The Supreme Court, in the waning hours of this term, issues orders on social media and federal corruption laws. Some of the most contentious cases on the court’s docket remain undecided, though we’re expecting several rulings in the next 48 hours or so.
Sen. Ted Cruz is leading an effort to end tax on tips. Critics call it an election-year move to win over younger voters.
40 acres and a lie: what a new investigative report reveals about a well-known but often misunderstood Civil War-era reparation order.
Also: an effort to help law enforcement personnel in need of mental health support.
Jail
Historic church site in South Texas recognized as stop on Underground Railroad
A Galveston County judge has pushed back the start of a trial in a civil lawsuit against the parents of the accused gunman in the Santa Fe High School shooting, which left eight students and two teachers dead in 2018.
Houston has a new acting police chief in the wake of the abrupt retirement of Chief Troy Finner. We’ll have the latest.
The Jackson Ranch Church in the Rio Grande Valleyis being recognized as a stop on the Underground Railroad ushering enslaved people to freedom in Mexico.
Plus: A group of Gen Z rappers go on a road trip across Texas in the new film “Lost Soulz.”
Celebrating Willie Nelson’s birthday and his concert tradition
Some of Texas’ biggest counties say their lockups are getting more overcrowded and many sheriffs say the state is to blame.
Destructive weather across the Midwest over much of the weekend turned to Texas late Sunday.
A school district that’s increasingly been in the spotlight over culture war issues heads toward what could be a turning point with local elections.
Payday loans? Yes, there’s an app for that, and experts are concerned.
Plus, on the birthday of a certain Red Headed Stranger, a look at how his picnic became an iconic event for many Texans.
Questions over how to remember an East Texas manhunt
SpaceX successfully conducted a test launch of its massive Starship rocket from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica this morning. We’ll hear from Gaige Davila of Texas Public Radio live from Brownsville.
The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to ban TikTok, citing security concerns related to the Chinese-owned platform’s control of Americans’ data. The Standard’s Shelly Brisbin has been following the story, including where Texans in Congress stand.
And: Why a courthouse renovation is East Texas is dividing a community.
After a pandemic boost, what’s the next chapter for independent booksellers?
Fort Worth ISD temporarily closed its school libraries as the district worked to comply with a new state law over adult content.
Texas is one of only 10 states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Why?
The pandemic boost for books, and its aftermath: the Standard’s Sean Saldaña on the next chapter for independent booksellers.
The most dangerous jails in Texas may not be the lockups that get the most attention. Eric Dexheimer of the Houston Chronicle shares more.
And the Texan trying to redefine travel TV, and what travel looks like in the real world, too.
Why the film and TV strikes are at an awful time for Texas
A change in leadership in the embattled Texas foster care system is bringing with it some optimism.
Texas doesn’t have enough space in psychiatric hospitals, so some people are staying in jails instead. We’ll explore their legal limbo.
A new investigation from the Dallas Morning News explores the history and impact of excessive use of police force in Dallas.
The film strikes in Hollywood are having more than just ripple effects here in Texas – why the timing was especially bad for the state.
And it’s Friday, so that means the Typewriter Rodeo and a wrap of the week in Texas politics.
How to prepare and stay safe amid high wildfire danger
With low humidity and winds picking up across Texas, a growing wildfire threat has prompted officials to raise the state’s preparedness level. What should Texans be doing to prepare for the danger of wildfires?
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is facing not one but two Democrats with considerable name recognition as he prepares to try to retain his Senate seat.
A conversation with Ire’ne Lara Silva, Texas’ poet laureate.
And there are growing concerns about artificial intelligence in Zoom amid recent changes to the app’s terms of service.
Heat and the next Great Migration
An exemption to Texas’ abortion ban is on hold after an appeal by the state attorney general. What comes next?
Just how powerful are social media algorithms? Texas researchers test whether changes could help defuse political polarization.
Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies got in a kayak to take an up-close look at Gov. Greg Abbott’s floating wall in the Rio Grande.
And a warning that climate change could reverse demographic trends showing major population growth in places like Texas: Could there be a great migration northward?
Abilene volunteers serve Ukrainian refugees through soccer
Who is Angela Colmenero, the state’s new interim attorney general, and where do we stand with the impeachment of the now-suspended AG Ken Paxton? Lauren McGaughy of the
Dallas Morning News joins us with the latest.
Republican Mayra Flores has announced a bid to retake the South Texas congressional seat that she won in a special election last summer, then lost a few months later in the midterms.
An Associated Press investigation raises questions about the oversight of police in rural parts of the Lone Star State.
A group of volunteers from Abilene has just returned from Poland, where they held a soccer camp for Ukrainian refugees.
And a new report on beach contamination reveals that the Texas Gulf Coast has the highest percent of unsafe fecal contamination in the country.
Cormac McCarthy’s deep Texas ties
A tornado tore through the Panhandle town of Perryton on Thursday, leaving three dead, scores injured and many without homes – and forecasts say there’s more severe weather on the way.
Native American tribes are celebrating a big win before the Supreme Court in an adoption law case brought by a white foster couple from Texas.
What an expo in El Paso says about an aspect of border security that’s seldom talked about.
Remembering a giant of American novelists, Cormac McCarthy, and his ties to Texas.
And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.
Lawmaker Gene Wu using Reddit to explain Texas Legislature
The clash between city leaders and state lawmakers is set to reach a new level at the Capitol. How state lawmakers are trying to crack down on policies by local prosecutors not to pursue certain cases.
A Texas researcher is pursuing a key to fight aging with the help of small monkeys.
We talk with Rep. Gene Wu, whose videos about how Texas politics actually works have blown up on social media.
In West Texas, concerns about growing tourism and the environmental impact spawn a plan to expand Big Bend National Park by purchasing adjacent land and giving it to the park.
Plus the legacy of San Antonio businessman B.J “Red” McCombs.
How Ro-Tel became a staple of Texas cooking
Lawmakers at the Capitol are considering changes to how Texas handles bail. The push would give judges more leeway to deny bail for violent offenses – and Democrats may have a considerable say in what happens.
More fallout from this month’s ice storm: why the Texas capital city may be looking for a new city manager soon.
Amid concerns about rising prices, layoffs and more, the Dallas Fed weighs in with a forecast on the Texas economy.
And why a can of diced tomatoes – you know the one – has such a rabid Texas following.
How Austin has changed
Last night’s State of the Union touched on immigration, inflation, gun violence and other issues. Richard Pineda of the University of Texas at El Paso joins us with analysis of the annual message by the president to Congress.
A legal challenge to an abortion drug and a possible decision from a federal judge in Amarillo that could come as early as this week, with potential implications nationwide.
Wage gains for migrants filling jobs in the U.S. and why a visa program for seasonal workers may not be working for U.S. employers.
And author Lawrence Wright on the astonishing transformation of the Texas capital city.
Texas Standard: November 21, 2022
‘Tis the season for bill filing; a quick look at what filing season in the Texas legislature tells us about lawmaker priorities for the coming session. Other stories we’re watching: an earthquake recorded in west Texas last week, the third biggest ever recorded in the state, what it could mean for the oil and gas industry. And a nuclear reactor taking shape on the campus of Abilene Christian University, we’ll hear why. Also how military families are trying to deal with the search for suitable housing. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 04, 2022
It’s the last day to vote early in the midterm elections but Texans haven’t been showing up at the pace they did last time; we’ll look at why. And one of the races on every Texan’s ballot is for state comptroller. So what exactly does the comptroller do and what separates the two top party candidates? Also on the ballot may be a change to your city charter, what’s that mean and what’s at stake? And we’ll meet a 75-year old Texan running his 75th marathon. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 26, 2022
Who’ll take the place of Eddie Bernice Johnson? Why the race for Texas’ 30th congressional seat is one to watch as primary season closes in. Also, amid growing concerns about police traffic stops turning confrontational, and sometimes deadly, a Texas town tries a different approach: tickets via text message. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: December 13, 2021
The Texas secretary of state asks for detailed information on the 2020 presidential election from 4 Texas counties. Why? We’ll have more on whats described as phase two of a controversial audit of voting in Texas in the November 2020 elections. Also the national guard’s involvement in an ongoing border mission, and new concerns about soldier deaths, car crashes and other issues. And Texas grapefruit growers grow concerned over the future of their industry with a lifting of rules on imports. Plus an artist committing the tastes of her Texas community to canvas. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 28, 2021
Hundreds of kids in Texas’ Child Protective system sleeping on office floors. Will a new panel find a way to fix the problem? We’ll explore. Other stories we’re tracking: an effort by a state lawmaker and candidate for Attorney General to inventory books about race and sexuality in Texas schools. And Texas jails pushed to the brink by the pandemic. Also, an effort to build a better house with a 3D printer, Texas could be home to the biggest development of its kind. And a seasonal ritual comes to Williamson county, a firsthand view from its inaugural fair and rodeo. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 28, 2021
New CDC guidelines on masks in schools this fall. Now one of Texas’ biggest teachers groups is sounding an alarm. The Texas state teachers association calling on Governor Abbott to drop his order against mask mandates as school districts prepare for a return to the classrooms and the Delta COVID-19 variant drives up cases and hospitalizations statewide. We’ll have the latest. Also the relationship between vaccination rates, media literacy, and what can be done to improve both. And an auspicious anniversary for the state’s top law enforcement official. A Politifact check and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 9, 2021
Allegations of abuse at a migrant detention center for unaccompanied minors in San Antonio. What’s known and what’s not. Other stories we’re tracking, a booster shot for efforts to get more Texans vaccinated against COVID-19 by putting the clinic on wheels. We’ll hear the how and why. Plus a bill to bring broadband to rural Texas, as well as urban areas that can’t get connected. What the proposal does and doesn’t do, when it comes to an increasingly critical piece of the infrastructure puzzle. And how waste is suddenly affecting a way of life in south Texas. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard: