The start of the 2021 Texas legislative session, minus some lawmakers who plan to skip what they call as a super-spreader event. Also, as the governor announces several new hubs for the distribution of covid vaccines, others worry about Texas’ role as a hub for vaccine misinformation. Plus Dr. Fred Campbell of UT Health San Antonio takes on more of your questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine in Texas. And disorder in the court: as case go unresolved due to the pandemic. And fights over water: an ongoing part of the Texas story, but could the final chapter be forthcoming thanks to new research? Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
texas
Texas Standard: January 11, 2021
From pandemic to political upheaval, a budget shortfall and beyond, what promises to be a Texas legislative session like few in recent memory. We’ll have more on tomorrow’s start of the Lone Star legislative session. Also, after the storming of the U.S. Capitol, the role of Texas’ junior senator under growing scrutiny amid calls for his resignation. And a new strain of the COVID virus found in Texas, what it means for doctors and for Texans at large. And did air pollution make Hurricane Harvey worse than it would have been otherwise? New findings from Texas based researchers. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 6, 2021
As Georgia goes, so goes Texas? What the results of the senate runoffs in Georgia may tell us about changing politics in the Lone Star State. Major population growth, shifts in suburbs once reliably republican… sound familiar? Could politics in the peach state tell us something about political change coming to Texas, too? Texas based ABC News analyst Matthew Dowd with a closer look. Also, Texas’ two senators, both Republicans, not on the same page when it comes to certification of the electoral college vote…more on that plus why people of color in Texas may have less of a shot at getting the COVID-19 vaccines they need. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 4, 2021
A Texas senator joins almost 11 colleagues in a pledge not to certify the electoral college results. Political theatre or something more? We’ll explore. Also, demand at food banks has doubled since the pandemic. What happens now with cuts to a critical fresh food program? How the pandemic has accelerated the widening of the gap between rich and poor. Also a federal crackdown on the marketing of CBD and what it might mean for Texas. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 1, 2021
It promises to be a new year like few others, if any in Texas history. What’s on the docket as state lawmakers get back to work at the capitol? This much seems certain: it’ll be a legislative session like few others in modern Texas history. From budget shortfalls, to an ongoing fight against a COVID-19 and political redistricting, much is at stake in the 87th lege. Coming up, we’ll talk to the person who’s been doing the numbers about where we stand financially. Also, the possibility of whether changes in drug laws in other states will spark change in Texas. And transparency of government during a pandemic. These stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 31, 2020
No matter where you are we’ll bet you’re ready to say goodbye to 2020. This hour, the year in review in the Lone Star State. From extremes of partisan politics to a pandemic to protests and a reckoning over race…2020 will go down in history as a turning point for millions statewide and beyond. But what are the lessons of the past year and how might 2021 be different? Our roundtable with reporters. Also a shakeup at Fort Hood this year, one considered by many to be long overdue and some of the stories that didn’t make the front pages but nonetheless marked the end of an era. It’s a special year in review of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 30, 2020
Lights camera, Texas! In 2020, the eyes of Texas were on small screens everywhere as streaming video reached a new peak. From Selena revisited to a journey inside Texas Boys State, from a drag queen in Paris, Texas to the untold story of Johnny Cash’s first wife who hailed from San Antonio. Texans and Texas itself took center stage as the world went on lockdown and turned to the big streams. This hour, we’re looking at TV and film with a Texas twist in a special year end edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 28, 2020
A new survey shows changing attitudes on vaccinations in Texas, and the numbers offer even more surprises and important insights. We’ll take a deeper dive in to what that means. Also, 12 states have not expanded medicaid, Texas among them. Economist Ray Perryman on why Texas lawmakers should consider 2021 an opportunity to turn things around. Plus a happier new year for Texas’ top energy commodity? Our energy insider with a reality check. And a profile of the person tapped to head up the Dallas police department. Plus the protests of 2020 and those of 5 decades earlier: a new book recalls the often overlooked intersection of activism and the church. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 24, 2020
No matter where you are, you can’t escape Texas music. But as 2020 draws to a close, what is the state of the musical arts in the Lone Star State? We’ll take a look. Made here and played here, that is perhaps the simplest definition of Texas music but one that only hints at the wide range of cultures and backgrounds represented by what has sometimes been stereotyped as a genre unto itself. In a year full of extraordinary challenges for singers songwriters and musical performers, how has Texas music changed over the past year and what comes next? It’s a musical coda for 2020 on this special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 23, 2020
Read any good books lately? We sure have. As we fast approach the end of the year, and a certain holiday known for gift giving we hit the stacks. They served on the front lines of a revolution in Mexico that revolutionized Texas, too. A new book reclaims the often overlooked stories of revolutionary women. Also, living the dream: the Texas author who’s writing the books she wished she’d been able to read as a kid. And a how-to book with a Texas twist you won’t find stashed away in the tool shed: how to be an astronaut and much more as we chat with authors about some memorable books of 2020 on todays Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 18, 2020
As families reunite for the holidays, worries grow for kids in the Texas foster care system. An update today on the Texas Standard.
In what sounds like a return to the worst days of the state’s foster care crisis, a new report finds foster kids sleeping in state offices. We’ll hear details.
Also, why a COVID-19 treatment being touted by state officials doesn’t seem to be making much of a dent in helping patients in one of the hardest hit parts of Texas
Oyez! Oyez!… oh boy! With the legislature set to reconvene, how’s this going to work with social distancing?
Plus, the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and more.
Texas Standard: December 17, 2020
It’s being described as an act of cyber espionage so big it is hard to overstate its impact, and a Texas company is in the crosshairs. That story and more today on the Texas Standard.
Texas is distributing the COVID vaccine in tiers of priority. But what happens if someone tries to cut in line?
Also, the holiday shopping season’s not what it used to be and certainly not at the border right now, where Texas merchants are feeling the pressure from pandemic rules and a loss of customers from Mexico.
Also, the student debt crisis: is there a better alternative than loan forgiveness? We’ll hear about some of the options that could be on the table and much more.
Texas Standard: December 16. 2020
Senate leader Mitch McConnell congratulates Joe Biden on his election win. So why are many fellow republicans, including from Texas, staying silent? Today on the Texas Standard
As a movement to declare so called sanctuary cities for the unborn takes hold statewide, the push gets a major boost in Lubbock, the biggest Texas city to consider such a measure so far. We’ll hear all about it.
Also, 1.7 trillion and rising: the total amount of student debt currently owed. The President-Elect’s under pressure to offer student debt forgiveness–the first of a two part look at what that might entail. Also, a Politifact check and more.
Texas Standard: December 8, 2020
He is set to become, if not a household name, a statewide presence in politics: just who is Dade Phelan and why should everyday Texans care? We’ll explain. Also, by court order, the Trump administration says it has restored the deferred deportation program called DACA. But recipients remain fearful of its future. Also the change in Texas law that left some Texas cities, hard hit by the pandemic with fewer hospitals than they used to have. And questions raised about why so many c-sections concentrated at certain Texas hospitals? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 7, 2020
Front line workers in Texas get to get COVID-19 vaccines but educators and staff are demanding a better place in in the vaccination line. We’ll have details. Plus as Texas lawmakers get ready to start a new session, both republicans and democrats prepare to take on issues of voter fraud and voter access. Also, powering up: with a new administration in Washington, what’s set to change for the energy capitol of the U.S.? And billions of federal dollars for pandemic relief and time’s running out for Texas to spend it all. Where’s the money going? Plus listener questions about COVID-19 and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 3, 2020
The countdown to the holidays: how the numbers add up in the battle against the pandemic in Texas. Another story we are tracking: a new study finds a strong correlation between cancer and living within 30 miles of an oil refinery. What this could mean for some 6 million Texans in the nation’s top oil producing state. And it was known as Mexico’s revolution, but the impact on Texas was nothing short of revolutionary, now the story of the women on the front lines. Plus it’s not just for arts and crafts anymore, many small Texas businesses find pandemic business booming online. Omar Gallaga on the Etsy effect. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 1, 2020
A downturn in travel. Layoffs in the energy industry, struggling small businesses, what’s it all add up to? Comptroller Glenn Hegar delivers some grim news about the Texas budget to lawmakers. But there’s a bit of a surprise, too: the news is not as bad as some feared. We’ll talk with him. Also, the after effects of COVID-19: could they linger even after the pandemic has passed? What known and isn’t about longer term health effects. And decades after they took off from Texas bases during WWII, the women with silver wings get overdue recognition…their story and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 23, 2020
Cars line up for miles outside food banks in our big cities. On this Thanksgiving week, the state of food insecurity in the state of Texas. As many Texans prepare for a big Thanksgiving dinner, others struggle with the choice of whether to leave the lights on or put food on the table. We’ll explore. Meanwhile health officials worry that holiday gatherings could become super spreader events. We’ll hear about the push for safety precautions to combat COVID-19 as case numbers rise statewide. Plus as national media focuses on the Latino vote, the case that the Tejano vote could be a better indicator. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 20, 2020
Is the presidential contest still a real contest? Texas’ senior senator says it’s still too close to call, we’ll have the latest. Also, he pledged to heal the soul of the nation, but when it comes to immigration, some wonder why that topic doesn’t make it too Joe Biden’s top 5 list of policy priorities. We’ll hear about the concerns of advocates of immigration reform. And airlines may be hard hit by the pandemic, but some Texas towns with ties to the skies are taking off. We’ll hear why. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 18, 2020
Amplifying the voices of Texas’s Black legislators. We’ll tell you about a revived effort. And remember that Texas County with no confirmed coronavirus cases? Yeah. That didn’t last. What’s going on in Loving County. Plus, how the oil bust has also led to a land value bust. How it’s playing out in the Permian Basin. And could we call what’s happening in the White House right now a coup? The answer from an expert in authoritarian regimes might surprise you. We’ll put it into context. And we’ll fact-check a claim about early voting and voter fraud. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard: