Turnout looks up at the polls and some political rallies draw big crowds. But what does excitement about the primaries really mean for election results? We’ll explore. Also, there’s been a lot said about more women running for office and more minorities. Today a look at what veterans could bring to the race. Plus federal legislation on sex trafficking is getting some pushback from technology companies. Why they’re concerned about culpability. And another delay on DACA: It’s continued protection from deportation for those enrolled in the program but also continued uncertainty. What all the back and forth could be doing to their health. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Prison
Texas Standard: December 26, 2017
It was the biggest weather disaster in Texas history: this hour we’re exploring how it changed the contours of the lone star state. We’re retracing Hurricane Harvey’s path through southeast Texas, and the long and winding road to recovery. From Port Aransas to Houston and the golden triangle, it’s the story of a storm which the weather service warned would have no precedent, but Texans came together in ways large and small, helping strangers in need, and finding new ways forward. On this day after Christmas, we’re reconsidering an event that changed Texas in countless ways:
Texas Standard: October 23, 2017
Today marks the start of early voting across Texas, but for what? Never fear, we’ll have real world explanations of what’s up for grabs at the polls. Grab a pencil and a small piece of paper and play along as we decide how we’re gonna cast our ballots in the constitutional contests now officially underway. Also, Texas may be one of the top states for executions, but it also leads in exonerations. The price the state is paying for wrongful convictions. And the most powerful super computer at any university in the US is in Texas is about to become one of the nation’s fastest too. So why are they planning for its replacement already? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard :
Texas Standard: October 13, 2017
After repeated demands by democrats, a Texas lawmaker unveils articles of impeachment against President Trump. Now what? We’ll have the latest. Also, an army task force returns to Texas from Puerto Rico. We’ll hear what they encountered, and why the need for help isn’t likely to end any time soon. Plus, once it was hailed as a super principal for helping save a troubled school now she’s on suspension. A controversy that’s stunned the Houston community. And after a long fight to win UNESCO recognition for the Alamo, the president announces plans to pull out of the UN’s cultural wing, we’ll have the implications. Plus the week in politics with the Texas tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 11, 2017
20 items: a lot for state lawmakers to do in one month of a special session. But with days before it starts, they’re adding to their workload. We’ll have the lowdown. Plus, for many small Texas communities, Walmart’s the biggest game in town. But what happens when the big box store shutters its doors? Today, a tale of two cities. And when the Texas governor sent the guard to the border, he didn’t mean the Rio Grande. The Red River rivalry that almost became a literal war between the states. And why if you’re a Texan, we bet you haven’t heard about it. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 28, 2017
A sudden reversal from the department of justice: Texas didn’t intended to discriminate with Voter ID. Why the 180 and why does it matter? We’ll explore. Also: as immigration detention centers in Texas fill with new arrivals, a lawsuit against a private company running many of those centers: the allegation? Forced labor. The case could involve tens of thousands of current and former detainees. Also, a new technique to eradicate invasive species being tested for the first time on mammals: the effect, daughterless offspring. What could go wrong? We’re just getting started, it’s Texas Standard time:
Texas Standard: December 21, 2016
Texas officials fulfill a promise: no more Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood. The implications and what comes next. Plus a multi million dollar emergency infusion for child protective services. The plan: hire new caseworkers and give raises to keep others from leaving. But there’s a hitch, just in time for the holidays. We’ll hear about it. Also she was a full throated communist, cast as a a working class hero and a villain. And then her story was almost lost to history. A revival of interest in the lady called ‘the passionate one from Texas’. And veterans signing on to wage a new kind of war…in cyberspace. All of that and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 10, 2016
On the weekend of apparent armageddon for the GOP, howls of outrage, but any change in Texas support for Donald Trump? We’ll explore. Also our roundtable of editors from some of the cities in Texas that don’t often get heard in the national conversation. And with mere hours to go before the voter registration deadline, a reality check. Just how close is it?. And we say there’s never been a political season like this one, but perhaps that shows just how short memories can be…especially if you lived in Texas a couple of decades ago…we’ll have a refresher, if that’s the right word. Also, are they predators, or credit repair services? What’s in a name for payday lenders? More than you might think. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 10, 2016
Vice Presidential Democratic candidate Tim Kaine is in Texas. We talked to him about Donald Trump’s comments on the 2nd amendment, about trade, and, what it’s like to be called boring on todays Texas Standard. Plus, the Texas farm workers strike you might not have learned about. Then, a serious lesson in Texas terminology. Is it Amarillo-ins or Amarill-ee-ins ? Why it’s Dallasites and not Dallisians. What to call people in Cut-and-shoot? And in comfort. And what happens when comforters meet cut and shooters. All that and more on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 11, 2016
When is it ok to use Texas taxpayer and campaign funds for travel? Going to an out of state rodeo? Wouldn’t that qualify? We’ll explore. Also prisoners have precious few rights behind bars, but many in Texas are asserting the right to strike. Its led to lockdowns last week. We’ll hear about it. And are plummeting oil prices causing problems at school? We’ll hear about an often overlooked connection. Plus, we’ve heard for years that the robots are taking over…but a rice professor warns, this time its for real. Those stories and much more on todays Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 7, 2015
Rick Perry said it was impossible but his successor disagrees. A dramatic 180 on the issue of ending rape in Texas prisons. Plus, only days after an explosion which sent four to the hospital at an east Texas chemical plant, the company says its returning to business as usual despite a safety investigation that’s far from finished… we’ll have details. Also what do you call a chicken crossing a road…in Bastrop it’s poultry in motion, stopping cars, waking the neighbors and sparking national headlines. And Texas has never had a world series parade…this year, we’ve got two shots at it…that and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 12, 2015
An unarmed black teen shot by police. The officer who pulled the trigger -fired. But for the people of Arlington, is that enough? We’ll explore. After a deadly listeria outbreak, Blue Bell Trucks return to the streets: but what about the road to respectability? Also in prison, phone calls are expensive. Sometimes letters don’t get through. Which is why some behind bars are turning to radio to connect with the outside world. You know it’s not great barbecue unless its falling off the bone. Fact or fiction? Smoking out the truth behind some sacred cows.
Texas Standard: August 11, 2015
Before the first shot is ever fired…what justifies a police officer drawing a sidearm from the holster? The rules of engagement today on the Texas Standard. Plus – oops there it is: some grim developments at Camp Perry, as one of the Presidential candidates pulls the plug on paychecks…we’ll explore. Plus, a teacher shortage nationwide…a scramble to fill positions before the opening bell…and what it means closer to home. And a real chin scratcher for Texas prisons –half a million dollars for the hirsute look behind bars- We’ll explain. And what is the best Texas song of all time? It’s Texas Standard time:
June 17, 2017
Big Bad Bill? Not so much, but as hurricane season gets underway, there’s a new warning about the trillion dollar price tag. Texas leads the nation in prison sexual assault. But of the hundreds of reported cases of prison workers preying on inmates…only 9 have been sentenced to serve time. Also, the story of one man who becomes the de facto father for scores of homeless students. Plus the egg shortage…taking a toll on the national breakfast of Texas. Taco bout a crisis.
Green Room: Prison Heat
What could drive prisoners and their guards to join forces against the State of Texas? With temps topping 150F in several facilities, union leader Lance Lowry says spending time in a Texas prison could become an unsanctioned death sentence.