Texas Standard

By Texas Standard

What's Texas Standard about?

Coverage of politics, lifestyle, environment, technology, innovation and money matters from a uniquely Texas perspective.

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Texas Standard episodes:

04.24.2024
Xcel Energy target of multiple lawsuits after Smokehouse Creek Fire
A pilot program for guaranteed income in Harris County is put on hold by the Texas Supreme Court.Could residents of Corpus Christi become the first in the state to drink treated seawater from the tap? Some say a desalination plan’s...
04.23.2024
Effort to preserve Indigenous cemetery in Presidio is finally complete
A court says the foster care system in Texas is failing many vulnerable children. Why that’s especially true for trans kids.A practically forgotten burial ground for Indigenous people in West Texas now has a proper memorial.How a shortage of shipyard...
04.22.2024
The Future of Work in Texas – A Texas Standard special
Texas is changing, and so is the world. If we squint to try to look at the future job landscape, what do we see? There are more than 15 million working Texans right now, but while the state boasts steady...
04.19.2024
What you need to know about upcoming spring elections
Get ready to cast your ballots. Local elections are scheduled in Texas for May 4, with early voting beginning on Monday. Katya Ehresman, voting rights coordinator at Common Cause Texas, gives us the lowdown.What a trial run of a four-day...
04.18.2024
Texas Eclipse Festival attendees with disabilities describe treacherous conditions
Landowners in southeast Texas say they should be able to sue the state over their flooded property, and the U.S. Supreme Court agrees. People in Winnie, Texas, say their land only started to flood after the state rebuilt part of...
04.17.2024
Judge overseeing struggling foster system fines the state $100,000 a day
A federal judge says Texas’ foster care system is still broken – and has fined the state $100,00 per day.The new book “City Limits” examines the effort to rethink urban highways in Texas and traces a history of racism and...
04.16.2024
Austin to be hit as Tesla announces 14,000 layoffs
Are protest organizers responsible if a participant breaks the law? A court decision could have a chilling effect.A new report on maternal health shows Black Texans are much more likely to die after giving birth than their white counterparts.What layoffs...
04.15.2024
Tracking the unprecedented rise in ocean temperatures
Rising temperatures in the forecast this week. Will blackouts come with them? ERCOT, the state’s electric grid operator, says the power might go out this week.Did a doctor in Houston keep patients from receiving organ transplants? His own hospital is...
04.12.2024
The move away from fossil fuels may exacerbate water scarcity in South Texas
Corpus Christi at the intersection of a clash between dueling demands – one for water, another for energy alternatives.Dallas City Council votes to expand historical preservation efforts, with a specific outreach to communities of color.If you’re looking for an apartment...
04.11.2024
Hurricane season forecast to be ‘most aggressive’ ever
After an extraordinary embassy raid, Mexico breaks ties with Ecuador as the U.S. joins other nations in condemnation.How Central Texas has become a big player in the push for U.S.-built semiconductors.A Texas runner heads to Boston for what will be...
04.10.2024
‘Texas, Being’ poetry collection takes reader on a Texas tour
Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued to block a guaranteed income program in Harris County, calling it “plainly unconstitutional.”U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz insists his podcast is a volunteer gig and not about the money. But a new complaint filed with...
04.09.2024
Revisiting the exploits of a notorious Texas jewel thief
As Texas eclipse watchers bask in the afterglow, we’re checking in on one event that was forced to end festivities early due to inclement weather.A quarterly report offers a look at the health of Texas’ oil and gas industry. Energy...
04.08.2024
Total eclipse 2024: A special broadcast from the Kerrclipse Festival
Eclipse day has finally arrived, and Texas Standard has a special broadcast from the path of totality. We’re live at the Kerrclipse Festival, on the grounds of the famous Kerrville Folk Festival, to talk forecast, what NASA and other researchers...
04.06.2024
Texas Extra: More from Bill Nye on the total solar eclipse
“Science Guy” Bill Nye has been beloved by children for generations. He was so kind and generous in a recent interview with the Standard focused on the upcoming total solar eclipse. He also answered a question about why he has...
04.05.2024
What ‘Cowboy Carter’ says about Blackness, Beyoncé and country music
Questions are still swirling around the deal cut with Attorney General Ken Paxton over securities fraud charges, with prosecutors pointing fingers – at each other. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of The Texas Newsroom has the latest.As Texans prepare for a...
04.04.2024
With the eclipse days away, this small city is more prepared than most
A plan will cap co-pays for state subsidized child care – how much of a difference will it make in stemming a childcare crisis?On Wednesday, a federal appeals court heard the latest arguments over SB 4, Texas’ controversial new immigration...
04.03.2024
Bill Nye the Science Guy is coming to Texas for the eclipse
Dade Phelan’s fight to hang on to his Beaumont-based seat is seen as a proxy war for fights over the future direction of Texas Republicans. We’ll hear about how his fellow GOP opponents are seizing on an issue they think...
04.02.2024
Looking ahead to the eclipse day weather forecast
A Texas public health expert explains what bird flu means after a case of the illness was found in a worker on a dairy farm.The effort to expand high-speed broadband in North Texas slows down as a company doing the...
04.01.2024
From small startups to fossil fuel giants, Texans are rethinking the future of energy
What’s the connection between credit card fees and Texas? It’s a question at the heart of a case that could affect consumers nationwide.In Texas’ energy mix, gas and oil are giving way to more and more alternate sources: think wind,...
03.30.2024
Texas Extra: A step-by-step guide of what to expect during the total solar eclipse
Angela Speck chairs the physics and astronomy department at UT San Antonio – and is a veteran of many an eclipse. In this extended interview, she offers lots of tips and tricks for having the best experience on April 8.
03.29.2024
Inside the international friendly match between El Paso Locomotive FC and Juárez FC
Looking back at the week in politics with The Texas Tribune, from Gov. Greg Abbott calling for college students to be disciplined over anti-Semitic speech to a Texas congressman under investigation by the House ethics committee.Red flags have been raised...
03.28.2024
They’re worked like dogs – but for these canines, farm rustling is the life
The Department of Education launched a renewed version of the FAFSA financial aid form at the end of last year, and the late rollout has caused major issues for applicants and colleges.Cattle in the Panhandle got sick last week, their...
03.27.2024
Texas Extra: Adventures and misadventures of a cinematic life
Carolyn Pfeiffer literally wrote a book, “Chasing the Panther,” about her life and, as she puts it, her “adventures and misadventures” in the worlds of cinema and music and so much more. This extended version of her story includes her...
03.27.2024
What’s next for Ken Paxton?
After reaching a deal to dismiss securities fraud charges, Ken Paxton’s political fortunes appear on the rise. What’s next for the attorney general?One day after a US abstention in a UN Gaza cease-fire vote, how some Arab Americans in North...
03.26.2024
An Indigenous perspective on the solar eclipse from a traditional healer
In a long-running securities fraud case against Ken Paxton, a deal has been reached that will let the attorney general avoid trial or an admission of guilt.The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in what could be the...
03.25.2024
Introducing Rhizome, Laredo’s unique art project and community collaboration
The Texas Medical Board has offered a wide definition of emergency medical exemptions to the state’s strict ban on abortion.Health care is also at the center of a massive cyberattack that’s been crippling insurance payments, but consumer information is very...
03.22.2024
House Speaker Dade Phelan has drawn an opponent
The Justice Department has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the maker of the iPhone violated antitrust law by maintaining an illegal monopoly in the smartphone market. We’ll hear more from Jason Snell, one of the nation’s top...
03.21.2024
What you should know about polling going into election season
After a prolonged legal back-and-forth that ultimately saw it paused again, Texas Senate Bill 4 returned to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday. We’ll have the latest on where the immigration law stands.You’ve likely heard the poll numbers in...
03.20.2024
The latest on Senate Bill 4, which puts immigration enforcement in the state’s hands
The on-again, off-again hold on Texas’ controversial SB 4 immigration law is now back on, hours after the Supreme Court’s temporary green light. Stephen Vladeck of UT Law joins with the latest.The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a...
03.19.2024
Texas Extra: Dennis Borel looks back on 24 years advocating for Texans with disabilities (Extended)
In late February, Texas Standard invited Dennis Borel onto the program to talk about ending his time as executive director of the Coalition for Texans with Disabilities. We enjoyed the interview so much that we wanted to share a longer...
03.19.2024
Rio Grande Valley again draws attention ahead of 2024 elections
Is the boom in home prices in Austin, one of Texas’ hottest markets, over? And what might that mean for affordability?Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, long a champion of free markets, is now calling for lawmakers to take action and curb...
03.18.2024
Capturing the upcoming eclipse via tintype photograph
A controversial Texas law that gives police the power to arrest people suspected of crossing the border illegally is on hold until this afternoon. Will the U.S. Supreme Court extend the stay?Harris County is spending millions to outsource jail inmates,...
03.15.2024
The state welcomed 475,000 new Texans in a year
Large parts of North Texas are cleaning up after severe storms swept the region, but weather dangers continue.As sea levels rise, cities along the Texas Gulf Coast are sinking. A new report is raising red flags.Boom times in Texas continue,...
03.14.2024
Questions over how to remember an East Texas manhunt
SpaceX successfully conducted a test launch of its massive Starship rocket from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica this morning. We’ll hear from Gaige Davila of Texas Public Radio live from Brownsville.The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to ban TikTok,...
03.13.2024
Will third time be the charm for SpaceX’s Starship launch from Boca Chica?
The University of Texas at Austin is among other colleges in the country that are bringing back a standardized test requirement for applicants.A city report has exonerated the Uvalde Police Department for its response to the Robb Elementary School shooting....
03.12.2024
Texas Extra: SXSW 2024 Films with Texas ties (and more!)
The South by Southwest Conference and Festivals is/are underway Austin. It’s a time when some Austinites flock with the crowds to downtown — and others escape the city altogether. If you are not among the hundreds of thousands of attendees,...
03.12.2024
How big events like the pandemic lockdowns can warp our sense of time
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to get business records from Annunciation House, a group that helps migrants, is blocked by an El Paso judge.As firefighters move closer to containing the blazes that have consumed large parts of the Panhandle in...
03.11.2024
The Rio Grande is getting saltier. What’s that mean for agriculture?
The U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on SB4, the controversial Texas law that allows state and local police to arrest and prosecute migrants who enter the state, after delaying implementation of the law last week.A lack of medical insurance...
03.09.2024
Texas Extra: Look closer at that quarter featuring Jovita Idár (Extended)
Most of us don’t spend a ton of time thinking about change. In fact, for some — it may have even been a while since you’ve handled, say, a quarter. But an interview we had on Texas Standard this week...
03.08.2024
Thoughts on being a woman in Texas this International Women’s Day
Two veteran Texas-based politics watchers offer their analysis of Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.What’s it like being a woman in Texas right now? We’ll hear voices of Texas women from across the state answering that question on this...
03.07.2024
State approves Boca Chica State Park land swap with SpaceX
A Texas electricity company acknowledges its role in the largest wildfire in state history, a Panhandle blaze still only partially contained. We’ll hear more from the Texas A&M Forest Service.Despite objections from Brownsville and Rio Grande Valley residents, the Texas...
03.06.2024
A recap of Texas primary election night
The votes are in and counted across Texas. What do they add up to for the upcoming general election and the future of Texas politics?Despite a crowded field, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred took a big victory in the Democratic U.S....
03.05.2024
Supreme Court puts Texas’ immigration enforcement bill on hold
Senate Bill 4, which would allow Texas police to arrest people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally, is currently on hold after a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar has the latest.Why researchers and...
03.04.2024
UTEP scientists spot bird not seen in decades
A unanimous decision from the U.S. Supreme Court reverses a challenge to Donald Trump’s eligibility to remain on primary ballots, just ahead of Super Tuesday. The Texas Newsroom’s Rachel Osier Lindley shares an update on wildfires in the Texas Panhandle,...
03.03.2024
Texas Extra: Richard Linklater and Alex Stapleton on ‘God Save Texas’ (Extended)
Last Wednesday, Texas Standard featured an interview with film directors Richard Linklater and Alex Stapleton. They’ve teamed up with fellow director Iliana Sosa and author Lawrence Wright to interpret his book “God Save Texas” for HBO. This is an extended...
03.01.2024
A special broadcast from the Houston Rodeo
It’s considered by many to be the hub of Texas’ official sport. And no, you don’t need knowledge of football. We’re live from Rodeo Houston. In a state known for doing things big, there’s no bigger rodeo in Texas than...
02.29.2024
A small Texas town is holding a big Leap Year celebration
One person has died in the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Panhandle, which is now the largest wildfire in state history at an estimated 1,075,000 acres. We’ll get the latest update on the blaze. President Joe Biden and former President...
02.28.2024
The latest on the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Panhandle
The Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Panhandle, already the second biggest wildfire in Texas history, is so far 0% contained. We’ll talk with an evacuee and officials with the Texas A&M Forest Service to get the latest.With increasingly unpredictable rainfall...
02.27.2024
How the Supreme Court treated Texas’ argument to regulate social media
Do social media companies have the right to decide what content appears on their platforms and what can be removed? Charles W. “Rocky” Rhodes of South Texas College of Law Houston joins with a recap of yesterday’s arguments at the...
02.26.2024
The state’s only sugar mill is closing. What’s next for sugar cane farmers?
New laws – one from Texas – to regulate platforms like Facebook and TikTok are getting Supreme Court scrutiny today, with potentially profound implications.Years of drought have devastated sugar growers in South Texas – so much so that the state’s...

What's Texas Standard about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Texas Standard episodes:

Xcel Energy target of multiple lawsuits after Smokehouse Creek Fire

Effort to preserve Indigenous cemetery in Presidio is finally complete

The Future of Work in Texas – A Texas Standard special

What you need to know about upcoming spring elections

Texas Eclipse Festival attendees with disabilities describe treacherous conditions

Judge overseeing struggling foster system fines the state $100,000 a day

Austin to be hit as Tesla announces 14,000 layoffs

Tracking the unprecedented rise in ocean temperatures

The move away from fossil fuels may exacerbate water scarcity in South Texas

Hurricane season forecast to be ‘most aggressive’ ever

‘Texas, Being’ poetry collection takes reader on a Texas tour

Revisiting the exploits of a notorious Texas jewel thief

Total eclipse 2024: A special broadcast from the Kerrclipse Festival

Texas Extra: More from Bill Nye on the total solar eclipse

What ‘Cowboy Carter’ says about Blackness, Beyoncé and country music

With the eclipse days away, this small city is more prepared than most

Bill Nye the Science Guy is coming to Texas for the eclipse

Looking ahead to the eclipse day weather forecast

From small startups to fossil fuel giants, Texans are rethinking the future of energy

Texas Extra: A step-by-step guide of what to expect during the total solar eclipse

Inside the international friendly match between El Paso Locomotive FC and Juárez FC

They’re worked like dogs – but for these canines, farm rustling is the life

Texas Extra: Adventures and misadventures of a cinematic life

What’s next for Ken Paxton?

An Indigenous perspective on the solar eclipse from a traditional healer

Introducing Rhizome, Laredo’s unique art project and community collaboration

House Speaker Dade Phelan has drawn an opponent

What you should know about polling going into election season

The latest on Senate Bill 4, which puts immigration enforcement in the state’s hands

Texas Extra: Dennis Borel looks back on 24 years advocating for Texans with disabilities (Extended)

Rio Grande Valley again draws attention ahead of 2024 elections

Capturing the upcoming eclipse via tintype photograph

The state welcomed 475,000 new Texans in a year

Questions over how to remember an East Texas manhunt

Will third time be the charm for SpaceX’s Starship launch from Boca Chica?

Texas Extra: SXSW 2024 Films with Texas ties (and more!)

How big events like the pandemic lockdowns can warp our sense of time

The Rio Grande is getting saltier. What’s that mean for agriculture?

Texas Extra: Look closer at that quarter featuring Jovita Idár (Extended)

Thoughts on being a woman in Texas this International Women’s Day

State approves Boca Chica State Park land swap with SpaceX

A recap of Texas primary election night

Supreme Court puts Texas’ immigration enforcement bill on hold

UTEP scientists spot bird not seen in decades

Texas Extra: Richard Linklater and Alex Stapleton on ‘God Save Texas’ (Extended)

A special broadcast from the Houston Rodeo

A small Texas town is holding a big Leap Year celebration

The latest on the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Panhandle

How the Supreme Court treated Texas’ argument to regulate social media

The state’s only sugar mill is closing. What’s next for sugar cane farmers?