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KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

Trump Administration

ICE enforcement is ramped up at county jails

There’s lots to consider on your ballot, from state constitutional amendments to tax rate increases for cities and school districts. Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado shares some dos and don’ts for heading to the polls.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is removing people from Austin jails more frequently as the Trump administration ramps up  enforcement across the country. The Texas Newsroom’s Mose Buchele joins us with more.

Austin FC enters the playoffs today at LAFC. We’ll have more on what to watch out for with KUT’s Jimmy Maas.

Uncertain Times: Dreamers, MAGA Latinos & Taco Politics

Let’s get a pulse of the community and how tacos play a role in identity and politics in 2025; how taquerías are being impacted by ICE raids and explore how some Latinos or people of Mexican heritage can feel deeply connected to their culture – through food, traditions, or family – while also supporting political views that might seem at odds with their identity; and ultimately ask a Maga Latino, how he feels about undocumented immigrants picking and making his food. Guests include Chef Victoria Elizondo, DACA recipient and owner of Cochinita & Co. in Houston and Daniel Estrada, a self-described MAGA Latino and Trump supporter.

If you’d like to support the Tacos of Texas podcast and other podcasts like it from KUT & KUTX in Austin, please visit supportthispodcast.org. Thank you for your support!

KUT Morning Newscast for August 7, 2025: An Austin congressman is asking for transparency from federal immigration authorities

Central Texas top stories for August 7, 2025. Democrat Greg Casar says feds haven’t been forthcoming about recent arrests in East Austin. Tens of thousands of families in Texas may find themselves paying higher energy bills if the Trump Administration cancels the “Solar for All” initiative begun by the Biden Administration. A distribution center’s open through Saturday for people impacted by last month’s Austin-area flooding. Several dinosaur footprints have been found in the Big Sandy Creek area in northwestern Travis County.

KUT News Now is made at KUT Public Media Studios. You may have heard that Congress just took back the money it had allocated for public media. Our organization stands to lose 1.2 million dollars. We’re asking our listeners now to help us make up this shortfall. If you want to help us out, you can make a donation at supportthispodcast.org.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 2, 2025: The Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center could be relocating soon

Central Texas top stories for July 2, 2025. Advocacy groups say efforts to support migrant children and students learning English could be in peril because of delay in federal funding. The Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center in Austin could be relocating soon. Austin didn’t see any 100-degree days during June; it’s the first time since 2019. A watercraft ban is in effect on Lake Austin starting tomorrow afternoon. 

KUT Morning Newscast for June 18, 2025: APD says they’re prepared for a potentially long summer of protests

Central Texas top stories for June 18, 2025. The Austin Police Department says they have maintained a delicate balance during recent demonstrations. Business leaders are reacting to the Trump Administration’s decision to continue immigration enforcement in critical industries. Travis County Commissioners passed a resolution calling for constitutional and humane treatment of all immigrants. Capital Metro’s police chief is leaving the transit agency. 

KUT Morning Newscast for June 10, 2025: Hundreds march in downtown Austin to protest Trump immigration crackdown

Central Texas top stories for June 10, 2025. Law enforcement officers used an eye irritant to disperse people protesting the Trump’s administration’s mass deportation efforts. Some students expect their tuition and fees to be more than double after the Texas Dream Act was struck down last week. A bill lawmakers hope will make it harder to stop or stall new housing has been sent to the governor’s desk. Juneteenth celebrations start in Austin today. FACE grant applications are open until July 17th.  

Harris County deputy suicides raise questions about mental health support

From Houston to Fort Worth, thousands of Texans joined people across the country over the weekend in a national day of protest against the Trump administration.
The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey gets us up to speed on what’s happening at the state Capitol with six weeks left in the legislative session.
Four Houston-area suicides among members of law enforcement are drawing more attention to an issue some peace officers are reluctant to talk about openly.
And: Many Texans are mourning Pope Francis, who has died at 88.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

KUT Morning Newscast for April 21, 2025: Round Rock ISD is reporting a budget surplus for the next school year. 

Central Texas top stories for April 21, 2025. Early Voting for the May election starts tomorrow, here’s what’s on the ballot. Officials with the Round Rock Independent School District are now reporting a budget surplus for next school year. The Trump administration is withholding funds from recipients of a federal program that provides uninsured people with family planning and preventive reproductive health services. Texas lawmakers are considering a bill this week that could create new state-backed district attorneys in the areas around the state’s biggest cities. The City of Austin wants to hear from the LGBTQIA+ community on their interactions with APD. It’s the last week of the Austin Municipal Court and the Downtown Austin Community Court’s Warrant Amnesty program.

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.

Behind Southwest Airlines’ big job cuts

15% of Southwest Airlines’ corporate workforce is out of a job in the Dallas-based company’s first-ever major layoffs.
Frigid temperatures across the state and all eyes are on the Texas grid’s ability to handle it. How the grid became what it is today.
President Trump has dismantled a couple of boards you’ve probably never heard about. Why some are concerned about the repercussions.
The UT women’s basketball team is ranked No. 2 in the latest AP poll, but has a case for the No. 1 spot. A look at their path towards the NCAA tournament.
Plus, remembering Mexican singer and songwriter Paquita la del Barrio.

Could Texas get its own Appalachian-style trail?

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped a Texan for a top spot in his upcoming administration. What John Ratcliffe might do as head of the CIA.
Louisiana’s legal battle over putting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms could impact similar efforts here in Texas.
Did you pick up gardening during the pandemic? Some did with the help of tech company AeroGarden – which is now going under.
What can you learn about place if you spend 24 hours there? A new podcast tries to answer that question in Austin.
And: The logistics of a plan to construct a long-distance trail crossing Texas from east to west.

Texas Standard: July 29, 2020

To apply or not to apply? Is DACA on or is it off? Wait, didn’t the Supreme Court say it was on? We’ll have the answers. And speaking about the Supreme Court, a refresher on voting by mail. Also the story of two survivors of the Walmart killings in El Paso and their reunion almost a year to the day. And did you hear commissioners in Harris County are thinking about suing the state of Texas? Plus did you know the census and healthcare outcomes could be interconnected? All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 16, 2019

Are church officials hiding information related to sex abuse claims? We’ll look at how police are explaining a raid of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. Also, diplomatic families sent home, energy companies battening down the hatches, amid reports of contingency plans for a possible military confrontation with Iran. A long time White House adviser helps us understand what’s happening. Plus, a modern day home on the range? Why Midland has become a magnet for millennials. And top tips for movie searching in the age of multiple streaming services. All of that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 25, 2018

12 billion dollars for farmers: the Trump administration trying to offset losses in a trade war smart policy or a band aid on a self-inflicted wound? We’ll have the latest. Also, another effect of zero tolerance: no place for local prisoners to go. We’ll talk with the sheriff of Hidalgo county facing a space crisis. And a prescription for a rural doctor shortage. That’s how a Texas university is pitching its plan for a new medical school. But with around a dozen already, does Texas really need another one? And has Beto O’ Rourke narrowed the gap with ted cruz to just two points? A Politifact check and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

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