President Trump considers a move that has brought together resistance from the left and the right. The stakes for U.S. involvement in a new Mideast war.
Juneteenth is a holiday marking freedom for people enslaved in Texas, a proclamation announced in Texas on this date 160 years ago, now celebrated across the U.S.. The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana takes us to the city where that event took place.
A new audit reveals widespread failures in how complaints about local jails are overseen by the state agency in charge.
Plus: We’ll mark National Great Outdoors Month by revisiting some of our favorite stories about the outdoors, part of our 10th birthday celebration here at the Standard.
Donald Trump
Protests erupt over immigration raids as Abbott calls in National Guard
Gov. Greg Abbott is calling National Guard troops into Texas to respond to immigration raid protests in the state.
Texas had a new speaker of the House this legislative session. So how did Rep. Dustin Burrows handle the job?
Flights out of the busy, and getting busier, Austin airport have been increasingly delayed because of staffing shortages. How it’s affecting passengers.
President Trump reportedly wants Texas to re-draw district lines to favor Republicans – but some in his party aren’t so sure that’s a good idea.
And: We’ll introduce you to Los Pink Cheese Green Goes, a three-piece band making its unique mark on the Spanish-language pop scene.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 2, 2025: Roughly 3,200 people experience homelessness in Austin on any given night.
Central Texas top stories for May 2, 2025. A tornado touched down in Burnet County yesterday, a house and a building were destroyed. Protesters marched down Congress Avenue in Austin yesterday to speak out against the Trump administration. The number of people experiencing homelessness in Austin and the surrounding counties has increased by about 36 percent, according to the latest point-in-time count. Voters will be going to the poles this weekend for the May 3 elections. The Austin Independent School District is working on plans to turn around three campuses that have received several failing grades in a row from the state.
Interview: PBS CEO says “this time is different” with threatened federal funding cuts.
President Donald Trump tried to fire three members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting even though it’s not a government entity. Now, they are suing him. KUT’s Jennifer Stayton talked to PBS CEO Paula Kerger about how public television is funded and how federal funding might be in jeopardy. This is not the first time there has been talk of defunding public media, but Kerger says “this time is different.”
100 Days, Two Americas: A Texas Standard / California Newsroom Special
We’ve been here before, but this time feels different. President Donald Trump has rounded out 100 days in office, but getting a grasp of this moment in our country’s history is a challenge. Whether what’s unfolding is good or bad depends on where you look, and who you ask. This hour, we’re getting a snapshot of Trump’s second term by exploring what it’s like in California and Texas. The country’s two largest states, in population and economies, but living different versions of the same America. This is a special collaboration between the Texas Standard and the California Newsroom, “100 Days, Two Americas.”
UT Austin professors fear Trump administration’s funding cuts will derail life-saving research
The Trump administration has been slashing funding for a federal agency that supports biomedical research across the U.S. KUT’s Olivia Aldridge and Becky Fogel talked to UT Austin professors who say funding from the National Institutes of Health is essential for running their labs.
Valley bakery raid sparks immigration debate in region swept by Trump
The Texas House has approved its version of the state’s two-year budget. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom gets us up to speed on what Texas’ representatives want to spend taxpayer money for, and where they’ll have to work out the kinks with the Senate.
A test for President Trump in South Texas – and how a certain bakery there came to play an outsized part in the political drama.
They call it Y’all Street: What the emergence of Dallas as a financial center means for Texas and the big money business.
And: Five years after COVID, how have high school sports changed?
All eyes are on Texan Scottie Scheffler at the Masters
More than 500 student visas are revoked, many in Texas. What’s happened, why and what could come next.
With Texas lawmakers considering bills affecting public schools, how some students are deciding to get involved themselves.
Tech companies are teaming up with video game makers to develop new standards for accessibility.
A golden age of Texas golf is shining bright in Augusta. Kevin Robbins talks about No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the Texas showing at the Masters and his latest reporting for Texas Monthly.
Also: As we continue to celebrate the Texas Standard’s 10th birthday, we’re sharing our top 10 Typewriter Rodeo poems.
Trump’s new tariffs could hit Texas businesses hard
One of Texas’ top economists weighs in on the impact of Trump’s tariffs, what looks like the end of a U.S.-led free trade era, and what it could add up to for Texas.
It looks like John Cornyn may have a serious challenger for his seat in the Senate: Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The latest AI trend has users generating images in the style of animator Hayao Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli works, sparking debates over copyright and artistic integrity.
Our March Madness bracket for the best song about Texas comes right down to the wire. Your vote could decide it all.
And: We’ll hear from Zell Miller III, Austin’s inaugural poet laureate.
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.
‘Uvalde Mom’ profiles woman behind viral act of bravery
Protests planned and hearing scheduled at the Capitol this week. The issue? Taxpayer money for private schooling. Blaise Gainey of the Texas Newsroom with the latest on what to expect this week at the Legislature.
Millions in federal funds to help legal immigrants is now being held up in D.C. How is this affecting services in Texas?
Prices at the pump – how are on again/off again tariffs having an impact on what we’re paying?
A new documentary debuts centering on the woman dubbed by the media as the “Uvalde Mom.”
Also, dismay among many Texans who work with fabric and crafts as a mainstay retailer unravels.
Why Texas is so vulnerable to tariff impacts
Texas is in the crosshairs as tariffs against Mexico and Canada take hold. Why, what it means, and could short-term pain add up to long-term gain?
At the state capitol, a bill aimed at raising wages for workers who care for people with disabilities. Why some fear it won’t be enough to stem a critical shortage of such workers in Texas.
“Office Space” may have been a funny movie filmed in Texas, but there’s nothing funny about what a glut of unused office space is doing to the state’s metros. How one city’s trying to deal with the repercussions.
Speaking of movies, oh the horror! Why so few of the scary variety get critical acclaim, despite a growing public appetite.
A year after the Smokehouse Creek Fire
One year later, how are people in the Panhandle managing recovery after the biggest wildfire in Texas history?
The impact of DOGE cuts hits national parks in Texas, including a historical park in San Antonio. Jack Morgan of Texas Public Radio has more.
Capital Metro, Austin’s transit agency, saw its payment system collapse for about a month in 2024. We’ll hear what went wrong, and what’s happening now.
And: With egg prices going up, have you considered raising your own chickens? Lots of Texans have – but you might want to think twice.
What potential mass layoffs at the IRS could mean for your tax filing
Amid reports of mass layoffs at the IRS, what does the math look like for tax season?
More than a million Texas kids have been kicked off Medicaid rolls since 2023. What’s happening? We’ll talk with a reporter at Public Health Watch.
Texas school districts are racing to meet a deadline to move students getting special instruction for dyslexia onto full special education plans, a move many parents say is long overdue.
And: Is Houston in East Texas or Southeast Texas? Texas Monthly publishes its ultimate map of Texas’ regions. We’ll talk with the Texanist, David Courtney.
As Elon Musk veers right, some Tesla drivers in Texas are saying ‘hell no’
For years, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk was politically neutral or even leaned left. Now, he’s aligned himself with the conservative right and is also the face of the dramatic cuts being made by the Department of Government Efficiency. The Texas Newsroom’s Lauren McGaughy talked to Tesla drivers in Texas, some are feeling alienated.
KUT Morning Newscast for February 24, 2025: Hays County officials are warning about a possible measles exposure in Central Texas.
Central Texas top stories for February 24, 2025. Public health officials say declining vaccination rates are driving an outbreak of measles in West Texas. Now, Central Texas officials are warning about a possible measles exposure in San Marcos and San Antonio. Congressman Greg Casar held his first Austin town hall since President Donald Trump returned to office last month. The median sales price of a home in Austin is up slightly compared to this time last year
Cracking the mystery of sea turtles’ ‘lost years’
A new survey gives some strong indications what Texans make of the 47th president and what that portends for Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s re-election prospects.
Apple and Microsoft have followed Google in renaming the Gulf of Mexico on their maps after a Trump executive order. Tech journalist Omar Gallaga explains what’s behind the change, and whether it fits into a broader shift in Silicon Valley.
For decades, scientists have struggled to track young sea turtles between hatching and adulthood. Now, researchers may have some answers.
And: Elon Musk is making headlines in D.C. – but back in Texas, he’s been quietly growing his business empire outside of Austin.
‘Petflation’ is real, and a Texas lawmaker wants to help
How President Trump’s new tariffs on steel and aluminum will impact a wide range of companies across the state.
Slashing federal grants that fund overhead for research labs will save some money but also hinder life-saving research.
Texans know the price of feeding your dog or cat has been rising. A state lawmaker wants to provide some relief by eliminating the sales tax on pet food.
Are electric cars inevitable? In his new book, Wall Street Journal reporter Mike Colias says yes.
And: 30 year’s after Selena’s death a new children’s books series pays tribute to the Tejano star’s life.
A year after the Smokehouse Creek Fire, recovery is still underway
Concerns are growing about a measles outbreak in West Texas as some legislators push to rollback vaccination requirements.
It appears the threat of cutbacks from the federal government may already be having an effect on health services for veterans.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted targeted enforcement actions in Austin last month, and Hispanic business owners say the impact has been immediate.
And: Nearly one year ago, downed power lines sparked wildfires that ultimately burned more than 1 million acres in the Texas Panhandle. The recovery effort is ongoing today.
Former leader of USAID speaks out against agency cuts
Reports of massive staffing cuts at USAID are rattling the federal bureaucracy and supporters of foreign aid. Andrew Natsios, a Texas A&M professor and a Republican who once served as a USAID administrator, joins the show with his take on the claims of waste and inefficiency at his former agency.
A new historical marker stands outside Rockport building that was once the art studio of Simon Michael – a painter who founded the Fulton School of Painting and played a pivotal role in shaping the region’s artistic community.
Plus: The Standard celebrates our 10th year on the air with a look back at our top 10 film & TV interviews.