As another mass shooting makes headlines, victims families and survivors of a mass shooting in Texas make their case against the Air Force. The case underway in a San Antonio courtroom asks whether the Air Force should be held liable in the Sutherland Springs church shooting in which 26 people were killed, 20 others injured in 2017. We’ll have the latest. Also amid a debate over so called vaccine passports, a proposal in Texas that would change the way records for vaccinations are collected by the state. Plus how Ramadan is becoming more and more a part of the multicultural fabric of Texas. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
politics
Texas Standard: April 9, 2021
Allegations of abuse at a migrant detention center for unaccompanied minors in San Antonio. What’s known and what’s not. Other stories we’re tracking, a booster shot for efforts to get more Texans vaccinated against COVID-19 by putting the clinic on wheels. We’ll hear the how and why. Plus a bill to bring broadband to rural Texas, as well as urban areas that can’t get connected. What the proposal does and doesn’t do, when it comes to an increasingly critical piece of the infrastructure puzzle. And how waste is suddenly affecting a way of life in south Texas. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 2, 2021
Voting during the pandemic brought a specific set of challenges. Now, Texas lawmakers are considering measures that would restrict workarounds. Today on the Texas Standard.
Another much-watched issue in Austin right now is what lawmakers are going to do about problems with the Texas electric grid revealed during February’s deadly winter storm. We’ll have the latest.
Plus, along with the huge numbers of valid unemployment claims Texas has seen during the pandemic, there’s an uptick in fraudulent claims made by folks who are stealing identities. We’ll break down the challenge.
And, a big award nomination for a little library out west and the latest in our effort to track COVID-19 vaccination distribution.
Today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: March 26, 2021
After mass shooting incidents in Georgia and Colorado, Texas lawmakers considering several measures to expand gun rights. A review of gun legislation moving through the Texas legislature. Also, redrawing the political maps of the state, almost certain to be delayed. And what does this mean for the future of Texas elections? And calls for Texas to rework the power grid to adapt to climate change, the latest in our listener vaccine tracker, the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot 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 15, 2021
Texans 50 or over, get in line. New rules take effect opening up vaccine eligibility, the trouble? Finding enough doses. Coming up disputes between the feds and state officials over whether Texas is getting enough vaccine doses in its fight against COVID-19. Also, efforts by the republican legislature in Texas to curb the powers of the governor during a pandemic. Now a priority item in the house. We’ll hear why. Also more listener questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine , plus our conversation with Austin mayor Steve Adler, the power of the Black church in Texas politics and so much more today on the Texas Standard :
Texas Standard: March 5, 2021
We pretend to be a fly on the wall at the hearings where the failings of the state’s electric grid are being argued, we’ll have details. Also, did you know there’s money available for renters who are struggling? We tell you how to apply and hopefully how to get it. Plus, the good the bad and the ugly on vaccine distribution. And I bet you thought you knew everything there is to know about Selena Quintanilla. But as they say there’s always more to the story. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 26, 2021
The deregulated electric market was set up to save money for Texas consumers. So why did Texans end up paying $28 billion more? That story coming up on the Texas Standard.
A Wall Street Journal analysis shows the Texas electrical grid not only failed during the storm, but failed consumers for decades by leading to higher bills. We’ll hear what happened and why. Plus the latest on hearings by Texas lawmakers.
With a disaster declaration in Texas, what comes next? The nuts and bolts of accessing federal aid.
The University of Texas RGV in hot water for turning away eligible people seeking vaccines.
Plus the week in Texas politics and much more.
Texas Standard: February 19, 2021
Getting power back? Priceless. Losing power and heat and water and basic services? What price the winter storm of 2021? Coming up, the high price of being unprepared. Economist Ray Perryman on the difficulty calculating the impact of this week’s storm. Also, who should shoulder the costs of weatherizing power plants? According to the governor, it’s the taxpayer. We’ll hear more. And with power coming back and a lot of water damage its not too soon think about your own next steps: tips for talking to the insurance company, and a massive rescue of fellow Texas residents… But where do you shelter almost 5 thousand sea turtles? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 12, 2021
It’s freezing out there. We’ll get a look at weather conditions across the state and what’s to come. We’ll also check in on how the state is weathering extended economic challenges posed by COVID-19. We’ll hear from the state’s top budget official. And the energy industry plays a part in that economic outlook. New proposals aim to tax some polluting practices. Plus a lesson in Texas border history that you might not be familiar with. And we’ll also wrap up the week in Texas politics and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 5, 2021
A new University of Houston Survey reveals a canyon in Texas separating the two parties over election fraud. In addition to those findings: fully a third of all Texans say they would not accept a COVID-19 vaccination. Kirk Watson of the Hobby School joins us to talk about the findings. Also, Elon Musk fighting gravitational forces in south Texas where its SpaceX vs the FAA. And how Texas is making an appearance of sorts in this weekends Super Bowl, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 29, 2021
Could you draw a map of the state of Texas? Try drawing the political maps. This year, it promises to be tougher than ever. As redistricting begins in Texas, what to look for in what is likely to be another highly contentious process. Also, are you having trouble getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Many are. Our own Terri Langford set out to try to navigate the journey to get vaccinated in Texas, and it wasn’t pretty. We’ll hear what she learned firsthand. And the story of a Texas-based video game store stock that rocked Wall Street: a morality tale? The truths not quite so simple. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 25, 2021
And so it begins: the Attorney General of Texas files a lawsuit against the Biden administration over immigration enforcement changes. The story today on the Texas Standard.
Coming up- new findings on pregnancy and COVID-19. We’ll talk with a Texas-based maternal-fetal medicine specialist.
Also, should funding for Texas public schools be based on attendance, or enrollment? A democratic lawmaker calls for a shift from the former to the latter.
And, though the push for racial justice has brought down statues across the U.S., a new one is going up in College Station. We’ll hear from the student leading the push to honor a founding figure at Texas A&M.
Texas Standard: January 15, 2021
The November elections suggested it wouldn’t be business as usual at the state house, unless of course, lawmakers changed the rules, we’ll have details. Also, when republicans lost a key seat in the Texas senate, they lost their supermajority… a tool they’ve used to keep democrats from blocking their priorities. We’ll hear what a new rule change means for the status quo ante. And snow in Texas. Fun for kids, but farmers hope a harbinger of wetter and better days as they struggle with drought conditions. And the Latino voices of the pandemic in Texas. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 14, 2021
In a long list of unprecedented events theres another one. For the first time two of the three highest offices in the land will be lead by women. Women make better leaders in a time of crisis, so says the Harvard Business Review. We’ll tell you why. Plus, how are teachers taking current events and turning them into teachable moments? And how Texas Tech companies are pulling their dollars away from politicians. Plus, what’s going on with the COVID-19 vaccine? Stay tuned, it’s Texas Standard time:
Playing and Losing By The Rules
It can be hard to lose, and at times, to play by the rules, but as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, politics is more than just a game.
Texas Standard: January 8, 2021
Will prominent Texas politicians who sided with unsubstantiated election fraud claims pay a price for that position after Wednesday? And what is a coup? It’s a question many Americans are asking about and arguing over after the invasion of the capitol. We’ll talk with a Texas scholar whose focus includes authoritarian regimes. And she’s one of the few health providers for miles around in a rural part of east Texas. And right now she’s overwhelmed with demand for vaccinations, we’ll talk with her. Also the impact of the pandemic on the future of Texas public schools, the week in Texas politics and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 31, 2020
No matter where you are we’ll bet you’re ready to say goodbye to 2020. This hour, the year in review in the Lone Star State. From extremes of partisan politics to a pandemic to protests and a reckoning over race…2020 will go down in history as a turning point for millions statewide and beyond. But what are the lessons of the past year and how might 2021 be different? Our roundtable with reporters. Also a shakeup at Fort Hood this year, one considered by many to be long overdue and some of the stories that didn’t make the front pages but nonetheless marked the end of an era. It’s a special year in review of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 18, 2020
As families reunite for the holidays, worries grow for kids in the Texas foster care system. An update today on the Texas Standard.
In what sounds like a return to the worst days of the state’s foster care crisis, a new report finds foster kids sleeping in state offices. We’ll hear details.
Also, why a COVID-19 treatment being touted by state officials doesn’t seem to be making much of a dent in helping patients in one of the hardest hit parts of Texas
Oyez! Oyez!… oh boy! With the legislature set to reconvene, how’s this going to work with social distancing?
Plus, the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and more.
Texas Standard: December 17, 2020
It’s being described as an act of cyber espionage so big it is hard to overstate its impact, and a Texas company is in the crosshairs. That story and more today on the Texas Standard.
Texas is distributing the COVID vaccine in tiers of priority. But what happens if someone tries to cut in line?
Also, the holiday shopping season’s not what it used to be and certainly not at the border right now, where Texas merchants are feeling the pressure from pandemic rules and a loss of customers from Mexico.
Also, the student debt crisis: is there a better alternative than loan forgiveness? We’ll hear about some of the options that could be on the table and much more.