The Biden Administration recommends booster shots for many vaccinated Americans. We’ll take a look at who’ll get them first, why they’re needed and more of what we know about the latest push on the federal front to fight the spread of the Delta variant. Also, what Governor Abbott has made the center of his own pandemic strategy, and why. And a lawsuit that challenges what hospital employers can and can’t mandate. Plus, in our Tech Segment, Omar Gallaga on what the T-Mobile hack may mean for you. And a state lawmaker pushing for changes in virtual learning statewide. All those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
governor
Texas Standard: August 17, 2021
Here we are once again: the Texas Supreme Court and the governor are telling us one thing in regards to masks, and schools are telling us another. Some school districts believe that even with the supreme court siding with the governor they can still ask children to mask up. We’ll tell you more. And we’ve had a few days to go through thousands of pages on a super comprehensive climate report. What are Texas experts saying about it? Also, a new book explores a new idea- that the Hill Country effectively acted as a borderland within a borderland during the civil war. And when should the constitution be amended? Did you know our own is the longest in the country? That and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 10, 2021
As the Delta variant continues to infect Texans and strain hospitals, more schools are defying the Governor’s orders and mandating masks. The Austin Independent School District joins Dallas and likely Houston in mandating masks. We’ll talk to AISD’s Superintendent about how the district came to this decision and what challenges may lie ahead. We’ll also check-in with our doctor on call about what decisions parents are weighing as they consider whether to send students to in-person learning. Plus the Texas Legislature is back in session again. And this time it looks like they may soon have enough lawmakers in attendance to do business. What that means as Democrats still try to fight a bill over how Texans can vote. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 15, 2021
The quorum busting impasse at the capitol continues, and the Governor’s promising to arrest absent lawmakers. Governor Greg Abbott joins us today. Texas House Democrats say their decision to leave the capitol and break up a quorum was a last ditch effort to stop restrictive changes to voting laws. Governor Abbot promising to keep calling special sessions until lawmakers come back and calling to question the character of Texas House Democrats. Also a lawsuit filed this week against new abortion restrictions set to take effect in Texas on September first, we’ll explore what’s at stake. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 5, 2021
We know a special legislative session starts this week. What we don’t know is what’s on the agenda. This week we’ll talk to Republican and Democratic strategists about the special session. Up first- the Democrats. Also, one in every four COVID-19 infections are from the aggressive delta variant. We asked health experts for their recommendations. And Texas based Exxon-Mobil is in the hot seat after revelations from a secret recording, we’ll tell you more. And how the student athletes of today will be able to do what students athletes of the past could never do – profit from their name and likeness. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 2 , 2021
There’s outings and get-togethers planned. The weekend mood for many is celebratory. But doctors worry about COVID-19 variants, we’ll have details. Also, COVID-19 may have been the biggest work-place hazard to our health in 2020 but there are other things affecting workers then and now, we’ll tell you more. We’ll also talk about the when, the who, the what… every question you may have about why are other Republican Governors are sending their law enforcement to the Texas-Mexico border? And trees are much more than a marker for a healthy environment, they can also signal class and even race if you look at which neighborhoods can have trees and which ones cannot. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 21, 2021
The Texas Governor has followed through on a threat to veto funding for the state legislature. We’ll look at what’s next and what else fell to the pen. Also, when Governor Greg Abbott signed the so-called “constitutional carry” law at the Alamo he also signed another. Some say it is meant to change the role of states when it comes to gun laws. And we’ll also reexamine Governor Abbott’s border wall proposal and delve deep into the story of one migrant teen. Plus, redrawing political maps is an important process. But how can you really get involved? Turns out there are some tools for that. And Austin FC had its first home game over the weekend. But what’s it mean for another soccer-hungry city nearby? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 18, 2021
For the third time the Supreme Court struck down a challenge to overturn the Affordable Care Act. So is the fight over? We’ll explore. Also, Governor Greg Abbott has until Sunday to veto items from the legislative session. A look at how much power the Governor holds in that process. And the results are in for some statewide standardized tests. What they tell us about how the pandemic may have affected learning. Plus, for the first time this weekend’s Juneteenth celebrations are part of a federal holiday. The story behind a new mural in Galveston and a challenge to confront the country’s history. And we’ll have a special nod to Father’s Day. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 16, 2021
Governor Greg Abbott says he wants to build a border wall. We’ll take a look at how he intends to pay for it and who is coming to visit. Plus, methane and other emissions are a risk around gas wells. In Arlington, many of these wells sit relatively close to homes and businesses…namely, daycares. We’ll have more. Also ranking members of the Texas House of Representatives from most conservative to most liberal reveals some interesting insights. We’ll explain. And we’ll fact-check a claim about Austin’s murder rate. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 1, 2021
An eleventh-hour walkout at the Texas State Capitol as the legislature prepares for an overtime session. High drama as Texas House democrats break quorum to head off passage of a controversial measure to tighten the state’s election laws. Although the regular session comes to an end, an overtime session is already expected. We’ll look back at what got done, what didn’t and what comes next. Also, A Harris county constables unit in the crosshairs of controversy, we’ll hear why. And 50 years of Asleep at the Wheel: Texas music legend Ray Benson takes a glance in the rear view mirror. All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 21, 2021
Days after marking zero COVID-19 deaths, Texas hits a grim milestone. How will the state prioritize federal funding for pandemic relief? Also, state lawmakers get closer to passing the state’s two-year budget. We ask how schools will fare. Plus why opponents to Texas’ restrictive new abortion law may have trouble challenging it. And fewer people are being sentenced to death across the country, but a new report shows there may not be adequate defense for those facing life-in-prison sentences. And what the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum reveals about Texas then and now. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 17, 2021
Much work still left to do before the gavel falls on the Texas legislative session. Reporters from the Houston Chronicle and the Dallas Morning News weigh in on what’s been done and what’s left to do in the final two weeks of the legislative session. Also millions of dollars to help stop evictions in Houston. Why aren’t all landlords taking the cash? And despite changes in policies under the new administration, transgender migrants stuck on the other side of the border. And something big brewing in Pennsylvania…now brewing in Texas, too? Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 11, 2021
Greg Abbott has a challenger in 2022 Gubernatorial race. And no, his name’s not O’Rourke or McConaughey. A former state senator and prominent north Texas businessman running for Governor to the right of Greg Abbott. We’ll talk about Don Huffines’ bid for the top spot in Texas government. Also the latest in our project tracking vaccinations across the Lone Star State, the texan reaching out to the reluctant. And last falls Texas school re-openings blamed for more than 40,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 800 deaths. What are the lessons from the data, and what about this fall? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 8, 2021
As federal officials add new detention centers for young migrants, the states of Texas and Louisiana sue over changes to immigration policy. We’ll have details. Also, the nation’s top homeland security official returns to Texas today as the numbers of migrants swell along the southern border. Richard Pineda of UT El Paso on how the politics of immigration may be blurring the picture of what’s really happening. And those boots are made for talking, the fashion editor of Vogue magazine on a Texas accent in haute couture. And what’s the real capitol of Texas? You sure? A Houston Chronicle writer makes the case it’s not Austin. Those stories and so much more coming up today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 4, 2021
Beto for senate, Beto for President…now Beto for governor? What may be shaping into a high profile challenge to governor Greg Abbott. Evan smith, CEO of the Texas Tribune on the possibility of an Abbott vs Beto battle for the top office in Texas. Also not all vaccine rollouts in Texas are created equal. Just ask the folks in Amarillo where there’s no online signup, and people from other states are coming to get vaccinated. We’ll have a revealing picture from the panhandle. And amid jokes about coping with the isolation of pandemic, no laughing matter for people struggling with substance use. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Part 1: How The GOP Consolidated Political Power In Texas
Something big might happen in Texas politics this November. There’s a good chance that Texas Democrats will win control of one lever of power for the first time in almost 20 years. If Democrats win a majority in the Texas House of Representatives, it would mark a huge shift in state politics. In this first episode of The Big Flip, we take a look back at Texas politics, the LBJ days and how we got to where we are–total control by the Republicans. Will the winds of change be strong enough in the November 2020 election to change our red state?
Texas Standard: September 24, 2020
Republicans versus Republican? Some members of the GOP file suit against the governor over early voting in Texas, 2 and a half weeks away. We’ll hear what the lawsuit says about republicans confidence in the Texas general election. Also, do you trust the numbers? Texas teachers concerned about the spread of COVID-19 are crowd scouring Coronavirus information. We’ll hear why. And war of the worlds: Microsoft takes on Texas in a high stakes battle for gaming supremacy, the texan biking the 3 thousand mile perimeter of the Lone Star State and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 18, 2020
We are open for business is the latest announcement from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, we’ll have the latest. Nursing homes gear up to receive visitors next week. And protests are part of civic life and so is voting. Will summer protestors turn into fall voters? Also when contact tracing is lost in translation. How that affects in the fight against COVID-19. And how a photojournalist’s life is marked by a loss she experienced as a baby. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 31, 2020
Ready for the new school year? School administrators across the Lone Star State say wait a minute. We’ll explore. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton offers guidance but, it’s not enough. What school administrators are asking for. Could local police academies be scrapped? Are they a natural place to trim city budgets? We check in with one of Texas’ top police academy experts. What Title 42 Expulsions mean, our report from Mexico City. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 3, 2020
After days of resisting calls from local leaders, governor Abbott imposes fines for those who refuse to use facial coverings in public, saying it’s a necessary step to avoid a return to another lockdown as virus cases set new records in Texas. We’ll have the latest. Also, a first person story of becoming a U.S. citizen in a period of pandemic. Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard: