21 dead in a shootout south of the border involving Mexican forces and drug cartels. Drug related violence or terrorism at the Texas border? What’s in a name? Although president Trump has threatened to designate Mexico’s drug cartels terrorist organizations, people in Mexico view the violence through a more complicated lens, according to a new survey…We’ll have the latest. Also, the outline of the AR-15: a form factor in the debate over gun control, now facing another test before the supreme court. And the Texas ranch sisterhood. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Football
Texas Standard: August 27, 2019
Release the tape: that demand from Texas House Republicans as a scandal involving House Speaker Dennis Bonnen appears to enter a new phase, we’ll have details. Also, they’ve been described as prison camps for kids: just how bad are the facilities holding unaccompanied minors crossing the border without documentation? A reporter gets a rare inside look. Plus, how some residents of the hill country are trying to keep developers at bay… by buying the hill. And business bankruptcies in Texas fall, but experts warn its the calm before the storm. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 22, 2019
Students just now returning to school, and report cards already? A-F grades go out statewide rating public schools, but are they fair? We’ll explore. As schools reopen, so do sign ups for sports, and something new in Texas: an effort to track related concussions across the Lone Star State. Also, is Texas an ATM for Democratic politicians? An AP reporter following the money spots another sign of a profound shift in Texas politics in the run up to 2020. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 5, 2019
Hate Will Not Define Us: it’s become a rallying cry in El Paso in the hours after one of the deadliest mass shootings in history. As we continue to track other stories making news on this Monday, much of our broadcast is devoted to the aftermath of Saturday’s devastating mass killing at an El Paso Walmart. What we know definitively, how the city is coming together, and how El Pasoans intend to move forward. We’ll hear from reporters with long ties to the region, and how the unfolding of this incident on social media may send warnings about how we talk about such incidents in the future. That and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 3, 2019
The legislative session is out, and now the real politicking can begin. That’s right, the 2020 Elections are not so far away, we’ll have more. And did you hear Texas is now home to the country’s largest trading hub? A trip to Laredo to look at the challenges to keeping that title. Plus, an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that made history: an explosion, a failed blowout preventer, millions of gallons spilled. But we’re not talking about the Deepwater Horizon. And most of us take our immune systems for granted, until we feel it fails us in some way. A closer look. And why Texas Football fans should care about the Oklahoma drill and more today on the Texas Standard:
Long Distance Fan
Do you sometimes feel like a strawberry in a sea of burnt orange? Or a golden nugget in a crowd of blue and silver? That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: January 7, 2019
Crisis on the border? Depends on who you ask. We’ll check in with McAllen’s Mayor to find out what he’s seeing and what he’d tell President Trump. Also, Texas’s largest school district gets some harsh attention from the Governor. How we got to this point and what’s next. And it’s game day. The college football national championships will bring in big money for the coaches and schools. How should players benefit? Plus the telenovela bridges country lines and generations. We’ll explore the cultural phenomenon. And space exploration in 2019 could definitely be out of this world. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 26, 2018
What some are calling the most drastic move to date against would be immigrants: a shutdown of the southern border. Preparations underway to send up to a thousand U.S. troops to the border to stop a caravan of thousands of would be migrants, all this days before midterm elections. We’ll hear what the leaders of Texas border cities have to say. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 5, 2018
Zero hour in one of the most contentious confirmation battles in American history as the Senate moves on the Kavanaugh nomination. Plus, one school official calls it the thermonuclear option: mass closing of schools under consideration in Dallas. Also, communication breakdown: a quarter century after the dot-com revolution, rural Texas is still waiting for reliable internet. And with the Red River showdown set for Saturday, we remember a game of gridiron chicanery the Longhorns might sooner forget. Plus, the week in Texas politics and a whole lot more… today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: September 17, 2018
Less than a month do go before the deadline for registering to vote in the midterms, do you know if you’re registered? We’ll have a Texas primer. Also, a border patrol officer has been arrested and charged with the murders of 4 women. The victims all worked as prostitutes. We’ll tell you what authorities are saying. And with Florence and before that Harvey, the greatest threat: flooding. Has our current hurricane rating system left us twisting in the wind? Plus Texas beat USC this weekend, but once upon a time, USC pushed Texas across the line to desegregate the gridiron. We’ll hear how and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 4, 2018
Chaos as the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings kick off on capitol hill. But as the focus falls on the high court, another judicial transformation underway? We’ll take a look. Also, it’s long been called the sleeping giant in Texas politics: the latino vote. Texas Democrats are trying wake that giant and do something that’s been difficult in the past: get them to the polls in bigger numbers. We’ll explore. And labor groups scoring victories in a push for paid leave, but are they wasting time and money? Plus chasing Lightin’ in Houston: a 1959 recording of bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins back in print. We’ll explore his hold on Texas and American music, plus a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 31, 2018
Down to the wire: Canada racing to do what Mexico did: strike a deal with the U.S. and save NAFTA. If they can’t, what will it mean for Texas? We’ll take a look. Also, politics watchers nationwide are enthralled by the Senate race in Texas. One of the most serious challenges from the Democrats in decades and hispanics may hold the key. Question is: will they turn out to vote? But more than that, how will they vote? Republicans rethinking their strategy. Also, business is booming in construction across Texas, just one problem: where are the workers? Those stories and a whole lot more on todays Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 27, 2018
After fears yesterday of a broader downturn following Facebook’s steep stock drop, a stunning new number on the state of the economy. 4.1%: that’s how fast the economy grew in the second quarter. We’ll look at what the numbers add up to in this time of tariffs and talk of trade wars. Also, Nicaragua reported to be in a state of siege, the people at the mercy of paramilitaries. We’ll take a look at what’s happening there and could it mean a new wave of asylum seekers. Plus, the hype around 5G: why all eyes are on Houston for what could be a disrupter for the cable industry. Plus the week that was in Texas politics and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 1, 2018
Governor Abbots plan to fight gun violence includes a proposal from a Texas Democrat. Could a Red Flag Law stop a school shooter? We’ll explore. And gimme a T for Texas, T for tariffs too. How new White House duties on imports could help or hurt matters in our own backyard. Plus, hello hurricane season! Are we better prepared than we were this time last year? Three Harvey survivors look back on their experiences and lessons learned from last years storm. Also the story of the Abilene High football team that went all the way to state and on to Hollywood. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 27, 2018
Can the Governor force a disgraced ex Congressman to compensate taxpayers for the costs of a special election to replace him? We’ll explore your questions. Also, the National Rifle Association is coming to Dallas for its national convention next week. A writer for the Dallas Morning News says its coming full circle in a sense, since two texans turned it into the group it is today. We’ll hear how and why. Plus, an idea to get more future teachers to turn their sights to rural Texas. And an unlikely pick from an unlikely place: football’s Cinderella story from San Antonio. Also, the man convicted of murder who’s helping the wrongly accused get of jail. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 5, 2018
Botched executions: that’s the claim from the attorneys of the latest man put to death in Texas. We’ll examine the details. Also it’s incredibly delicate work: manufacturing and maintaining the country’s nuclear weapons. Why a new contract could be putting that work at an Amarillo plant at risk. And Mexico’s state owned petroleum company is mired in challenges. We’ll look at why and how it’s affecting the country’s relationship with the US. Plus, in Houston an effort to preserve a bit of Latino history, and a new book preserves the history of Big Spring. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 1, 2017
The last man standing from the class of ’84 says goodbye to congress. Is this a start to a sea change in Texas Politics? We’ll have the latest. Also, a bill to authorize the army and navy to take over law enforcement south of the border. An essential step to stop the cartels or a militarization of security in Mexico? We’ll explore. The children’s health insurance program set to shut down for the first time in Texas, why letters may be going out at the first of next week. Plus the week in politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 24, 2017
As Washington prepares to declare an opioid emergency, an Amarillo lawmaker is tapped to take on the issue for Texas. We’ll hear his plan on how to fix the crisis. Also, the recriminations between President Trump and gold star families, front and center in the news: but which is the sideshow? That controversy, or the actual events that led the the attack on American forces in Niger? We’ll explore. And Texans may love high school football, but most don’t remember where some of the best games were played, or who played them. The Thursday night lights finally gets some recognition, we’ll meet the man telling the story. And what we might learn this week about what happened in Dallas on that most fateful November day in ’63. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Football and Brain Injury
It can be said that ignorance is bliss, and when it came to football that was the case for our own Dr. Bob Duke. A lifelong football fan, Duke was thrown into a dilemma by a recent study done by researchers at Boston University that revealed that, “chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive, degenerative brain disease found in people with a history of repeated head trauma, may be more common among football players than previously thought.”
Knowing this, the question then became, how can a man who has dedicated his life to studying and teaching about the brain support a spectacle that is so damaging to the brain?
On this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss what it means for Bob to be a fan of football knowing what we now know.
Texas Standard: September 26, 2017
Travis County’s Sheriff does a 180 after a ruling on Senate Bill 4. All ICE Detainers will be honored, but it’s not so simple. The status quo ante, the way things were before SB4. Is that what the court wants Texas to return to? We’ll try to sort out an opinion that’s left considerable confusion over the short term implementation of Texas’ so-called sanctuary cities bill. Also, remember the Texas Miracle? A piece in the New York times asks the question, Texas, you still feelin miraculous? And harvey sparks global interest in the concept of sponge cities. Like the suburbs, only extra absorbent. All that and a whole lot more on the national news show of Texas, the Texas Standard: