction workers raising danger signs nationwide, plus the week that was in Texas politcis with the texas tribune and a whole lot more when the TS gets underway right after this.
Texas Standard: November 4, 2020
A new political landscape in Texas? Not quite. On the day after the general election, what has changed, what hasn’t, any why? The dominant narrative in the run up to election day was how an historic turnout in a state seldom considered in play in recent years might change the political map of the Lone Star State. Notably: the power of younger voters, the Latino vote, and the fight for the suburbs. Donald Trumps six point margin of victory, and republican retention of control of the Texas house raise many questions about expectations and assumptions in the run up. We’ll explore that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 3, 2020 Election Night Coverage
From the capital city of Texas and with reporters across the Lone Star State, it’s special coverage of election night in Texas. Polls are just now closing across Texas, and in just a few minutes we’ll be hearing from reporting partners in El Paso, Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and beyond on a night that may well set election records and make history in many ways. Democrats hoping to flip control of the Texas house, congressional seats once reliably republican are battlegrounds, and the race for Texas 38 electoral votes is reported to be tigter than at any time in decades. It’s a special election night coverage of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 3, 2020
It’s the final countdown to what some fear may not be a final countdown tonight. As Texans go to the polls, we’ll tell you the latest and what to watch for. With a presidential race that appears to be more competitive in Texas than it has been for decades, and 8 million voters having already cast a ballot in Texas, and more in line as we speak, Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post and Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune join us live to talk about the issues on this election day. Also a closer look at how the vote counting process will play out across the Lone Star State, professor Steven Vladeck with the legal issues at play and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 2, 2020
One final push before election day 2020. Where do we stand? And what should Texans be looking for as returns come in tomorrow? Reporters from our partners in Dallas, Houston, El Paso and more with the latest on the general election as we prepare for a final vote in the general election and what many expect to be a long final tally. Also the many issues voters will be deciding across the Lone Star State that often get squeezed out by the big banner headlines. Plus a celebration of 20 years of life in outer space and the death of a very good machine puts some El Paso musicians in the international spotlight. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 28, 2020
Election day is just around the corner. We’ll start the show with what you need to know here in Texas to make sure your vote is in on time. And we’re watching some U.S. House races that could be up for grabs. There’s been a lot of attention on historically red seats going blue, but at least one Democratic incumbent also appears vulnerable. And we’ll also turn our sights away from election talk for an update on something else with long-term effects on the state: coastal flooding and how a new policy change could impact how we prevent it. And we’ll fact-check a claim about Texas taxes and business regulations. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 27, 2020
There’s some hope from the left Texas could go blue in the presidential election, and some likelihood it could when it comes to the state house. We’ll explore. Also, the divisive state of politics right now has many concerned about the risk of violence on or after Election Day. We’ll dig into news Texas Army National Guard troops will be deployed. Plus, misinformation going out before an election is nothing new. But evidence it’s targeting Spanish-speaking communities. Also, when counties can turn any building into a polling place it often means many of those buildings won’t be fully accessible. And a small-town Texas story is getting its shot on the big screen. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 26, 2020
Coronavirus case numbers exploding in El Paso. We’ll look at how the city is trying to treat patients as hospitals reach capacity. Also, just over a week left to Election Day and it’s far from just the Presidential race on the ballot. We’ll highlight one sheriff’s race that’s heating up. Plus, transitioning from oil is something even the oil companies are thinking about. We’ll learn today why hydrogen might be a clean, but not so simple, option. And remembering Jerry Jeff Walker. Texas troubadour, Cosmic Cowboy, and misbehaving musician. Those stories plus a local debate over masks, a spooky anthology and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 22, 2020
Across the Lone Star State, Texans expected to be tuning in tonight for political fireworks show, but what about policies? We’ll set the stage for a final debate. Plus, Texans looking for unemployment benefits will soon have to once again prove they’re looking for work, but what constitutes a work search in the eyes of Texas officials? We’ll take a closer look. And in Collin county, it’s the academy versus free speech as a professors’ tweet roils a college campus. And a freeze frame on a music scene almost forgotten from 40 years back. Plus, fake news for real? A warning about a rising force in local news that has experts advising don’t believe everything you read. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 21, 2020
As Texas’s Governor takes steps to lift pandemic restrictions on businesses, worries grow for a Texas hotspot nearing critical levels, we’ll have details. Plus, 2020 has left tens of thousands in the oil and gas industry unemployed. Now many in the energy capitol of the world looking to Thursday nights debate and what the candidate will have to say about changes in policies. Also, reports of involuntary sterilizations among women in immigration detention. We’ll have a talk with the Texas representative calling for a congressional investigation. And as voters try to limit contact with others due to COVID-19, a method of casting a ballot less talked about than the mail in option. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 20, 2020
Politicians often hope that political coattails can boost their chances, now it appears republicans are trying to cut them off as fast as possible. The story today on the Texas Standard.
We’ll hear why John Cornyn is trying to distance himself from the White House and what may reveal about how the GOP sees its’ chances for November. Also, Governor Abbott concerned too, digging into his own political pocketbook to back Texas republicans down-ballot.
Cutting the cord, involuntarily- pandemic protections against utility disconnections slip away leaving many in danger.
And you’ve heard of the “sleeping giant” in Texas politics? It maybe time to put the metaphor to rest…
Those stories and a whole lot more.