Lisa and Rich talk with Marcus Myers, former UT football player, Austin native and Diversity & Inclusion advocate in technology. He discusses his time on UT’s 2005 Championship football team, his collegiate recruitment experience, and how much college football has changed. Marcus also shares why he proudly identifies as a self-proclaimed nerd/jock, his tech journey, and some of his favorite memories growing up in Austin.
Technology
On Labor Day, a look at the ways our work is changing
Millions of Texans are marking Labor Day across the Lone Star State. This hour, we’re looking at some of the ways our work is changing:
– Artificial intelligence leading to a rethink of so-called busy work.
– How high tech is affecting labor unionization.
– The gig economy, and the hidden dangers of breaking out on your own.
– There’s one job on a few cattle farms – and many sheep farms – that is increasingly being done by dogs: herding.
Plus much more on a special Labor Day edition of the Texas Standard.
The growing union drive in tech
Extreme weather brings flooding and evacuations to an area near the Trinity River. We’ll find out how folks are coping with all that water.
Police remove protestors trying to set up camp on the UT Austin campus.
A new book takes a look at the Republic of Texas – an armed secession movement in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. It happened nearly 30 years ago. Could we see it again?
Also, as union membership grows across the Lone Star State, what does that mean for tech workers and why they face challenges unionizing?
Dr. Phil is back, and he’s broadcasting from the Metroplex
With a trial date fast approaching will securities fraud charges against Ken Paxton ever reach a jury? After years of delays, lawyers for the attorney general now say he’s been denied the right to a speedy trial, and that his prosecution is unconstitutional.
Amid a border security standoff between the Biden administration and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, many residents of Eagle Pass say they feel caught in the middle.
Also: Phil McGraw, aka Dr. Phil, plans to use Dallas as a launchpad for a new TV network.
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.
Texas frackers are going electric – but can the grid handle it?
With a push from Texas Republicans, the U.S. House moves a step closer toward a vote to impeach the head of Homeland Security.
Amid a shortage of teachers statewide, a move in Dallas to get more men of color in the classroom.
In the Texas oilfields, how a push for greener drilling has some worried about the effects on the power grid.
A browser update for the ages? Why new features in Google Chrome have one tech writer warning of the end of the human internet.
And Temu takeover? Why U.S. giants like Amazon and Walmart are rethinking their strategies as a China-based retailer turns up the heat.
Milk or meat? For modern cattle ranchers, the answer may be both
Texas is moving quickly toward primary day – but where are the debates? Why there’s been a decline in an election institution.
What the families of Uvalde victims are expecting as a grand jury examines law enforcement’s response to the Robb Elementary shooting.
Why Collin County seems to be playing an outsized role in Texas politics right now.
On Texas ranches, you’ve got dairy cows and bovine raised for beef. But the distinctions may be blurring. We’ll hear about a different sort of “cattle crossing.”
And concerns about the bestselling video game “Palworld,” which looks like “Pokémon” but plays like something much more grim.
Rare mushroom sparks excitement in Central Texas and beyond
A GOP junket to Eagle Pass was one of the largest congressional visits to the border in recent memory – but what’s the end goal, and what did lawmakers see?
Eleanor Klibanoff of the Texas Tribune has the details on a ruling by the Fifth Circuit over federal authority to require hospitals to provide abortions, and the implications for Texas.
A rare star-shaped fungus found only in Texas and a few other places worldwide is capturing the attention of mushroom enthusiasts.
Also: Understanding a new trend of cold exposure – does it have the health benefits many claim?
The state 2D artist draws on his El Paso heritage
There haven’t been any votes yet, but we kind of already know what the Texas delegation to the U.S. House will look like in 2024.
The Israel-Gaza war is challenging what it means to have free speech at colleges across the country. A visit to a San Antonio campus highlights why.
Gov. Greg Abbott is set to sign into law a measure that makes illegal border crossing a state crime. What you need to know.
It’s tamale time for many folks across Texas. We’ll explore the base ingredient, masa, with our go-to taco journalist.
And a conversation with this year’s state 2D artist, Gaspar Enriquez, about how he depicts El Paso and what it means to be Chicano.
Carbon capture is coming to the King Ranch
High winds, unrelenting heat and lots of dry vegetation are feeding a Stage 4 wildfire warning across the state.
As heat remains a major story in Texas, the electric grid has managed to hold out in a summer of record highs.
New technology advances mean that geothermal energy may soon become a bigger part of the nation’s energy generation mix.
Some recent major rulings on gun laws and where we stand in Texas.
And the Energy Department is financing two carbon capture projects, including one at the famed King Ranch in Kleberg County.
Welcome to Silicon Gulch
(Episode 5) Not that long ago, Austin’s economy was sleepy, to put it mildly. People came here for UT, to work for the state or for the military.
A little more than 50 years ago, a bedsheet changed everything — including the housing market.
Texas Spelling Bee
Are there words that just trip you up every time you try to spell them? For the producer writing this script it’s allegience — allegiance — so many vowels. You know it’s bad when Word or Google can’t even make a guess at what you’re going for.
Texas Standard commentator WF Strong explores the most oft-misspelled words in Texas.
Singer-songwriter Robert Ellis returns with new sound and perspective
Texas is on the brink of becoming the latest state to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asks the governors of other states to provide police and military forces to help secure Texas’ border with Mexico, as the numbers of reported unauthorized entries plummet.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga tells us about congressional hearings on regulating artificial intelligence.
And the musician formerly known as the Texas Piano Man sheds his fancy white suit and hat: Robert Ellis tells us how fatherhood and Fort Worth factor into his new release, “Yesterday’s News.”
Texas county may shutter its library before it returns banned books to the stacks
Attorneys for a man convicted of fatally shooting a Black Lives Matter protester in Austin in 2020 are asking for a retrial – a request that comes after Gov. Greg Abbott asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to review the conviction.
The debate over school vouchers, or a variation called education savings accounts, has just passed by the Texas Senate. Are there parallels with a decades-old debate over charter schools in Texas?
In Llano County, after a federal order to return books with LGBTQ -and race-related content to library shelves, commissioners today take up whether to close down the library system altogether.
Also: What could be a new tipping point in offshoring jobs.
Taylor Swift fans in Texas are ready for the Eras Tour
For the first time in three years, Medicaid recipients have had to re-apply for the benefit as a major safety net installed during the pandemic disappears – and millions of Texans may lose health coverage.
Taylor Swift is coming to town, and the excitement is off the charts for the superstar’s Texas swing, starting this weekend in Arlington.
Also take a deep dive into deep fakes.
How to testify at the Texas Legislature
After the Texas Education Agency’s announcement that it will take over the Houston Independent School district, we’re taking a look at what previous state takeovers could signal for this one.
“Stand up and be heard” – that’s what we’re often told to do when the Legislature’s in session. But how does one do that, exactly? We’ll hear a step-by-step primer.
Our go-to tech expert Omar Gallaga shares some key takeaways from the tech side of South by Southwest.
Plus, the creators of “The Lady Bird Diaries” join us to talk about the new film.
Plan to prevent the next blackout heads to the Legislature
Historic job growth, but how sustainable? Economist Ray Perryman weighs in on the latest numbers.
As lawmakers prepare for bruising legislative battles ahead, one thing some Texas Republicans and Democrats agree on? Dislike of a new proposal to prevent future statewide power grid blackouts.
Watch your wallets online: our go-to tech expert Omar Gallaga with the latest on data breaches.
And high hopes in some quarters for changes to Texas cannabis laws.
This Texas label makes records the old-school way
Texas’ law against censoring political speech on social media is not in force for now, but that could change. Also: Truckers like to say they keep America rolling, but more are leaving the profession than ever – and it could have major ripple effects for everyone. Plus: A generation gap in high-tech, and a major difference in how sweeping layoffs are being felt. And: A Texas nonprofit founded to support voting restrictions tried to build a hospital in Ukraine; it has not gone as planned, and now red flags are going up.
WNBA star and Houston native Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison
Houston native and WNBA star Britney Griner freed in a prisoner swap with Russia. We’ll have the latest. Also the dismissal of charges against an Ecuadoran migrant at the center of a controversy over federal and state authority. Laura Rice talks with Katie Hall of the Austin American Statesman. Plus a focus on a photography app that’s gone viral and why tech expert Omar Gallaga has some serious concerns about it. Also the joint effort by the U.S. and Mexico to bring back the Gray Wolf. And tis the season, and not just for tamales. Taco journalist Mando Rayo with more holiday tastes and some food for thought as well. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Here’s how you can help discover new galaxies
A record setting state surplus. So how do Texas lawmakers plan to use it? With just 40 days to go before the Texas legislature gets back to work, education and energy at the top of the list of priorities for the most powerful figure in the Texas senate. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune helps unpack the latest. Also high drama in an El Paso courtroom where the top prosecutor in the case against the accused Wal-Mart mass shooter is a no show and the judge threatening possible arrest of the DA. And a shout out for amateur skywatchers to help Texas researchers find galaxies. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard: