High-profile Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett launches her campaign for the U.S. Senate. We’ll look at how she’ll compete in a crowded field against primary opponent State Rep. James Talarico and prospective general election foes incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Last month Texas voters approved funding for a dementia prevention and research institute. Now a lawsuit means that plan is on hold.
Plus, why more and more Texans are selling their blood plasma for cash. The state leads the nation in donations.
And a Christmas festival in Galveston pays homage to author Charles Dickens.
Science
Remembering Robert Redford’s Texas ties
Programs aimed at helping millions of low-income students earn college degrees is potentially on the chopping block. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Silas Allen joins us with a look.
A series of bills aimed at preventing a repeat of the July 4th flooding tragedy in Texas’ Hill Country has passed, but some are asking if they go far enough. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom has been looking into that question.
He was known as the Sundance Kid and an icon of cinema. We’ll hear more about the late Robert Redford and his Texas connections.
And a UT researcher tells us about a new discovery involving black holes – and how it could help settle questions about the structure of the universe.
KUT Morning Newscast for June 11, 2025: Austin and Travis County leaders celebrate improvements in the response to the opioid crisis
Central Texas top stories for June 11, 2025. Austin and Travis County leaders are celebrating improvements in the local response to the opioid crisis. Texas high school students this year did better in math and science on state standardized tests than they did in 2024. Hays County Commissioners voted unanimously to pass a resolution for the humane treatment of immigrants. The University Interscholastic League will hear a proposal to recognize girls flag football as an official sport.
UT Austin professors fear Trump administration’s funding cuts will derail life-saving research
The Trump administration has been slashing funding for a federal agency that supports biomedical research across the U.S. KUT’s Olivia Aldridge and Becky Fogel talked to UT Austin professors who say funding from the National Institutes of Health is essential for running their labs.
How a Houston man spent 18 years in jail without a trial
How hot is it in Texas prisons? After many questions about deadly heat, a new discovery: the facts as presented may have been fake. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of The Texas Newsroom with the discovery of falsified records in an ongoing scandal about heat-related deaths behind bars.
A Houston inmate jailed for 18 years who never got his day in court: How did that happen, and could there be more?
What do you get when you cross a mouse with a woolly mammoth? It’s no joke: A Texas company says it’s just the beginning.
Also, who owns Texas? The results of an investigation of land ownership.
And this week in Texas music history.
What are current struggles signaling for Texas-based Tesla?
The Legislature is considering bills that would lift restrictions on how Texas’ maternal mortality committee can investigate maternal deaths, including by reviewing abortion-related deaths.
Looking for a Tesla? Or trying to sell one? How politics appears to be reshaping the market for the Texas-based company long considered the leader in the electric vehicle space.
Also: Seismic activity in West Texas prompts regulators to put the brakes on the subsurface injection of wastewater. But one company appears to be flaunting the directive.
Texas Extra: The science of motivating young people
Human brains begin to alter significantly around the age of ten — as people start to enter biological adolescence. But why are the teenage years so dreaded? And what can science tell us about how to make them less so?
That’s exactly what this next interview is about. It’s an extended version of a conversation that first aired on Texas Standard in October.
Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett pledges full support for VP Harris
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas has thoughts for fellow Democrats who haven’t been quick to support Vice President Kamala Harris.
Prison farm labor isn’t just part of Texas history; it’s a reality today. An investigation into the practices and what we don’t know about what goes on in the fields.
A mammoth find for Texas researchers – literally. What a team from Baylor plans to do with the discovery of some ancient DNA.
We’ll take you inside some San Antonio record stores where the love for vinyl keeps going around.
And: The emerging path forward for psychedelics when it comes to treating PTSD.
Total eclipse 2024: A special broadcast from the Kerrclipse Festival
Eclipse day has finally arrived, and Texas Standard has a special broadcast from the path of totality.
We’re live at the Kerrclipse Festival, on the grounds of the famous Kerrville Folk Festival, to talk forecast, what NASA and other researchers hope to learn today, the eclipse “observer effect” and much more.
Texas Extra: More from Bill Nye on the total solar eclipse
“Science Guy” Bill Nye has been beloved by children for generations. He was so kind and generous in a recent interview with the Standard focused on the upcoming total solar eclipse. He also answered a question about why he has been making headlines with his thoughts on climate change. This extended version also includes an introduction with personal stories about both of Nye’s parents.
Texas Extra: A step-by-step guide of what to expect during the total solar eclipse
Angela Speck chairs the physics and astronomy department at UT San Antonio – and is a veteran of many an eclipse. In this extended interview, she offers lots of tips and tricks for having the best experience on April 8.
Fall is finally here. What does that mean for Texas’ drought?
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has faced increasing pressure to resign since Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial – and a special session of the Legislature starts next week.
El Paso, a city with a reputation as welcoming to migrants, is now at a breaking point, according to its mayor. Angela Kocherga of KTEP El Paso has details.
About 24 million Texans are living through some level of drought right now, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. What’s on the horizon as fall weather moves in?
The former Texas Memorial Museum on UT Austin’s campus, shuttered in March due to COVID and cutbacks, returns in grand style with a new name and focus.
The McDonald Observatory
(AKA the stars at night)
This Typewriter Rodeo poems celebrates one of Texas’ most beloved scientific treasures.
Adversarial Collaboration
It takes a lot of confidence and humility to admit when we’re wrong, and that is especially true when it comes to science. So in the edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy are taking a moment to highlight one “Adversarial Collaboration” that could change the way we look at the relationship between money and happiness.
The Psychology, Science and Performance of Play
Turns out that understanding the why and how of play in our everyday lives is a serious business, but still a lot of fun! Listen back as Rebecca McInroy, Art Markman and Bob Duke of Two Guys on Your Head join Alison Preston, Kirk Lynn, and Sarah Abraham for a special presentation at the Texas Science Festival on the psychology, science, and performance of play!
A look back at the stories that shaped Texas in 2022
New laws that took effect, decisions from the courts that made history, the fight for social justice and more; it’s 2022 in review. With the Texas Legislature set to reconvene in just days, it’s worth looking back at how much Texas changed over the past 12 months, and what those changes may tell us about what’s to come in the new year. We’ll turn a spotlight on politics and a campaign season that didn’t turn out as expected, the economy, technology and much more as we reconsider the year that was across miles and miles of the Texas, today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 5, 2022
With the Supreme Court now widely expected to overturn Roe vs. Wade, new numbers of where Texans stand on the issue of Abortion. From abortion to border security, the state’s population growth and the economy, Texans weigh in on a range of issues that could have a profound effect at the polls come November. Jim Henson with the results of a new survey by the Texas Politics Project. Also, Texas’ attempt to treat gender-affirming care as “Child Abuse”. A new report examines the underlying scientific claims being made by officials leading the push. Plus, say cheese, Texas: why a place better known for its beef is challenging dominant states in the dairy business. All this and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 23, 2021
Health experts are closely watching the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19. We’ll unpack the risk and the concern about further variants. Also, Texas Governor Greg Abbott latest moves are looking to some like a concerted effort ahead of the 2024 presidential race. The view from outside of Texas. And as America continues to re-examine monuments and building names honoring leaders in the Confederacy. Some everyday people are also reexamining their family histories. Plus we’ll fact-check a claim about how much border wall was built under the Trump Administration. And we’ll explore the impact of the pandemic on the therapists who’ve been walking us through the past year. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 22, 2021
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has multiple legal challenges and now multiple challengers for his seat within his party. We’ll take a look at who. Also, Texas college sports bring in big money. What’s an unanimous Supreme Court decision yesterday mean for athlete compensation? And Texas has lost more rural hospitals recently than any other state. So what’s that mean in an emergency? Plus dozens of Texas prisoners set for release or parole have died behind bars in the past year or so. A new study gets behind delays. And one Texas prison is cleared out to hold migrants. We’ll examine what issues might arise. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 3, 2021
A lifting of mask mandates and a 100% reopening of business effective a week from today. But many warn this is too much, too soon. Coming up details of the governor’s rollback of regulations on masks and occupancy levels in businesses. Plus reaction from the mayor of San Antonio and from listeners reaching out to us on social media at Texas Standard. Also, 50 Texas scientists pen an open letter to lawmakers urging them to think of the winter storm as a warning about climate change and what Texas needs to do to get ready. Plus a new documentary on regional cuisine digs deep into what it means to be Truly Texas Mexican. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard: