Campaign

How big events like the pandemic lockdowns can warp our sense of time

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to get business records from Annunciation House, a group that helps migrants, is blocked by an El Paso judge.
As firefighters move closer to containing the blazes that have consumed large parts of the Panhandle in recent weeks, many locals are looking more closely at the causes and asking hard questions about why more wasn’t done to prevent those fires.
As politicians bicker over federal funding, members of the military and their families struggle with worries and fears amid a near-constant threat of a government shutdown.
And: Anyone else feeling a post-COVID time warp? What the science says about perceptions of time.

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.

Texas Standard: November 7, 2022

The midterms now just hours away. In Texas: 5 things to watch for as the returns come in Tuesday night. Although the battle for governor is at the top of the ballot, some say it’s the number two position that wields the most power at the Texas Capitol. We’ll take a close up on the Lt. Governor’s race. Also a focus on a contest for a congressional seat in North Texas held for decades by the same Democratic congresswoman. And families from Uvalde making a final pre-election day push. And how some schools will be closing on election day out of concerns over safety. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 3, 2022

The city and people of El paso paying tribute to the 23 lives lost in a racially motivated mass shooting three years ago today. As El Pasoans come together to honor and remember victims of the August 3rd 2019 mass shooting, the accused shooter remains in jail and has yet to go to trial. Julian Aguilar of the Texas Newsroom with the latest. Also, in a part of Texas were democrats have long won election after election, republican fundraising efforts suggest a major shift. And almost 5 years after hurricane Harvey, how Houston and how the lives of those affected have changed. Plus a Politifact check and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 10, 2022

The future of Roe vs. Wade on the ballot in Texas? Not exactly, but how might the issue resonate statewide come November? We’ll have a closer look at the potential political implications in Texas should Roe be overturned as many now expect. Other stories we’re tracking: a shortage of baby formula. What are families to do? Expert advice from Doctor LaJuan Chambers, a pediatrician at UT Health East Texas. Also the conflict in Ukraine creating difficulties there for needed prescriptions. But as humanitarian aid tries to fill the gaps, issues remain getting psychiatric drugs to combat zones. A possible solution and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: June 10, 2021

The Democrats have voter engagement strategies lined up ahead of the 2022 elections. But do they have a candidate for the top of the ticket? We’ll take a look. Also, Governor Greg Abbott has banned private businesses from requiring so-called “vaccine passports”. But can he do that? And what can businesses do? We’ll explore. And Texans rely heavily on groundwater resources. Would President Biden’s infrastructure plan really address concerns about its sustainability? Plus, you may by now have heard about Amazon Sidewalk. But what do you do about it? We ask our go-to tech expert. And prices are up on a whole lot of things. What’s behind the increase and is it permanent? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 22, 2020

A Beta test for southeast Texas as rains pummel the region, roads are closed, schools shift plans and officials warn to stay put, we’ll have the latest. Also, COVID-19 has hit retail hard, but what about retail politics? The pandemic’s impact on a political season like few others in recent memory. Plus, Latino political power in Texas: under lockdown or primed to make major waves on election day? We’ll explore. And the U.S. Department of Transportation gives the green light to the Texas bullet train connecting Dallas to Houston in 90 minutes. All aboard? Not quite. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 16, 2020

Despite less money and name recognition than the incumbent, some think MJ Hegar has a strong chance of making political history in November. Many political analysts think air force veteran and teacher M.J. Hegar has the best chance of reclaiming a seat in the US senate for Texas democrats for the first time in two decades. Also what losing a newspaper means for a Texas town, a teachers’ struggle to wear a Black Lives Matter mask at school, and 80 million unrequested ballots sent to voters? A Politifact check of that claim by the president and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 13, 2020

After almost two years, an inspector’s report on safety makes a hard landing at the offices of the FAA and Dallas based Southwest airlines. We’ll explore. Also, we’ll look at how a Texas senator seems to be leading a new trend of politicians getting into podcasting and in a big way. Plus, Texas is a major player in the streaming wars. But who’s winning? And who isn’t? We’ll take a look. And a death in the musical family of Willie Nelson. Biographer Joe Nick Patoski on the passing of Paul English. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 17, 2019

A Texas democrat in the race for president faces disappointing numbers and new calls to reconsider his political objective. That story coming up today on the Texas Standard. Disorder in the court? A commission set to reconsider whether Texas judges should have to run for office or whether partisan races undermine the independence of the Texas bench. Also amid boom times for oil, a warning of a petrochemical bust just five years away, and why Texas needs to take that into account right now. All that and a whole lot more on the national news show of Texas:

Texas Standard: January 23, 2019

The Supreme Court appears to take DACA off the table in shutdown negotiations, but where does that leave thousands of DACA recipients in Texas? We’ll explore. Also in the Texas Standard newsroom, another Supreme Court order we’re assessing: the impact of the reinstatement of the Trump administration’s so-called transgender military ban. We’ll take a look at the impact of those seeking to serve. And police, veterans, cancer research, political action committees have formed around lots of worthy causes. But where’s the money going? A look at so called scam pacs and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 31, 2018

It’s a Texas contest for U.S. Congress that may add up to more than a single congressional seat. We’ll take a look at that race and why the stakes are so high. Also, signs signs everywhere signs: a conspicuous number of Texas front yards enlisted in the 2018 midterms. Signs of the times you might say, but do political yard signs move the needle? We’ll take a closer look. And a Politifact check from the Texas Senate contest, and General Motors calls for the Federal government to issue its first zero emission standards. Should truck huggers across Texas tremble? Fasten your seatbelts and turn up the radio, because its Texas Standard time:

Texas Standard: October 17, 2018

Beto O’Rourke borrows from Donald Trump as he comes out swinging in what may be his final debate against Ted Cruz. We’ll have analysis and more. Also, the alleged slaying of a journalist by the Saudi government: given the ties that bind the Saudis to Houston, what could the crisis add up to for Texas? And the country’s first robot brothel getting pushback in Houston: what does the fight add up to? Florian Martin does the numbers. Also, the latest on historic flooding in hill country, and commentator W.F. Strong on the extreme highs and lows of one of the most dangerous jobs in the Lone Star state. All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 10, 2018

As a Category 4 hurricane bears down on the Florida panhandle, parts of Texas Hill Country try to recover from flash flooding. Also, after family separations at the border, a new concern grows: an AP investigation finds deported parents in danger of losing kids to U.S. adoption. Plus, do student athletes have a fundamental right to be protected from concussions? We’ll hear of a closely watched civil rights lawsuit filed by parents of an injured player. And a claim from the campaign trail: is marijuana really legal in most states? We run it by Politifact. All that and more, today on the Texas Standard.

Texas Standard: September 18, 2018

Official summons is what the envelope says. Would you open it? An election year fundraising letter triggers outrage and questions of legality: we’ll explore. Also our era of political coarseness and division, how will historians see us tomorrow? Pulitzer prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin tells us how history may be able to help us get thru our times today. Also a breakthrough curriculum for latino/latina studies. And electric scooters swarm the streets of Texas big cities, some see them a public nuisance, but could they signal better times for Texas bicyclists? We’ll take a look. And the tale of the last town crier in America and so much more on today’s Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 3, 2018

As Texans headed out for the long holiday weekend, a surprise ruling in a Texas courtroom over a Texas challenge to DACA. DACA is the Obama era program protecting young immigrants brought here illegally from being deported. Now a judge in Texas, considered sympathetic to the state’s claims to stop DACA, refuses to pull the plug. Why does Attorney general Ken Paxton think he’s closer to victory? We’ll find out. Also, labor day signals the final sprint in the race to election day. We’ll size up the top races across Texas. And a resurgence of unions? In the Lone Star State? The numbers say yes. All of that and a whole lot 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: April 3, 2018

It’s being described as an eye popping boost for Beto O’Rourke’s bottom line: a game changer in his race against Ted Cruz for senate? We’ll explore. Also, there’s more teacher walkouts over pay, now in Oklahoma and Kentucky. Should Texas teachers be taking a cue? We’ll explore. Also, tariffs hit home. How china’s reaction to U.S. trade policies are making a mark on the Texas economy. And clinical trials of new alzheimer’s treatments haven’t been going well. Now researchers in San Antonio may have discovered the reason. Plus, will you get your next car by subscription? Why some automakers are disrupting their own sales model. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 5, 2018

There’s Abbot and Valdez and White and who else? What does it take to make a mark in a contest like this? We’ll have details. Also, With just hours to go before primary day: gimme 5 takeaways: the university of Houston’s Brandon Rottinghaus on the big themes going into Tuesday. And 3-2-1-will we ever see liftoff by SpaceX in south Texas? We’ll have the view from the launch pad. And not since the days of sputnik: a milestone for a major Texas export. Hank Hill would be proud. All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 20, 2018

86 cents of every dollar donated to state-level campaigns in Texas went to Republicans. We’ll do the numbers. And it’s here: early voting is underway for the Texas primaries. We’ll explore the rules behind where you can cast a ballot and why. And a city on the Texas coast is making plans to become the first new cruise ship port-of-call in about half a century. We’ll talk with the mayor leading the effort. Plus, a big U-S company is changing the way they do healthcare and it’s turning some heads. It may surprise you which company it is. And we’ll also hear from the filmmakers behind a new movie about an event that thrust one Texas city into the national spotlight a few decades ago. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard: