After days of finger pointing and demands for accountability, hearings get underway at the Texas Capitol to get the the bottom of last weeks outages. We’ll have the latest. Also, details from the governor’s statewide address last night on what comes next as Texans demand answers in the wake of last week, and solutions to prevent such failures in the future. And what Texas can learn from Australia when it comes to massive power outages and the politics of renewable energy. Plus a federal judge puts an indefinite hold on President Biden’s attempts to freeze deportations at the border. The implications plus much today on the Texas Standard:
Joe Biden
Texas Standard: February 19, 2021
Getting power back? Priceless. Losing power and heat and water and basic services? What price the winter storm of 2021? Coming up, the high price of being unprepared. Economist Ray Perryman on the difficulty calculating the impact of this week’s storm. Also, who should shoulder the costs of weatherizing power plants? According to the governor, it’s the taxpayer. We’ll hear more. And with power coming back and a lot of water damage its not too soon think about your own next steps: tips for talking to the insurance company, and a massive rescue of fellow Texas residents… But where do you shelter almost 5 thousand sea turtles? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 3, 2021
New executive orders on asylum seekers and family separation policies at the border get a lukewarm reception from advocates for change. President Biden orders an official review of the remain in Mexico policies. Some are asking why not just change the policy? Also COVID-19 and the double squeeze on nonprofits. More demand for their services, but less money to provide those services… We’ll explore. And the governor’s call for legislation to further restrict abortion access in Texas. Are republican lawmakers hoping for a fight in the high court? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 29, 2021
Could you draw a map of the state of Texas? Try drawing the political maps. This year, it promises to be tougher than ever. As redistricting begins in Texas, what to look for in what is likely to be another highly contentious process. Also, are you having trouble getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Many are. Our own Terri Langford set out to try to navigate the journey to get vaccinated in Texas, and it wasn’t pretty. We’ll hear what she learned firsthand. And the story of a Texas-based video game store stock that rocked Wall Street: a morality tale? The truths not quite so simple. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 28, 2021
As the governor announces a plan to get more COVID-19 vaccines to rural Texas, a major urban county could be reaching a vaccination milestone. El Paso is fast approaching vaccination levels of 10 percent, though it’s a trade off that could leave many in areas hardest hit by the virus without being vaccinated. That story coming up. Also, the impediments to getting vaccines to people in more rural parts of the Lone Star State. Speaking of: president Biden under growing pressure to do more at the federal level to reach out to help rural communities nationwide. And is tech trendsetter Elon Musk getting into the Texas gas biz? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 27, 2021
6 days into the Biden Administration and Texas’ Attorney General has successfully, if temporarily, reversed a deportation ban. Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against the Biden administration puts a temporary stop on the president’s attempts to change immigration enforcement. What happens next? We’ll explore. Also, for many the symptoms of COVID-19 don’t last very long. Now, what Texas researchers are finding out about those who suffer long term. And another take on the impact of increasing the minimum wage, more harm than good? We’ll explore. And a day of remembrance for a time we must ‘never forget’. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 20, 2021
The beginning of a new chapter and a new era. With change coming to Washington, what are the implications closer to home? On this presidential inauguration day, what are the priorities for the 46th chief executive of the united states and what do they add up to for Texas? Coming up, we’ll hear from Texas experts, scholars and reporters on subjects ranging from what to expect when it comes to changes to environmental policy, immigration and asylum, the economy including the trillion dollar student loan debt crisis, dealing with the ongoing pandemic, and much more on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 19, 2021
Sorting through legislative priorities: what legislators will pass but probably shouldn’t and what they won’t pass but probably should. The good the bad and the ugly…the good? It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood but with Mr. Rogers gone, a woman in the Texas Hill Country and her dog are filling those shoes. And speaking of the neighborhood, a new neighbor plans a move to Texas. It’s the National Rifle Association and its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Also the ugly evolution of fascism, plus the challenges of COVID-19 continue, but Dallas is looking for a more equitable distribution of vaccines. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 18, 2021
Is there a doctor in the House? At least one COVID-19 case reported among Texas lawmakers and what that may mean for getting back to business at the Texas capitol, we’ll have the latest. Also, President elect Joe Biden says one of the first things he’ll do after inauguration is rejoin the Paris Climate accords but new research from Texas A&M suggests one of the targets for temperature limits is already on track to being exceeded. Game over? Not quite. We’ll hear why and what comes next. And federal officials approve new standards of health care in a crisis for people with disabilities. So what changes in Texas? Also, amid a new reckoning on race, remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 14, 2021
In a long list of unprecedented events theres another one. For the first time two of the three highest offices in the land will be lead by women. Women make better leaders in a time of crisis, so says the Harvard Business Review. We’ll tell you why. Plus, how are teachers taking current events and turning them into teachable moments? And how Texas Tech companies are pulling their dollars away from politicians. Plus, what’s going on with the COVID-19 vaccine? Stay tuned, it’s Texas Standard time:
Texas Standard: January 13, 2021
The Texas legislature has gaveled into session with a new house speaker and big news on the budget front. We’ll hear more on what’s happening at the Texas capitol. Plus from the nations capitol, a conversation with a U.S. congressman from the Rio Grande Valley on the realities ahead on the presidential impeachment front. And with the muting of the president on social media…a new conversation about the future of big tech and free speech. Also, the completion of an historic sculpture in Galveston more than a hundred years in the making. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 8, 2021
Will prominent Texas politicians who sided with unsubstantiated election fraud claims pay a price for that position after Wednesday? And what is a coup? It’s a question many Americans are asking about and arguing over after the invasion of the capitol. We’ll talk with a Texas scholar whose focus includes authoritarian regimes. And she’s one of the few health providers for miles around in a rural part of east Texas. And right now she’s overwhelmed with demand for vaccinations, we’ll talk with her. Also the impact of the pandemic on the future of Texas public schools, the week in Texas politics and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 7, 2021
A normally ceremonial ritual of democracy stalled by the storming of congress. But it didn’t stop the confirmation of change. After violence at the capitol inspired by unsubstantiated claims of a fraudulent election, congress defies a mob and confirms Joe Biden as the next President of the United States and Kamala Harris as Vice President. But the political spectacle shocked many in the U.S. and around the world as images seldom seen from the capitol city recalled the toppling of the government of other nations, and the dissolution of the rule of law. We’re talking with Texans helping to make sense of Wednesday’s mayhem and what it means for our future, today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 6, 2021
As Georgia goes, so goes Texas? What the results of the senate runoffs in Georgia may tell us about changing politics in the Lone Star State. Major population growth, shifts in suburbs once reliably republican… sound familiar? Could politics in the peach state tell us something about political change coming to Texas, too? Texas based ABC News analyst Matthew Dowd with a closer look. Also, Texas’ two senators, both Republicans, not on the same page when it comes to certification of the electoral college vote…more on that plus why people of color in Texas may have less of a shot at getting the COVID-19 vaccines they need. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 4, 2021
A Texas senator joins almost 11 colleagues in a pledge not to certify the electoral college results. Political theatre or something more? We’ll explore. Also, demand at food banks has doubled since the pandemic. What happens now with cuts to a critical fresh food program? How the pandemic has accelerated the widening of the gap between rich and poor. Also a federal crackdown on the marketing of CBD and what it might mean for Texas. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 8, 2020
He is set to become, if not a household name, a statewide presence in politics: just who is Dade Phelan and why should everyday Texans care? We’ll explain. Also, by court order, the Trump administration says it has restored the deferred deportation program called DACA. But recipients remain fearful of its future. Also the change in Texas law that left some Texas cities, hard hit by the pandemic with fewer hospitals than they used to have. And questions raised about why so many c-sections concentrated at certain Texas hospitals? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 7, 2020
Front line workers in Texas get to get COVID-19 vaccines but educators and staff are demanding a better place in in the vaccination line. We’ll have details. Plus as Texas lawmakers get ready to start a new session, both republicans and democrats prepare to take on issues of voter fraud and voter access. Also, powering up: with a new administration in Washington, what’s set to change for the energy capitol of the U.S.? And billions of federal dollars for pandemic relief and time’s running out for Texas to spend it all. Where’s the money going? Plus listener questions about COVID-19 and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 2, 2020
With Texas reporting new record high numbers of Coronavirus cases, a warning from Washington that more needs to be done, we’ll have details. Also, as the fight against COVID-19 continues, setbacks reported in the war against human trafficking in Texas. Plus high hopes versus realistic expectations: with change at the White House, what Texas immigrant rights advocates think they’ll see when it comes to changes on the ground. And rarely has a nation been so well served by a people so ill treated. Now the postal service set to celebrate the Japanese American soldiers who saved thousands of Texans in WWII. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 30, 2020
The timetable for COVID-19 vaccines in Texas? The first doses could be here within days, says the governor. We’ll have more on the state’s plans for a rollout of Pfizer’s Coronavirus vaccine in Texas, who gets it and when. Bob Garret of the Dallas Morning news with details. Also more on the incoming Biden administrations plans for fighting the pandemic. And contraband crossing the border: not drugs coming into the U.S., but arms going south to Mexico. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 24, 2020
How did an agency that oversees managing office space and procuring supplies come to play such a role in the presidential transition? Gimme a T for transition: what changes and how for Team Biden with an election acknowledgement by a key government agency? Also, who Biden’s tapping for his administration and what it could mean for Texas. Plus Mexico’s president also slow to concede the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. What that could mean for relations with our crucial neighbors to the south. And before the family gatherings begin, a north Texas family offers a warning informed by experience. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard: