Texas Standard

September 8, 2026

Texas political legend Ben Barnes looks back on career

While all eyes are on the upcoming midterm election, there are signs one particular Texan is looking at running for president again. Is Ted Cruz gearing up for 2028? Also, why Democrats see James Talarico’s Senate run as an opportunity to gain votes in parts of West Texas that have been reliably red for decades. […]

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September 7, 2026

Forged in flames: An oral history of the Labor Day wildfires

This Labor Day holiday marks 15 years since the most destructive wildfire in recorded Texas history — measured not by acres burned, but by homes lost.The Bastrop County Complex Fire was just one of more than 30,000 that ignited in 2011 — by far the worst year since the Texas A&M Forest Service has been […]

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September 4, 2026

San Antonio husband-and-wife team talks ‘Pitmasters’ win

Following the money: What are super PAC donations telling us about Texas’ closely watched U.S. Senate race? Democrat James Talarico is outfundraising his Republican rival Ken Paxton big time. Who’s writing the checks and what does the money add up to in a high-stakes midterm?Also, as the GOP puts finishing touches on next week’s national […]

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September 3, 2026

A mysterious kidney disease is hitting Central American migrant workers in Texas

Tarrant County, a big Texas county seen by some as key in the upcoming midterms, cuts the number of polling places. We’ll have the backstory.It’s not political convention season — or is it? What looks like an unconventional convention set for Dallas.Also, more on a mysterious kidney disease that’s arrived in Texas hitting young men […]

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September 2, 2026

Texas hospitals face Medicaid funding freeze

$27 million a day. That’s how much Texas hospitals are losing because of a disagreement with the Trump administration over Medicaid funding. We’ll have the details.Much of the talk of the November election in Texas has focused on the race for U.S. Senate. But who will be Texas’ next attorney general? We’ll share a closer […]

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September 1, 2026

Marfa’s Palace Theater could soon see new life

Tropical Storm Edouard heads toward the Texas coast. What to expect as it makes landfall. An update on recovery efforts in Nepal, where Texans are among the missing. How Texas is helping mount a defense against hackers who broke into systems that control water infrastructure across the U.S. New laws take effect as September begins. […]

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August 31, 2026

What NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could teach us about the universe

Liftoff for a mission set to answer cosmic mysteries. We’ll go over the main objectives and the West Texas connection for NASA’s new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.This summer, thousands of enlisted troops were forced out of a major Texas base over dangerous living conditions — the tip of the iceberg when it comes to […]

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August 28, 2026

Texas-Minnesota extradition fight tests limits of federalism

Texas frees immigration officer Christian Castro, who is wanted for a shooting in Minnesota, raising critical legal and practical questions about federalism.An attempt by the Trump administration to lower beef prices has many Texas ranchers upset.Also, a look at what appears to be a groundbreaking new treatment in Texas for people with Parkinsons using ultrasound […]

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