Lisa and Rich speak with Army veteran and entrepreneur Capt. Calvin J. Turner.
Military
Is prosecuting librarians the next front in Texas’ book wars?
You’ve heard about library book bans in Texas, but behind the scenes there is a campaign underway to prosecute librarians for putting certain books on the shelves of school and public libraries.
After four decades, Texas politician Ben Barnes comes clean about his role, and that of former Texas Gov. John Connally, to delay the release of 52 American hostages held in Iran in order to ensure the election of Ronald Regan. Peter Baker of the New York Times joins us.
Also Texas gets a new professional sports franchise – not football or basketball, but Major League Cricket.
NASA’s new head scientist on the future of space exploration
Two lawsuits in Texas, one in Galveston and one in Amarillo, have potential impacts on a post-Roe v. Wade world. SMU legal scholar Seema Mohapatra on the implications for people seeking abortions in Texas and beyond.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn says he plans to block a Biden administration proposal that would allow thousands of migrants to live in the U.S. while their asylum cases are being considered.
We talk to Dr. Nicola Fox, who has been named NASA’s new head of science – a dream gig that comes with a $7.8 billion budget and responsibility for more than 100 missions.
And a new book, “The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine,” claims a hospital in Houston could serve as a model for improving health care access nationwide.
What’s happening at the Cutoff in East Texas?
As cities grow, so do tensions between state and local officials over policy direction. A bipartisan coalition of 18 big city mayors team up to press state officials over top priorities. What they’re planning and more in our conversation with the mayor of Fort Worth. Also, how transgender youth and their families are gearing up to fight several new proposals in the GOP led Texas legislature. And an update over public access to a beloved east Texas body of water called The Cutoff. Plus rising grocery prices and the SNAP gap for those needing help to get food on the table. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
New NSA recruitment effort underway in San Antonio
Sticker shock at the grocery store. We’ll explore whether and how pandemic disruptions continue to affect the food supply chain. Also the race-motivated mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart in 2019 ruptured a community and captured the world’s attention. But the prosecution of the shooter has languished. What’s happening now? We’ll explore. And Russia’s invasion of Ukraine kicked off a series of events that are now having an impact on the Texas Gulf Coast. We’ll explain. Plus one of San Antonio’s biggest employers is hiring. Now the secretive National Security Agency is sharing a bit about its Texas operation. And the playoff win on the road that broke a decades-long streak for the Cowboys. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard.
The fight to save a historic hotel along the Texas Gulf Coast
With the impending end of Title 42 restrictions there’s a growing humanitarian crisis at the border. The director of Homeland Security joins us as record a record number of migrants arrive on the border. We’ll hear from the director of a network of regional shelters. Other stories we’re tracking: how the military is trying to deal with a rise in suicide deaths among service members. Also: an effort to save an historic gulf coast landmark hotel from the wrecking ball. Plus a just-announced breakthrough in nuclear fusion and what it could mean for Texas. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Here’s how you can help discover new galaxies
A record setting state surplus. So how do Texas lawmakers plan to use it? With just 40 days to go before the Texas legislature gets back to work, education and energy at the top of the list of priorities for the most powerful figure in the Texas senate. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune helps unpack the latest. Also high drama in an El Paso courtroom where the top prosecutor in the case against the accused Wal-Mart mass shooter is a no show and the judge threatening possible arrest of the DA. And a shout out for amateur skywatchers to help Texas researchers find galaxies. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
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 18, 2022
The end of Title 42 and reaction from inside a migrant camp. Angela Kocherga reporting from Juarez. Also, as the impact of the midterms continues to unfold, a Texas election administrator with an insider’s account of what went right and wrong on election day. And a preview of the World Cup and the Texans who could be making history. Also the seldom told story of the woman from Dallas who shattered ceilings and made history in the world of sportscasting, business, and beyond. The authors of a new biography of Phyllis George. Plus the week in politics with James Barragán of the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 11, 2022
As protests have grown over the school boards’ handling of the aftermath of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary, the Uvalde school superintendent announces his retirement. We’ll have more on Monday night’s school board session. Also: are national democrats conceding republican gains in south Texas come November? The cancellation of campaign ads in the Rio Grande Valley raising questions. And the annual college rankings: a go to for students and parents. But how useful a tool in the real world? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 13, 2022
More details emerge about the horrific conditions faced by youths locked up in Texas’ juvenile justice facilities. Locked in a cell 22 hours per day with no place to use the restroom… That’s how some of the kids in Texas’ youth detention system spend their weekends, thanks to short staffing at the facilities. We’ll learn more about what’s being done to fix it. Plus an offensive by the Ukrainian military found Russian troops on the back foot. What’s it mean for the future of the war? Also on today’s show we’ll learn about two kinds of butterflies, health insurance for Texas musicians and the evolution of the copyright. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 29, 2022
A booster rollout: ready for launch? As a long awaited Omicron vaccine gets ready for release, are Texans ready for another round of shots? We’ll explore. Other stories we’re covering: families of victims of the Uvalde shooting gather at the capitol to tell their stories and demand action. And military rules on weight leading to eating disorders and some say the services are do too little to address that issue. Also, the business of college football changing as never before with some players getting paid de facto salaries at bigger schools and altering the calculus for recruitment. Those stories and much more coming up today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 25, 2022
Are billions in school debt owed by Texans about to be written off the books? We’ll look at what President Biden’s announcement adds up to for Texans. Other stories we’re tracking: buying out of flood prone property: what it could mean for a region ravaged by Hurricane Harvey 5 years ago. Also after this weeks rains in North Texas, how the struggle’s just beginning for some families. And as housing prices skyrocket across Texas and many parts of the nation, military allowances not keeping up. And is the University of Texas about to pass Harvard as the country’s wealthiest university?Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 5, 2022
Monkeypox declared a public health emergency nationwide. We’ll talk with the state epidemiologist about what Texans need to know. Other stories we’re covering: after the Dobbs decision, more than 100 military installations in states where abortion is now banned. What this means for service members seeking abortion care. And as temps hover in the triple digits across much of Texas, the new season of a podcast examines whether the power grid can stand the strain. Mose Buchele, host of the disconnect, joins us. And a Texas based band garnering international attention for its Texas-themed tales of a “Bummer Year”. A conversation with the frontman of the band Good Looks and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 11, 2022
How hot is it? Hot enough for ERCOT to ask the state to dial back its power use at temperatures climb back into the triple digits. We’ll have the latest. Also a recent pipe burst in Odessa left the city’s hundred thousand plus residents without water for days. Now comes a warning for lots of small to midsized cities about a ticking time bomb of aging pipes and underground stressors. We’ll hear more. Also a new effort aimed at tracking drug overdoses, most of which go non-reported. And a comeback for the Guadalupe bass. And Texas versus Volkswagen: how the carmakers novel defense could put millions of dollars at stake. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 6, 2022
Texans trying to stay cool this summer could get pretty steamed once they see their power bills. What’s behind rising electricity costs? We’ll take a look. Other stories we’re tracking: the defense department offering assistance to military families wanting to leave states with laws seen as anti LGBTQ, but many face barriers. Carson Frame of Texas Public radio with more. And despite the collapse in crypto markets, crypto mining continues to grow in Texas, now some miners using flared gas to power their operations. And a big win for proponents of the Texas high speed rail project, but the company behind it may be somewhat off the rails. The backstory and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 23, 2022
The head of the Uvalde school police force put on administrative leave amid growing questions about law enforcement’s response. Investigative reporter Tony Plohetski with the latest on a back and forth over what actually happened in those long minutes before police stormed the school shooter in Uvalde. Also as Capitol Hill takes up a bipartisan gun safety bill, Texas Republicans lambasting the Republican Texas Senator at the center of talks. We’ll hear more. And what does it mean to be resilient? A Texas coach on why we get resilience wrong and what science suggests we should get better at. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 15, 2022
Governor Abbott says he was livid, misled by falsehoods in the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting. But where was he getting his information? What do the governor’s handwritten notes from his first press conference in Uvalde reveal about the source of misinformation over law enforcement’s response? We’ll have more. Also Texas’ so-called dead suspect loophole and why it may prove an obstacle to getting more detailed information about the shooting. And the rise of a movement to get Asian American Pacific Islanders in Texas more politically engaged, particularly in this election year. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 27, 2022
In the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting, law enforcement facing many questions about whether they moved quickly enough. The grief among many families in Uvalde now compounded by anger over why it seemed to take so long to stop the gunman who killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb elementary. Investigative reporter Tony Plohetski with the growing demand for answers about the timeline. Also a new report on domestic gun violence, the correlations with age and gender, and what data points to when it comes to policy solutions. Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 18, 2022
Democratic primaries in South Texas pit progressives against moderates. The big question is which brand will have a better chance against the GOP. We’ll have the latest. Plus for immunocompromised people who don’t get enough protection from COVID-19 vaccines, there is another option. Why most Texans don’t know about it. And COVID-19 is still having a huge impact on the Texas criminal justice system, just look at Dallas County. And as the November Governor’s race approaches we’ll fact check a claim from Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke on property Taxes. And we’ll settle in for a little music exploration as an iconic Texas album turns 50. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard: