SoundStack

Despite warnings of a water crisis, Corpus Christi’s top official overseeing water says “we will never run out.” Gov. Greg Abbott has warned of a state takeover if the city can’t deal with a water crisis. The city manager tells Texas Standard why he’s so reluctant to declare a water emergency.

The maker of a popular weed killer blamed for cancer deaths is facing more than 100 thousand lawsuits is now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to limit their liability. Michael Marks unpacks that case. Plus, the week in politics and much more.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

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The Academy Awards are behind us, but we’re sharing unheard stories from Kim Masters’ interviews with some of the recently minted Oscar winners. That includes director Joachim Trier, who shares how he landed on casting Elle Fanning in his Best International Feature winner, Sentimental Value. Trier also talks about getting to a place where he can cast well-known actors who sign on to his films without reading a script, just because it’s him. And we hear more from Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. She breaks down the challenges of shooting Sinners for IMAX, and recalls Christopher Nolan’s advice to Ryan Coogler about the best way to shoot the movie.

Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni dig into the theatrical bounce-back, with the box office up 23% from last year. They point to big wins like Project Hail Mary and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which is on track to pull in $200 million domestically and $350 million worldwide. The banter partners also unpack a stacked summer slate from Universal and Disney, and weigh in on superhero fatigue, with the latest Avengers movie set to drop this December.

Control of Artemis II has been handed over to Houston: we’ll hear about the launch and what appears to be a big boost in interest in the space program. But it’s getting a little tight up there above the air: concerns about orbital traffic jams after a second Starlink satellite breaks apart. Texas prisons without air conditioning: a test case over cruel and unusual punishment. Also, a new documentary turns a spotlight on the role of Jewish Women in the story of Texas.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.

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What does it mean to born in the U.S.? It’s a question the Supreme Court is considering today. We’ll dig into what’s at stake.
Guilty verdicts in the North Texas ICE shooting case meant a victory for the Trump administration in its fight against “antifa,” but how do we even define that movement?
We’re heading back to the moon. We’ll look at the goals of the long-awaited Artemis II mission and the countdown to what could come next.
If Texas stores can no longer sell smokable forms of cannabis but it’s legal to possess it, can your order it online?
And we’ll introduce you to some pampered pets. Why you might want to consider a catio.

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The Senate race may be capturing all the attention, but don’t forger there’s another election coming up: A look at a couple of the big races on the May primary runoff ballots.
Water woes for more Texans: We’ll hear what’s happening in part of East Austin and why.
Abandoned wells are all over the Texas oil patch. The same was happening in Oklahoma, until they figured out these polluting old wells could be repurposed to produce geothermal energy.
NASA is going back towards the moon. We’ll dig into what you need to know about the Artemis II mission and Texas’ role in a previous launch.
Plus, 31 years since her death, remembering Selena Quintanilla-Pérez — now with a book of essays on the Queen of Tejano’s legacy.

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Tens of thousands of Texans statewide participate in “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration as Texas Republicans try to coalesce for the midterms.
Conservatives gathered at CPAC in Grapevine this past weekend, hoping to fend off what may be the most serious Democratic challenge to the Republican monopoly on statewide offices in decades.
A conversation with a top oil analyst who warns many Texans don’t realize just how bad a fuel shortage could become if the Iran war continues.
Plus, the Elite Eight in our March Movie Madness bracket: What’s the best Texas film?

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Hey everyone — quick update before we jump into today’s episode.

We’re currently taking a short break from recording new episodes of Podcast Insider as we spend some time reworking the show behind the scenes. We’re looking at everything from format to content to make sure we’re bringing you the most helpful and relevant podcasting insights possible.

We’ll be back with brand new episodes in May.

In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our past episodes that are still incredibly relevant — like this one.

Thanks for sticking with us, and we’ll see you soon with what’s next for Podcast Insider.

Change can be scary — especially when your podcast format is “working well enough.” But doing the exact same thing every week can lead to burnout, stale content, and flat growth. In this episode of Podcast Insider, Mike and Dave dig into how to experiment with your show format without confusing your audience, tanking downloads, or losing the core of what makes your show work.

Whether you’re thinking about shorter episodes, new segments, rotating co-hosts, or even a full refresh down the road, this conversation walks through how to test changes in a thoughtful, data-informed way over time.

If your show is “fine,” it can be tempting to leave it alone forever. But small experiments can:

Common worries podcasters have:

Breaking down the difference between:

 Blubrry helps: Use your Blubrry stats to compare performance before and after changes—episode downloads, trends over a few weeks, and listener behavior over time.

You don’t have to flip your show upside down to “try something new.” Mike and Dave walk through small, manageable experiments you can test over a few episodes:

Structure Experiments

Length & Pacing Experiments

Format Variations

They also talk about running experiments in “seasons” or short runs so changes feel intentional, not random.

 Blubrry helps: Tag your episodes clearly in titles and descriptions (

It’s not everyday you meet someone who has been to space — let alone someone who led a mission and broke barriers for women who might want to do the same. Still, not everyone knows about Eileen Collins and her accomplishments. A new documentary aims to change that. Here’s an extended conversation with Collins and film director Hannah Berryman.

The full transcript of this episode of Texas Standard is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

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And just like that, Josh D'Amaro’s first week as CEO of The Walt Disney Company proved challenging, to say the least. From a brewing Bachelorette scandal to the abrupt cancellation of Sora by OpenAI, and fresh turmoil at Epic Games amid layoffs, Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw unpack the challenges facing Disney’s new chief.

Plus, we revisit our conversation with Daryl Hannah, who joined Masters last year to discuss her Neil Young concert film Coastal, which had a limited theatrical run in 2025. Hannah reflects on her years of acting and activism, pursued alongside figures like Willie Nelson, Joan Baez, and… Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She also recounts a painful experience with Harvey Weinstein during the Kill Bill press tour, and reveals what prompted her to proclaim “Slava Ukraini” at last year’s Academy Awards.

A jury orders Meta and YouTube to pay millions in damages over social media addiction — but it could be just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll look at what this means for Texas’ efforts to regulate kids and social media.
Once-reliable water wells are running dry in a fast-growing Central Texas county.
An investigation is shedding new light on how traffic stops are being used to pull people into deportation proceedings in Texas.
Also, the week in politics and much more.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.

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