The application window opens for Texas education savings accounts, often called school vouchers. But demand may outstrip available funds. We’ll talk with two reporters for the Houston Chronicle closely following the application process, hear about the application experience of one Texas mom, and learn more about what’s included, what isn’t, and what happens if there’s not enough taxpayer money to go around.
SpaceX and xAI could be poised for the largest IPO in history. We’ll dig into what this merger means for Texas, and perhaps the future of space exploration.
And Mando Rayo, host of Tacos of Texas, on a new trend: less is more?
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Texas GOP reexamines ICE messaging amid crackdown controversies
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said Immigration and Customs Enforcement needs to “recalibrate” its tactics, and he isn’t the only member of the Texas GOP to comment on the operations and the rhetoric around it. The messaging comes a few weeks before early voting begins in the Texas primaries ahead of the midterms. We’ll have more about that on today’s show.
Former Austin police chief Art Acevedo says ICE agents are deploying tactics that show they’re either insufficiently trained or poorly supervised. He says when trust collapses, criminals win. We’ll hear more from that conversation.
The Austin City Council has postponed a vote on a contract for AI-powered surveillance cameras. We’ll look at why the vote was pushed back and what happens now.
And, the deadline is approaching to enter this year’s Tiny Desk Concert. We’ll chat with one of the the judges for the competition. And we’ve got another Black Austin music profile from our sister station KUTX.
Protesters, DPS troopers clash outside Dilley ICE detention facility
Protesters outside the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley called for the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father who were taken into ICE custody in Minnesota.Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a massive military buildup as President Trump warns Iran to abandon its nuclear program – or else. But this may be about more than just nukes.Also, what new census numbers tell us about the state of the Lone Star State.
Possible government shutdown looms after ICE shooting
The second death of a person in Minnesota at the hands of ICE agents has fueled an outcry from some for another government shutdown.Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers aren’t just in Minnesota, of course. They’re also showing up in small-town Texas. A look at their impact on Elgin.We’ll hear from journalists José Ralat and Rodrigo Bravo Jr. who believe they were targeted by officers in West Texas.A hangout in Austin that promotes doodling nights for adults.And how some dairy farmers are taking a cue from goat yoga events. Would you like to cuddle a cow?
The little-known story of the NFL’s Dallas Texans
Texas A&M bans professors from discussing race or gender ideology. Will other universities follow?
They were supposed to be protected from deportation, but now ICE is going after some DACA recipients, too. How some Dreamers are ending up in detention centers.
Why the VA is making it harder for men with breast cancer to get medical care and disability benefits.
Also, the wild, little-known history of the NFL’s Dallas Texans, as well as how AI is making old lottery scams targeting Texans seem more real.
Data reveals intensity of ICE crackdown in Texas under Trump
1 in 4 immigration arrests are happening in Texas under the Trump administration. We’ll take a look at the statewide crackdown.
It’s Election Day. One constitutional amendment that funds a new Dementia Prevention and Research Institute for the state’s aging population is on the ballot.
A look back at our top 10 author interviews as the Standard continues celebrating a decade on the air.
Plus, a new cookbook from Chef Adán Medrano focuses on the plant-based recipes that have deep roots in Mexican cooking on both sides of the border.
Tim Duncan’s story comes home to Texas screens
As the federal government shutdown drags on, the impact grows worse. From food benefits to trade, what it means for the Lone Star State.
Texas does not have regulations for police pursuits, and some end in deadly crashes. What can we learn from Minnesota, where accountability rules offer a potential model for reform.
Immigrants with college degrees often still struggle to find work that matches their training, but adult education programs across Texas are helping these professionals reconnect with their fields. The Standard’s Sarah Asch reports.
A new documentary premiering at the Austin Film Festival spotlights the life of Spurs great Tim Duncan.
Legal battle brews as Texas National Guard is sent beyond state lines
The Texas National Guard is being sent beyond state lines. We’ll unpack what’s driving the deployment and the legal battle brewing around it.
The ICEBlock app, designed to alert users about ICE agents nearby, has been pulled from app stores. Critics are calling it a violation of free speech.
Years after the pandemic lockdowns, what do we know now about domestic violence rates in Texas? A new report sheds light on what’s changed and what hasn’t.
And in today’s Hispanic Heritage Moment: the King of the Accordion, Flaco Jiménez, and how the six-time Grammy winner kept a Texas tradition alive.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Where was the acting FEMA head during the July 4 floods?
An investigative report claims as Texas flooded on the July 4 weekend, the head of FEMA couldn’t be reached. We’ll hear more about a reported slow response from acting administrator David Richardson and what it meant for Texas during the Hill Country floods.
Concerns are rising in higher ed over millions of federal dollars for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) on hold, with no end in sight.
The latest on lawsuits challenging Texas’ new law for the Ten Commandments in the classroom.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga has the latest on a deal that would keep TikTok in the U.S. and growing concerns about who might be running that operation.
Plus, taco journalist Mando Rayo weighs in on Tex-Mex.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Rodney Crowell talks new album, career
A deadly shooting this morning at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas. We’ll share the latest details.
Workplaces across the state trying to calculate the implications of a new $100,000 fee for H-1B applications. We’ll hear more on the questions raised by the new policy and the possible fallout.
How college football in Texas and beyond is being reshaped by new NIL rules allowing for direct athlete pay by advertisers and sponsors.
And the return of Rodney Crowell: Music and conversation with a Texas songwriting legend.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
KUT Morning Newscast for August 7, 2025: An Austin congressman is asking for transparency from federal immigration authorities
Central Texas top stories for August 7, 2025. Democrat Greg Casar says feds haven’t been forthcoming about recent arrests in East Austin. Tens of thousands of families in Texas may find themselves paying higher energy bills if the Trump Administration cancels the “Solar for All” initiative begun by the Biden Administration. A distribution center’s open through Saturday for people impacted by last month’s Austin-area flooding. Several dinosaur footprints have been found in the Big Sandy Creek area in northwestern Travis County.
KUT News Now is made at KUT Public Media Studios. You may have heard that Congress just took back the money it had allocated for public media. Our organization stands to lose 1.2 million dollars. We’re asking our listeners now to help us make up this shortfall. If you want to help us out, you can make a donation at supportthispodcast.org.
KUT Morning Newscast for February 13, 2025: Demonstrators gathered on UT campus to protest Trump’s immigration policies.
Central Texas top stories for February 13, 2025. Around a hundred demonstrators gathered on the UT Austin campus Wednesday afternoon to protest reported sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on campus. Say so far, City of Austin programs have not been affected by federal and state orders related to freezing grants and loans, but some programs could be affected in the future. Austin City Council might change to mailing parking tickets. A new child care facility is looking to help lower costs in the Austin area.
Local Hispanic business owners are feeling the impacts of the recent immigration raids in Austin.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted “targeted enforcement actions” in the Austin area last month.
Texas Standard: September 11, 2018
Public frustration boils over into the streets after manslaughter charges in the fatal shooting of an innocent man by a Dallas police officer. We’ll have the latest. Also, after 2016, do you trust political polls? With election day now just 8 weeks away, the horserace begins in earnest. We’ll explore how the polls became such a major institution in American politics. And a historic moment for the Boy Scouts as they start recruiting Texas girls. Why they’re doing this and how it’s going so far. Plus the race to save the Texas horny toad and so much more today on the Texas Standard: