For the first time a federal agency is issuing Coronavirus vaccination mandates to employees. Are more such mandates coming to Texas? We’ll have more on what some are calling a growing consensus over vaccine mandates as the Delta Variant of COVID-19 spreads rapidly across Texas and the nation. Also, a Texas-based expert weighs in on growing casualties and uncertainty as U.S. forces withdraw from what’s been called America’s longest war. And a game changer: why a decision by the University of Texas to leave one college football conference for another is big news for more than just sports fans. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Military
Texas Standard: July 12, 2021
Hundreds of Texans descend on the capitol for marathon weekend hearings on measures to overhaul Texas voting system. Republican lawmakers in Texas are poised to pass what many democrats consider to be bills aimed at voter suppression. We’ll have the latest. Also Amarillo once a bright spot in the fight to get Texans vaccinated against COVID-19 now near the bottom of the list among metros. What happened? And what comes next? And as a child, she was inspired by someone who looked like her on the TV show Star Trek. Now, she’s the new director of the Johnson Space Center. Her story and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 7, 2021
There is an agenda! The long awaited list of priorities from Texas Governor Greg Abbott for the special session is out. From local news, to state wide news to national news to international news, today we cover all.In International news – Afghanistan and the wisdom of a former presidential national security advisor. In national news – a medical tool that will sure catch your attention and give you something to talk about. Somewhere between national and state – a work around…Texas’ reluctance to expand medicaid? We’ll tell you more. And we’ll stop by San Antonio, Dallas and other corners of the state. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 28, 2021
What’s the latest on Texans views on immigration and border security? The poll by the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune shows some surprising and some not too surprising ideas, divided of course by political party. Plus one bill vetoed by the governor this latest legislative session is raising eyebrows, and it’s all about hypnosis. And why is the attorney general’s office recording promotional videos on border security? It even prompted a staffer’s resignation. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 14, 2021
A mass shooting in Austin Saturday leaves one dead, 13 others wounded and drawing more attention to the issue of gun violence. Nathan Bernier of KUT Austin with more on a shooting that has shaken the Texas Capitol city. Also, a Texas CDC? A plan for UT’s Health Science Center to serve as a hub for fighting future pandemics. And free tuition, a high quality education, and a job after graduation… a push for members of congress to do more to promote the service academies to young Black and Latino students. Also, oil prices hit new pandemic era highs. Why greener energy may be part of the reason. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 13, 2021
The ouster of a high ranking member of the GOP and calls among Republicans for a breakaway party. Wyoming Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney pushed out of her leadership post over her vocal opposition to President Trump. Texas’ role and why the effort could backfire. Also an energy artery that stretches from Houston up across the eastern seaboard hacked, leading to gasoline lines and hoarding in some places. How it happened, and what it means for Texas. And how the pandemic’s devastation in India is affecting many in the Lone Star State. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 8, 2021
As federal officials add new detention centers for young migrants, the states of Texas and Louisiana sue over changes to immigration policy. We’ll have details. Also, the nation’s top homeland security official returns to Texas today as the numbers of migrants swell along the southern border. Richard Pineda of UT El Paso on how the politics of immigration may be blurring the picture of what’s really happening. And those boots are made for talking, the fashion editor of Vogue magazine on a Texas accent in haute couture. And what’s the real capitol of Texas? You sure? A Houston Chronicle writer makes the case it’s not Austin. Those stories and so much more coming up today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 1, 2021
The Texas Senate passes what supporters call election reforms and what many democrats say amounts to institutionalized voter suppression. Limits to early voting hours, a ban on drive through voting, and more part of Senate Bill 7. Against this backdrop, the Texas court of criminal appeals set to reconsider a high profile vote fraud case, we’ll explore both coming up. Also in South Texas, a county once one of the world Coronavirus hotspots, a remarkable success story on vaccinations. We’ll talk with the health authority of Hidalgo County. Plus not one but two Newberry Honors for a Texas writer of children’s books. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 25, 2021
Once again, Texas in the spotlight as the nations attention turns to immigration and the thousands of undocumented minors coming across the southern border. Where to house them for how long and under what conditions? We’ll hear the latest from Dallas where a convention center has been converted into makeshift housing. Also, voter fraud prosecutions in Texas and a pattern of targeting people of color at disproportionate rates. And a major gulf coast energy project being shelved after much fanfare. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 19, 2021
The Asian American community in Texas and beyond demanding change in the wake of shootings in Atlanta. Also, after concerns at Forth Hood and elsewhere about sexual harassment complaints being ignored. What’s the army doing to change things? And an ongoing journey helping immigrants and refugees navigate healthcare in the U.S. Plus Texas families struggling with virtual learning. Also a film about a Texas whistleblower and the line between breaking the law and speaking out to stop violations of the law. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 2, 2021
President Biden faces an early policy test for his administration, and at the heart of it is what’s happening right now at the border. The homeland security director calls for patience as the Biden administration tries to undo the Trump administration’s legacy on immigration. We’ll hear how Mr. Biden is trying to move forward on issues concern asylum seekers and what to do about unaccompanied minors. Also new research offers more detail on a little discussed chapter of history: an underground railroad running south through Texas to Mexico. And why the NBA’s betting big on a new generation of trading cards. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 26, 2021
In Texas’ most populous metro area, a rethink of how the COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed, we’ll have the latest. Plus, when the Texas capitol city cut the budget for its police department by almost a third last year, Texas’ governor warned there would be a price to pay. Now, with the Texas legislature in session, what the governor plans to do to keep other Texas cities from following Austin’s move. And the Biden administration’s plan to increase the minimum wage. Is now the right time and do the numbers add up? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 24, 2020
Republicans versus Republican? Some members of the GOP file suit against the governor over early voting in Texas, 2 and a half weeks away. We’ll hear what the lawsuit says about republicans confidence in the Texas general election. Also, do you trust the numbers? Texas teachers concerned about the spread of COVID-19 are crowd scouring Coronavirus information. We’ll hear why. And war of the worlds: Microsoft takes on Texas in a high stakes battle for gaming supremacy, the texan biking the 3 thousand mile perimeter of the Lone Star State and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 7, 2020
10 out of 12 hospitals reach capacity in the Rio Grande Valley, and the top health official in Hidalgo county tests positive for COVID-19. We’ll have more on the effects of the pandemic and the strain on health care resources in Texas. Also, a new survey on conflicting attitudes about the Coronavirus in Texas and the role of politics in opinion. Plus, on the eve of the first face to face meeting between the president of the US and the president of Mexico, a look at how the crisis is playing out south of the border. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 3, 2020
Jammed phone lines, websites overloaded, for thousands of Texans seeking unemployment help and hitting walls. So what’s next? Our conversation with the Texas Workforce Commission about efforts to get relief out to Texas’ newly unemployed. Also, legal pushback on paid sick leave ordinances, where do we stand? And when does lots of space mean you’re really cooped up? Survival tips from someone who’s been there. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:
WWII Veterans
This Typewriter Rodeo poem came by request. If you have an idea for a poem, let Texas Standard know on social media or email TexasStandard@KUT.org.
Texas Standard: November 19, 2019
On the eve of another democratic presidential debate, who’s talking about the military? Mobilizing an important demographic for 2020, we’ll have the latest. Also, a reporter for military times tries to get answers from the democratic challengers to questions related to active duty and veterans issues. We’ll hear what he found out. And, how the president is trying to appeal to military voters. A move one Texas legal expert says undermines military justice. Plus a cheating scandal the size of Texas? The Houston Astros face tough questions, and possible penalties. All that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 14, 2019
A fact finding process in an era of fake news: do the facts still matter? We’ll look at some Texas takeaways from the impeachment hearing so far. Also, new guidelines for how the state tabulates ballots. Are we getting early warning signals about problems for 2020? We’ll take a look. Plus, what can dogs tell humans about aging? And our tech expert Omar gallaga on winners and losers in the early volleys of the new streaming wars. All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 12, 2019
The Texas connection in the impeachment inquiry. How two figures from the Lone Star State factor into tomorrow’s hearings on Capitol Hill. We’ll have the latest. Also, is the doctor shortage a phony crisis? A new Texas medical survey points to some big cracks in the conventional wisdom. Also, Bock wars break out in Shiner, Texas. We’ll hear about the three billboards fermenting anger among some locals. And what Ted Cruz and Kim Kardashian have in common, and what that could mean for the fate of a death row inmate. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 10, 2019
A stern warning from the federal judge overseeing reform of Texas’ foster care system: further resistance will be worse than futile. We’ll have the story. Also, the president makes it clear he won’t be cooperating with the house impeachment process. What’s less clear: what this means for what many have predicted to be a transitional election season in Texas politics. We’ll explore. And skyrocketing heat-related injuries in the military. Now there’s an attempt at a radical ‘about face’. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard: