Patrol

DPS whistleblower says troops at border have ‘inhumane’ policies toward migrants

A new report says Texas troopers were told to push back migrants and deny water amid soaring temperatures.

How a redistricting case from Alabama could have ripple effects on Texas’ Galveston County and beyond.

A Sriracha shortage is putting the squeeze on people who love the red sauce, and some Texas restaurants are getting inventive.

How the writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood could play out close to home.

And a reconsideration of the baseball team that won it all in 2017 but was accused of stealing signs: A talk with the author of “Astros and Asterisks.”

Podcast explores whether a Texas Ranger extracted a false confession

Two major changes in federal policies within the past 24 hours having outsized implications for Texas. Change number one: the end of Title 42 rapid deportations. But for tens of thousands now trying to cross the Mexico border into Texas, the deportations continue.

The end of an era for the pandemic as the national emergency is lifted, but a Texas epidemiologist says that doesn’t mean an end to the COVID-19 threat.

A confession of guilt during a Texas murder investigation, but was the confession real or compelled by questionable interrogation techniques?

Also the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and poetry from the Typewriter Rodeo.

Dozens of migrants killed in Juárez fire

A deadly fire burned through a migrant processing facility in Ciudad Juárez, just across the border from El Paso – we’ll hear the latest on the catastrophe that claimed the lives of dozens of people.

Green energy firms are scrambling to snap up federal dollars, but first they need to know what “made in America” really means.

And after the pandemic caused a “she-cession,” the Dallas Fed reports that women entrepreneurs are bouncing back.

New group wants Railroad Commission of Texas to change its name

As lawmakers reconvene, prisoners statewide mount a hunger strike to protest state policies on solitary confinement. We’ll have the latest. Also a little noticed ruling by a federal judge in Texas that could have sweeping implications for Title Ten: the only federal program aimed as providing family planning services regardless of age, income or immigration status. And we’ll meet the Texan who’s been working on the Railroad Commission’s title. She says the name obscures what the commission really does, and she’s demanding change in the name of transparency. Plus the north Texas mom-daughter duo who’ve gone viral with their own spin on fashion. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 31, 2022

18 months after a deadly statewide electricity blackout, state officials adopt new weather preparedness standards. But is it enough? We’ll look at what the new rules are and whether they have the teeth to prevent future events like the 2021 Winter Blackouts. Also, El Paso’s DA under fire and facing a petition seeking her removal. But she calls it a political move. Plus drug cartels in Mexico shifting production to an unusually lethal synthetic opioid that has health officials in the U.S. concerned about an overdose crisis. Those stories, a Politifact check on teacher salaries and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: June 29, 2022

As the investigation continues in a migrant smuggling tragedy, border officials in El Paso sound an alarm over migrant deaths due to water. Coming up: a Texas pre-Roe abortion ban blocked by a Harris county judge. We’ll have the latest. Plus a conversation with the eldest daughter of Norma McCorvey, the Texan better known as Jane Roe in the landmark Roe v Wade case. And a first of its kind in Texas, diplomas for newly minted podiatrists. We’ll talk with the inaugural dean of Texas’ first school of podiatry and why its location is so critical. And the GOP platform call for Texas to secede: could Texas do that? A Politifact check and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: June 7, 2022

Record setting heat on tap for much of Texas. Will there be enough electricity to meet demand? And what about the rest of the summer? Coming up, the latest on heat warnings across Texas, and what it portends for the rest of the summer amid anxieties about whether the electrical grid can stand the strain. Also a federal judge moves to hold Texas’ foster care services in contempt as court monitors continue to find deficiencies in a system once declared unconstitutionally unsafe for children. Paul Flahive of Texas Public Radio with the latest. And what’s in a name? Some Mexico distillers say cultural appropriation. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 14, 2021

All politics is local, the saying goes…but hyperpartisan, too? How the TX landscape is changing for local and school board races. Republicans in Potter County, home to Amarillo say they’ll conduct their own primary without the help of election officials and they’re urging other Texas counties to do the same. We’ll have the latest. Plus Texans sparked a lithium battery revolution, now another Texas breakthrough that could lead to something more sustainable and stable. And a critically acclaimed Texas trio hits it big, inspired by the sounds of Houston. Our conversation with the members of Khruangbin and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 7, 2021

A federal judge blocks Texas’ near total abortion ban, for now. The state has appealed, leaving abortion providers and patients in limbo. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re tracking: Governor Greg Abbott is joined at the border by 9 other republican governors, backed by an array of military vehicles and accusing the President of causing what Abbott called a humanitarian crisis at the border. We’ll talk with USA Today’s John Moritz, who was there. Also remembering a Latino civil rights champion who fought segregation in Texas schools. And how Texas music is transforming a remote ghost town. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 29, 2021

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick faces a new challenger from a former George W. Bush aide, running as a democrat. Matthew Dowd may be best known in recent years as a TV news analyst, but now he’s entering the race for Texas Lt. Governor. Though there’s still no democrat at the top of the ticket. We’ll have more. Also, Governor Greg Abbots policy of catching and jailing migrants at the border with Mexico dealt a blow by a state judge. We’ll hear why. And our own Jill Ament with the latest in a legislative move to restrict which sports teams transgender student athletes play on. Those stories and much 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: October 26, 2020

Coronavirus case numbers exploding in El Paso. We’ll look at how the city is trying to treat patients as hospitals reach capacity. Also, just over a week left to Election Day and it’s far from just the Presidential race on the ballot. We’ll highlight one sheriff’s race that’s heating up. Plus, transitioning from oil is something even the oil companies are thinking about. We’ll learn today why hydrogen might be a clean, but not so simple, option. And remembering Jerry Jeff Walker. Texas troubadour, Cosmic Cowboy, and misbehaving musician. Those stories plus a local debate over masks, a spooky anthology and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 23, 2020

News of the first FDA-approved COVID-19 treatment comes at a time when cases in Texas are starting to spike. We’ll explore the details and what’s next. And: Did you get a chance to watch the presidential debate last night? What are your thoughts? We’ll have a recap. Also: A new documentary about the life of Horton Foote who won an Oscar for his screenplay adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Plus: The week in Texas politics with our friends from The Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 22, 2020

Across the Lone Star State, Texans expected to be tuning in tonight for political fireworks show, but what about policies? We’ll set the stage for a final debate. Plus, Texans looking for unemployment benefits will soon have to once again prove they’re looking for work, but what constitutes a work search in the eyes of Texas officials? We’ll take a closer look. And in Collin county, it’s the academy versus free speech as a professors’ tweet roils a college campus. And a freeze frame on a music scene almost forgotten from 40 years back. Plus, fake news for real? A warning about a rising force in local news that has experts advising don’t believe everything you read. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 15, 2020

No other state has shown as many cracks in its system of counting COVID-19 cases as Texas. Now the numbers are set to shift again. Why is Texas having such trouble with Coronavirus case counts? Edgar Walters of the Texas Tribune has the latest. Also, a plan for affordable housing gets slammed as a tax windfall for developers, we’ll hear why. And an indigenous tribe pushes the University of Texas to hand over Native American remains. Plus the ultimate how to book for those ready to leave it all behind: How to Astronaut. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 4, 2019

Kamala out, Julián blames the media. The lone Texan still running for president on coverage of people of color. After Harris’ decision to suspend her candidacy in the race for the White House, we’ll have more of what fellow democratic presidential contender Julián Castro calls a double standard in the presidential race. Also, wildfires caused by downed power lines: a thing of the past? A team at Texas A&M comes up with technology that could be a game changer. Plus, a Politifact check on Latina wages and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 8, 2019

It’s been a long time coming, but now that a state takeover of Houston ISD is happening… We’ll look at questions that remain about how it will unfold. Vetting migrants has always been a talking point for President Trump. Now a new facility is giving border agents access to classified information they haven’t had before. Plus Texas voters passed a measure supporting tax money for parks. We’ll look at how that money will be spent. And remembering a Puerto Rican astrologer who crossed borders of all sorts. Also, have you ever felt a song is about you? Taking that to the next level. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 24, 2019

Have you been living in the U.S. for at least 2 years? Can you prove it on demand? We’ll look at what new rules on expedited deportation could mean for Texas. Also, as Washington focuses on the Mueller report, many in Texas talking about the 18 year old Dallas born U.S. citizen, detained by border agents for three weeks without explanation. What’s making news in your part of the Lone Star State? Tweet us @TexasStandard. Plus, a change in federal rules that could take away food stamps for more than 300 thousand Texans, we’ll have details. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 23, 2019

It’s not just protesters in Puerto Rico. From Killeen to El Paso and beyond, Texans with ties to the territory join a push to get its governor to resign. We’ll have the latest. Also: El Chapo, the drug lord convicted in a U.S. court last week, ordered to forfeit a multibillion dollar fortune. But not so fast, says Mexico’s president. We’ll hear more. And a vital vein running from Midland across the great plains is running dry. What does it mean for farms and towns across west Texas and beyond? All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 18, 2019

Fear and uncertainty south of the border as asylum seekers waiting in Ciudad Juarez wonder what a U.S. rule change means for them, we’ll have the latest. Also, the Lone Star State now at the center of an effort to end the spread of HIV. We’ll hear why Texas, and what could change under a new federally directed plan. Plus, how video games could be a game changer for some wounded veterans. And the week that was in Texas politics with Emily Ramshaw of the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard: