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Texas Extra: Introducing Season 3 of The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout

Listen to the first episode of Season 3 The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout.

This season the podcast explores the history of oil and gas regulation, how the industry became essentially self-regulating, and how some Texas officials continue to see natural gas as the future of electricity production, despite the rapid rise of renewable sources like solar and wind.

In the first episode, you’ll hear the story of a con man and a group of hardscrabble East Texas farmers who uncovered the biggest oilfield in U.S. history — and how that discovery forced an obscure state agency to confront the destructive forces of unrestrained oil drilling.

Listen and Subscribe to The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout

A sisterhood of nuns is quietly emerging on Texas death row

It’s been four years since the deadly days-long blackout in Texas – and “The Disconnect” podcast is back for a third season, exploring what’s changed and what hasn’t.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been told by the new Trump administration to stop work. How a long-term closure might affect you.
An investigation into the death of a foster care child has led to the closure of one facility and some bigger questions.
And: The women on Texas death row have a special relationship with a group of nuns. The details might surprise you.

Trump’s first executive orders focus on immigration

Much of Texas is dealing with dangerously cold temperatures and conditions that make travel hazardous. How the state is coping – plus a look at the power grid.

President Trump declared an emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border and issued several executive orders on immigration. We’ll delve into the details.

A look at the life and legacy of Cecile Richards: The former president of Planned Parenthood, and a major force in Texas and national politics, has died of brain cancer at 67.

Plus: Texas Standard intern Yoali Rodríguez reports on the designers working to make El Paso a new fashion hub.

Big Bend seeks artists to capture park’s rugged beauty

Last night’s chill has many Texans asking how the state’s power grid is looking for the winter. How much has changed since the freeze and blackouts of February 2021? Mose Buchele of KUT News has been keeping tabs.
The Texas legislative session hasn’t even started, yet more than one representative claims to be the de facto speaker-elect of the House. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey joins us with the latest.
Calling all creatives: Big Bend National Park is accepting applications for its artist-in-residence program.
And: What’s in your mug? Mando Rayo, host of the Tacos of Texas podcast, has winter tips for cozy sips.

The state is facing a middle-class housing crunch

Housing availability is too low across Texas – and the cost to buy a home is just too high. We’ll have the details of a new report that shows the middle class feeling the brunt of the housing crunch.
Seniors were some of the hardest hit during the power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl. What’s being done to protect them before the next storm?
FEMA applications for damage caused by Beryl have far outpaced any other recent storm in Harris County, even Hurricane Harvey.
What we know about how CEOs are using artificial intelligence to make high-level executive decisions – and when humans should step in and override AI’s choices.
And: UT and Oklahoma are now in the SEC. If you don’t really get why that matters, we’ll have the cliff’s notes as college football season kicks off.

State of Texas defends lack of prison A/C in federal court

Does the lack of air conditioning in Texas prisons amount to cruel and unusual punishment? A state prison official testifies that heat levels contributed to three deaths last summer.
The Great Springs Project aims to someday create a whole new route between San Antonio and Austin – via hike and bike trail.
Rick Jervis, author of the book “The Devil Behind the Badge,” shares the 2018 story of a string of murders in Laredo by a Border Patrol officer.
And: Is there a connection between West Texas wildfires and unregulated power lines?

Former Houston police chief speaks out about ouster

Today in Houston, one of the first speeches by the new presumptive Democratic nominee for president, though not formally a campaign speech. Vice President Kamala Harris delivering the keynote to the American Federation of Teachers meeting in Texas’ biggest city.
Also in Houston, a former police chief alleges he was pushed out to bury a department scandal.
With more frequent extreme weather, Texans are worried about keeping the lights on: Californians? Not so much. What we might learn from their experience.
And you’ve heard “Hooray for Hollywood,” but what about Waco? Lights, camera and all the action on today’s Texas Standard.

Remembering iconic Texas actress Shelley Duvall

Five days after Hurricane Beryl’s landfall, more than 800,000 Texans are still without power as frustrations and questions rise along with the heat – and officials say half a million people may not get power back until next week.
Thirty-five percent of Texas students scored zero on the writing portion of STAAR test, raising big questions about the jump in low scores as computers take over the grading process.
Remembering Fort Worth native Shelley Duvall, who made a big mark on Hollywood and left it all for the Hill Country.
Also: the week in politics with The Texas Tribune and poetry from the Typewriter Rodeo.

A visit to the traditional Mexican rodeo in San Antonio

One year later, a survivor of the Allen mass shooting talks about his long road to recovery.
New water rules take effect in the Rio Grande Valley as some border cities cope with historically low reservoirs.
With the rise of cloud-based services and AI, the demand for power has soared. What it means for the state Texas.
A new book by University of Houston professor Brandon Rottinghaus takes a look at the political life of Rick Perry, Texas’ longest-serving governor.
And we’ll go to a charreada in San Antonio where Mexico’s rodeo skills are on display.

Tracking the unprecedented rise in ocean temperatures

Rising temperatures in the forecast this week. Will blackouts come with them? ERCOT, the state’s electric grid operator, says the power might go out this week.
Did a doctor in Houston keep patients from receiving organ transplants? His own hospital is investigating.
And becoming a psychologist is expensive, but Texas is trying to make it cheaper. Could it make mental health care more accessible too?

Is high school football on the decline in Texas?

A conversation with state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a self-described progressive Democrat who’s running to challenge Ted Cruz for his U.S. Senate seat.

Three years after the big freeze that plunged most of Texas into darkness, a new bill aims to connect the state to neighboring electric grids. Mose Buchele of KUT in Austin has more.

A big change for the Texas STAAR tests: student essays graded by computer. How does that work, and how fair is it?

And: Is football still king in Texas? A Washington Post analysis looks at the sport’s rise and fall across the country.

Is the industry ready for Beyoncé’s country music album?

As Texans prepare to cast their first ballots in 2024, a conversation with Colin Allred, one of the top Democratic challengers for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Ted Cruz.

Lubbock throws the switch to join Texas’ open electricity marketplace – for better, and some fear, for worse.

A new ‘queen’ of country music? Houston-born Beyoncé generates buzz with a stylistic shift.

Also: Commentator WF Strong on a notorious Texas partnership in crime, and a love story at the heart of it.

A report from Eagle Pass after a weekend of immigration protest

A bipartisan bill to address border security: one that mandates that President Biden shut down the border. David Martin Davies with more on the Senate bill on immigration and border security and an update on border protests over the weekend.

What appears to be the first human brain chip implant by Elon Musk’s Neuralink is raising concerns about safety, consent, and transparency. We’ll hear from a medical ethicist who’s been studying the implications.

In El Paso, a new exhibit that highlights a surprising relationship between humans and ducks.

And the thousandth PolitiFact check of Donald Trump – what the numbers say.

Food safety & tree protection tips as Texas awaits an arctic blast

Most parts of Texas are preparing for a big freeze as an arctic front moves in. We’ll have the latest on what to expect, plus how to prepare your trees to survive a Texas winter and tips on food and food safety in case the power goes out.

The U.S., U.K. and other allies have launched retaliatory airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen; some fear it could expand global tensions and widen the conflict ongoing in Gaza. A UT expert on global studies weighs in.

Plus: The week in politics with The Texas Tribune.

As arctic front looms, how is the electric grid looking?

As Texas braces for a true blast of wintry weather, how much should we be worried about the power grid holding up? Mose Buchele of KUT in Austin is monitoring the power grid and joins us with the latest.

Federal funding cuts for special education could hit Texas hard.

Many Texans who are eligible for Medicaid aren’t signed up. Will Bostwick shares more on his reporting for Texas Monthly.

And: Remembering a musical British invasion of Texas more than a decade after the Beatles.

Exploring the Lone Star State with the evolving Texas Almanac

Charges have been dismissed against 17 Austin police officers accused of assault during racial justice protests of 2020. Andrew Weber of KUT has more.

A prison assault and what records suggest about a lack of transparency over security and safety in Texas lockups.

First published in 1857, the Texas Almanac has evolved and changed hands several times. We’ll hear about the 72nd edition of the journal from its managing editor, Rosie Hatch.

Worried about the power grid holding this winter? Why Houston Chronicle columnist Chris Tomlinson says, he, for one, isn’t.

And a tradition for football fans of the Cowboys, hundreds of miles from Big D.

Celebrating a century of Texas state parks

Dozens of Texas school districts have sued to stop changes in the A-F grading system used to evaluate schools.

The manager of the state’s power grid is out with a new forecast for winter. How prepared is Texas for another statewide freeze like 2021?

Israel, Hamas and disinformation on social media: Tech expert Omar Gallaga joins us with more.

New numbers in the race for mayor of Texas’ biggest city.

And a new book written by longtime Texas conservationist George Bristol, “Texas State Parks: The First 100 Years,” tells the story of how the state’s parks began.

KUT Morning Newscast for September 25, 2023

Central Texas top stories for September 25, 2023. Hail storms across Central Texas cause power outages and damage. New COVID vaccines are available. Round Rock votes on teacher raises.

Dungeons & Dragons becomes lifeline for some Texas death row prisoners

When it comes the electric grid, every megawatt counts during peak demand. Industrial batteries have long been seen as a potential game-changer for energy storage. We’ll have details about how they’re coming online in the Lone Star State.

A new vaccine for COVID-19 will be in pharmacies soon. An epidemiologist lays out what you and your family needs to know.

Plus, Dungeons & Dragons on death row, the latest headlines, and a school finance revolt in North Texas.

Railroad Commission approves South Texas coal mine expansion

In the first Republican debate of the new presidential election season, an issue top of mind for Texans – border policy – takes center stage.

The Texas Department of Transportation is giving a final green light to a highway expansion in downtown Austin that would add at least four lanes and get rid of the road’s existing upper decks.

There’s pushback on solar development in rural northeast Texas.

Energy regulators greenlit a 12,000-acre expansion of a South Texas coal mine on Tuesday, despite locals’ environmental concerns.

And with strays being turned away by many animal shelters, a first-time cat owner – the Standard’s Sean Saldaña – reflects on his first month with his new pet.