Some local law enforcement offices in Texas get a heads-up when ICE is coming to town, but others don’t. We’ll dig into why.
There’s new evidence that, no surprise, the online world isn’t always so great for today’s teens. Advice from tech expert Omar Gallaga on making it safer.
Gov. Greg Abbott has a new challenger for the 2026 election. What we expect out of a campaign from Austin Democrat Gina Hinojosa.
Taco journalist Mando Rayo shares what he’s learned from a few women in the culinary world.
A conversation with author Bryan Washington about his new novel, “Palaver,” about a man living in Tokyo, estranged from his family in Houston.
Border
Legal battle brews as Texas National Guard is sent beyond state lines
The Texas National Guard is being sent beyond state lines. We’ll unpack what’s driving the deployment and the legal battle brewing around it.
The ICEBlock app, designed to alert users about ICE agents nearby, has been pulled from app stores. Critics are calling it a violation of free speech.
Years after the pandemic lockdowns, what do we know now about domestic violence rates in Texas? A new report sheds light on what’s changed and what hasn’t.
And in today’s Hispanic Heritage Moment: the King of the Accordion, Flaco Jiménez, and how the six-time Grammy winner kept a Texas tradition alive.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Court weighs Texas redistricting fight
A court battle is set to begin over the newly drawn congressional maps. At stake is whether they go into effect for the 2026 midterm elections.
The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey joins us to talk about the recent rise in political violence.
Have you heard of 7-OH? It’s the latest drug cropping up at convenience stores. Now there’s a fight to stop the sale of what’s known as “gas station heroin.”
A new book by former CDC Director Tom Frieden offers a formula for better health – potentially saving millions of lives.
And today’s Hispanic heritage moment spotlights the trio of brothers known as Los Lonely Boys.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Rodney Crowell talks new album, career
A deadly shooting this morning at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas. We’ll share the latest details.
Workplaces across the state trying to calculate the implications of a new $100,000 fee for H-1B applications. We’ll hear more on the questions raised by the new policy and the possible fallout.
How college football in Texas and beyond is being reshaped by new NIL rules allowing for direct athlete pay by advertisers and sponsors.
And the return of Rodney Crowell: Music and conversation with a Texas songwriting legend.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Operation Lone Star moves beyond the border
From the border to the rest of the state, Gov. Greg Abbott’s crackdown on immigration enters a new phase.
The Trump administration’s creation of long, thin military installations along the border is affecting not just migrants but locals as well.
Texas has settled another opioid lawsuit. So where’s that money going?
After more than 20 years in Washington, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul says he will not seek reelection. What’s next for the Central Texas congressman and his seat.
If the idea of being too close to a stranger turns you off from a massage, a new AI-powered robotic massager is offering a different path to relaxation.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Some Texas counties switch to paper ballots ahead of midterms
No more QR or barcodes: Why Collin, Williamson and Bastrop counties are changing the way voters will cast ballots.
Housing affordability is a big issue in Texas, and three new state laws aim to address it. Will they work?
Many are concerned new Texas congressional maps dilute the voting power of Texans of color. But others welcome the changes.
Inside an ICE job recruitment fair in Arlington.
And: the bigger meaning behind the season’s first high school football game in Kerrville.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Houston archaeologists uncover tomb of ancient Maya ruler
The Trump administration releases billions of dollars in education grants it previously withheld. What it means as students head back to school.
How the U.S. military is responding to a new kind of warfare that uses small, inexpensive drones.
The story of a Cuban man who raised a family in Texas and spent years working for a school district near Abilene – and now is locked up in an ICE detention center.
A high school student’s plan to help schools coping with a shortage of mental health counselors.
And: A Houston husband-and-wife team of archaeologists have discovered the tomb of the ruler of the ancient Mayan city of Caracol, now in present-day Belize.
The rise of Maren Morris
As lawmakers return to Austin for a special session, who got the most accomplished in the regular? Why the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
With state legislators set to take up flood relief and related matters, we’ll hear how the region’s fairing two weeks after those deadly flash floods, and we’ll hear about efforts concentrated on the Spanish-speaking community in one of the hardest-hit counties.
A longstanding effort to provide healthcare services at the border, shut down over cutbacks.
Plus, Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Maren Morris is bucking industry expectations with a new album.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Climatologist explains what ‘1,000-year flood’ actually means
With the Hill Country devastated by deadly floods, many are asking: What’s a 100-year or 1,000-year flood, and are these terms outdated?
A closer look at how first responders from Mexico are helping in Kerr County.
A new report from the University of Texas at El Paso warns of growing job losses in Juárez’s maquiladora industry.
The health of America’s youth has “significantly worsened,” according to a new study. What’s driving the decline?
And: Fire up the grill – Valley pitmaster and YouTube star ArnieTex shares his new cookbook.
Trucking industry faces new border bottleneck
More rain pummels the waterlogged Hill Country, putting a pause on search efforts and bringing a new wave of weather warnings to the region. We’ll talk with James Hartley of KERA, who’s been in Kerrville this weekend.
Stuffed animals are strewn across flood-ravaged Texas. People are trying to get them to their owners.
The Trump administration is enforcing an English-language requirement for commercial drivers, and some Mexican truckers are losing their licenses.
Plus: Why is it so tough to get disaster alerts right? Wall Street Journal reporter Drew FitzGerald has been digging into the systemic failures.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Immigration crackdown hits touring regional Mexican artists
Why a stretch of border just over the West Texas state line has become the deadliest place for migrants.
How cuts included in the president’s “big, beautiful bill” could affect Texans who depend on Medicaid and Obamacare.
Why Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law the largest state-funded psychedelic research initiative in history.
Solar panel scams targeting Texans – especially elderly, disabled and low-income homeowners.
And regional Mexican music fans: some of your favorite bands won’t be visiting the U.S. because their visas were revoked.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Fear at immigration court as ICE arrests migrants there for a hearing
The race to be San Antonio’s next mayor was narrowed from a field of 27 to two. What to know before the runoff election on Saturday.
Arrests outside of immigration court have happened in El Paso, Dallas and San Antonio. Why activists say this tactic encourages migrants to break the law.
Texas is set to become the next in a handful of states to ban lab-grown meat for human consumption.
It’s Texas vs. Texas Tech in the Women’s College World Series championship, with Game 1 tonight.
And: We’ll explore Lucas Schaefer’s “The Slip,” a new novel set in late ’90s Austin and propelled by a mysterious disappearance.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
As the clock winds down, Texas lawmakers scramble to pass key bills
A look at the behind-the-scenes dealmaking happening at the Texas Capitol with less than two weeks until lawmakers gavel out on June 2.
How proposed cuts to SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, would impact Texans.
Apple has a plan to make it possible to use your laptop, phone and even smartwatch with brain control. Tech reporter Omar Gallaga says it’s no gimmick and could bring serious accessibility benefits.
Plus: A new coach, a new star – and a bumpy takeoff for the Dallas Wings.
10 years later, still no convictions in Twin Peaks biker shootout
A bipartisan bill on abortion has passed the Texas Senate and is making its way through the House. Why lawmakers agree it’s necessary.
It’s been a decade now since a deadly shootout involving rival biker gangs at a Twin Peaks in Waco. What an investigation reveals about how the case was handled.
Thousands of Brazilians live in Central Texas. How they’re feeling about those from their country being targeted for deportation.
Plus: We’ll take you to the Kentucky Club in Juárez, a beloved border bar and one of the last of its kind.
An Austin book club has been reading the same novel for more than a decade
Texas gets a lot of flack for its culture wars – but some note a change at the Capitol this legislative session.
More than a year after the state took over Shelby Park in Eagle Pass during the peak of illegal border crossings, it has now reopened to the public – and residents have bittersweet feelings.
After a big push from the Trump administration, Mexico promises to make good on water treaty deliveries to Texas. But farmers fear it’ll only be a drop in the bucket.
And: “Finnegans Wake” by James Joyce is so dense and experimental, one reading group in Austin has been working on it for more than a decade – and they’re still not even close to done.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.
Judge rules Trump’s use of Alien Enemies Act was unlawful
A South Texas ruling prevents the deportation of some detainees. What it means for the Trump administration’s strategy.
Houston’s large Afghan population is closely watching efforts to unwind programs providing them legal status in the U.S. Why many say they can’t return to their home country.
Some Texans will be headed to the polls tomorrow for local elections. A preview of some of the biggest races and initiatives, including one that would create a new company town.
Efforts to change what people can buy with food stamps, or SNAP assistance, are underway on a couple of levels.
A remembrance as this week marks 50 years since the fall of Saigon.
And: A new way to enjoy Texas Monthly – with a new series on PBS.
Remembering the ‘People’s Pope’
The Supreme Court halts deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. We’ll have the latest on the case involving migrants held in Texas.
He was called a “monster” by one of the survivors of the El Paso Walmart mass shooting. We hear from victims and relatives of those killed as the gunman is sentenced.
Pope Francis once made a high-profile visit to the Texas-Mexico border where he celebrated Mass on the banks of the Rio Grande. Residents on both sides of the river remember the People’s Pope.
How the tariff war with China could affect Texas.
And we talk to the South Texas author of the new novel “Futbolista”
Long-awaited historical marker will recognize Sherman Riot of 1930
The Justice Department announces the arrest of a Salvadoran gang member as questions grow about deportations and presidential power. NPR’s Sergio Martinez-Beltran gets us up to speed on the Trump administration’s deportation push, and the pushback.
Five years after COVID, why some health officials in Texas are worried about whether we’re ready for future pandemics.
Why the future of farming may be looking up – as in vertically.
And: This weekend, a historical marker will be unveiled at the Grayson County Courthouse to recognize the Sherman Riot of 1930.
Navy destroyer headed to the southern border region
A U.S. Navy destroyer armed with tomahawk missiles enroute to the gulf waters off the coast of Texas. What’s this all about?
Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of The Texas Newsroom with word that the Texas government appears to be maintaining a list of people asking for information about changing the sex on their driver’s licenses. Who’s compiling this list and what is it being used for?
Five years after the declaration of a pandemic, what’s happened with vaccination rates?
And an AI service used by millions for free is about to go behind a paywall.
Plus, why Texas Monthly’s barbecue editor is busy making his list and checking it twice.
Why did the Mavericks trade Luka Doncic?
With a de facto North American trade war set to begin tomorrow, Presidents Donald Trump and Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico announce a one-month delay on tariffs in exchange for added troops at the border.
What we learned in Gov. Greg Abbott’s State of the State address, where he announced some unexpected priorities.
And: A surprise deal by the Dallas Mavericks to trade away star Luka Doncic is sending waves of disbelief among Dallas fans and pro basketball nationwide.