Medicaid

Why a Texas appeals court halted Robert Roberson’s execution

The leading Democratic candidate for Texas’ U.S. Senate seat isn’t even in the race yet – and it might not be who you think. Plus, where things stand on the Republican side as U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt joins the field against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Another delay in the Robert Roberson case. We’ll dig into the court’s ruling and what comes next.
There’s a new movement in Texas barbecue that has its roots in the Middle East and Africa. We’ll give you a taste of the rise in halal barbecue.
Austin City Limites, one the state’s biggest music festivals, aims to become more eco-friendly.
And what we can learn from one of the capital city’s most recognizable installments of commercial art.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

The Texas ties to an infamous Atari flop

Gov. Greg Abbott seems to be taking THC regulation into his own hands. What we know about what he wants to change.
About 20% of Medicaid recipients lose access during the yearly renewal process because of all the red tape. How Texas researchers are trying to fix that.
Texas is home to more than 100 Hispanic-Serving Institutions, but new federal cuts could eliminate funding that supports these colleges and universities.
What to know about Texas House Rep. James Talarico, the newcomer shaking up the race for U.S. Senate.
Solving the Atari game mystery that’s been lingering for decades – and its connections to El Paso.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

Immigration crackdown hits touring regional Mexican artists

Why a stretch of border just over the West Texas state line has become the deadliest place for migrants.
How cuts included in the president’s “big, beautiful bill” could affect Texans who depend on Medicaid and Obamacare.
Why Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law the largest state-funded psychedelic research initiative in history.
Solar panel scams targeting Texans – especially elderly, disabled and low-income homeowners.
And regional Mexican music fans: some of your favorite bands won’t be visiting the U.S. because their visas were revoked.

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 June 02, 2025: Power in Austin is fully restored after last week’s storms.

Central Texas top stories for June 2, 2025. Austin Energy says power has been restored to all customers after last week’s storm that left thousands without power. Local health care experts and nonprofits say a federal budget reconciliation bill would put more than 36,000 people in Austin at risk of losing Medicaid. Today the Texas legislature’s 2025 session is coming to a close. The legislature passed a bipartisan bill to let Texas state agencies determine remote-work policies, it heads to the governor’s desk. The season is over for the UT Baseball team. UT’s Softball team will play in the Women’s College World Series semifinals today.

KUT Morning Newscast for May 19, 2025: A bill currently before Congress would cut over 600 billion dollars in federal Medicaid spending

Central Texas top stories for May 19, 2025. How the potential cuts to Medicaid spending could affect Texas. A new Artificial Intelligence data center is planned for the San Marcos area. Today is the last day for Travis County residents and park visitors to give feedback on the 2026 Travis County Parks Comprehensive Plan. Scottie Scheffler has solidified his position as the world’s top ranked golfer.

Cold snap grips West Texas and the borderlands

What possible cuts to Medicaid under the new Trump administration could mean in Texas, which already limits coverage.
A cold front is blowing through El Paso, bringing high winds and freezing temperatures.
Princeton’s growing pains have led to tension in its mayoral runoff election.
Most of those involved in high-speed chases by state troopers going after suspected smugglers are teens and young drivers. An interview with one of those behind the wheel.
And: We’ll take a look at the two Texas teams that made it into the college playoffs, the Texas Longhorns and the SMU Mustangs.

Texas Democrats plot election year strategy at convention

Texas Democrats reconvene for their annual convention, plotting an election year comeback. What’s the plan? The Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar tells us more about the Texas Democratic convention that just wrapped up in El Paso.
A change in the state’s Medicaid rules would eliminate several major nonprofit health plans from the program.
UT’s flagship campus taking disciplinary action against recent pro-Palestinian protesters.
The case of the stolen smokers – Daniel Vaughn shares the tale.
And the Mavericks, down but not out as the NBA playoffs shift to Dallas for Game 3.

KUT Morning Newscast for March 01, 2024

Central Texas top stories for March 01, 2024. Today is the last day for early voting. Smokehouse Creek fire update. Districts choose not to hire chaplains as counselors. Texas is extending postpartum Medicaid and CHIP coverage from two months to 12 months. Austin leaders are trying to make soccer accessible to more people across the city.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for February 15, 2024

Central Texas top stories for February 15, 2024. A petition to incorporate parts of Williamson County into a groundwater conservation district based out of Bell County fails. The City of Austin will spend more than $700 thousand to finalize a labor contract with Austin Police. The Austin City Council adopted a resolution to address climate change, sustainability and resiliency. The Texas Department of Health and Human Services is nearing the end of a process to re-determine Medicaid eligibility. The Pflugerville Independent School District is in the market for a new superintendent.

Remembering renowned ventriloquist Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Estrada

Ready? Or not? As primaries fast approach, an effort to prepare young Texas voters to cast their very first ballots.

A federal complaint filed over Texans being wrongfully kicked off Medicaid rolls.

The latest on a challenge to Texas’ new law prohibiting social media companies from censoring political speech online.

A new TV series on Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X inspired by the groundbreaking work of a Texas professor. We’ll talk with him.

Also, the Standard’s Kristen Cabrera on the death of a beloved entertainer: San Antonio-based ventriloquist Ignacio “Nacho” Estrada.

Celebrated African American art and history exhibit arrives in Texas

With winter storm warnings out across the Lone State State, emergency management officials are warning Texans to stay inside if at all possible, avoid travel, and monitor calls for energy conservation. We’ll get a status update from Matt Lanza of Space City Weather, plus a look at what’s ahead this week.

With COVID-era protections like eviction moratoriums gone, Texans are feeling the effects.

And on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’ll hear about an award-winning collection of artifacts now on display in Houston documenting the African American experience: Our conversation with collectors Bernard and Shirley Kinsey about a project more than 50 years in the making.

Does drone medical help offer hope for rural Texans?

A court rules that Texas power generators do not have a responsibility to provide power in emergencies, like the winter storm of 2021. Mose Buchele of KUT Austin has more on what this means.

Understanding Pope Francis’ decision to permit Catholic church officials to bless same-sex marriages.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, more used to white-collar crime enforcement, wades into Texas cattle country to bust up what it calls a Ponzi scheme.

And: For West Texans far from medical facilities, some help zooms in by way of drones.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for December 12, 2023

Central Texas top stories for December 12, 2023. Austin police give an update on last week’s shootings. A federal judge upholds Texas’s TikTok ban. University of Texas at Austin fires two Teaching Assistants. A member of Congress from Austin says more needs to be done to chip away at the state’s backlog of food assistance and Medicaid applications. Kyle unveils its new comprehensive plan. Gas prices fall with inflation.

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.

Diaspora Network’s worship service represents nationwide shift in church demographics

We’re tracking Tropical Storm Harold, which is set to bring considerable rain and wind to large parts of South Texas. Meteorologist Matt Lanza of Space City Weather join us with the latest.

House managers preparing for the impeachment trial of Ken Paxton have published nearly 4,000 pages of documents as the Senate gets set to decide the fate of the currently suspended attorney general.

And though polls show more people turning away from organized religion, many migrants in Texas are forming communities around churches.

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.

64,000 Texans stand to benefit from Biden student loan forgiveness

More people in Texas are set to benefit from student debt forgiveness than in any other state.

The Houston Police Department has released a comprehensive report on its investigation into the 2021 Travis Scott Astroworld festival tragedy.

Texas’ major cities are on track to lose lots of jobs to AI, and soon – San Antonio tops the list; Austin and Dallas are not far behind.

Also, billions of dollars have been announced for rural broadband, but apparently there’s a disconnect when it comes to funding the buildout.

What’s the future of air conditioning in Texas?

You’ve heard of abandoned, so-called orphan oil wells? Now there’s a growing concern about zombie wells.

After the pandemic, Texas Medicaid rolls are shrinking – but many are losing coverage for procedural reasons, and they may not even realize it.

A new state law means that next year, construction workers in some Texas cities may not have the protections they do now requiring water breaks

With climate change, can demand for A/C keep up? We talk to an author who says it might be making things worse.

And at TV stations large and small, something strange: the case of the disappearing meteorologists.

What more electric vehicles mean for the Texas electric grid

Momentum is growing among Republicans to use the U.S. military to take on drug cartels in Mexico in the fight against fentanyl. How serious is such talk?

More ripple effects following a ruling by a federal judge in Amarillo that would effectively ban the abortion drug mifepristone.

The Dallas Federal Reserve finds young adults feel increasingly disconnected from work and school – but there may be more to the story.

And with more electric vehicles hitting the road in Texas, how will the need for pluggable power affect the state’s electric grid?

Taylor Swift fans in Texas are ready for the Eras Tour

For the first time in three years, Medicaid recipients have had to re-apply for the benefit as a major safety net installed during the pandemic disappears – and millions of Texans may lose health coverage.

Taylor Swift is coming to town, and the excitement is off the charts for the superstar’s Texas swing, starting this weekend in Arlington.

Also take a deep dive into deep fakes.