Elon Musk may be on the outs in D.C., but closer to home, his political influence appears to be on the rise: The state’s richest billionaire scored some quiet but rather significant victories in the last legislative session.
Legislative support for wind and solar may be on the wane, but Texas lawmakers appear to be warming up to geothermal energy.
Don’t like tariffs? Commentator W.F. Strong tells us how some earlier generations of Texans didn’t, either – and what they did to fight them.
And: Remembering Cass Wheeler, who helped transform the American Heart Association into a national force during his 30 years at the helm.

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As we continue our yearlong 10th birthday celebration, today we’re broadcasting before a live studio audience at a place that’s been called the “Athens of Texas” – Waco, itself celebrating 25 years of public radio from our partners at KWBU.
We’ll be sampling some of the sights, sounds and tastes of this historic Central Texas city.
After all, when you’re the birthplace of Dr Pepper, home to a national monument marking an epic concentration of mammoths, and with a growing population and national profile, there’s a whole lotta Waco to explore.

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The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the Texas law that requires age verification for porn sites. We’ll take a close look at the law.
As the U.S. and China negotiate a new trade agreement, farmers cope with the uncertainty.
Plus, how some of the best and brightest in Texas collaborated to build the Giant Magellan Telescope.
Also, fresh off his listening tour of Texas, we’ll hear from one of the state’s best-known Democrats: Beto O’Rourke.
And a record number of travelers are expected to hit the road for the Fourth of July holiday. Are international events affecting prices at the pump?

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In a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court rules against nationwide injunctions, likely to be read as a major victory for the Trump administration. UT constitutional law professor Tara Grove helps us parse out today’s big news from the high court.
Texas underwater? After boom times in real estate, many Texas homeowners are upside down on their mortgages. What cities have been hardest hit by the rapid drop in home values?
Singer-songwriter Joshua Ray Walker, after a cancer diagnosis, makes a studio comeback with a much sunnier vibe.
Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and poetry from the Typewriter Rodeo.

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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A new Texas law requires posting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. We’ll look at the looming legal battle.
Where do Texans stand on how well state legislators are doing their jobs? What about how well the president is doing his job? A new poll by the Texas Politics Project offers a look.
The Mexican flag, long flown at restaurants and at cultural events, is more recently making a prominent appearance in protests. We’ll talk about perspectives on symbolism and cultural expression.
And: Once a company town built around sugar production, Sugar Land is now seeking to preserve its complex history with the city’s acquisition of the Imperial Historic District.

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Gov. Greg Abbott’s last-minute veto of a proposed ban on THC-derived products has opened a rift with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the powerful leader of the Texas Senate who championed the ban.
More autonomous vehicles are now on Austin streets – and these Tesla robotaxis are a little harder to spot than their Waymo counterparts.
Some Texans are finding relief from high grocery prices on the other side of the border.
License plate readers have become popular with police departments around the state, but many folks have concerns about privacy. What we learned from a Houston investigation.
And: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in 2026 – and the bruising primary may offer Democrats a rare shot at flipping a Texas Senate seat.

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State lawmakers passed several bills affecting how Texans vote. What that means at the ballot box.
Among the allegations detailed in a lawsuit about conditions inside immigrant detention centers in Texas holding families: fighting for drinking water and children denied medical care.
Why an effort by a Las Vegas company to legalize gambling in the Lone Star State failed.
How cuts to federal funding will affect adult learning programs. The Standard’s Sarah Asch reports from Waco.
And: some good news for endangered sea turtles this nesting season on the Texas coast.

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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A closely watched bill to ban THC products gets vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott – but that’s far from the end of the story, with the governor calling for a special legislative session aimed at regulating THC.
After U.S. airstrikes targeted against Iranian nuclear facilities, what comes next? One of Texas’ top foreign policy experts suggests this war could be ending more quickly than many fear. And Texas energy prices may be a leading indicator.
Also: a conversation with Laredo-born Adrian Quesada on his highly anticipated new album, a follow-up to “Boleros Psicodélicos.”

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The Texas Lottery Commission faces a reckoning after a string of scandals. We look at what’s next for one of the largest lotteries in the country.

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for a controversial private facility in Andrews, Texas, to temporarily store high-level nuclear waste.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to open a facility in South Texas to help defend against the new world screwworm, a destructive pest that is working its way north through Mexico toward the southern border.

And: Waco Police Chief Sheryl Victorian is challenging policing stereotypes – not just in uniform, but now as the author of a children’s book about public service.

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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President Trump considers a move that has brought together resistance from the left and the right. The stakes for U.S. involvement in a new Mideast war.
Juneteenth is a holiday marking freedom for people enslaved in Texas, a proclamation announced in Texas on this date 160 years ago, now celebrated across the U.S.. The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana takes us to the city where that event took place.
A new audit reveals widespread failures in how complaints about local jails are overseen by the state agency in charge.
Plus: We’ll mark National Great Outdoors Month by revisiting some of our favorite stories about the outdoors, part of our 10th birthday celebration here at the Standard.

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