Texas Standard

Texas Standard > All Episodes

November 4, 2024

Why Texans can’t put abortion – or other citizen-led initiatives – on the ballot

By: David Brown

We’ll have the latest details the 400-acre Hudson Fire in Bastrop County, which has prompted the voluntary evacuation of about 65 homes.
On this day before elections, what we’re hearing about early turnout numbers.
Twenty-six states, including California, have citizen-led ballot initiatives – but Texas doesn’t. The Standard’s Sarah Asch brings us the history of a political tug-of-war.
Also: What comes next for death row inmate Robert Roberson and how his case may be affecting attitudes in Texas toward the death penalty.


Episodes

June 16, 2026

Corpus Christi’s water fight meets cryptomining

The Strait of Hormuz is set to reopen after months of conflict between the U.S. and Iran. We’ll look at what it could mean for Texas drivers and gas prices.As Corpus Christi faces potential water cuts, questions are mounting over a nearby crypto mine’s water consumption. Why are city officials withholding updated records?With the FIFA […]

Listen

June 15, 2026

State regulators weigh new uses for fracking wastewater

Texas regulators are moving closer to allowing treated wastewater from oil and gas drilling operations to be reused on farmland and other sites outside the energy industry. Some fear the proposal is getting ahead of the science. Texas Republicans signaled their priorities at their convention in Houston, with Gov. Greg Abbott outlining his vision for […]

Listen

June 12, 2026

A Texas Tech gambling case could test NCAA rules

They say it’s only a game, but Texas sports fans know better. This time, however, some see an existential threat to college sports. A scandal involving Texas Tech football quarterback Brendan Sorsby is now in the national spotlight. We’ll hear why and what’s at stake. Meanwhile in Houston, evidence that there’s nothing like a challenging […]

Listen

June 11, 2026

Gov. Abbott calls for new oversight on Texas data centers

Sunset for the days of Texas as the wild west of AI? A closer look at the Gov. Greg Abbott’s new plan for greater oversight of the rapidly expanding landscape of data centers statewide.Day one of the World Cup — do the numbers add up? A closer look at projections about the economic impact here […]

Listen

June 10, 2026

Another small peach crop frustrates Hill Country growers

New World screwworm is affecting a part of South Texas currently vacant a member of Congress. Some say that should spur a quick special election.UT researchers believe they’ve figured out who has been scrambling GPS signals across huge swaths of Europe in recent years. We’ll find out about their discovery and what it might mean.The […]

Listen

June 9, 2026

Texas Extra: When the World Comes to Texas Episode 4

Hugo Gonzalez is the founder and co-owner of Dallas Street Soccer, and he sat down with Ron and Miranda to talk about how street soccer makes the sport more accessible and also how street soccer can bring people together across culture and language barriers.

Listen

June 9, 2026

Texas officials race to contain screwworm outbreak

Can Mike Miles, the man appointed to lead Houston ISD and help that struggling district, provide a roadmap for others in the state? We’ll have the details.Also, a look at the federal government’s plan to stop the New World screwworm from spreading as more cases appear in South Texas.Plus, fire safety concerns about the batteries […]

Listen

June 8, 2026

Big Bend border wall plans upend vital park changes

Supreme Court cases on birthright citizenship, gun rights, transgender women and girls in sports… Where do we stand? Constitutional law professor Seth Chandler of the University of Houston Law Center joins us with what cases to watch for and where the high court appears to be leaning as the nine justices wrap up the current […]

Listen