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KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

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Texans rally statewide on ‘No Kings Day’ to oppose Trump polices

Texas-based historian and author Jeremi Suri joins with the latest about the military back-and-forth between Iran and Israel, threatening to become an even larger all-out war, and what that could mean on the home front – including Texas’ role as the world’s energy capital.
Protests against president Trump’s second administration reach a new high water mark with thousands turning out at events across Texas and the rest of the country over the weekend.
And: LBJ Foundation CEO and presidential historian Mark Updegrove draws leadership lessons from seven American presidents in his new book.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

Why ranchers are ‘absolutely terrified’ of the New World screwworm’s return

A old law suddenly no more: a judge strikes down in-state tuition for undocumented students in Texas.
What changes can Texans expect for energy and the environment after this week’s conclusion of the 89th Texas Legislature?
After the Smokehouse Creek Fire scorched over 1 million acres, lawmakers also passed a slate of wildfire preparedness bills.
The devastating New World screwworm, eliminated from North America decades ago, are on their way back. The Standard’s Michael Marks talked to ranchers who remember what it was like to fight them.
And: Texas sheriffs could be required to help enforce federal immigration law.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

As Texas ranks near the bottom in high school attainment, a Texarkana nonprofit has a solution

Texas lawmakers have approved additional funding for public schools, including more money for teachers.
Some San Antonio school districts have found a way to help struggling students catch up following the pandemic. What can we learn from those efforts?
Texas ranks near the bottom when it comes to adults with a high school education. As the Standard’s Sarah Asch reports, a literacy program in Texarkana offers a solution.
Despite headline-grabbing moves by companies like Tesla and Oracle, tech employment in Texas’ biggest cities is slipping.
And: Global oil production is ramping up. What that means for summer travel.

State parks are expanding efforts to improve accessibility

As the school year winds down, Texas lawmakers cramming for their final days at their desks are focused on education – and what some had hoped would be an increase in state spending per student may be shifted to teacher pay raises.
Consumer Reports investigates a tip that sale prices at Kroger aren’t showing up at the checkout, with consumers taking the hit.
Texas Parks and Wildlife has rolled out motorized track wheelchairs to improve access at state parks.
Plus: A 15-minute film from Waco, “The Heart of Texas,” has already made a mark at festivals and is now headed to Cannes.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

Houston is the fastest-sinking city in the US, study finds

Abortion pills, denial of bail, and a ban on land purchases for some people: What’s happening in the final weeks of the Texas Legislature?
After jackpot controversies, multiple resignations and a ban on online lotto ticket sales, the state’s lottery system is now under investigation.
Cities on the rise across Texas are quite literally sinking, with Houston faring the worst out of any major U.S. metropolis.
The latest projections on a fast-approaching hurricane season.
And: Checking in with Catholics across the state on the first Sunday with a new pope.

Questions remain after death of man in Dallas County jail

Though a voucher-like plan has passed in Texas, lawmakers are far from done with education-related changes. What’s still on the legislative docket? Just about a month left before scheduled sine die at the Texas capitol, Andrew Schneider of Houston Public Media shares some of the less well-known school-related measures lawmakers are considering.
In other news, a death at a Dallas County jail raises questions about how such deaths are investigated and reported. Marina Trahan Martinez of KERA North Texas drills down on what happened and what’s at stake.
Also, after federal cutbacks, long lines at Social Security offices and why they may get longer.

KUT Morning Newscast for April 23, 2025:  Elon Musk says self-driving Tesla taxis are still coming to Austin.

Central Texas top stories for April 22, 2025. More people died while driving in construction zones in Texas last year compared to the year before. Self-driving Tesla taxis are still coming to Austin this summer. A bill that would add more prosecutors to areas surrounding major cities in Texas has been delayed once more. Greenhouse gas emissions have gone down in Austin since 2011 according to the State of Our Environment Report from Austin’s Watershed Protection Department. 

Baylor bets big on E-sports with first-ever program director and coach

A second child has died of measles in Texas as cases continue to rise. How this latest outbreak compares with that of the ’90s.
Baylor has just hired its first-ever E-sports director and coach: Adam Stanley of Brewton-Parker College, a small private college in Georgia and powerhouse in E-sports.
Hosting the Final Four of the college men’s basketball championship has been a big boon to San Antonio. We’ll hear more as the Houston Cougars get set for their championship game against Florida tonight at the Alamodome.
And: A homecoming for Texas actor and comedian Michael Yo as the Moontower Comedy Festival gets underway in Austin.

What are current struggles signaling for Texas-based Tesla?

The Legislature is considering bills that would lift restrictions on how Texas’ maternal mortality committee can investigate maternal deaths, including by reviewing abortion-related deaths.
Looking for a Tesla? Or trying to sell one? How politics appears to be reshaping the market for the Texas-based company long considered the leader in the electric vehicle space.
Also: Seismic activity in West Texas prompts regulators to put the brakes on the subsurface injection of wastewater. But one company appears to be flaunting the directive.

‘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.

Troops may return to Big Bend National Park

With a hot, dry summer looming, how some state lawmakers want to reduce the risk of wildfires.
It’s been decades since active-duty troops patrolled Big Bend. Now they may be headed back to the national park.
Nearly two years after one of the deadliest human smuggling incidents in Texas, a look at how victims’ families and survivors are coping.
And: We’ll check in with the Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey about the week ahead at the Legislature and what’s coming up for school funding.

Big Bend seeks artists to capture park’s rugged beauty

Last night’s chill has many Texans asking how the state’s power grid is looking for the winter. How much has changed since the freeze and blackouts of February 2021? Mose Buchele of KUT News has been keeping tabs.
The Texas legislative session hasn’t even started, yet more than one representative claims to be the de facto speaker-elect of the House. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey joins us with the latest.
Calling all creatives: Big Bend National Park is accepting applications for its artist-in-residence program.
And: What’s in your mug? Mando Rayo, host of the Tacos of Texas podcast, has winter tips for cozy sips.

What exactly does the Texas House speaker do?

Dade Phelan is out, and a bruising battle for speaker of the Texas House is set to begin – unless it’s already over? Over the weekend, GOP members backed David Cook, but Dustin Burrows claimed he had enough votes to override the caucus. What does a House speaker do, anyway?
In a stunning turn of events, a coalition of Syrian rebels has overthrown Bashar al-Assad’s regime, ending decades of dictatorship. A top Texas-based expert weighs in.
Has Texas oil toppled Saudi control of the markets?
And: Medical treatments for trans minors are banned under state law; why some trans adults say they’re affected, too.

State Board of Education approves Bible-infused curriculum

The State Board of Education has approved a new Bible-infused curriculum that critics say overemphasizes Christianity and is a likely violation of the separation of church and state. It’s set for introduction in schools in 2025, though it’s likely to face a long legal battle.
Election transparency vs ballot secrecy: How changes to state law may have inadvertently exposed ballot choices for thousands of Texans, and what lawmakers may try to do to fix things.
Van Zandt County, about an hour east of Dallas, is mostly rural and quiet. But a potential energy project is causing some locals to make a lot of noise.
Plus: What to know about a new question about immigration status for many seeking hospital treatment in Texas.

15 Texas restaurants have received a coveted Michelin star rating

The Texas Supreme Court remains firmly in Republican hands after the election. What that means for cases the court will decide.
For the first time, Michelin has awarded its coveted stars – along with other designations – to restaurants in the Lone Star State.
Texas is in the wake of a solar panel boom. But not everyone who’s had them installed on their roof is happy about the decision.
Amid soaring childcare costs, voters approved a tax rate increase to help pay for it in Central Texas.
And: A new research project at the International Space Station examines the impact of microgravity on human heart tissue.

Will Elon Musk have a role to play in the Trump administration?

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.

How Republicans broke a losing streak in South Texas

The words “historic election” have been far overused, but they’re worth considering when examining results out of Starr County. A look at a political shift in South Texas.
Texas’ oil and gas regulators requested an emergency influx of $100 million dollars in state money to address oil well blowouts and contamination. What’s happening in the oilfield?
Even during election time, you probably don’t give a lot of thought to the office of the Justice of the Peace. Why it matters – especially right now in Harris County.
Microsoft Windows users could soon face some consequences if they haven’t updated their software in a while. Our tech expert has tips on what steps to take now.
Plus, there was a plan to bring an exiled Napoleon to Texas. And no, it didn’t happen. Our W.F. Strong has been looking into this strange bit of history.

School vouchers, proposed in Texas, are mostly used by the wealthy in Arizona

As early voting gets underway in Texas, here’s what you need to know as you prepare to cast your ballot.
The biggest contest on the ballot, after the presidency, is the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred. We’ll be profiling them both on the Standard, starting today with Cruz.
A major shift in energy use in China could have major ripple effects for Texas.
Supporters of school vouchers in Texas believe they give parents and students more academic choices and opportunities, while detractors say they will take money from public education and essentially subsidize private schools. We’re taking a look at an Arizona program that entitles each student to around $8,000 each school year.

The state is facing a middle-class housing crunch

Housing availability is too low across Texas – and the cost to buy a home is just too high. We’ll have the details of a new report that shows the middle class feeling the brunt of the housing crunch.
Seniors were some of the hardest hit during the power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl. What’s being done to protect them before the next storm?
FEMA applications for damage caused by Beryl have far outpaced any other recent storm in Harris County, even Hurricane Harvey.
What we know about how CEOs are using artificial intelligence to make high-level executive decisions – and when humans should step in and override AI’s choices.
And: UT and Oklahoma are now in the SEC. If you don’t really get why that matters, we’ll have the cliff’s notes as college football season kicks off.

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