Texas Standard

After unprecedented attacks over the weekend, Israel is at war with Hamas. Jeremi Suri of UT’s LBJ school with more on what to expect as fighting intensifies.

A big day at the state capitol as lawmakers are called back into session by the governor. On the table: school savings accounts, what critics call vouchers, that some fear will upend public school funding.

Texas mega ranches hitting the market at what appears to be a quickening pace.

Plus the would be restaurant rivals who formed what they call the Taco Mafia.

The post Lawmakers discuss school savings accounts appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

He was one of the whistleblowers against Attorney General Ken Paxton, and he says his fight is not over.

What appears to be a 180° turn by the Biden Administration as it waves environmental laws and resumes construction work on a border wall in South Texas.

Hundreds of thousands of Texans dropped from Medicaid rolls post-‘peak COVID’ – some wrongly so, whistleblowers say – due to errors at the state health department.

What could be an epic football battle this weekend: the Red River Rivalry. Are the Longhorns back, for real?

Also, the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune.

The post Ken Paxton whistleblower says his fight is not over appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

It was the second hottest summer on record for Texas, but is it safe to ask if it’s over? What to expect as a cold front pushes into Texas. Matt Lanza of Space City Weather with a look at whether today marks a turning point.

Gun violence numbers are changing how many feel about safety in a North Texas suburb. KERA’s Caroline Love with more from Allen.

Google launches an effort to combat spam, but will it work? Tech expert Omar Gallaga with more.

A border bottleneck raises red flags as Texas ramps up truck inspections.

The post ‘Good Night, Irene’ follows a courageous woman’s story in the WWII Red Cross appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

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.