A cloud of confusion over rulings involving THC and smokable hemp in Texas: What’s legal, what’s not, and why now?
In this midterm election year, a test of efforts to expand legal protections and access to voting for Texans with visual impairments. We’ll hear why researchers say barriers are still common.
Thousands nationwide are exonerated as laws banning “junk science” take hold. But in Texas, the state’s top criminal court has blocked defendants from using the state’s junk science law to get a new trial.
And new developments in the Strait of Hormuz. Any signs of relief for Texans feeling the pinch at the pumps?
Cannabis
South Texas water crisis spreads beyond Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi has been careening towards a water emergency, but it’s not the only city along the Gulf with water woes.
Another court battle over hemp, this time what stores can sell during a longer legal tie-up is at stake.
The United Arab Emirates is leaving the world’s most powerful oil cartel. We’ll look at what that may mean for OPEC and the prices we pay.
New rules for autonomous vehicles are now in effect in Texas, but some experts want to see more.
And commentator W.F. Strong has a story about a man who wanted to build a business in Texas and ended up with a global brand.
Artemis II mission builds on lunar exploration legacy
What does it mean to born in the U.S.? It’s a question the Supreme Court is considering today. We’ll dig into what’s at stake.
Guilty verdicts in the North Texas ICE shooting case meant a victory for the Trump administration in its fight against “antifa,” but how do we even define that movement?
We’re heading back to the moon. We’ll look at the goals of the long-awaited Artemis II mission and the countdown to what could come next.
If Texas stores can no longer sell smokable forms of cannabis but it’s legal to possess it, can your order it online?
And we’ll introduce you to some pampered pets. Why you might want to consider a catio.
Texas ban on smokable cannabis products looms
Texas lawmakers did not get through a ban on THC sales this past legislative session, but new rules restricting them are about to go into effect.
There’s been some confusing back and forth from the Trump administration on what exactly a border wall might look like in Big Bend.
Another Texas university is making changes to race and gender studies programs.
New so-called “man camps” are popping up in rural Texas. We’ll delve into what they’re for.
Plus, Austin’s biggest festival, South by Southwest, is coming back to town. We’ll have a preview of films with Texas ties and a music event that doesn’t require a badge.
Proposed THC rules draw backlash from hemp businesses
The Republican race for U.S. Senate heats up with incumbent John Cornyn raising a record amount of money ahead of the primary. We’ll dive into where the race stands there, as well as between Democrats Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico.
Six months after the catastrophic Hill Country flood, where do recovery efforts stand?
Hope for the future and fear nothing will change: How Venezuelans in Texas view their country’s future now that Nicolás Maduro is gone.
What closing the hemp loophole means for farmers, and how Texas is set to ban smokable cannabis by the end of the month.
And before Hollywood, there was the Star Movie Ranch, the first movie studio in Texas.
Tejano music mourns two foundational figures
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says a Wisconsin-based electronic health records company has a monopoly over the industry. We’ll have more on the AG’s fight against Epic.
Remembering a couple of major figures in the Tejano music world who we lost this past weekend: Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla.
Plus, counties are getting new equipment to warn residents before flooding strikes. What is it, and will it help?
The Texas ties to an infamous Atari flop
Gov. Greg Abbott seems to be taking THC regulation into his own hands. What we know about what he wants to change.
About 20% of Medicaid recipients lose access during the yearly renewal process because of all the red tape. How Texas researchers are trying to fix that.
Texas is home to more than 100 Hispanic-Serving Institutions, but new federal cuts could eliminate funding that supports these colleges and universities.
What to know about Texas House Rep. James Talarico, the newcomer shaking up the race for U.S. Senate.
Solving the Atari game mystery that’s been lingering for decades – and its connections to El Paso.
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Texas to ban sales of THC vapes starting Monday
State lawmakers are still debating whether to outlaw all THC products in Texas. But on September 1st, one of those products will become illegal, under a lesser-known measure that passed earlier this year.
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KUT Morning Newscast for August 29, 2025: Travis County continues to collect debris from July floods. But, where does it all go?
Central Texas top stories for August 29, 2025. Travis County crews have collected more than 160-thousand cubic yards of debris from the floods of July 5th. A new law takes effect in Texas on Monday that bans the sale of vapes and e-cigs containing THC or other cannabinoids derived from hemp. The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill last night aimed at cracking down on out-of-state doctors who prescribe abortion pills. Hopes and stakes are high in tomorrow’s season-opening football game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
KUT Morning Newscast for June 3, 2025: Bills banning guaranteed income programs fail at Texas legislature
Central Texas top stories for June 3, 2025. A bill to crack down on doctors from out of state prescribing abortion pills to Texas women died at the legislature. A bill banning guaranteed income programs in the state also failed. Austin farmers ask Governor Greg Abbott to veto Senate Bill 3, which would ban consumable hemp products in Texas. The Austin Bergstrom International airport has a new expansion.
Hidalgo County election overturned after being decided by handful of votes
Some top politicos are sensing that, for the first time in decades, this could be the year Texas sends a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.
Texas lawmakers are lining up to clamp down on hemp-based products like Delta 8 and Delta 9 being sold statewide.
Last fall, Edinburg City Council Member David White won re-election by just 10 votes. His challenger contested the results – and this past week, White’s win was overturned when a judge ruled that several votes were placed illegally.
A new book explores some lesser-known stories of courage from the D-Day invasion of 80 years ago.
And: Vigilante groups are repelling migrants at the southern border. What does law enforcement think about that?
Astronaut Christina Koch on NASA’s upcoming Artemis 2 mission
Tensions are growing in Austin over the use of DPS officers to augment local police.
Facing resistance to a plan similar to school vouchers, an alteration getting attention at the state Capitol is focused on students with disabilities. Talia Richman of the Dallas Morning News Education Lab has more.
NASA’s plans to return to the moon: We’ll talk with Christina Koch, one of the astronauts assigned to the upcoming Artemis 2 mission.
And on this 4/20, a closer look at the complicated relationship between country music and Willie Nelson’s favorite way to kick back.
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.
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.
The Gulf of Mexico is getting warmer
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom shares a look ahead at the Texas Legislature as bills make their way to committees this week. Plus, what could be a relatively rare bipartisan agreement: clearing the way for fentanyl testing strips as a harm-reduction measure.
How some Texas schools are dealing with teenagers caught with THC vape pens. Even though those vapes may be technically legal, some young people face felony arrests that can stick to their records.
And the Gulf of Mexico is warming at twice the rate of the world’s oceans.
What do Texans think about expanding legal gambling?
As Texas senators hold hearings on a new budget, they may get an earful from everyday Texans. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom shares his look at the week ahead in the Texas Legislature, and how you can weigh in on the budget.
Reducing property taxes is likely to be a big part of the discussion, but some say it’s high time to consider legalizing cannabis sales to offset property tax cuts.
Major casino companies are betting big on Texas. How do voters feel about that?
Also the King of Tacos, Mando Rayo, takes us on a tour of the Taco Mile.
Plan to prevent the next blackout heads to the Legislature
Historic job growth, but how sustainable? Economist Ray Perryman weighs in on the latest numbers.
As lawmakers prepare for bruising legislative battles ahead, one thing some Texas Republicans and Democrats agree on? Dislike of a new proposal to prevent future statewide power grid blackouts.
Watch your wallets online: our go-to tech expert Omar Gallaga with the latest on data breaches.
And high hopes in some quarters for changes to Texas cannabis laws.
What was on the menu this year
It’s been said that food is one of the best ways to understand a culture, and today, we’ve got quite the feast prepared. From migas to pecan pie, kolaches to Tex-mex, fried okra, cowboy cuisine, and everything in between; we review the year that was, in food and drink, in the Lone Star State. From a great Texas cookbook, to a cannabis cuisine trend, the invention of the “travel taco”, and secrets from the kitchen of a celebrated El Paso Chef. We’ve cooked up a special batch of Texas flavors for you today on the Texas Standard:
KUT Morning Newscast for December 7, 2022
Central Texas top stories for December 7, 2022. Texas State University cannabis policy changes. Public Utility Commission staffing problems. Tree of Angels lighting. Mayoral debate correction.
KUT Morning Newscast for November 9, 2022
Central Texas top stories for November 9, 2022. Austin Mayor runoff. City Council election results. Affordable housing. AISD Bonds pass. AISD Board of Trustees new members. Manor and Lago Vista keep CapMetro. San Marcos decriminalizes cannabis. Governor Abbott wins re-election. Railroad Commissioner re-elected.