A Texas sheriff opens a criminal investigation into the flying of nearly 50 migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. Florida’s governor under investigation for emulating the tactic of Texas’ governor, flying migrants out of state. We’ll take a closer look. Also, many in the town of Uvalde turning to politics after frustration with how elected leaders have handled the aftermath of the mass shooting there last May. We’ll have the Texas newsroom with details. And President Biden pushing for online privacy legislation. Guess who’s pushing back: a hint, she’s not a Republican. Plus UT’s Steven Vladeck on Texas’ social media law, and what comes next. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Governor Greg Abbott
‘Don’t mess with our kids’: Uvalde families get political after lawmakers refuse to tackle gun laws
In the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting, families of victims asked Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session. They wanted him to direct the Texas Legislature to increase the minimum age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic weapon to 21. But Abbott refused.
Texas Standard: September 16, 2022
A demographic shift decades in the making is finally here. So what’s it mean for the state’s future? New data from the census bureau shows there are now more Hispanic than white residents in Texas. We’ll talk it over with the state’s demographer. Plus the story of a novelty website purchased for one and a half billion dollars. We’ll hear from the author of a new book that charts the rise of Youtube. All that, and of course the week that was in Texas politics today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 24, 2022
Hours away from a new law that amounts to a near total ban on abortions in Texas and a new legal challenge to that law. As Texas’ version of a post Roe vs. Wade trigger law takes effect, reproductive rights groups are suing the state attorney general. We’ll hear about the strategy and the prospects. Also, 5 years after Hurricane Harvey there are ongoing attempts to buyout the homes of people living in land that repeatedly floods. So how’s that working out? We’ll hear the latest. Also actor and comedian Mo Amer on a new Netflix series some say is the first of its kind to really capture the feel of a modern Houston. Plus a Politifact check and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 23, 2022
Deadly, destructive downpours across large parts of Texas. What’s the damage and what comes next? A disaster declaration in Dallas county amid widespread flash flooding, hundreds of car rescues and flooded homes. The governor puts the state emergency operations center on standby and plans to visit the hard hit DFW area today. Plus in the aftermath of Uvalde, how police in school districts have been preparing for back to school. And the push to help kids in rural Texas in need of mental health care. Also the debut of a novelist already being hailed as Texas’ Faulkner. And the Black family at the heart of the narrative. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 17, 2022
An historic defeat for a prominent GOP politician who dared to push back against Donald Trump. Does Liz Cheney’s defeat in Wyoming mark a more profound realignment of the GOP? And what does that mean for Texas? Brandon Rottinghaus of the University of Houston with more. Plus mayors in New York and D.C. are pushing back against Texas sending busloads of migrants to their cities. And a rise in mental health issues among students and how schools in places like Lubbock are trying to trying to help. Also flood control going green in areas once inundated by Hurricane Harvey. And a Politifact check about arming the IRS. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 9, 2022
Immigration enforcement is a federal function, but Texas authorities have been transporting migrants for months. Now, the ACLU wants the federal government to look into it. We’ll have the latest. Also the city of Houston recently collected more than 800 firearms as part of a gun buyback program. But will that make the city any safer? And are we in a recession? That depends who you ask. We’ll get you up to speed on the state’s economic outlook. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 7, 2022
A new report finds police missed multiple opportunities to stop the Uvalde mass shooter before he entered the school building. The report from the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center, at Texas State University says at one point police had the gunman in their sights outside the school in Uvalde, but did not act. Investigative reporter Tony Plohetski with what we’re learning. Also, with new abortion restrictions, the Texas Standard’s own Shelly Brisbin with growing concerns about the use of period tracker apps and access to sensitive personal data. Plus an historic moment on the Texas Gulf coast for a critically endangered species. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 22, 2022
Did the on-scene Commander in Uvalde put the lives of police ahead of the lives of children? New pieces of the story emerge. On today’s show, State Senator Paul Bettencourt with reaction to yesterday’s Senate hearing on law enforcement’s response in Uvalde. Meanwhile a bipartisan group of 13 big city mayors in Texas calls on state leaders to hold a special session to prevent more mass shootings. We’ll talk with the mayor of Arlington. And you bought it, but can you fix it? Legally? Why a new law covering power wheelchairs in Colorado may have big ripple effects here in Texas. Also a Politifact check and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 15, 2022
Governor Abbott says he was livid, misled by falsehoods in the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting. But where was he getting his information? What do the governor’s handwritten notes from his first press conference in Uvalde reveal about the source of misinformation over law enforcement’s response? We’ll have more. Also Texas’ so-called dead suspect loophole and why it may prove an obstacle to getting more detailed information about the shooting. And the rise of a movement to get Asian American Pacific Islanders in Texas more politically engaged, particularly in this election year. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 27, 2022
In the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting, law enforcement facing many questions about whether they moved quickly enough. The grief among many families in Uvalde now compounded by anger over why it seemed to take so long to stop the gunman who killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb elementary. Investigative reporter Tony Plohetski with the growing demand for answers about the timeline. Also a new report on domestic gun violence, the correlations with age and gender, and what data points to when it comes to policy solutions. Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 25, 2022
It is the worst school shooting in Texas history. The people of Uvalde, their fellow Texans and people across the nation are searching for answers. Coming up we’ll hear from people in Uvalde, struggling to comprehend the killing of at least 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary yesterday. We’ll be joined by reporters from Texas Public Radio and the Associated Press to hear what is known so far about the incident. We’ll also be checking with experts in the field of school safety, the ripple effects, the psychological trauma of this tragedy, how to talk with kids who may be frightened by the news and the lingering questions of how to move forward.
Texas Standard: May 17, 2022
There’s an election going on and all week we’re profiling the races. Today it’s the Democratic runoff for Land Commissioner. We’ll have details. Also, Sweden and Finland want to join NATO after decades or even centuries of military nonalignment. A look at the road ahead for the alliance. And comparing the leaked draft Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade to a brief submitted by the architect of some of Texas’ abortion restriction laws. And not a leak, SCOTUS released a final opinion on a case involving campaign finance yesterday. The plaintiff was U.S. Senator from Texas Ted Cruz. Plus we’ll slow things down in a conversation focused on the legacy of Houston’s DJ Screw. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 12, 2022
Public or private? Tho Texas lawmakers have rejected vouchers, Governor Abbott puts the school choice debate into play this election season. With complaints from conservatives over what’s being taught in Texas public school classrooms, Governor Abbott says he wants to give parents a choice for private school. We’ll take a closer look. Also, how ‘where you live’ may be hazardous to your health. And Ukraine’s military partnering with state national guard forces. Plus, why a rise in gun theft from autos. And Tech expert Omar Gallaga on what to do if you’re locked out of Google. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 11, 2022
What happened to more than a billion dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds for Texas? Officials want to know whether the money was misspent. Were COVID-19 relief funds used to defray the costs of the governor’s border crackdown? That story plus, how nominally non-partisan school board elections in Texas became a magnet for big money donations, and what that could mean for what’s taught in public school classrooms. Also higher ed in Texas prisons: a new report outlines big gender disparities in opportunity. And the work of the code inspector, and why it often isn’t working to help many apartment renters. Plus a Politifact check on SB8 and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 27, 2022
In Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border security mission: a death among the ranks brings new scrutiny from lawmakers. Republican Representative James White talks with the Standard’s Laura Rice about the death of Texas Army National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans and the future of Operation Lone Star. Also as many families move to Texas, others are deciding they have to leave for the sake of their kids. This after new polices take effect aimed at parents of trans kids. Plus a stay issued in the case of Melissa Lucio, the mother originally set to be executed for the death of her two year old. What happens next? That and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 14, 2022
A crack in the governor’s crackdown on inspections of commercial border traffic. But the supply chain likely to remain tangled. We’ll have details. Also three top staffers for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo indicted in a contract award scandal. Why and what it might mean for a politician considered to be a rising star among Texas democrats. And a Texas university told it cannot charge out of state students more for tuition than undocumented students. What the decision could mean for colleges and universities statewide. Plus a case 75 years ago that shook the separate but equal status quo in Texas and beyond. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 13, 2022
We’re still a ways off from November but already issues cropping up including a shortage of workers at the polls for a special election, we’ll have details. Other stories we’re tracking: governor Abbott’s new inspection protocols for commercial trucks at the border drawing accusations of political theatre from the left and the right. This as democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke lobs a broadside at president Biden over his plans to change policies at the border. We’ll hear all about it. Also the story of a Texas librarian fired after taking a stand on library censorship. And concerns among farmers in the panhandle that the drought could leave them high and dry. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 7, 2022
Governor Abbott announces a plan to send busloads of migrants to Washington D.C. in protest of the Biden administrations immigration policies. We’ll have more on an increasingly pitched battle over immigration between the Biden Administration and Texas’ Governor. Also, the passage of a near total ban on abortion in neighboring Oklahoma, and the implications for Texas. And the first outbreak of avian flu in Texas reported at a commercial pheasant farm, and how experts are hoping to avoid a worst case scenario. Plus is feral hog hunting having the opposite of the intended effect? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 6, 2022
After a Texas law that restricted abortion access went into effect, some Texans sought abortions in Oklahoma. But now that state’s legislature has passed a bill that would make performing them a felony. Plus rural Texas is losing population. We’ll tell you about how one town in East Texas is trying to stop that trend. Also news on farmers and ranchers recovering from wildfires and the latest headlines from up and down the Lone Star State. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard: