The Daily Texan Audio

Welcome to The Texan Explains, a weekly news podcast featuring reporters from The Daily Texan news department explaining the biggest stories that are impacting students at the moment. In this episode, General Audio Staffer Minaal Arain sat down with General Sports reporters Franceska Colocado and Paige Durrenberger to discuss the Protect College Sports Act, what it means for collegiate athletics, and updates on the bill. 

Music: Caprische by Blue Dot Sessions

Cover Art by Breyona Mitchell  

Left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker came to UT for a speaking event hosted by University Democrats on Wednesday, Sept. 30. In this episode, Audio Editor Rhea Chowdhary takes you outside of the event, where you’ll hear from both protestors and students in line and how they feel about political commentators on campus. 

Music: Salmony by Blue Dot Sessions

Cover photo by Justin Doud

Last week, The Texas Tribune Festival wrapped up its 16th annual gathering, bringing in a diverse group of speakers targeting policy and politics in Texas and what the future might look like. In this episode, Audio Editor Rhea Chowdhary takes you inside Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico’s talk, as well as Karl Rove’s future of Republicans talk as former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor for George W. Bush. 

Narrated and edited by Rhea Chowdhary

Cover photo by Miya Tanner

Music: Salmony by Blue Dot Sessions

Audio obtained from The Texas Tribune YouTube livestreams of the event.

Description for Spotify: Welcome to The Texan Explains, a weekly news podcast featuring reporters from the news department explaining the biggest stories that are impacting students at the moment. In this episode, Associate Audio Editor Natalie Gonzalez sat down with General Projects Reporter Sahasra Tummala, as they talked about the ongoing battle of birthright citizenship.

Narrated and edited by Natalie Gonzalez

Music: Caprische by Blue Dot Sessions

Cover art by Key Dong

Welcome to The Texan Explains, a weekly news podcast featuring reporters from the news department explaining the biggest stories that are impacting students at the moment. In this episode, I sat down with News Desk Editor Valeria Cruz Butron on current voting suspensions and regulations coming up as the midterms approach. 

Music: Caprische by Blue Dot Sessions

Photo by Makenna Morgan 

Description for Spotify: Welcome to The Texan Explains, a weekly news podcast featuring reporters from the news department explaining the biggest stories that are impacting students at the moment. In this episode, Associate Audio Editor Natalie Gonzalez sat down with News Desk Editor Amanda Brantley and Senior News Reporter Noah Braun as they talked about UT reshaping national security education. 

Music: Caprische by Blue Dot Sessions

Cover art by Yesenia Davalos 

Welcome to The Texan Explains, a weekly news podcast featuring reporters from the news department explaining the biggest stories that are impacting students at the moment. In this episode, I sat down with Senior News Reporter Ashley Paredes as she explained the growth of funding for the Promise Plus program and what the program is in more detail. 

Music: Caprische by Blue Dot Sessions

Photo by Izabella Hernandez

Welcome to The Texan Explains, a weekly news podcast featuring reporters from The Daily Texan news department explaining the biggest stories that are impacting students at the moment. In this episode, I sat down with News Editor Isaiah Williams and former News Editor and now General Photographer Alex Leisk on UT’s proposed core curriculum changes over the summer and what students should look out for as this develops.

Music: Caprische by Blue Dot Sessions

Photo by Ysa Mendoza

Join Audio Staffers Matthew Jurado and Sophia Castaneda-Reza as they dive into the ambitions, family history, and journeys of first- generation longhorns.

Reported and edited by Matthew Jurado and Sophia Castaneda-Reza

Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Cover art by Hrishita Das

In February 2026, the University of Texas at Austin announced a major restructuring plan that would merge seven Liberal Arts departments, including African and African Diaspora Studies, Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, into a new Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. Join Audio Staffer Rianna Davila as she goes over the Consolidation and what it means for The University of Texas.

Recorded and edited by Rianna Davila

Music by BlueDot Sessions

Cover photo taken by Cassidy Martinez