Alarming figures from the border show an 11 year high in the number of migrant families apprehended. But do the numbers add up? Just a few weeks ago, we were hearing that the claim of a border emergency was overblown, but now mainstream news outlets report what sounds like, at the very least, a crisis overwhelming customs and border patrol. We’ll try to get a better sense of what’s happening. Also, a first of its kind effort in Texas to be prepared for wildfire season. And a top doctor warns of a looming crisis in Texas health care. All of those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Barbecue
Texas Standard: February 7, 2019
A new migrant caravan reaches the border with Texas and president Trump puts more boots on the ground, we’ll have the latest. Also, political strategies are adapting to a changing Texas. With all eyes on 2020, is the GOP scared? Or is recent rhetoric simply a plan to turn out the faithful? And from plastic to metal: the switch that could bring 3D printing into a whole new dimension. Also, the artist who consistently delivers billions of views on YouTube, you may remember Gasolina, Dura and Despacito. We’ll look at his formula for success and so much more on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 3, 2019
The calendars have switched over to 2019 and that means some new Texas laws are or will soon go into effect. We’ll tell you what you need to know. Also, Mexico’s new president is making the entire border with the U.S. into a special zone to encourage would-be migrants to stay put. We’ll ask one expert whether the plan will work. Plus, jobs these days often involve sitting at a desk and getting food is as easy as pushing a button… How our hunter-gatherer bodies aren’t adapting. And have you ever seen an albino cockroach? It may not be what you think. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 29, 2018
An historic new era set to begin in Mexico on Saturday. What does Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador mean for Texas? We’ll explore. Also, it’s been more than a year after Hurricane Harvey. Whatever happened to those long promised fixes to the floodplain maps? We’ll take a look. And in the first Texas city to shift to 100 percent renewable energy, plans to redesign the neighborhoods of the future. Also, the big news this holiday season may not be buying the latest smartphone, but what we’re buying with those smartphones. Our go-to digital guru Omar Gallaga has got your number. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 1, 2018
Along a major bridge in south Texas, welders putting barriers in place. We’ll get a first hand look at steps being taken in an apparent effort to shut down the border. We’ll be talking with a reporter from the McAllen monitor about unprecedented work on a bridge spanning the Rio Grande and what it could mean in practical terms. Also, the FDA green lights what could be a life saving new flu drug even though the researcher behind it says it could have happened long ago. Why the wait? Think: money. And a deal by IBM turns the nation’s attention to Texas farms, and not the kind that grow crops either. All that and then some today on 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 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: August 16, 2018
Back to school: it’s not just kids returning to campus, but armed employees. We’ll take you behind the scenes of the effort to train and arm in-school defenders against future shootings. Also, talking machines: San Antonio researchers using machine learning to help Texans who stutter. And an historic road trip with the Green Book as a guide. Texas monthly’s barbecue editor on the search for cue in the Jim Crow south. Also the cub reporter in Houston who saved lives during a hurricane by changing how we see those storms on TV. Heard of him? All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 19, 2018
They may call it the reddest state in the nation, but when it comes to bagging the green, the party of the blues is going gangbusters in Texas. We’ll break down what that means. Plus San Antonio’s long been the site of the Air Force cyber command, but now we’re hearing of a shift to combat status? We’ll find out what’s up. And what to do about the feral hog problem. One Texas county says you figure it out: offering bounties to help cut down the wild pig population. Will it work? And you’re just about ready for the family’s summer road trip, did you remember to bring along tech support? Never fear, our very own digital savant is here and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 21, 2018
The president didn’t like the optics, he said, so he signed an executive order. Smoke and mirrors? We’ll take a much closer look at the presidential directive to end family separations and explore what its does and likely does not do. Also the impact of family separation on kids, and how this major story in the U.S. is playing in papers south of the border. And Texas democrats gather for their convention, we’ll have a preview. Plus a look over our shoulder at what the Texas GOP just did. A major change of position on the question of marijuana. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 24, 2018
Can schools identify violent students before they commit mass murder? After Santa Fe, the mental health of students in the spotlight. Governor Abbott’s roundtables on gun violence after the Santa Fe High School massacre getting national attention. Now the governor is calling on mental health screening programs to identify would-be mass murderers, we’ll have more. And a clean water shortage in hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico: how Texas is coming to the rescue. And the end of an era at the University of Texas El Paso: our conversation with the outgoing president, once named one of the 50 world’s greatest leaders. And epic low turnout at the polls: what does this tell us about Texas politics? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 26, 2018
Another Trump Administration official in the hot seat today after a slew of bad press. One who’s avoided negative attention? Former Texas Governor Rick Perry, we’ll explore. Also, the largest school district in Texas in turmoil? No permanent leader at the top and facing a potential state takeover. What’s going on with Houston ISD? Plus, you upgrade your TV or your phone but what do you do with the old stuff? Recommendations from our resident tech expert. And what the devil is devil sauce? We’ll take a little jaunt through BBQ history. We’ll also explore the history of a Texas town often overshadowed by the likes of the Alamo and a whole lot more on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 1, 2018
It could be more penny-pinching ahead for Texas lawmakers and the state budget. We’ll get the economic outlook from the Texas controller. Plus one year after President Trump announced an executive order restricting travel from some Muslim-majority countries. Now Texas immigrants from those countries still face uncertainty. We’ll have the story. And taking the pulse of US-Mexico relations as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heads south of the border. Also kids these days are exposed to a lot of technology from a very young age. What we should consider when it comes to childcare tech. Plus remembering the Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew 15 years after it disintegrated in the skies over east Texas. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 4, 2017
A big deadline approaches in Congress, this one affecting more than 120-thousand Texans. We’ll explore why the so-called Dreamers are in limbo. And another big issue in Texas: the high rate of moms dying during or shortly after giving birth. We’re getting new information about the problem. Also, if you’re decluttering for the New Year you may find old technology that’s no longer useful. We’ll look at what you’re using now that could be next to fall by the wayside. And a plate of Texas BBQ just isn’t complete without a cold glass/can or bottle of… what? A discussion on the best B-B-Q beverages. Plus we’ll introduce you to a Texas superintendent who has turned around a district despite some real challenges. Those stories and more today on the Standard:
Texas Standard: December 7, 2017
Should a gun license be treated like a drivers license? So one could carry anywhere in the US? The house green lights a landmark gun bill, we’ll have the latest. Also, he may not be a seasoned politician, but politics has long been part of his life. The son of a former governor becomes the second democrat in as many days to announce a challenge to Texas Governor Abbott. And a warning for parents using portable electronics as pacifiers: the digital playland’s not nearly as safe as some would have you believe. Plus a major Texas newspaper calls on Texas lawmakers to shutdown the government to force the issue of funding post hurricane Harvey. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 28, 2017
They say it’ll help balance the budget, grow the economy, create more jobs, but what does it add up to for Texas? We’ll explore. Also after this week’s highly watched senate race in Alabama, what’s the take away for Texas? We’ll hear how that election could have shockwaves for the lone star state, and for one top congressman in particular. Plus Homeland Security will start gathering social media information for all immigrants, an effort sparked by the 2015 San Bernardino attack. But what’s the government looking for and does it make sense for security? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 10, 2017
North Korea’s threat to fire as many as four missiles at a U-S territory, has many Americans on edge. We put Kim Jong Un’s words in perspective, today on the Standard. Also state lawmakers vote to undo a law they just passed in the spring. Why Republicans are calling a law to crackdown on mail-in ballot fraud a “well-intentioned mistake.” And self-driving cars sound like a dream for many commuters. How the new technology would change several aspects of life in Texas cities. Plus summer’s over for most Texas school children, but imagine going to school year-round? It’s a reality for kids at one elementary in San Antonio. And finding the perfect boots and barbecue – We tap into a little Texas culture to give you some guidance. Turn up your dial, it’s Texas Standard time:
Texas Standard: July 13, 2017
With the senate’s latest bid to repeal and replace Obamacare, but what about Cost? Today 4 big ideas to fix health care. We’ll have the prescription. Plus, the best kind of policy, many believe, is policy driven by academic studies. But a new investigative report shows a secret program at Google:
paying big money to scholars for research that would help the company get favorable regulations, we’ll explore. Also 5 years after A&M left the Big 12, what’s the score for college football in Texas. Plus the smokier the barbecue the better, huh? Texas Monthly’s barbecue editor says don’t be so sure. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 15, 2017
A border democrat meets President Trump in a one on one over dinner. Any questions? Congressman Vicente Gonzales joins us. Also a Texas GOP congressman calls for colleagues and everyday Americans to reset the tone control after yesterday’s shooting in Virginia. We’ll explore why that seems so hard to do. And a southern food writer calls out the lone star state for the tyranny of its brisket. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 25, 2017
Education savings accounts, opponents called em vouchers in disguise. Did that fight just scuttle school finance reform statewide? We’ll explore. Also the numbers are in: what does a new census report tell us about the shape of the Lone Star State? Plus there’s a law aimed at getting guns out of the hands of spousal abusers. So why are so few firearms actually taken away? A group of Texas law school students went looking for answers. We’ll hear what they found. And a rite of passage: passing into history. Why the summer job is in jeopardy. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard: