After a swift and historic vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, we’ll hear more about the role of the Texas delegation and what comes next on Capitol Hill.

Will climate change alter Texas’ coastal community landscape? It already appears to be doing just that, says Erin Douglas of the Texas Tribune.

Texan Simone Biles has pulled off a gymnastics move so remarkable that it now carries her name.

After overhunting and creeping development, the number of breeding ocelots in the wild has tumbled to under 100 – with very few in South Texas, where they used to be plentiful. Now, researchers are working on a plan to bring the cats back.

Plus, a conversation with James C. Watkins, the 3D state artist of the year.

The post A&M researchers are working to bring ocelots back appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has faced increasing pressure to resign since Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial – and a special session of the Legislature starts next week.

El Paso, a city with a reputation as welcoming to migrants, is now at a breaking point, according to its mayor. Angela Kocherga of KTEP El Paso has details.

About 24 million Texans are living through some level of drought right now, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. What’s on the horizon as fall weather moves in?

The former Texas Memorial Museum on UT Austin’s campus, shuttered in March due to COVID and cutbacks, returns in grand style with a new name and focus.

The post Fall is finally here. What does that mean for Texas’ drought? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

From guns to religion, free speech and more, a very loaded docket awaits the Supreme Court as it begins a new term.

Why a race for Houston’s top financial officer is getting so much attention.

A plan to consolidate schools in San Antonio could leave behind almost 20 empty buildings – and the district needs to figure out what to do with them.

As the dollar strengthens, other currencies weaken. But there’s a notable outlier: We’ll look at why the Mexican peso seems to be doing so well.

Also, as the spookiest month of the year gets started, a look at why Texas is so full of mysterious creatures unconfirmed by science.

The post We’re tracking Texas cryptids all October appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Author Andrew Leland is losing his vision. Turning that experience into a memoir gave him the opportunity to process his experiences, including the ways his blindness is perceived by others.

But “The Country of the Blind” also contextualizes blindness within a larger world. Leland spoke to the Standard’s Shelly Brisbin on her podcast, Parallel. This is an extended cut from that original interview.

The post Texas Extra: An immigrant to ‘The Country of the Blind’ appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Sean Theriault of UT-Austin with a look at why government shutdowns have become so common, and what needs to happen to avoid another come Sunday.

The summer of 2023 was the second hottest on record in Texas. But for renters, air conditioning isn’t legally required — at least not everywhere in the state.

Over the past couple of years, there’s been a shift in the way that many Texans school their kids, with more folks opting for homeschooling – for reasons that span the political spectrum, or lie completely outside it.

Writer Andrew Leland on losing his vision and the struggle to understand the changes, as told in his new memoir, “The Country of the Blind.”

The post Why homeschooling is on the rise across the ideological spectrum appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Texas Education Agency is moving forward with plans to monitor problems with Austin ISD’s special education services.

What did we learn from COVID-19? We’ll talk to UT’s Lauren Ancel Meyers, who has been tapped to help the U.S. develop a plan to better tackle the next pandemic.

Texas tops the nation in oil industry deaths – but there’s more to the story once you get into the numbers.

Also: Remembering a pioneer of Tejano music, Lydia Mendoza, who earned the title of “Meadowlark of the Border.”

The post How a UT professor is helping the CDC plan for the next pandemic appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Texas foster kids are sleeping in motels and offices, and Child Protective Service workers are leaving their jobs in droves. Sneha Dey of the Texas Tribune joins us with more.

A ban on drag performances in the presence of minors has been ruled unconstitutional. We’ll hear why and what comes next.

Why Mexico has replaced China as the United States’ top trading partner.

And KUT’s Mose Buschele takes us into the Hill Country’s Bracken Cave Preserve alongside millions of bats.

The post State law banning public drag performances found unconstitutional appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The album was recorded in a rundown dancehall 50 years ago. Today it’s like hearing a time capsule. Some consider “Viva Terlingua” the quintessential Texas record. But why?

Texas Standard’s David Brown had a conversation about this on our program last week. But for on-air we had to cut out a lot of interesting details and detours. We saved the best ones and put it all together for you as a podcast extra. Check it out — it’s beautifully produced by Texas Standard director Leah Scarpelli.

The post Texas Extra: 50 years after ‘Viva Terlingua’ appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Though Attorney General Ken Paxton has been acquitted on all impeachment charges, whistleblowers say they’re not giving up. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom shares more.

It’s rare for an eclipse to be visible at the same location within several years, much less a few months – but the skies over a portion of Texas will be ground zero for observing both an annular and a total solar eclipse.

At the Rescue Mission of El Paso, plenty of food is coming in – but it’s not to feed people experiencing homelessness. Instead, those people are feeding others. Texas monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn shares the mission of Hallelujah! BBQ.

The post What you need to know about viewing the upcoming solar eclipses from Texas appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

In six days, the federal government runs out of money. Can a shutdown be averted? What’s at stake if lawmakers can’t come up with a plan for short-term spending by Oct. 1.

In Fort Worth and Tarrant County, families are falling into homelessness as pandemic relief funding is running out.

Five things to know before federally guaranteed student loan payments resume next month.

A plan to close nearly 20% of San Antonio ISD’s schools is being pushed in the name of equity. Camille Phillips of Texas Public Radio takes a closer look.

Plus, a crisis for Texas Gulf Coast shrimpers.

The post What Texans need to know about the impending government shutdown appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.