As the Delta variant continues to infect Texans and strain hospitals, more schools are defying the Governor’s orders and mandating masks. The Austin Independent School District joins Dallas and likely Houston in mandating masks. We’ll talk to AISD’s Superintendent about how the district came to this decision and what challenges may lie ahead. We’ll also check-in with our doctor on call about what decisions parents are weighing as they consider whether to send students to in-person learning. Plus the Texas Legislature is back in session again. And this time it looks like they may soon have enough lawmakers in attendance to do business. What that means as Democrats still try to fight a bill over how Texans can vote. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Special Session
Texas Standard: July 15, 2021
The quorum busting impasse at the capitol continues, and the Governor’s promising to arrest absent lawmakers. Governor Greg Abbott joins us today. Texas House Democrats say their decision to leave the capitol and break up a quorum was a last ditch effort to stop restrictive changes to voting laws. Governor Abbot promising to keep calling special sessions until lawmakers come back and calling to question the character of Texas House Democrats. Also a lawsuit filed this week against new abortion restrictions set to take effect in Texas on September first, we’ll explore what’s at stake. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 5, 2021
We know a special legislative session starts this week. What we don’t know is what’s on the agenda. This week we’ll talk to Republican and Democratic strategists about the special session. Up first- the Democrats. Also, one in every four COVID-19 infections are from the aggressive delta variant. We asked health experts for their recommendations. And Texas based Exxon-Mobil is in the hot seat after revelations from a secret recording, we’ll tell you more. And how the student athletes of today will be able to do what students athletes of the past could never do – profit from their name and likeness. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 25, 2021
Texas lawmakers are coming back to the capitol for a special session. But what’s going to be on the agenda? We’ll have a few predictions. Plus: accountability. That’s at least one thing critics say has been lacking in the way the Army handles sexual assault and harassment cases. Efforts to change that. And for a small college a big financial gift opens up huge opportunities. The story from Odessa. And in Austin: understanding an incredible spike in housing prices. Plus even DJ Screw’s biggest fans admit there’s a lot they don’t know about the late, great Hip Hop icon. A new attempt to delve deeper. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 1, 2021
An eleventh-hour walkout at the Texas State Capitol as the legislature prepares for an overtime session. High drama as Texas House democrats break quorum to head off passage of a controversial measure to tighten the state’s election laws. Although the regular session comes to an end, an overtime session is already expected. We’ll look back at what got done, what didn’t and what comes next. Also, A Harris county constables unit in the crosshairs of controversy, we’ll hear why. And 50 years of Asleep at the Wheel: Texas music legend Ray Benson takes a glance in the rear view mirror. All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 6, 2019
UT, Killeen, Santa Fe, Fort Hood, Sutherland Springs, and now El Paso. We’ll look at what we have learned with this shooting. Will there be a special session? Would lawmakers ever seriously consider restrictions to gun ownership? We’ll look for clues in Texas’ legislative history. Plus, as El Paso is in mourning, the school year starts on Monday. How is the school district preparing? We’ll take a look. And we’ll hear reflections from an El Paso native
and from the city’s First Lady. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 14, 2017
This time Charlottesville, next time College Station? The warning from white nationalists and the pushback from students, we’ll have the latest. Also, while you were sleeping or trying to avoid the blazing heat: the Texas legislature mopping up last minute business as the special session enters its closing hours. We’ll take a look at what’s passed and what hasn’t. Plus: ready-fire-aim: a gun adopted by scores of police departments raises concerns in Dallas and Houston, concerned about accidental discharges. And what’s a small town to do when there aren’t enough kids for the football team? Six man football struggles with a stigma. Those stories and so much 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: