In the west Texas town of El Paso, a political duel over immigration between a president and a popular Texan who might want to be one. We’ll have analysis of the rallies in El Paso as president Trump launches his re-election campaign, and Beto O’Rourke gauges whether to launch a White House run of his own. Also, a judge taps the brakes on the Texas bullet train. We’ll hear how and what it means for plans to link Houston and Dallas by high speed rail. And what a Dollar Store invasion of rural and poorer communities in Texas might really cost. All of those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
energy
Texas Standard: February 11, 2019
Four days and counting: with a new deadline looming in a shutdown showdown over the border wall, the president arrives in El Paso. We’ll take a look at what this means. Also, a week after Texas Catholic Diocese release lists of what the church calls credibly accused clergy, a new investigation by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express News reports on an abuse of faith in the southern Baptist denomination. We’ll talk with the reporters. Also, an attempt to protect a spot in Texas with one of the most pristine skies on the planet. All those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 31, 2019
First the ranches, then the big cities. Come 2020, is the next great political battleground in the Lone Star State the suburbs? We’ll take a closer look. Also, senator John Cornyn now warning fellow Republicans that President Trump could lose Texas in 2020. Is the Lone Star State no longer reliably red? The answer might be found in the suburbs. And although the Permian basin’s booming, we might be on the road to a new foreign energy dependence, we’ll hear why. All that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 30, 2019
People have been flocking to the Lone Star State for its economy, but is a good job the key to the good life in Texas? We’ll take a look at the unreported face of household hardship. One problem with the poverty line: what it fails to factor in. A new report shows more working Texans struggling with economic hardship than you might think. Also, a politifact check on the cost of illegal immigration. And it’s not just what you say but how you say it: an expert linguist decodes the Governor’s Texas twang. All that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 28, 2019
Another Presidential Tweetstorm, this time with a Texas twist: one suggesting widespread voter fraud. We’ll take a closer look at the claim and the source. Also, a Texas city won national attention for becoming the first to go with 100% renewable electricity. Now some are asking did the city pay too high a price? We’ll take a look. And chaos in Venezuela leading to uncertainty in Texas: we’ll hear why. Also, the Corpus Christi caller times warns: what you don’t know about a particular routine government procedure can hurt you. The paper’s opinion editor explains plus a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 25, 2019
Slate magazine claims the supreme court is preparing to make every states gun laws look like Texas, but is that claim on target? We’ll take a closer look. Also, when was the last time a nuclear arms treaty was making headlines? Why some are warning of a renewed arms race with Russia. And we’ll take a look at the week that was in Texas politics, plus an original Cosmic Cowboy comes home again: singer songwriter Michael Martin Murphy teams up with who’s who of Texas talent in search of old Austin. All those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 3, 2018
He wasn’t born in Texas but it became a big part of his identity. We’ll remember 41st President George Herbert Walker Bush today on the Texas Standard. Also, airport security officials have recently found a record number of firearms in carry-on luggage. We’ll take a look at the trend. And oil prices are up a little after a huge drop. What a high-five between two world leaders tells us about what could be next for the industry. Plus an investigation reveals what the State of Texas was trying to keep secret: where it gets execution drugs. All those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 16, 2018
More than just a me too moment: the Texas House holds hearing on how to crack down on sexual harassment at the capitol, we’ll have the story. Also, the face of Texas politics is changing, and both political parties would like to win over the fastest growing ethnic demographic in Texas. Why California might be able to Texas a thing or two about how to get them. And as the Fed considers another interest rate hike, should you buy or rent your next home? Why hurricane Harvey’s made the calculation more complicated for some. Plus the week in politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 5, 2018
In 2016, Hillary Clinton took the majority of votes in Texas’ 7th Congressional District. Now: what could be a test case for Republican control in Texas. John Culberson is the nine term Republican incumbent in a district that’s trending Democratic. We’ll take a closer look at the dynamics of the district and what it might tell us about the future of Texas politics more broadly. Also, slippery stuff: oil falls to new boomtime lows. And hats off to Roy Hargrove: the Waco born trumpeter once considered jazz music’s brightest promise passes at age 49. All those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 30, 2018
It’s election season: do you know who you’re casting your ballot for? Are you sure? We’ll take a look at reports of problems with voting machines statewide. Also, the White House calls for more than 5,000 active duty troops to be sent to the border to intercept a so-called migrant caravan, and their mission doesn’t seem so much backup as front lines. We’ll have the latest. Also, the president announces a plan to end birthright citizenship. Can he do that on his own? We’ll take a closer look. Plus flares in the field: why oil companies may be underreporting. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 22, 2018
Early voting gets underway across the Lone Star State and more Texans are registered than ever. But are they actually voting? We’ll check in on how early voting is going as Texans begin casting ballots in the much anticipated midterms. Plus a primer on early voting should you plan to cast a ballot. Plus a Texas filmmaker revisits Molly and Ann: what two of the most famous and politically restless Texans could teach us about how to do politics today. And what impact could the Khashoggi affair have on Texas energy? All that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
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 16, 2018
Round two getting underway tonight in San Antonio: what to expect in the last debate before early voting between Ted Cruz and Beto O’rourke. Also, the policy of family separations at the border was a bust, but now the Washington Post reports it may be making a comeback. We’ll hear the how and why. And Texas is a leader in wind energy, but is the push for wind turbines about to run out of air? We’ll hear why some are worried. Also, what some have called a declaration of a new cold war. Why you might have missed it and why the Chinese certainly did not. All those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 24, 2018
9 people dead, 22 others injured, since 2006 because of natural gas leaks. What are Texas regulators doing about it? An investigative reporter with the Dallas Morning News tells us about dangers facing homeowners due to natural gas leaks and the failure of Texas regulators to to hold companies accountable. We’ll hear details. And going up? Normally gas prices drift lower as we move into fall, but a 4 year high in the price of crude today has some worried. We’ll look at what’s behind it. And our attitude toward doctors: bad for our health? All of that and then some coming up today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 19, 2018
A political upset in Texas: a Democrat friendly district picks a Republican to fill a vacated seat less than two months out from the midterms. On top of last night’s Republican win by Pete Flores over Pete Gallego for a vacated state Senate seat, new numbers suggest that tight contest between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke might not be so tight after all. We’ll take a closer look. Also, as frustration grows over rising student debt in higher ed: Texas’ top ranked private university announces free tuition room and board, for those who qualify. And the sixth Rolling Stone, Texas’ own in the spotlight. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 12, 2018
This time, it’s for real: the National GOP worried that Beto O’Rourke has a real shot at tipping the balance on Capitol Hill. We’ll take a look at the details. Also, Bob Woodward’s book just out this week details chaos in the Trump Administration, but there’s nothing chaotic about the systematic dismantling of environmental regulations. What’s happening, and what it means for Texas. And Harvey dumped 127 billion tons of water on Texas last year: help from FEMA? A mere trickle so far. What’s holding things up? Plus kids at the center of a culture war over remembering the Alamo and so much more, today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 30, 2018
Latinos tipping the scales this election year? Turns out its not just the Democrats who stand to gain from a get out the vote effort, we’ll look at the numbers. Also, a Texas city now topping the nation as the most dangerous place to drive in the U.S. A combination of high speed, heavy congestion and infrastructure to blame. We’ll have more. Plus oil prices rising, but why? We’ll look at the good the bad and the ugly. Also a photo of an emaciated Texas horse goes viral sparking questions about the real definition of animal cruelty. We’ll explore and a whole lot more on todays Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 13, 2018
Reformers used to talk about boosting the three r’s. This week the letters that could matter more for schools statewide: the letters A thru F. With 1100 Texas schools getting their first A thru F style report cards, who’s doing the grading, and is anyone getting extra credit? We’ll take a look. Also a pilot shortage and how the lone star state might help plug it. And breathing deeply: Texas-sized effort to battle asthma. Plus the return of the empress of gulf coast soul: Beaumont’s Barbara Lynn back in the spotlight. All that and a whole lot more on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 1, 2018
The latest Texas Lyceum Poll is focused on the mid-terms. Republican incumbents have big leads except for one. Texas Senator Ted Cruz has found a true challenger in Representative Beto O’Rourke, but will the two debate and will it matter? We’ll explore. Also, the Port of Corpus Christi has some big plans for some big ships to move a LOT of oil across the way from Port Aransas. We’ll take a look at what the people of Port A think about the proposal. And if you’ve got a kid in your life quick question: have they spent much time outside this summer? A guide to help parents navigate in a world full of tech. Plus will we finally unravel the mystery of the Marfa Lights? You’ll have to listen on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 30, 2018
Retired Texas teachers say they feel let down by a vote that could mean lower pension checks. We’ll explore the impact and the next steps. Also a multi-million dollar settlement involving a Houston-area refinery accused of doing too much polluting. We’ll look at the legal moves that made it happen. Plus, the story of a small town principal jailed for murder and the questionable evidence that put him there. And when wildfires pop up across Texas it’s often volunteer firefighters that are there first to put out the flames. We’ll look at why many volunteer departments are struggling. And keep an eye on your cacti. The insects that could destroy your xeriscape, yuck up your yucca and obliterate your agave. All of that and so much more today on the Texas Standard: