Texas Standard

Can Sylvia Garcia, Houston’s only Latina U.S. representative, hang on to her seat? We may know sooner than some realize. If you were waiting for this fall for the start of election season, wait no more. Early voting in the state’s primaries is set to begin tomorrow. A closer look at a race with huge implications for Texas – and beyond. Amid concerning reports from the immigration detention center…

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Major changes at one of the state’s flagship universities, with UT Austin consolidating seven departments focused on ethnic and gender studies into two new ones. Five years since Winter Storm Uri and a massive blackout that led to investigations and a rethink of how the state manages the power grid. What’s changed? A look back. The Standard’s Michael Marks on a new pest hitting rice growers at a…

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What really happened that led to a sudden and largely unprecedented shutdown of the airspace and the airport in El Paso? We’ll dive in on today’s Texas Standard. With just days to go before early voting begins in the Texas primaries, Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom gets us up to speed on the Democratic race between U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico, as well as a GOP…

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The FAA reopened airspace around El Paso as abruptly as it shut it down. We’ll dig into what we know about the strange and unprecedented actions. A months-long investigation from The Texas Newsroom and The California Newsroom finds pregnant migrant girls are being held at a South Texas shelter that’s been flagged as medically inadequate. Why even some within the Trump Administration are concerned.

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One of the most closely watched political contests in this midterm election year is happening in Texas, and a new poll offers some surprises. The race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by John Cornyn has recently been characterized as tightening up, but a new poll suggests Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat Jasmine Crockett are pulling ahead from the rest of the pack. As AI makes image…

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Redistricting wars may sound like esoteric politics, but a race in Houston shows how high the stakes are for some Texas communities. We’ll look at how a lesser-known political contest in Houston’s 29th district illustrates the impact of the redistricting fight on some Texas communities. It may sound like a social media trend, but it’s a real medical condition with dangerous…

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Texas becomes the first state with a strict abortion ban to provide doctors with guidelines on exceptions. We’ll dig into what’s in those guidelines with ProPublica reporter Cassandra Jaramillo. Coming soon to the pristine spaces of the Big Bend: Construction of a border wall. We’ll look at how many locals are trying to push back. And in a state that loves football, why the Bad Bunny halftime show…

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The application window opens for Texas education savings accounts, often called school vouchers. But demand may outstrip available funds. We’ll talk with two reporters for the Houston Chronicle closely following the application process, hear about the application experience of one Texas mom, and learn more about what’s included, what isn’t, and what happens if there’s not enough taxpayer money to…

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The partial government shutdown is over. Did you know we were in one? Well, now another could be on the way as negotiations over ICE’s budget persists on Capitol Hill. Texas school boards are considering a new state law that allows time to be set aside during the day for prayer and reading the Bible. Texas has split from the American Bar Association. We’ll tell you why and the impacts the move…

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Texas state prisons that don’t have a/c get so hot in summer with temperatures that violate state standards for other lockups. Also, well-known former Texas Police Chief Art Acevedo questions tactics used by immigration agents in Minneapolis. We’ll hear from him about his concerns over fallout for other law enforcement. And we’ll check in to see how people in Kerr County are coping with the mental…

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