KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts
KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond
Have we evolved into a nation of extremes? In an election season like this one (as if we’ve ever seen anything like this) we may think that there is no middle ground, and there’s a reason for that.
In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about why we’ve become more polarized politically in the last 30 years.
A switch in time saved nine remember? If Ted Cruz holds his ground, what might save a nine person Supreme Court today? Also, it may sound strange with record numbers voting early, but history tells us, Texas ranks near the bottom when it comes to voter turnout. Why? We’ll explore. And the big shakeup for the Border Patrol, NPR’s John Burnett previews an in depth report on a cultural shift for the federal government’s biggest law enforcement agency. Plus after Shamu, whither Sea World? Hint: more rollercoasters may not satisfy protesters. All that plus the week in politics and so much more, today on the Texas Standard:
The story of sugar in the Western world is sordid and bitter, however this past gets quickly candy coated in our day-to-day lives as consumers. In this special op-ed from the eminent economist, writer and historian James K. Galbraith, we get a peak into the sickly underbelly of the sociopolitical and economic past of sugar.
Amid reports of dodgy voting machines an Amarillo judge steps in to say false. We’ll explore the thanks and threats she’s getting. Also, some call it reapportionment. Others call it stealing elections. The backstory of why your district looks the way it does. Plus, hundreds of small businesses send a message to Texas lawmakers when it comes to a bill restricting transgender bathroom access, don’t go there, for business’ sake. And how many hot wars are we fighting right now? A claim by the green party candidate gets put to the truth-o-meter test. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Amid talk of rigged US elections, Russia generously offers election monitors to Texas, we’ll follow the story. Also early voting begins next week, and judging by your messages to us: Texans have a lot of questions about the nuts and bolts. We’ll break out the tool kit, and check in again with our resident panel of still undecided voters. Also, on November 22nd 1963, at one of the most historic sites in Texas, nothing happened. Or so it might seem to travelers at Love Field. The mystery behind a missing monument. Plus the week in Texas politics, the talk of Texas and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Three keys to last night’s debate: Hombre, Nasty, and I’ll keep you in suspense—unlocking the rhetoric today on the Texas Standard.
If the first wave was Texas shifting from rural to urban, what’s next? Some point to what’s happening in our host city today. We’re in Waco, where the Magnolia effect is impossible to ignore. We’ll explain.
Speaking of transformations: how a destructive greenhouse gas could become a useful source of energy.
Yesterday’s futurists promised us videophones. Though the future is now, our digital savant tells us you ain’t seen nothin’ yet…
We’re just getting started—live and Statewide from Waco, no matter where you are- it’s Texas Standard time…
A blessing for Balmorhea? Not exactly…but it is an unlikely partnership and a potential model for fracking in Texas. We’ll explore. Also it’s hard enough to say who and who isn’t a real Texan…but what makes an American? We’ll explore an underlying question in our election season of discontent. Also honor flights for American heroes…but why so few women warriors on board? That’s changing with a takeoff from Texas. And remember San Angeles the fictional megalopolis from film? According to a demographers writing for Forbes: fasten your seat belts, Texas America’s next megalopolis is in the making as we speak…all that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
It’s being described as the biggest ever voter fraud investigation in Texas. And in what may be the unlikeliest of counties, we’ll explore. Also paddling against the stream: as a majority of states turn away from corporal punishment in public schools, why new research in Texas could lead to a rethink here as well. Plus why industrial development in Southwest Texas is setting off a political dustup over dust. Also Texas teams up with an unlikely ally to target modern day slavery, allegedly online. Plus our weekly round of the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more, today on the Texas Standard:
A Texas Democrat has a plan for next years ninth grade curriculum: a class on how to behave when stopped by police, we’ll explore. Also peace by plebiscite: what an historic vote this weekend could mean for Columbia and for Texas. Also disappearing dance halls: why communities are trying to get the few remaining back on their feet. And the untold story of an onboard emergency moments before man first landed on the moon. Today, we’ll remember the man at mission control who made a crucial call that changed history. Plus the week in politics and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Austin residents are no strangers to orange cones dotting the highways or construction cranes in the sky. But one KUT listener wondered: Why does it take so long to get anything built around here?
There appears to be a consensus winner, but did the needle move? Voices seldom heard on the morning after an historic debate. Plus, if you could ask any question this election season, what would it be? More than a thousand public radio listeners have weighed in, and today, we’ll hear the top five which public radio stations across Texas will try to answer in the run up to election day. Plus the making of a power couple, the Clintons were hardly the first. And with costs on the rise and students loans in the news, is higher ed still considered the value investment it once was? The envelope please: results of a new survey are in. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
With a key moment in American politics hours away- why what voters see in the debate might not be what the press sees. The story today on the Texas Standard.
After refusing to endorse the Republican nominee at the convention Ted Cruz jumps on to the Trump train. But does Cruz think Trump’s fit to be president? That’s another question. We’ll hear how he answered it.
Also, we’ve heard about drowning in student debt, what does that mean in real life? A case study from North Texas…
And Rhett Miller of the Old 97’s offers a humble alternative to the Texas state song. Lawmakers are you listening? All those stories and much more.
Signals from space telegraph warnings for Texas about the source of those earthquakes we’ve been worried about. We’ll explore. Also when doctors can’t offer infants life saving technology because its too expensive: what then? A Doctor at Rice has been working on solutions, and she’s just been awarded a MacArthur genius grant for her efforts: we’ll meet her. And when in Rome, do as the Romans. When in college do you dare go with the Greek system? Hazing rituals back in the spotlight. Plus: it’s a beloved symbol in the Lone Star State, and yet its getting bulldozed out of Texas, almost literally. Can anyone save the Houston Toad? Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
First there was the arrest. Then the jailhouse death. Global outrage over the incident. Now comes the Sandra Bland Act. What it could mean, today on the Texas Standard.
As the nation focuses its attention on threats from abroad, law enforcement launches a multipronged crackdown on a made in Texas terror group with entirely different goals. And one of the leaders talks to NPR’s John Burnett. We’ll hear the backstory.
Also, the controversy over fracking moves offshore as environmentalists spar with industry over what’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico.
And Texas athletes taking a knee for Kapernick: how the NFL player’s protest is spreading among highschoolers.
After nixing the Obama administration’s transgender bathroom directive, the battleground shifts to doctors and hospitals. Today on the Texas Standard.
Car 54 where are you? Perhaps by the side of the road. Why Houston police crusiers are struggling to stay in the fight.
But what happens when the road itself stalls out? The story of a big gamble on a superfast superhighway, and why it hasn’t paid off as promised.
Also, some say it’s the devil in disguise, as telemarketing in Texas embraces the “pay for pray” model.
Plus, tomorrow’s news today. Our waltz across Texas for the top stories for the week ahead.
A temporary ceasefire… it sounds like good news for Syria… but not everyone’s happy with the deal. We’ll explain on today’s Texas Standard.
How much do we really need to know about the health of the people running for the nation’s highest office? And how much do they have to tell us?
A start up before there were start ups. A look at how one early computer company took Houston- and the world by storm.
Ok, we get it… Pluto isn’t a planet… but wait… some scientists say that it is? We’ll have the details.
And… it’s Friday on the Texas Standard… that means Typewriter Rodeo and wrapping up another eventful week in Texas politics.
Texas is a hotbed for human trafficking but there may be something that makes it unique: the cantina connection. We’ll explore. Also more questions than answers in the aftermath of a school shooting in west Texas. What we know and what it means for life in a normally tranquil small desert town. And lessons from the disaster that struck the coast of Texas this time 8 years ago. Also, swapping woodwinds and strings from picket signs: a celebrated symphony goes on strike and high schools soon may blow the whistle on Friday night kickoffs. Plus the week in Texas politics and we’re just getting started. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
It’s no secret that this political season is a display of some interesting human behavior, and we’ve had a lot of listener questions about how biases form, the psychological impact of heated rhetoric, and what is going on “under the surface” of the American public?
In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about how psychology can inform our discussions and debates as we try to swim through the murky waters of the modern American political campaign 2016.
He became a national figure after the deadly attack on police in July, but now the Dallas Police Chief is stepping down. Our conversation with the city’s mayor, we’ll explore. Also It’s been hard to track shootings involving police, but it’s recently gotten a little easier in Texas, we’ll explain. Plus Labor Day boaters beware: a marine menace could try to put a damper on your holiday fun. And relatively small pieces of hardware could cause big problems on offshore oil rigs, and the issue could extend on land. And embracing the data. Why some say we should let go of privacy concerns and enjoy all the tracking technology does.
How much is too much? A Texas teacher’s note to parents sparks a national conversation over homework. We’re hittin’ the books today on the Texas Standard.
You’ve heard about the opioid problem nationwide, now hear this: the drug linked to the death of Prince is causing a crisis in Houston. We’ll learn why.
Also, is the bag ban in several Texas cities about to get sacked? A court case in Laredo may have set a statewide precedent.
And more than just Friday Night Lights: why the start of the season could rekindle a sense of community.