Democrats and Republicans agree the U.S. needs to figure out immigration. But what exactly does that mean and how do we get there? We’ll explore. Also, gun policy at the Texas legislature. We’ll look at what passed and what didn’t. And what’s in the bills Governor Abbott just signed to address problems with the electric grid? Plus one view from Texas about the ongoing coronavirus crisis in India. And we’ll take a look at what researchers call the seven threads of Texas. Where do you fit into the fabric of the state? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
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Texas Standard: June 4, 2021
It is being described as one of the most important elections in Mexico’s history and the implications for Texas could be enormous. We’ll have more on the stakes for Texas as voters go to the polls this weekend in Mexico. Also, a major energy pipeline as a target for hackers? Foreseeable. But why was a slaughterhouse hit by a cyberattack, and what are the lessons for Texas? We’ll take a closer look. Plus the lone Black freshman representative in the Texas House on lessons learned from the just concluded session, and what comes next. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 2, 2021
The walkout at the capitol over voting restrictions sparks one kind of response from the governor, but a different tone from the GOP House speaker. As governor Abbott threatens to withhold legislative pay over the house’s failure to pass a restrictive voting bill, the GOP speaker of the House defends the democratic walkout that scuttled the bill. Also in parts of Texas hardest hit by COVID-19, vaccination rates now surpass those of the rest of the state. We’ll hear why. And the real death toll from the winter freeze and power outages, a new report claims a massive undercount.Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 11, 2021
Greg Abbott has a challenger in 2022 Gubernatorial race. And no, his name’s not O’Rourke or McConaughey. A former state senator and prominent north Texas businessman running for Governor to the right of Greg Abbott. We’ll talk about Don Huffines’ bid for the top spot in Texas government. Also the latest in our project tracking vaccinations across the Lone Star State, the texan reaching out to the reluctant. And last falls Texas school re-openings blamed for more than 40,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 800 deaths. What are the lessons from the data, and what about this fall? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 7, 2021
Changes to the states election laws approved by the house in the wee small hours of this morning. So what happens next? Richard Pineda of the University of Texas El Paso on the battle in the Texas legislature over more restrictions for what some voting rights groups claim are already some of the toughest voting rights rules in the nation. Also in a state with one of the biggest muslim populations in the U.S., not a single state lawmakers is a Muslim. How some in the Texas Muslim community are trying to offset a lack of direct representation. Plus a Grammy winner’s tribute to coastal Texas and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 5, 2021
Supporters call it constitutional carry, some law enforcement officials call it dangerous policy. As the Texas senate appears poised to pass a rule allowing Texans to carry handguns without a permit, Austin’s top police official weighs in on why he’s opposing such a change. Also, if you’re a renter should you be told you’re living in a flood zone? A proposed state law may make that mandatory. And the race to get more Texans vaccinated reaches a tipping point, and some wonder whether herd immunity is still do-able. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 26, 2021
Despite resistance from Republicans at the capitol, pressure mounts on Texas to expand medicaid. Bob Garret of the Dallas Morning News with an update on a push that could provide Medicaid coverage to more than 1.4 million additional Texans. Also, whatever happened to the George Floyd Act introduced in the Texas Legislature earlier this year? More on police reform efforts at the capitol. And the west Texas county leading the state in a major metric in the pandemic fight. Plus are the priorities shifting for a top Texas sports and tourism destination? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 31, 2021
Manslaughter indictments in the 2019 death of a Black motorist raising issues about the role of reality TV on policing, and the abuse of police power. Investigative reporter Tony Plohetski with details. Also, debunking myths about migrant children and teens being held in Texas, a Politifact check of claims about what’s happening at the border, the ripple effects of this year’s Suez bottleneck half a world away in the Lone Star State. Those stories and more coming up today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 30, 2021
As the Texas Senate votes to force power generators to better prepare for weather extremes, new insights on what Texans actually want. A new University of Houston hobby school survey on the impact of the February freeze and power outages, and how Texans want the system to change. Also more on an 8 billion dollar plan being pitched to Texas lawmakers that promises a 7 day power backup in the event of future emergencies. And as vaccines are rolled out in Texas prisons, a new report card on how well lockups and juvenile facilities in Texas have tracked the spread of COVID-19. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 29, 2021
As the trial for the murder of George Floyd gets underway, debate heats up on a Texas bill to punish cities that cut police funding. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re covering: a bill to prohibit public school athletes in Texas from participating on sports teams that don’t align with an athlete’s biological birth sex. And new numbers from the winter storm and subsequent power outages in Texas suggest the event was deadlier than Hurricane Harvey. Also, supermarket wars coming to North Texas? And remembering a literary giant. How Larry McMurtry challenged Texas mythology, and changed the way many view the Lone Star State. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 25, 2021
Once again, Texas in the spotlight as the nations attention turns to immigration and the thousands of undocumented minors coming across the southern border. Where to house them for how long and under what conditions? We’ll hear the latest from Dallas where a convention center has been converted into makeshift housing. Also, voter fraud prosecutions in Texas and a pattern of targeting people of color at disproportionate rates. And a major gulf coast energy project being shelved after much fanfare. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 22, 2021
50 years after they were declared unenforceable and illegal, could racial covenants finally be coming off property deeds in Texas? Coming up, Texas Senator Royce West on the push in the legislature to remove racial covenants from property conveyances and why this has become a priority. Also, Texas voices from the pandemic, the one from the previous century, that is. And the difficult task of calculating the loss to Texas due to COVID-19. Plus museums selling art to make ends meet. And the oil rally, already over? What it means for the industry and consumer prices at the pump. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 18, 2021
Bottlenecks creating a backup of detentions of young people crossing the border without documentation. We’ll have the latest on what’s needed as concerns grow over the detentions of young migrants. Also a wave of bills to restrict abortion rights in Texas taken up this week by the Texas legislature, abortion opponents seeing opportunity in recent changes to the supreme court. And a red hot real estate market in parts of Texas rivaling what we’ve seen in places like California. Demand up, supply down. Are more Texans getting priced out of homeownership for the long haul? Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 17, 2021
Large numbers of migrant children unaccompanied and undocumented being housed in shelters. So what happens next? Coming up democratic congressman Henry Cuellar on how the Biden Administration is facing pressure from both sides of the aisle over what to do about large numbers of minors crossing the border and being held in detention in overcrowded facilities. Also as violent crime rates go up in Texas’ biggest city, questions loom over the causes. And who’s in charge? The governor demands and gets the resignation of the last remaining public utilities commissioner in the wake of the winter outages. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 16, 2021
As federal officials warn of plans to use a Dallas convention center as an immigration holding facility, concerns grow at the border. Republicans are using the rising numbers of border apprehensions to point to a crisis there, meanwhile the Biden administration having difficulty finding shelter for thousands of young migrants in the U.S. without legal status. We’ll have the latest. Also a rift at the top of Texas politics? Plus Changes to voting laws in the crosshairs at the capitol? And an idea comes of age: home power storage for such as crisis as a winter storm. All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 9, 2021
An historic trial in the senate as the second impeachment of Donald Trump gets underway. We’ll look at the mechanics of the process and Texas’ role. Also, he was a newspaper columnist who became well known in North Texas politics and eventually- a U.S. congressman. More on the passing of Ron Wright and what comes next. And thousands of dollars for a single COVID-19 test? Lawmakers being asked to look into charges at freestanding ERs. We’ll also hear from a woman who made it her mission to deliver free fruits and veggies to communities with fewer healthy options. During this pandemic, her deliveries now more crucial than ever. All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 8, 2021
As the White House prepares for new directives in border enforcement, Texas democratic lawmakers push for immigrant rights changes.Coming up, our conversation with Texas representative Mary Gonzales on how democrats in the Texas legislature plan to press colleagues over immigration rights. Also in a part of Texas that’s long complained of air pollution and a lack of official response, communities are banding together to get things done. We’ll have a report from Houston. And oil demand still down, so way are gasoline prices on the rise? Plus a new Juneteenth mural that promises to be more than just a work of art. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 20, 2021
The beginning of a new chapter and a new era. With change coming to Washington, what are the implications closer to home? On this presidential inauguration day, what are the priorities for the 46th chief executive of the united states and what do they add up to for Texas? Coming up, we’ll hear from Texas experts, scholars and reporters on subjects ranging from what to expect when it comes to changes to environmental policy, immigration and asylum, the economy including the trillion dollar student loan debt crisis, dealing with the ongoing pandemic, and much more on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 8, 2020
He is set to become, if not a household name, a statewide presence in politics: just who is Dade Phelan and why should everyday Texans care? We’ll explain. Also, by court order, the Trump administration says it has restored the deferred deportation program called DACA. But recipients remain fearful of its future. Also the change in Texas law that left some Texas cities, hard hit by the pandemic with fewer hospitals than they used to have. And questions raised about why so many c-sections concentrated at certain Texas hospitals? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 23, 2020
Cars line up for miles outside food banks in our big cities. On this Thanksgiving week, the state of food insecurity in the state of Texas. As many Texans prepare for a big Thanksgiving dinner, others struggle with the choice of whether to leave the lights on or put food on the table. We’ll explore. Meanwhile health officials worry that holiday gatherings could become super spreader events. We’ll hear about the push for safety precautions to combat COVID-19 as case numbers rise statewide. Plus as national media focuses on the Latino vote, the case that the Tejano vote could be a better indicator. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard: