KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts

KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

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A&M’s next giant leap is the Texas Space Institute

It’s still election season in the Texas Legislature, where there’s a race for speaker of the House of Representatives. We’re taking a close look at the top two contenders this week, starting today with Rep. Dustin Burrows.


Billy Bob Thornton, who’s long been an honorary Texan, has earned his eighth Golden Globe nomination for his role as Tommy Norris in Taylor Sheridan’s new series, “Landman.” He joins the show today.


Plus: Last month, the Texas A&M Space Institute broke ground near NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Director Nancy Currie-Gregg shares the details.

Ultramarathoner prepares for run across Texas

Americans are pretty evenly divided on the issue of gun rights versus regulated ownership. How might it show up at the polls?


The number of migrants trying to cross the border with Mexico into the U.S. is down quite a bit. A look at why.


We’ll also introduce you to an endurance runner preparing to make his way from El Paso to Galveston. His goal is to draw attention to a cause.


The first spacewalk involving private citizens instead of astronauts is in the books. How we got here and what’s ahead.


Plus, recalling the journey to erect the Tejano Monument at the state capitol.
And why Texas lawmakers are working across the aisle to reverse a death penalty case.

On Labor Day, a look at the ways our work is changing

Millions of Texans are marking Labor Day across the Lone Star State. This hour, we’re looking at some of the ways our work is changing:
– Artificial intelligence leading to a rethink of so-called busy work.
– How high tech is affecting labor unionization.
– The gig economy, and the hidden dangers of breaking out on your own.
– There’s one job on a few cattle farms – and many sheep farms – that is increasingly being done by dogs: herding.
Plus much more on a special Labor Day edition of the Texas Standard.

John Sharp on why he’s retiring as Texas A&M chancellor

A conversation with John Sharp, who – as the longest-serving chancellor in Texas A&M System history – has announced he’s retiring next year.
What you need to know about a brand-new consumer privacy law now in effect in Texas.
If you’ve made a big purchase anytime lately, you’ve been paying attention to interest rates. They remain pretty high – but why? We’ll dig in.
We’ll talk to Kareem El-Ghayesh, a Texas pitmaster vying to win the newest season of Netflix’s “Barbecue Showdown.”
One of the most photographed spots in the Texas Panhandle is turning 50. How the Cadillac Ranch became such a phenomenon.
And a new analysis of the out-of-state money funding Texas politics – and to what end.

After devastating tornadoes, Sanderson residents begin to rebuild and recover

The Texas Medical Board has offered guidance to doctors on the emergency medical exception to the state’s abortion ban.
How the small town of Sanderson in West Texas is recovering after a pair of tornadoes.
Shipments of avocados and mangoes from the Mexican state of Michoacán to the U.S. are suspended after two U.S. Department of Agriculture workers in the region were detained by local protesters and later removed from the area, leaving inspections of produce on hold. What will it mean for prices?
Reading, writing and roasting: Texas A&M is hoping to school the next generation of coffee experts by offering a Coffee Processing and Quality Certificate.
And: what Texas architecture of the mid century tells us about the Lone Star State and its complicated aspirations – we’re talking to the author and photographer behind “Home, Heat, Money, God: Texas and Modern Architecture.”

Lawmakers discuss school savings accounts

After unprecedented attacks over the weekend, Israel is at war with Hamas. Jeremi Suri of UT’s LBJ school with more on what to expect as fighting intensifies.

A big day at the state capitol as lawmakers are called back into session by the governor. On the table: school savings accounts, what critics call vouchers, that some fear will upend public school funding.

Texas mega ranches hitting the market at what appears to be a quickening pace.

Plus the would be restaurant rivals who formed what they call the Taco Mafia.

New law will allow chaplains in Texas public schools

The Supreme Court just struck down two race-based university admissions programs. What does it mean for Texas?

Even though Texas lawmakers knew federal money was on the way for expanding high-speed Internet access across the state, they decided to also implement their own program. A look at why.

A new podcast takes a deep dive into the decisions that have made Austin such an expensive place to live – and one where people of color were systematically pushed out.

And a new Texas law set to go into effect will allow public schools to have volunteer chaplains or even to hire them as part of the staff. We’ll hear the argument against the law.

Time > Money

Confucius and Fresh discuss Swizz Beatz recent comment that for him, time is more important than money. Then they discuss whether being a public figure makes dating more complicated.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about Dr. Dre’s and Ice Cube’s un-released record “Helter Skelter,” who the role of Rob was originally written for in the movie “3 Strikes,” what the highest-grossing hip-hop tour of all time is, and more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that it is beneath Lil’ Kim to do a Verzuz with Nicki Minaj.

Confucius talks about the alleged assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin by Ukraine, Ron Desantis’s recent trip to Israel and his ongoing troubles with Disney, the recent bill that passed through the Texas Senate that would allow the Secretary of State to overturn elections in Harris Country, and more on Confucius Reads the News.

Texas Standard: May 11, 2022

What happened to more than a billion dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds for Texas? Officials want to know whether the money was misspent. Were COVID-19 relief funds used to defray the costs of the governor’s border crackdown? That story plus, how nominally non-partisan school board elections in Texas became a magnet for big money donations, and what that could mean for what’s taught in public school classrooms. Also higher ed in Texas prisons: a new report outlines big gender disparities in opportunity. And the work of the code inspector, and why it often isn’t working to help many apartment renters. Plus a Politifact check on SB8 and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Live music doesn’t always pay the bills. So what else can you do?

In this episode, you’ll learn how much money the average Austin musician makes per gig, and why it can be hard to make a living playing live music.

Then you’ll learn all about an alternate revenue stream for musicians — sync licensing. Nathalie Phan, founder of SoundSync Music, will explain the ins and outs of sync licensing from an agent’s perspective and Austin rapper Tee-Double will walk you through the artist’s perspective.

During Nathalie’s segment you’ll hear the song “Black Tea” by Slug, Elijah Fox, Soul Food Horns and Yasper.

During Tee-Double’s segment you’ll hear “Caped Up” from his album Local Transplant.

Nathalie Phan is pictured in her home on Jan. 31, 2022, in South Austin. Michael Minasi/KUT

 

Hip-hop artist Tee-Double is pictured in his home studio on July 15, 2021, in Austin. Michael Minasi/KUTX

 

Money and Happiness

The idea that money doesn’t make you happy is easy to get behind if you have it, but if you don’t it’s a hard one to buy into (pun intended). Yet the correlation between money and happiness is more complicated than one might think.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explain the relationship between money, security, opportunity, and happiness.

Texas Standard: May 21, 2021

Days after marking zero COVID-19 deaths, Texas hits a grim milestone. How will the state prioritize federal funding for pandemic relief? Also, state lawmakers get closer to passing the state’s two-year budget. We ask how schools will fare. Plus why opponents to Texas’ restrictive new abortion law may have trouble challenging it. And fewer people are being sentenced to death across the country, but a new report shows there may not be adequate defense for those facing life-in-prison sentences. And what the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum reveals about Texas then and now. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Money and Happiness (Rebroadcast)

The idea that money doesn’t make you happy is easy to get behind if you have it, but if you don’t it’s a hard one to buy into (pun intended). Yet the correlation between money and happiness is more complicated than one might think.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explain the relationship between money, security, opportunity, and happiness.

Texas Standard: May 12, 2021

A 15 billion windfall for Texas, relief funds much larger than the pandemic’s projected economic impact here. Where will the money go? Todd Gilman of the Dallas Morning News with more on how federal pandemic relief money could lead to raises for firefighters, infrastructure changes, and more. Also, the boom in the hispanic population in Texas. Does it equal political gains for the GOP? Arelis Hernandez of the Washington Post on how the numbers add up. And FDA approval for kids as young as 12 to to get vaccinated against COVID-19. How soon will shots be ready for Texas adolescents? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 30, 2021

Where’d the 11 billion go? Now there’s a plan for federal pandemic aid money for Texas public schools. Emily Donaldson of the Dallas Morning News education lab on how badly needed federal aid will be distributed to Texas public schools. Also it’s election day tomorrow and one of the most talked about ballot measures in the state will be decided in Lubbock. How that city found itself at the center of the debate over abortion restrictions. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 11, 2021

Texas Governor Greg Abbott was once Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. What would the AG think of the Governor?? We’ll explore. Also, the stimulus package and how big Texans and little Texans could benefit from it. Plus ERCOT and the gray area in which it operates. It’s a non-profit but it looks like, works like and functions like a government agency. So why not comply with open records requests? And Twitter is 15 now and 15 year old girls in Texas should have a quinceañera. So we are throwing Twitter one. But we’re also asking is it time to start acting like a grown up? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 29, 2020

As many anticipate the start of the New Year, many Texas public school officials fear what the stroke of midnight might mean for them. A hold harmless guarantee for Texas public schools expected to expire on December 31st. For districts facing a drop off in attendance, will there be enough money to maintain operations? Also, racial disparities in the pandemic spark a rethink of who’s most at risk to COVID-19. We’ll also look at concerns about social isolation and seasonal affective disorder. And with the launch of a U.S. Space Force, plans to find a home for the U.S. space command. Could it be landing in Texas? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

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