Joe Biden

How might proposed tariffs on Mexico impact Texas?

Texas does more business with Mexico than any other nation, and with 25% tariff threats now on the table from President-elect Trump, what should we expect? We’ll take a closer look.
The Texas Public Utility Commission issues a report on CenterPoint Energy’s much-criticized response to Hurricane Beryl.
Squaring economic data points with how voters felt going into this year’s election.
An educational oasis for some students is out of reach for others. A warning about community college deserts.

‘The Stadium’ reconsiders the role of our modern arenas

The Democratic National Convention kicked off with an emotional evening and Texans among the featured speakers.
A jury found that the parents of the accused gunman in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting were not responsible for his actions.
Highway lanes are shrinking in Austin. It’s part of national trend – but what does it mean for safety?
Why an effort to ban books in a Rio Grande Valley high school library failed.
Also: A new book from historian Frank Guridy delves into why sports stadiums are more than places to cheer on your favorite team.

What Texas Democrats can look forward to as the DNC kicks off

Texas has the third-largest delegation at the Democratic National Convention. We’ll hear more about the four-day political spectacle getting underway in Chicago and what it could mean for the Lone Star State and the presidential race.
Conservative activists, led by the Houston-based group True the Vote, are submitting lists of names to county election officials all over Texas, claiming the listed people are illegally registered to vote.
More and more school districts in Texas taking cellphone bans seriously as students return to class.
Also: Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a special type of self-watering soil that can actually pull water from the air and slowly release nutrients to plants.

Fifth Circuit rules Texas can keep buoys in the Rio Grande for now

Gov. Greg Abbott receives at least a temporary victory in a fight with the Biden administration over border buoys in the Rio Grande.
NPR’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán has the latest on the reduction in the numbers of people crossing the border from Mexico into Texas, and the political spin in a volatile election season.
As Texas senators hold hearings into the response to Hurricane Beryl, we’ll hear about a group of people especially vulnerable in those many days without power.
WF Strong has some ideas for a competition that would be open to all – the Texas Olympics.
And: Meet the two Brits taking Texas by storm on social media.

Dozens of earthquakes rattle region west of Fort Worth

President Biden visits Texas and unveils his plan to reform the Supreme Court, including a call for term limits.
Protests and claims of fraud as Venezuela president says he won another election. Could that spur more migration to the U.S.?
Scurry County, west of Fort Worth, has felt more than 90 earthquakes in the past week.
Why Austin is pulling the plug on a plan to transition to battery-powered city buses.
And: Photographer Richard Doherty snaps images of the place where he’s lived for more than 40 years in his new book “Framing Oak Cliff: A Visual Diary of a Dallas Neighborhood.”

KUT Morning Newscast for July 30, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 30, 2024. Hear about President Joe Biden’s visit to Austin yesterday. The Austin City Council continues its discussions on the city budget this week. Former Austin City Council member Chris Riley died on Sunday, he is being remembered as a fierce advocate for bike infrastructure and denser housing. The Hays County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning about scam calls, here’s what you need to know.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 29, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 29, 2024. Expect traffic delays as President Jose Biden visits Austin today. The City of Austin is rolling out new rules for electric scooters. San Marcos residents will soon hear outdoor sirens when there’s a local emergency. Hot weather is back in Central Texas.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 26, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 26, 2024.  Central Health hopes to hire a few hundred more staff in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Biden’s visit to Austin might cause traffic delays, plan accordingly. The Village at Western Oaks is getting 21 Little Free Libraries installed thanks to a city program. Austin FC will play against Mexican club Pumas at Q-2 Stadium tonight.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 24, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 24, 2024. Austin has two finalists for the city’s next police chief, hear what they say about how they would tackle the job. President Joe Biden has rescheduled his trip to Austin next Monday. The bowling alley Highland Lanes will stay open for another 17 months. Capital Metro is donating single-day bus passes to AISD. Georgetown water customers may soon see an increase in their monthly bills.  

Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett pledges full support for VP Harris

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas has thoughts for fellow Democrats who haven’t been quick to support Vice President Kamala Harris.

Prison farm labor isn’t just part of Texas history; it’s a reality today. An investigation into the practices and what we don’t know about what goes on in the fields.

A mammoth find for Texas researchers – literally. What a team from Baylor plans to do with the discovery of some ancient DNA.

We’ll take you inside some San Antonio record stores where the love for vinyl keeps going around.

And: The emerging path forward for psychedelics when it comes to treating PTSD.

What’s next after Biden exits presidential race?

President Biden’s decision yesterday to drop his campaign for re-election and to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee follows weeks of mounting pressure from members of his own party. But it was a Texan who was the first Democrat on Capitol Hill to call for Biden to step aside. We’ll talk with U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett.

What can we expect between now and Election Day? A UT Austin professor takes a look at the logistics of Biden stepping down and what it means for next month’s Democratic National Convention.

Some historical perspective: The last time an incumbent president announced he wouldn’t run for reelection was Texas’ Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1968.

Plus: Remembering the legacy of longtime Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has died at 74.

How the Texas Lottery helped a big spending group become surefire winners

Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett on Tuesday became the first Democrat on Capitol Hill to call for President Biden to abandon his re-election bid.
In several high-profile cases, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed rulings from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where Texas cases go on appeal.
Ever try your luck at the lottery? We’ll hear about an out-of-state scheme to win big by buying up the odds.
And soda’s unintentional pop: KUT’s Mose Buchele takes the lid off the mystery of exploding cans in hot cars.

Simone Biles sets new records at Olympic qualifier

Mayors from South Texas are in DC today to join President Joe Biden as he announces a plan that would limit the number of people who could request asylum at the southern border. Is it more political, or practical?
It’s getting hot out there – and if you haven’t noticed, your pets certainly have. We’ll hear from an expert about how to keep them cool this summer.
And: Simone Biles’ sweep at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships brings her career U.S. medal count to 41, including 32 golds.

Thoughts on being a woman in Texas this International Women’s Day

Two veteran Texas-based politics watchers offer their analysis of Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.
What’s it like being a woman in Texas right now? We’ll hear voices of Texas women from across the state answering that question on this International Women’s Day.
South by Southwest is getting underway in Austin. Freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker Karen Bernstein joins with a film preview, while taco journalist Mando Rayo has tips on what to look for and what to avoid on the taco front.
Plus: The week in politics with The Texas Tribune.

Ken Paxton whistleblower says his fight is not over

He was one of the whistleblowers against Attorney General Ken Paxton, and he says his fight is not over.

What appears to be a 180° turn by the Biden Administration as it waves environmental laws and resumes construction work on a border wall in South Texas.

Hundreds of thousands of Texans dropped from Medicaid rolls post-‘peak COVID’ – some wrongly so, whistleblowers say – due to errors at the state health department.

What could be an epic football battle this weekend: the Red River Rivalry. Are the Longhorns back, for real?

Also, the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune.

What we know about Ken Paxton’s upcoming impeachment trial

The Department of Justice has sued the State of Texas over its floating border barrier near Eagle Pass, alleging Texas doesn’t have the authority to place barriers in the Rio Grande. Gov. Greg Abbott’s reply? “See you in court.”

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom brings us the latest developments in Ken Paxton’s upcoming impeachment trial.

Congressman Greg Casar is calling for federal regulations to protect workers against heat-related illness in light of state law that will undo local rules starting Sept. 1.

And why a goat that went missing from a livestock show has captured the imagination of lots of folks in the Rio Grande Valley.

Summer heat is here – and so is the strain on Texas’ electric grid

Although Ken Paxton’s already impeached, Texas House investigators continue gathering evidence against the now-suspended attorney general. More scrutiny over the finances of Paxton and his wife, a Texas senator.

Temperatures are hitting triple digits across much of Texas. Can the power grid take the heat?

Tech expert Omar Gallaga on why the release of Diablo IV is more than a game for the video game industry.

And a new podcast, “Sugar Land” premieres this week, exploring a grim discovery that’s reshaping history in a city once called the sweetest place in Texas.

Groups suing over SpaceX’s explosions, environmental impact

Published reports say the Biden administration is set to send 1,500 troops to the border with Mexico ahead of Title 42’s repeal.

As the Texas Legislature enters the home stretch of the 88th session, we’ll hear about the latest on efforts to pre-empt local government regulations.

The South Texas liftoff and explosion of the SpaceX Starship on April 20 has sparked legal action from environmental groups against the Federal Aviation
Administration. We’ll hear from one of the attorneys suing the government.

And a prominent member of Congress asks a judge in northern Texas to change the way the courts there do business.

Teaching ancient Greek and Roman texts in the Jim Crow era

As Title 42 comes to an end, El Paso declares a state of emergency due to the influx of migrants.

The week ahead at the Texas Legislature, and two bills affecting transgender youth in Texas; one relating to medical treatment, the other, sports competition.

An investigation of a chemical fire in Deer Park outside of Houston, and what it says about warning signs and preparation for potential disasters.

Researchers revisit an educational debate from the Jim Crow era, and the contributions of the Black Texans at the center of it.

This Texas folk trio was lost to time – and that’s mostly OK with them

In an apparent first since the Dobbs decision, five women have filed suit against the State of Texas challenging the state’s abortion ban.

There’s frustration among immigration advocates amid reports that the Biden administration is considering reviving the practice of detaining migrant families who cross the border illegally, a policy initially shut down by the president shortly after taking office.

Tech expert Omar Gallaga on employer surveillance of workers and why it’s growing.

And the award-winning documentary “Nobody Famous” shines a light on the Pozo-Seco Singers, a Corpus Christi folk trio you’ve likely never heard of.