Senate

Texas Standard: June 1, 2017

Stuck and frustrated. Several immigrant families are being held in Texas Detention Centers far longer than law allows, we’ll explore. Also, Texas Lawmakers left Austin without making real changes to the state’s barely constitutional school finance system. Coming up: what they did do this session when it comes to education. And a Supreme Court ruling over printer cartridges affects every American consumer. We’ll explain. Plus, did political infighting just leave several Texas agencies in limbo? We’ll hear from an insider. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 12, 2017

D-day at the Texas lege: as lawmakers hit deadlines, hundreds of bills fall by the wayside. We’ll explore what made it and what didn’t. Also Washington’s asking federal immigration judges to leave detention centers in South Texas. The reason might surprise you. Plus, no sanctuary cities in Texas? Try telling that to the mayor of El Cenizo, the first Texas city to challenge the new sanctuary city ban. And we’re number one! In wage theft? Efforts to crack down on crooked employers yield uneven results. Plus a unique ephemeral film archive gets ready for its closeup. All of that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 9, 2017

Mere hours after the governor signed it into law, his attorney general sues a Texas county over the sanctuary cities bill, we’ll explore. Also: they say robots will eventually take your job. For one Texas town, that day could be around the corner. We’ll have more. Plus billions on the table and less than three weeks to decide how the state spends it. The hangups in the budget negotiations at the capitol. And speaking of billions, Sinclair Broadcast just made public its plans to buy another major broadcast company. What will it mean for TV watchers here in Texas? Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 10, 2017

In an arm wrestling match between Dan Patrick and Joe Strauss who wins? Wanna bet 218 billion on it? What looks like a power shift. From bathroom choice to school choice, a string of defeats for high profile bills raises a question at the capitol: who’s really in charge here? R.G. Ratcliffe of Texas Monthly with an assessment. Plus reports of crime down, way down in parts of Houston. So why does the police chief in the nation’s most diverse city say that’s bad news? Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 6, 2017

Marathon: more than a city in west Texas, a description of a drama unfolding at the capitol right now. Also the number of people apprehended at the border hits a 17 year low. History says they’re supposed to be on the rise. What’s up? Some answers from the front lines. And as fears escalate over deportation in Spanish speaking communities, some Texas businesses try adaptation: the new rules of engagement with customers. Also a spike in disability claims in rural America has researchers asking how ya gonna keep em down on the farm, or the ranch. And if internet companies are gonna share your info, what can you do to keep it to yourself? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Capital Bar Conversations

Work at the Texas State Capitol building can get contentious. Partisan disputes and back-hallway wheeling and dealing can leave one feeling a little exhausted at the end of the day — or whenever the lege wraps up. Sometimes what you need is a visit to the bar down the street.

Texas Standard: February 13, 2017

Texas on ICE: for weeks they were unconfirmed reports, now evidence of immigration sweeps across Texas and 10 other states, we’ll have the latest. Also: mind the gap. Who’s gonna fill the hole between two competing spending plans, for Texas and what does it mean in real terms? And a price bubble in the middle of the Texas desert, set to pop? Plus how do you write about a war when the final chapter is far from over? Veterans of the War on Terror offer a rare insiders view. And a sweeping investigation of the state of human trafficking in the lone star state. All that and much more, today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 18, 2017

The price of disagreement in Texas: it comes to 5 point 3 billion dollars. But what does the chasm between the house and senate add up to? We’ll explore. Also with the nation getting set for an inauguration, hundreds of thousands of women prepare to go marching on Washington. But to what effect? We’ll explore the power of a mode of protest. And Venezuela scraps old paper for new. Hardly a solution to hyperinflation, but might it cause more problems than it solves? Also a teen pregnancy video contest, not another MTV reality show, but an exercise to address a real world challenge facing Texas. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 17, 2016

Oreos, Netflix, New Balance, Amazon: consumer boycotts as a proxy for the ballot box. But who’s buying it, and do they work? We’ll explore. Also he campaigned to repeal and replace Obamacare, but what would Trumpcare mean for texans? We’ll look at the range of possibilities. Plus the changing of the guard in Washington could leave a few holes in Texas politics. Who’ll fill the seats, and how. Also, did he really sell his soul to the devil? As San Antonio prepares to celebrate an iconic bluesman, a few myths get broken along the way. And the robots are coming: whose jobs will they take? Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard: