Texas Standard

July 24, 2025

The ADA turns 35: What true inclusion looks like

Texas lawmakers hear 12 hours of testimony as they take up what happened before during and after the devastating Hill Country floods.Repeated plans to improve flood warning systems were repeatedly scuttled in the years leading up to the July 4th weekend. Neena Satija of the Houston Chronicle with what she’s learning about why.As the Americans […]

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July 23, 2025

Families are cutting back on food and medicine to pay the power bill

The Epstein controversy has federal lawmakers taking an early recess, putting off important business.Summer heat means some Texans have to choose between paying for air conditioning or basic necessities.Is a violent protest at an ICE facility in North Texas the new normal as the country copes with a rise in extremism?What’s happening in Harris County […]

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July 22, 2025

Ag commissioner outlines rural flood aid

Over the weekend, the number of missing in the Texas Hill Country dropped drastically. What happened?Checking in with those whose livelihood is at stake after the flood, including farmers and ranchers in the region.Why so many Texans don’t have flood insurance.The governor ordered an end to remote work for state employees, but now he’s backtracking. […]

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July 21, 2025

Texas lawmakers begin special session focused on floods, maps

Lawmakers recently ended a regular session of the Texas Legislature, but on this Monday, they’re back. They call it a special session: 30 days to complete a long list of action items including a response to the Hill Country flooding, the regulation of THC consumables, and a rare mid-decade push for redistricting that has some […]

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July 18, 2025

The rise of Maren Morris

As lawmakers return to Austin for a special session, who got the most accomplished in the regular? Why the numbers don’t tell the whole story.With state legislators set to take up flood relief and related matters, we’ll hear how the region’s fairing two weeks after those deadly flash floods, and we’ll hear about efforts concentrated […]

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July 17, 2025

Who really got things done at the Legislature?

As lawmakers get ready to return to the Capitol in a special session, a new report shows billions more are needed to address flooding.Who are the most productive lawmakers in the Legislature? The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey takes a closer look.Remember when there were growing concerns about a population explosion? In a new book, UT […]

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July 16, 2025

Conspiracy theorists said ‘cloud seeding’ caused the Texas floods. It did not.

Online rumors are blaming cloud seeding for the deadly Texas floods, even though the science doesn’t support it.Along with flood recovery and THC regulation, Texas lawmakers are tasked with redrawing congressional districts in their special session. The connection to racial gerrymandering.Volunteers and rescue workers have descended on the Hill Country to help with flood recovery […]

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July 15, 2025

Climatologist explains what ‘1,000-year flood’ actually means

With the Hill Country devastated by deadly floods, many are asking: What’s a 100-year or 1,000-year flood, and are these terms outdated?A closer look at how first responders from Mexico are helping in Kerr County.A new report from the University of Texas at El Paso warns of growing job losses in Juárez’s maquiladora industry.The health […]

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