With the presidency and a majority now in the U.S. Senate, Republicans are eyeing a trifecta of power by capturing the seats needed for a slim majority in the House. But several races still need to be called. What’s taking so long?
Elon Musk spent a great deal of his time and money helping Donald Trump win another term this fall. Will Texas’ wealthiest man have a role to play in the Trump administration?
And: More than half a million undocumented immigrants protected from deportation under the DACA program are now worried what the future holds come January. Stella Chávez of The Texas Newsroom has the story.
congress
What to watch on Election Day 2024
lection Day 2024 has arrived, and we’re checking in with reporters across the state as Texans cast their ballots. Plus, what to keep a close eye on tonight after the polls close.
A new survey predicts Dallas-Fort Worth is poised to become the hottest real estate market in the country in 2025. What it means for the people living there.
A new book, “A Natural History of Empty Lots” explores forgotten spaces. Author Christopher Brown discusses what he’s learned.
And: An update on plans for a new Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth.
The challenges facing Texas food banks as hunger rises
At least three members of Congress from North Texas have decided not to run for re-election. Is it a broader signal for Texas politics? Alexandra Samuels of Texas Monthly has more.
One man and thousands of open records requests: A push for government accountability? Or something else?
Texas veterinarians are keeping a close eye on the spread of a deadly respiratory illness affecting dogs. We’ll learn more about what to look for.
And Texas food pantries say they’re serving more families than ever.
What to watch for as the Texas Legislature sprints to Sine Die
With just 19 days to go before the end of the 88th Texas legislative session, where do we stand?
A bill to raise the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle made it out of a House committee – but as the Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports, it may not get much further.
Hundreds of migrants line up in El Paso for processing in advance of a major change to immigration policy tomorrow.
What some believe is a banking crisis: Should Texans be worried, and should there be a different approach to regulation?
Also, the story of a teacher fired in 1975, and why it resonates with the politics of Texas today.
El Paso scraps plans for multimillion dollar arena
Another day, another attempt to elect a speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Fights over who should lead lawmakers aren’t limited to D.C. There have been similar surprises in Pennsylvania and Ohio. So could it also happen in Texas? Brandon Rottinghaus of the University of Houston shares his insights. Also Bloomberg with a list of ten lawmakers to watch in 2023: one’s from Texas, and the choice just might surprise you. Plus with a controversy over LGBTQ content in libraries, city leaders in Huntsville decide to put the library in the hands of a private company. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
What this cold snap means for Texans experiencing homelessness
A last minute scramble to keep the Government funded as Texans clamber in advance of dangerously cold weather. We’ll have more on efforts to piece together a 1.7 trillion dollar spending bill; much debate centering on what’s happening at the border. Also as Texans prepare for a blast of Arctic air, we’ll speak with an official in Irving who’s been mobilizing efforts to help folks in the metroplex experiencing homelessness, who are especially vulnerable. Also a crisis among caregivers assisting Texans with disabilities. These stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Almost 1 in 10 Texas hospitals at risk of closing
A new sort of crisis for Texas hospitals as experts warn one in ten statewide could close; one in four in rural Texas. We’ll have more on that story. Also, why the city of Uvalde is suing Uvalde county as investigations into the shooting at Robb Elementary continue. And the usual trajectory: high school then a bachelors degree, but what about both at the same time? A project to take early college in Texas to the next level. And after more than a hundred years in the dark, the return of a landmark beacon to the Texas Gulf Coast. Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune. All this and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 16, 2022
With an expected split in power on Capitol Hill, what does that mean for Texans? Coming up, the Texas Tribune’s Matthew Choi on bills that could affect Texas in a big way, and the potential for gridlock In Congress. Also, after the winter power disaster of 2021, Texas officials rolling out a plan to help one of the most vulnerable groups of Texans: dialysis patients. And for the first time since the end of the Apollo program, NASA takes a giant leap to the moon. More on today’s launch of Artemis 1 and what’s ahead. And with interest rates rising and turbulence in the housing market, the Dallas fed raises red flags. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 09, 2022
On the day after midterms question marks loom over Washington, but in Texas, some big surprises for both sides of the aisle. Though Democrats didn’t manage to pull off victories in key statewide offices, they did manage to hold off a widely expected red wave in South Texas. Nonetheless, a GOP victory in one Texas district marks an historic turn in that region. We’ll have reaction from both sides as well as a closer look at the signals sent by Texas voters in the midterms. And what might results in Texas legislative races spell for the upcoming session? These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 8, 2022
Congress is on the cusp of passing climate legislation that has major implications for the Lone Star State. The multi-billion dollar package does quite a lot of things, but focuses on measures that will slow global warming. We’ll have the details today. Plus Houston’s food scene bows to no one. Why one new writer in the Bayou City says it’s among the most exciting food places on the planet. And putting artificial intelligence to good use: a new Texas partnership is trying to figure out how. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 13, 2022
Less than democrats hoped for but more than they expected, that’s how a new bipartisan gun safety deal, led in part by Texas Senator John Cornyn, is being characterized by some. We’ll hear what’s in it and what isn’t. Also, the tight market for homes in Austin and elsewhere in Texas; would-be homebuyers might be surprised what they’re up against. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 1, 2022
This year’s first test of the state’s power grid; what to do to prepare for wintry weather on the way. Also, the Texas politician who apparently has his eyes on a 2024 presidential bid…if Donald Trump isn’t running, that is. Plus, what to look for in the upcoming primaries. These stories and more, today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 17, 2021
An historic change coming to the US military in the wake of the 2020 killing of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen. That story and more today on the Texas Standard.
Coming up, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia on the changes coming with the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, now on the President’s desk. We’ll have the latest.
Also, a battle in the Texas Hill country over efforts to go solar- the pushback coming from a local power provider.
And a new space telescope that can see deep into the universe and into the past. We’ll talk with the Texas professor co-leading an important project. Plus, the week in Texas politics and much more.
Texas Standard: November 23, 2021
After 30 years in Congress, a top Texas Democrat decides not to run for another term. Our conversation with Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson. Also, small town Texas was once a haven for those fleeing rising home prices in Texas’ cities. Not so much anymore. The Texas Standards Jill Ament on housing affordability in small town Texas. And a house divided: a split at a Fort Worth church leaves congregants picking sides and picking up the pieces. And what’s been described as a victory for the Land Back movement as ancestral burial grounds in Presidio are returned to the Lipan Apache. Those stories and much more on todays Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 19, 2021
More than 20 Texas representatives say they won’t be seeking re-election next year. The latest to announce, one of the most senior members of the house. Our conversation with Garnet Coleman of Houston on why after 30 years, he’s stepping aside. Plus from natural disasters to COVID-19, Army and Air National Guard troops have been on the front lines. Now signs of strain in the ranks of the guard. We’ll have the latest. Also a more complicated history of Thanksgiving than the story so often retold and how to talk about it with kids. Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Why, Jerry?
With new census numbers finally available, lawmakers are drawing new maps for political representation. It’s no surprise that those with the pen seem inclined to make the lines in favor of themselves or their interests. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: September 28, 2021
People of color accounted for 95% of Texas population boom in the last decade. What does this mean for political maps? Abby Livingston of the Texas Tribune helps us read between the boundary lines. Also hurricane season doesn’t end til November 30th, but is it already over for Texas? A team of Texas meteorologists with a bold prediction. And trouble for Houston’s former top cop Miami chief Art Acevedo…we’ll hear why. And the passing of a transformative force in higher education, remembering UTEP’s Diana Natalicio. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 30, 2021
We’re going into another academic year that will be impacted by the pandemic. What we know now about how it’s affected student progress. Also, the DACA program can no longer accept new applicants based on a Texas judge’s ruling. So what’s that mean going forward? And the pandemic’s impact on employment has meant some gains for Americans with disabilities. What employers can learn. Also the pandemic’s partly responsible for Texas’ frenzied housing market. But will the bubble burst? We’ll ask an expert. We’ll also remember a dark day in Texas history, 55 years ago. And we’ll wrap up our Friday with the top news from this week in Texas politics. All of that today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 28, 2021
New CDC guidelines on masks in schools this fall. Now one of Texas’ biggest teachers groups is sounding an alarm. The Texas state teachers association calling on Governor Abbott to drop his order against mask mandates as school districts prepare for a return to the classrooms and the Delta COVID-19 variant drives up cases and hospitalizations statewide. We’ll have the latest. Also the relationship between vaccination rates, media literacy, and what can be done to improve both. And an auspicious anniversary for the state’s top law enforcement official. A Politifact check and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 26, 2021
As a new variant of COVID-19 takes hold in Texas, we’re learning about one of the deadliest places to be in Texas after the pandemic hit. After the pandemic first gripped Texas, veterans homes overseen by George P. Bush suffered fatality rates of 25% or more, well above the statewide average for nursing homes. We’ll talk to one of the investigative reporters behind these new findings. Also, the Governor’s bid for re-election: two challengers so far, but how much of a contest is it shaping up to be? And an effort to turn back time at Fort Stocktons Comanche Springs plus a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard: