abortion

KUT Morning Newscast for July 21, 2023

Central Texas top stories for July 21, 2023. Abortion hearings over Texas law ends. Austin ISD plans to hire more school police officers. Austin reduces lot sizes for houses in order to increase affordability.

New movie reminds us we’ve all been living in a Barbie world

Emotional scenes unfolded in what’s believed to be the first open court testimony by women challenging Texas’ abortion ban.

Reporters statewide offer an update on how Texans are coping with this record heat.

Details on a massive release of greenhouse gases in West Texas brought on by the heat.

How does the new movie ‘Oppenheimer’ stack up against history?

And as the ‘Barbie’ movie premieres, a look back at how the world’s most famous doll has been a source of both inspiration and debate for over 60 years.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 20, 2023

Central Texas top stories for July 20, 2023. Abortion hearing and testimony in Texas. Austin looks at SXSW pay for musicians. Hiring practices for Del Valle teachers.

How to keep yourself and your pets safe this Fourth of July

Texas prison heat is an issue we’ve highlighted on this program for years. Why it’s not being solved quickly.

Abortion access is one of the top political issues in Texas. So how did state lawmakers manage to quietly pass a bill clarifying exceptions to the ban?

On the eve of July Fourth, we’ll give you a checklist to run through to make sure people, pets and property are all well taken care of.

And how the Supreme Court’s latest ruling on affirmative action will impact the processes at some Texas colleges and universities.

New law will allow chaplains in Texas public schools

The Supreme Court just struck down two race-based university admissions programs. What does it mean for Texas?

Even though Texas lawmakers knew federal money was on the way for expanding high-speed Internet access across the state, they decided to also implement their own program. A look at why.

A new podcast takes a deep dive into the decisions that have made Austin such an expensive place to live – and one where people of color were systematically pushed out.

And a new Texas law set to go into effect will allow public schools to have volunteer chaplains or even to hire them as part of the staff. We’ll hear the argument against the law.

Title 42 expires as border braces for migrants’ mass arrival

The end of an era, and the start of what could be a dramatic new chapter in the history of border and immigration policy. Title 42 ends at the stroke of midnight, and predictions of a period of chaos at the border are coming from President Biden on down. We’ll talk to someone on the front lines of providing shelter and food to migrants crossing into the U.S.

What rights does a fetus have in a post-Dobbs America? How the end of Roe v. Wade has states testing the limits of fetal personhood.

Nueces County charges ahead with plans for a new Tesla lithium refinery despite concerns about some of Elon Musk’s other big Texas projects.

What’s in San Antonio’s ‘justice charter’?

Yes and no signs proliferate in San Antonio over Prop A. What’s behind the city’s so-called justice charter?

In Kyle, a corrections officer indicted in the shooting death of a person awaiting trial, and a family’s struggle to find answers.

Taking the STAAR tests online. Should there still be a paper option?

A push for more transitional housing for Muslim’s recently released from incarceration.

The story of a world premiere in Dallas for one of the most downloaded poets in the U.S.

And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

What more electric vehicles mean for the Texas electric grid

Momentum is growing among Republicans to use the U.S. military to take on drug cartels in Mexico in the fight against fentanyl. How serious is such talk?

More ripple effects following a ruling by a federal judge in Amarillo that would effectively ban the abortion drug mifepristone.

The Dallas Federal Reserve finds young adults feel increasingly disconnected from work and school – but there may be more to the story.

And with more electric vehicles hitting the road in Texas, how will the need for pluggable power affect the state’s electric grid?

What’s next after Texas judge rules abortion medication illegal

A ruling in Amarillo that could be the most consequential abortion decision since last year’s case overturning Roe v Wade. The ruling late Friday effectively bans Mifepristone, an abortion drug. But minutes after that ruling, another in Washington state orders the FDA to do nothing to restrict the pill’s availability. What happens next?

Two Democratic state legislators expelled last week in Tennessee. Could something similar happen in Texas?

And fentanyl: why experts are calling it the “social media drug”, and why interdiction efforts may be misplaced.

This West Texas town has been under a boil-water notice for nearly 5 years

State lawmakers heard hours of testimony on a bill that would restrict gender-affirming care for minors. Senate Bill 14 wouldn’t just end access to gender-affirming care for young Texans, it would also revoke the medical license of any doctor who provides it.

How Texas’ first family of oil and gas both regulates and profits from the energy industry.

And in far West Texas, the community of Toyah is dealing with a boil-water notice that seems like it will never end.

NASA’s new head scientist on the future of space exploration

Two lawsuits in Texas, one in Galveston and one in Amarillo, have potential impacts on a post-Roe v. Wade world. SMU legal scholar Seema Mohapatra on the implications for people seeking abortions in Texas and beyond.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn says he plans to block a Biden administration proposal that would allow thousands of migrants to live in the U.S. while their asylum cases are being considered.

We talk to Dr. Nicola Fox, who has been named NASA’s new head of science – a dream gig that comes with a $7.8 billion budget and responsibility for more than 100 missions.

And a new book, “The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine,” claims a hospital in Houston could serve as a model for improving health care access nationwide.

This Texas folk trio was lost to time – and that’s mostly OK with them

In an apparent first since the Dobbs decision, five women have filed suit against the State of Texas challenging the state’s abortion ban.

There’s frustration among immigration advocates amid reports that the Biden administration is considering reviving the practice of detaining migrant families who cross the border illegally, a policy initially shut down by the president shortly after taking office.

Tech expert Omar Gallaga on employer surveillance of workers and why it’s growing.

And the award-winning documentary “Nobody Famous” shines a light on the Pozo-Seco Singers, a Corpus Christi folk trio you’ve likely never heard of.

What happened during the Southwest Airlines meltdown?

What are the top priorities of Texas’ top officials? Gov. Greg Abbott delivers his State of the State address this week, and in the next few days we’re likely to hear which bills are set to take up priority slots for the Senate and possibly House. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom shares details.

A projected decline in Texas public school enrollment, and what that means for funding existing schools.

U.S.-China tensions are sky-high. How could it hit the home front for Texas?

And remembering Jeff Blackburn, a champion for the wrongfully convicted in Texas.

How Austin has changed

Last night’s State of the Union touched on immigration, inflation, gun violence and other issues. Richard Pineda of the University of Texas at El Paso joins us with analysis of the annual message by the president to Congress.

A legal challenge to an abortion drug and a possible decision from a federal judge in Amarillo that could come as early as this week, with potential implications nationwide.

Wage gains for migrants filling jobs in the U.S. and why a visa program for seasonal workers may not be working for U.S. employers.

And author Lawrence Wright on the astonishing transformation of the Texas capital city.

Big Bend National Park to add thousands of acres of parkland

Tridemic? One of the world leading virologists says its more like a Septademic. Dr. Peter Hotez joins us and talks about staying healthy during the holidays. Also as the humanitarian crisis on the border grows Governor Abbott is calling for an investigation of some of the non-profits helping migrants. We’ll explain. Plus, Google is making some changes that affect the results that show up in your searches including those shopping ads. Our go to tech expert Omar Gallaga takes us behind the curtains. And Big Bend National Park is about to get a little bigger with new areas to explore. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 09, 2022

On the day after midterms question marks loom over Washington, but in Texas, some big surprises for both sides of the aisle. Though Democrats didn’t manage to pull off victories in key statewide offices, they did manage to hold off a widely expected red wave in South Texas. Nonetheless, a GOP victory in one Texas district marks an historic turn in that region. We’ll have reaction from both sides as well as a closer look at the signals sent by Texas voters in the midterms. And what might results in Texas legislative races spell for the upcoming session? These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

 

Texas Standard: October 21, 2022

One more snapshot of Texas voter sentiment before Texas voters begin casting early ballots in the midterms. Jim Henson of the Texas Politics Project with what the latest survey says about how voters are leaning as we enter the height of election season. Also rumbling among some Republicans exploring whether there should be exceptions added to Texas’ abortion ban. And Oil company plans for a major carbon capture complex in Texas. Plus an investigation by Texas Monthly reveals an organized effort to establish a school voucher program through a small Texas public school district. Those stories and more and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 20, 2022

The Texas Secretary of State says inspectors will be sent to Harris county polling sites, citing breaches of election management in 2020. A Harris county official calls the timing of the letter suspicious. We’ll hear more. Also science fiction is now science fact, and big business, too. We’ll look at Texas’ role in the artificial intelligence boom. And after Hurricane Ian the ripple effects reaching the Texas citrus industry. Plus the Texas podcaster preserving some spooky storytelling traditions. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 19, 2022

As El Paso struggled to shelter rising numbers of migrants, did the White House scuttle the city’s plans to declare a state of emergency? We’ll take a closer look. Also with days before early voting, a race in San Antonio that has debates about policing in the spotlight. And Texas new abortion ban changing the conversation for people who are dating. Plus new research on deaths attributed to intimate partner violence in Texas. And some Texas ranch owners make an unusual discovery, not on their property but under it. Also the biggest birthday boy in Texas turns 70, a Politifact check and much more today on the Texas Standard: