Urgent meetings between President Biden and NATO officials. What’s next in the pushback against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Other stories we’re tracking: a new Omicron variant sparks new concerns for Texans, as health officials alter their approach in the fight against COVID-19. We’ll have the latest. Also how the pandemic is changing the nursing profession. And Texas’ missing ocelots. Only a hundred or so are believed to be living free in south Texas, but experts are hoping to turn things around. How they plan to do that plus Omar Gallaga on tech dramas taking over video streaming menus and much more today on the Texas Standard:
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Texas Standard: March 23, 2022
Texas two senators press President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee in historic confirmation hearings at the capitol. Todd Gilman of the Dallas Morning News with more on the roles of Senator John Cornyn and Ted Cruz in the confirmation hearings of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Also, does Texas need an independent monitor of the natural gas industry? A conversation with a Texas Senator pushing for this change. Plus a book that is as much a celebration of Texas 250 rivers as it is a warning. And why allegations of sexual abuse against the Boy Scouts are factors in a bankruptcy court settlement. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 18, 2022
High winds, low humidity and dry conditions fuel wildfires in Texas. In Abilene authorities have ordered evacuation. We’ll have the latest. Also, extradition can ensure those who flee to another country face justice. A judge in Scotland though ruled returning a man would be a human rights violation because of poor conditions in Texas prisons. Plus a trailblazing Secret Service agent talks about being one of the first women hired to do the job. Also, the Texas border chef nominated for a prestigious national award three years after opening his restaurant in El Paso. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 14, 2022
The awful images of war and civilians caught and killed in the crossfire. As concerns about war crimes mount, what are the options? A Texas-based specialist in international law on the potential for war crimes trials over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We’ll explore the question what is a war crime and how would allegations be prosecuted? Also, what exactly is gender affirming care? A Texas board certified Pediatrician explains. And a celebration for the winningest coach in NBA history. Plus a look at who’s who from Texas in the March Madness brackets and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 11, 2022
Governor Abbot’s orders to investigate parents proving gender affirming care for transgender kids. We’ll have more on the legal fight. Plus the fight to win popular support: a University of Texas propaganda researcher war being fought over Ukraine, and how to tell fact from fiction. Also, how the conflict is putting pressure on a prestigious Texas based music competition. And Texas is a leader in renewable energy. The problem? How to store it. San Antonio buys in to a novel solution that borrows from lessons learned in fracking. And the passing of Willie Nelson’s longest running music partner, his sister Bobbie. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 9, 2022
Gasoline prices hit new highs and activity stirs in the oil fields. We’ll have more on the impact on Texas of energy sanctions against Russia. Also, why are so many Texas teachers leaving the profession? A task force formed to answer that question, we’ll have details. Plus, has SB8 lead to a dramatic drop in abortions? A researcher says some might be surprised by the answer. Plus after a sit down dinner with Attorney General Ken Paxton, the family of a transgender teen now targeted for investigation. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 8, 2022
As primaries approach, an effort to unseat incumbent Texas democrats, led by democrats. Who’s in the political crosshairs and why? We’ll explore. Also, what happens to oil wells that are no longer productive? Concerns grow about the environmental impact of abandoned production sites, now millions coming to Texas for cleanup. And how cyberattacks on small Texas towns have rewritten the rules of engagement for Russian hackers. Plus fresh allegations that pro football intentionally sidelines Black coaches. Former NFL coach Daron Roberts of UT-Austin’s Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation with a close up. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 31, 2022
On this final day to register to vote in the primary, a new survey offers a sneak peek on who’s ahead in what races and why. A pandemic, a statewide power outage, a walkout at the capitol over voting restrictions. In 2022, how much is set to change in Texas politics? A new poll by the University of Houston Hobby School suggests less than some might imagine. We’ll hear more. Also, in a decision celebrated by environmentalists, rights to drill for oil in the gulf wiped out by a federal judge. We’ll hear about what could be long term ripple effects. And a growing problem for Texas pitmasters: where’s the wood? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard :
Texas Standard: January 5, 2022
As COVID-19 cases bring hospital ICU’s to capacity statewide, FEMA now saying help is on the way. But will it be enough? Today, our conversation with Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley on the challenges they face during this latest spike in cases. Also, Governor Abbott announces another lawsuit against the Biden Administration, this time over vaccination mandates for Texas National Guard troops. Plus a new years cold snap, a plunge in energy production, and a huge release of pollutants. What an incident last weekend tells us about Texas’ energy industry and readiness for the next freeze. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 3, 2022
With schools statewide returning to classes and Omicron cases rising, many Texans are asking: now what? Some answers from a doctor today on the Texas Standard.
Other stories we’re tracking- the US Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments this week over Biden Administration vaccination mandates. We’ll have the latest. Also, the 5th Circuit is set to hear arguments in another challenge to SB8- the state’s new abortion restrictions.
Earthquakes spark an order from state officials affecting fracking in the Midland area.
And, you’ve seen the bumper sticker “Don’t California my Texas”? Why some in South Texas are now saying don’t “Austin-ify our Brownsville”. Those stories and more.
Texas Standard: December 14, 2021
All politics is local, the saying goes…but hyperpartisan, too? How the TX landscape is changing for local and school board races. Republicans in Potter County, home to Amarillo say they’ll conduct their own primary without the help of election officials and they’re urging other Texas counties to do the same. We’ll have the latest. Plus Texans sparked a lithium battery revolution, now another Texas breakthrough that could lead to something more sustainable and stable. And a critically acclaimed Texas trio hits it big, inspired by the sounds of Houston. Our conversation with the members of Khruangbin and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 6, 2021
Twas the month before an election year and all thru the House and Senate and beyond, concerns rising among Democrats in Texas. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune reporting on a push for change at the top of the Texas Democratic Party. Also a growing list of unanswered questions one month after the deadly tragedy at the Houston’s Astroworld festival. We’ll hear about findings by the Houston Chronicle. Plus representative Donna Howard on where we stand with reproductive rights in Texas in the wake of last week’s oral arguments in a major abortion case. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 3, 2021
The Trump era policy for asylum seekers to resume after talks between the Biden administration and officials in Mexico. The so-called remain in Mexico program is coming back, despite promises of change. We’ll hear why. Also the push to preserve the history of a formally segregated school in West Texas. And El Paso’s ban on planting Mulberry trees. Now that the existing ones are dying off, what will take their place? Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune, and remembering the Texan getting tons of attention right now for his role in keeping the fab four together. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 22, 2021
After earnest promises to fix the grid after last winters statewide blackouts, is Texas better prepared for the next winter storm? A new report offers answers, we’ll explore. Also Dallas and Houston among the top destinations in the U.S. for holiday travelers who are hitting the road this week despite a spike in gasoline prices. But but there may be some good news on the horizon. We’ll have the latest. Plus if you’re planning on taking the plane, how concerned are you about air rage? We’ll meet a scholar who says buckle up, there may be more turbulence in the passenger section. And a Thanksgiving feast stuffed into a single bag of candy corn? All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 8, 2021
The Biden Administration vaccine mandates put on hold by the 5th circuit. What comes next in the fight against COVID-19? Steven Vladeck of UT Law breaks apart the significance and impact of the decision blocking federal vaccine mandates and what comes next. Also SPR, OPEC, COP26 and RBOB… decoding efforts to deal with climate change and the effect on energy markets. And an historic reopening today at the border. Plus an investigative report reveals poison in the air in parts of Texas at dangerous levels…levels not usually captured by official data. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 3, 2021
Eight constitutional amendments, all 8 approved by voters. And local ballot measures, too. Any way to tease out political change in Texas? We’ll explore. Other stories we’re tracking: wind turbines set to join oil rigs in along the Texas coast? We’ll have more on big plans for renewable power generation in the Gulf of Mexico. Also more people, less water. How North Texas is planning for the future and why some residents are not going with the flow. And Texas has been home to many icons, including some iconic words. Commentator W.F. Strong on a certain noun with Texas ties that’s gone global. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 29, 2021
Was the Governor on the right track with the COVID-19 plan until a change of course? A case study in the politics of the pandemic. Other stories we are tracking: an ambitious effort to reduce poverty in North Texas. And questions over how to gauge success, or quite the opposite. Also the Houston Chronicle’s Chris Tomlinson on that other major factor in climate change that Texas has an outsized role in. And a serious role reversal: the noted Texas lawyer who joined the priesthood. And remembering an ugly chapter in Texas history that many North Texas locals would rather not revisit. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 25, 2021
Two cases challenging Texas’ near total ban on abortions get put on the fast track by the U.S. Supreme Court. What happens next? Not since Bush v Gore has the U.S. Supreme Court moved with such speed as has in two challenges to Texas’s new abortion law, known as SB8. But for now, it remains in force in Texas. We’ll hear what the SCOTUS move means for the future of abortion in Texas and the rest of the nation. Also a plan to link Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio by Amtrak. One with friends in very high places, including 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And the art of ladders and border barriers. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 12, 2021
No Texan may be compelled to get vaccinated against COVID-19, so says the Governor in a sweeping new order. We’ll have more on the Texas governor’s executive order on vaccinations, a direct challenge to President Biden’s push for employer mandates. Also, how random are Texas jury pools? Investigators are looking into the process in Brazoria country where its alleged that potential jurors were vetted by geography and race. Plus population growth brings new homes to the Hill Country, and something considerably less bucolic, too: new quarries and environmental concerns. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 11, 2021
The 5th circuit court of appeals lifts a lower court stay on Texas new abortion law. What comes next? Doctors who performed abortions in the state during a court-ordered stay on the new Texas abortion law could be subject to lawsuits. We’ll have the latest. Also could the Woodlands become Texas’ newest city? Why the developer opposes an upcoming vote to incorporate. And what this coming winter spells for energy demand in Texas. We’ll hear a forecast. Plus, pregnancy during a pandemic: new insights from a Texas study. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard: