Nixonian or something else? Texans and their political leaders come to terms with an historic move by the White House, we’ll explore. Also more on the surprise firing of the FBI director, reaction from across Texas and what comes next. Plus, new medical facilities sprouting like weeds across Texas, but are they really good for Texas’ health? We’ll hear the controversy. And a law in force since the mid sixties, one which has been largely ignored by cities across the lone star state for decades.Although now, some are speaking a different language. We’ll explain. All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Zika
Texas Standard: November 30, 2016
Not since 2008 has OPEC cut oil production. But now, it appears, it’s happening. And it’s raising prices and moods across Texas, we’ll have the latest. Also two chambers, two republican leaders, two very different ways of doing business, and two very different agendas. What’s the divide between lieutenant governor Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Strauss means for the rest of us. And what do phrases like extraordinary rendition have to do with a women’s privacy bill- or even the alt-right? What’s in the labels we use and whether they’re really worth fighting over. And do bag bans really make people sick? Politifact weighs in and much more today on the Standard:
Texas Standard: August 28, 2016
For those frustrated by the two party choices, there is another way. That’s the message independents are pushing but who’s buying? Plus the stereotypes of drug runners? May need to rethink that. A new report suggests a profound shift in the drug business, from Texas’ southern border to its northern. We’ll hear how and why. Also the air force is losing 750 fighter pilots each year…and the economy’s making it hard to fill cockpits. Now a warning of a looming crisis in the air. A state antiquities landmark is set to become a parking lot. And why that might not be as awful as it sounds. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 15, 2016
In drought-prone Texas, is rain a hazard to our health? Why state officials might want to keep the answers on the down low, we’ll explore. Plus the constitution says owing money is not a crime, but many texans get locked up for it anyway. What some cities are doing to change that if they can. And powered by incentives: tax breaks for energy alternatives will eventually run out of steam. What then? And the Dallas police shooting revisited: what could have caused the shooter to do what he did? What the experts are saying about a possible trigger. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
TSI Weekend: Zika
“If you divorce economy from ecology then you end up crumbling the mechanisms by which the forest has typically been able to keep the worst of the pathogens from emerging beyond merely hitting a village or two.” -Rob Wallace
In this edition of The Secret Ingredient Weekend, Raj Patel, Tom Philpott and Rebecca McInroy summarize our show with evolutionary biologist, Rob Wallace, author of “Big Farms Make Big Flu: Dispatches on Infection Disease, Agribusiness, and the Nature of Science.”
Texas Standard: August 8, 2016
Maybe you didn’t make it to Rio for the Olympics, but the Zika virus has made it here. Mosquitoes and money, lots of money, we’ll explore. Also for the first time since 1904, golf makes it to the Olympics. And, Nike QUITS the golf business. We’ll look at those mixed messages and the sport’s popularity in Texas. Plus why stolen shopping carts are a big deal in Houston. And how a Texas oilfield explosion has pushed one family into get this, it’s called “the Laws garbage can”. All that and more for you today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 15, 2016
Another attack. Again in France. At least two Americans killed, reports they were Texans. We’re following that. Also in this country… ongoing tensions in police-community relations. A Texas leader calling out the President for his reactions to recent events. And funding for fighting Zika… what Texas can expect from Washington. Plus a Texas Youth Orchestra takes its talent overseas… performing classical pieces in the cities where they were written. And a new study may have you questioning everything you thought you knew about dinosaurs. Also why we may soon be seeing more of those loud law office commercials. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 12, 2016
The nation mourns for Dallas. President Obama in North Texas today to remember 5 police officers. And bending the President’s ear. A US Representative from Dallas tells us what she has to say to the President… and what she wants her colleagues in Washington to know. And a convention in Cleveland. Events begin to ramp up for the Grand Old Party’s party… but not everyone is celebrating. Plus tens of thousands of precious Texas artifacts have been removed from the Alamo… where they’re going and why. And bats just might be useful allies in the fight against Zika… but don’t count on them to eradicate it. We’ll explain… Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 11, 2016
Promoting unity in Dallas and action in Washington. Efforts to enact change after last week’s shooting, we’ll explore. Also: A new precedent. A criminal justice expert on the Dallas Police Department’s use of a robot with a bomb to eliminate the shooting suspect. Plus: Little Saigon. Why a Houston city council member’s plan to re-name part of a neighborhood is a little more divisive than expected. The Giant Still Sleeps… a film series looking at political trends… including why Texas Latinos aren’t going to the polls. Plus… The debate over handing out diplomas to Texas students who haven’t passed big tests. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 5, 2016
Ready… Aim… Now what? After calling the gun control sit-in a publicity stunt House GOP leaders prepare for a vote. Plus there was a plan to crack down to crack down on repeat offenders in domestic violence cases. But a new report says in real life, more repeat offenders are getting more lenient treatment, we’ll hear why. And how many cans of mosquito repellent can Texas buy for 30 million dollars? The state’s about to find out in its preemptive war on Zika. And the gap between America’s rich and poor –bigger in San Francisco? Or south Texas? And the Texas slave who became a Mexican millionaire…an overlooked chapter in US history. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Pathogens: Rob Wallace (Ep. 15)
In this episode of The Secret Ingredient we talk with Rob Wallace, author of “Big Farms Make Big Flu: Dispatches on Infectious Disease, Agribusiness, and the Nature of Science,” about pathogens, zika, bird flu, capitalism, and so much more.
Texas Standard: June 10, 2016
There is no zika epidemic in Texas, but Houston’s mayor says the time has come to declare a public health state of emergency. Also Texas democrats try to build on a new anti-Trump momentum…but guess who’s coming to the Lone star state just in Time for the democratic convention? And, an state law says schools should be in the business of registering students to vote. So why isn’t that happening in many cases? Plus, the state plans to sink a massive ship of the coast … more than just one, more like hundreds…for the good of the sea. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 1, 2016
Researchers announce preliminary findings on the zika virus…as Texas takes steps to protect itself. Also, judging by the background checks, firearm purchases in Texas are close to setting new records…what’s behind the call to arms? NPR’s John Burnet joins us to talk about it. Also, nearly eighty thousand people will gather in Arlington this weekend for a spectacle that may be more theatre than sport…what’s more texan than pro wrestling? You maybe be surprised by its ties to football. Plus our weekly roundup of all things politics and much more, check your watches, its Texas Standard time:
Texas Standard: February 15, 2016
So Texas, anything important happen over the weekend? Only what could be a tech tonic shift in politics and the constitution. How the passing of Antonin Scalia affects some of the most profound issues facing the nation, including three big cases from Texas. Also a south Texas boom town gone bust: how an entire city imploded with the drop in the price of oil. And the Texas woman who some say is singlehandedly fixing what’s wrong in country music. Calling things like she sees it. All that and more on todays Texas Standard:
Zika Virus
Texas is implementing a targeted strike against mosquito breeding grounds to keep the Zika Virus at bay. That was the inspiration for Typewriter Rodeo’s Kari Anne Roy as she wrote this week’s poem.