KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts
KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond
Tropical storm Francine is expected to become a hurricane. Texas will avoid a direct hit but Gulf Coast residents should still prepare.
Tonight’s presidential debate… the last debate changed the course of history. Could this one give one of the candidates the edge needed to win a tight race?
Plus, who will pay for El Paso’s climate action plan?
New immersive technology gives sports fans a next level experience in Texas.
And the search for an elusive creature AND the truth in Austin waterways.
As Tropical Storm Francine forms, we’re keeping an eye on nasty weather in the Gulf and will have the latest on the impact to Texas energy as peak hurricane season arrives.
On the political front, cross-party endorsements are raising eyebrows. Political expert Daron Shaw of the University of Texas at Austin weighs in on the significance.
With higher rates of diabetes and heart disease among Black men, there’s an effort in Austin to get them connected with health care, by way of the barbershop.
Also: Grammy winner and Texas raconteur Ray Benson joins us ahead of headlining a new event series at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio.
We’re taking a look at the new laws that took effect in Texas on Sept. 1.
Hauling freight on trains is a multibillion-dollar industry in Texas. The latest on safety concerns.
A report from the Paralympics in Paris, where Texans are making a strong showing.
Sul Ross State University in Alpine is the birthplace of collegiate rodeo – and is now raising their own bucking horses.
And: Standup comedian Sheng Wang, a Houston native, is bringing his comedy back to the Lone Star State.
Kamala Harris consolidates Democratic support, shattering fundraising records. How does this change things for Texas Republicans?
After the death of veteran Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who takes her place for the remainder of her term and on the ballot for her open seat?
Sam Watson, an 18-year-old from Southlake, holds the three fastest times ever in speed climbing and will be competing at the Paris Olympics.
The Rio Grande Valley faces an unprecedented water crisis as drought intensifies.
And: a new push to change how Texas imposes the death penalty.
The Texas State Aquarium has a spot right on the edge of the Corpus Christi Bay – and storms in recent years have provided lessons that staff put in place for Hurricane Beryl.
There’s tons of evidence that most extreme weather hits communities of color the hardest. As Texas recovers from Beryl, what’s being done to address that?
A new court system in Texas designed just for business matters opens in September with judges appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
And: Cameras in your earbuds and health data tracked in a ring? We’ll check in on the latest in wearable technology.
Hurricane Beryl makes its mark on the Texas coast. Now, the cleanup begins. We’ll hear what’s happening from folks on the Gulf Coast.
Tariff talk was all the rage about four years ago. Now, not so much. But is the Biden administration doing business any different from its predecessor?
And: The State of Texas is putting a lot of money and effort into a border wall. But at its current pace of half a mile per week, it will take approximately 30 years to complete. We’ll have the latest.
Hurricane Beryl has become the first of the 2024 season to make landfall in Texas, with major power outages reported across the Houston region as heavy rain and damaging winds move up from Matagorda. With floodwaters filling some streets in Galveston and 121 counties under a disaster declaration, we’ll have the latest on the storm.
The San Antonio Water System is under fire after shutting off water to four apartment buildings – affecting 600 units – after their property owners didn’t pay their bills.
And: Business owners and officials in the Rio Grande Valley seek to counter negative stereotypes about their communities by highlighting the region’s assets – and their first step is rebranding the RGV and its neighbors in Mexico as the “RioPlex.” Will it stick?
Just in time for high summer, a surge in COVID cases? What officials are saying about a new subvariant.
It could be a very wet 72 hours of so for much of Southeast Texas and beyond as meteorologists focus on what could be the first big storm of hurricane season coming together in the Gulf of Mexico.
In Amarillo, phones at City Hall are answered by Emma – a first-of-its-kind virtual assistant powered by AI, built specifically for the city.
Why some analysts are pumping the brakes on predictions of a looming oil glut thanks to electric vehicles.
And: why some Texas Democrats say schools could be key to their success in November.
Deadly storms, including a tornado, ripped through North Texas over the weekend, killing at least seven people and injuring 100 others. We’ll have an update on the latest recovery efforts.
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins this week, will be “extraordinary,” forecasters warn.
Our monthly deep dive into investigative reporting, The Drill Down, takes a closer look at the federal investigation into Ken Paxton. Could Texas’ attorney general still face charges?
After years of expanding, some pharmacies are closing their doors – what that could mean for the corner drug store.
And: The state’s lowrider culture is on display in a new exhibit at the Bullock Texas State History Museum.
An increasing border presence by state troopers has led to a rise in police chases ending in crashes in El Paso.
A once-pregnant prison guard who says she was told she couldn’t leave her shift as she was experiencing contraction-like pains is now suing over the death of her child. Texas Tribune reporter Jolie McCullough joins with more.
In the wake of a San Antonio police shooting of a woman with mental health issues and an investigation of officers involved, questions remain about how well the department polices itself.
And a San Antonio nonprofit, Reforged, helps veterans forge ahead through knife-making classes and a peer-support group.
“It’s a fantasy,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said of Gov. Greg Abbott’s objectives to lower property taxes. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune joins with more on a growing divide between the state’s two top Republican leaders.
One top political observer says there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to school funding for rural districts.
Hurricane season is back. We’ll have the seasonal forecast from Space City Weather, plus how to prepare.
Plus, Cine Las Americas kicks off its 25th International Film Festival in Austin.
A resource center in San Antonio now in the spotlight. It’s the focus of a national controversy over transporting migrants out of state. At least three migrants from Venezuela file suit against Florida’s governor and other top officials alleging false promises designed to lure them to travel from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard. We’ll have details. Also after a hurricane strike’s Puerto Rico, a privatized power grid leaves more than a million without electricity. Echoes of Texas’ own power grid issues? We’ll explore. And as the U.S. moves to over the counter hearing aids, privacy advocates are raising concerns. We’ll hear why plus a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
A booster rollout: ready for launch? As a long awaited Omicron vaccine gets ready for release, are Texans ready for another round of shots? We’ll explore. Other stories we’re covering: families of victims of the Uvalde shooting gather at the capitol to tell their stories and demand action. And military rules on weight leading to eating disorders and some say the services are do too little to address that issue. Also, the business of college football changing as never before with some players getting paid de facto salaries at bigger schools and altering the calculus for recruitment. Those stories and much more coming up today on the Texas Standard:
Border bottlenecks brought on by ramped up Texas inspections cost business billions. But a surprising potential longer-term effect, too. A new relationship between Texas and 4 border states in Mexico? Angela Kocherga has that story. Plus a new report reveals San Antonio’s south side, one of the nation’s hardest hit by the pandemic. Also an update on COVID-19 and kids in Texas. And what our neighbors to the east may be able to teach Texas as plans for a coastal Ike Dike get the green light. Also ChicanX utopias. What pop culture tells us about the politics of the possible. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Austin has ’em, so does San Antonio–now, almost five years after Hurricane Harvey, Harris County officials are looking into massive underground tunnels to help with flooding. Also, why Texas is one of only four states where employment numbers have bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. And, Austin-based author on her new book exploring the Mexican American experience in Texas. Those stories and more, today on the Texas Standard:
People of color accounted for 95% of Texas population boom in the last decade. What does this mean for political maps? Abby Livingston of the Texas Tribune helps us read between the boundary lines. Also hurricane season doesn’t end til November 30th, but is it already over for Texas? A team of Texas meteorologists with a bold prediction. And trouble for Houston’s former top cop Miami chief Art Acevedo…we’ll hear why. And the passing of a transformative force in higher education, remembering UTEP’s Diana Natalicio. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
The US attorney general says the Texas abortion law is one “all Americans should fear” in announcing a legal challenge to new abortion restrictions in Texas. We’ll hear about the justice departments plans. Plus officials hesitant to issue sweeping vaccine mandates out of fears of being sued may have it all wrong. So says a Texas scholar, we’ll hear why. And veterans, Gen-Z and 9/11… how different groups of Texans are reflecting on the attacks of 20 years ago. Plus the week in politics and much more today on the Texas Standard:
An early end to the special session at the capitol but the work far from over. Next up redrawing the political maps of Texas. As lawmakers gavel out a second special session, where do we stand and what comes next? A closer look with the editor of the quorum report. Also the search for a new permanent home for the battleship Texas as a piece of history battles the ravages of time. And 10 years after the most destructive fire in Texas history. What happened and what’s happened since. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard:
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:
Big news today from the U.S. Supreme Court. The case is out of Arizona but it will have big implications for Texans, we’ll explore. Plus an enormously energy-hungry industry is hoping to move to Texas. But our grid, as we found out in February, is not stable! We’ll learn more about cryptocurrency mining. And it’s been years since hurricane Harvey all but devastated Houston and it will still take some more years before some residents can move back home. Plus in a world with expiring car warranties, credit card scams and other attacks, the number one consumer complaint in the U.S. is for robocalls! What to do about them and ways to protect yourself. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard: