Texas Standard
928 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 179 ratingsCoverage of politics, lifestyle, environment, technology, innovation and money matters from a uniquely Texas perspective.
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Episodes
Texas Standard: January 14, 2022
January 14, 2022 17:21 - 50 minutes - 69.7 MBSchool districts are buckling under the current pressures of the pandemic. The leader of a Texas teacher’s organization asks, where’s the state in all this? Some districts are shutting down others are asking parents to fill in. We want to hear from you about the current challenges for schools. Also, Governor Greg Abbott’s border enforcement […]
Texas Standard: January 13, 2022
January 13, 2022 17:12 - 50 minutes - 69.7 MBHarris County is once again at its highest COVID-19 threat level. We’re talking to County Judge Lina Hidalgo about why and what she wants the community to know. Also with high COVID-19 positivity rates across the state, many Texans are desperate for tests. How to make sure the at-home variety give you the most accurate […]
Texas Standard: December 12, 2022
January 12, 2022 18:29 - 50 minutes - 69.6 MBFor the first time ever the Red Cross declares a national blood crisis. We’ll look at what that is and what is needed from Texans. Also: masks, social distancing, vaccinations, booster shots, now pills have been added to the COVID-19 fighting arsenal, though many Texans may not have heard about this development or know who’s […]
Texas Standard: January 11, 2022
January 11, 2022 17:14 - 50 minutes - 69.7 MBKids sleeping in state office buildings, motels and other unlicensed facilities. A panel of experts on needed changes to foster care. We’ll have more on the recommendations of an expert panel examining trouble in Texas’ foster care system. Also, a lack of Democrats on the primary ballot is raising eyebrows and questions even in one […]
Texas Standard: January 10, 2022
January 10, 2022 17:12 - 50 minutes - 69.6 MBAs the Omicron variant continues to feed a spike in COVID-19 cases in Texas, the Supreme Court hears arguments against vaccine mandates. We’ll have more on how the high court might be moving on vaccine mandates for large businesses and many health care providers. Meanwhile, Texas restaurants asking the state for millions of dollars to […]
Texas Standard: January 7, 2022
January 07, 2022 17:26 - 50 minutes - 69.7 MBAs hospitals struggle to deal with rising COVID-19 caseloads amid an Omicron surge, what about long term care facilities in TX? We’ll have the latest. Also, almost 20% of Dallas firefighters are out sick with COVID-19. We’ll look at how the city’s trying to deal with staffing shortages. And Governor Abbott taking bipartisan heat over […]
Texas Standard: January 6, 2021
January 06, 2022 17:14 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBTexans reflect on the anniversary of an event that many fear has called into question the future of American democracy itself. On the one year anniversary of the capitol insurrection, President Biden warns of the ongoing dangers to our democracy. Today, a conversation with representative Collin Allred of Dallas who was on the floor of […]
Texas Standard: January 6, 2022
January 06, 2022 17:14 - 50 minutes - 69.7 MBTexans reflect on the anniversary of an event that many fear has called into question the future of American democracy itself. On the one year anniversary of the capitol insurrection, President Biden warns of the ongoing dangers to our democracy. Today, a conversation with representative Collin Allred of Dallas who was on the floor of […]
Texas Standard: January 5, 2022
January 05, 2022 17:24 - 50 minutes - 69.7 MBAs COVID-19 cases bring hospital ICU’s to capacity statewide, FEMA now saying help is on the way. But will it be enough? Today, our conversation with Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley on the challenges they face during this latest spike in cases. Also, Governor Abbott announces another lawsuit against the Biden Administration, this time over […]
Texas Standard: January 4, 2021
January 04, 2022 17:29 - 50 minutes - 69.8 MBAs Texas students return to a post holiday footing some are finding it’s not ‘back to the classroom’ just yet. The latest pandemic spike punching holes in back to school plans. We’ll talk with a panel of education reporters with the latest from across Texas. Also, beef prices skyrocketing, but that money’s not making it […]
Texas Standard: January 4, 2022
January 04, 2022 17:29 - 51 minutes - 70.1 MBAs Texas students return to a post holiday footing some are finding it’s not ‘back to the classroom’ just yet. The latest pandemic spike punching holes in back to school plans. We’ll talk with a panel of education reporters with the latest from across Texas. Also, beef prices skyrocketing, but that money’s not making it […]
Texas Standard: January 3, 2022
January 03, 2022 17:35 - 50 minutes - 69.9 MBWith schools statewide returning to classes and Omicron cases rising, many Texans are asking: now what? Some answers from a doctor today on the Texas Standard. Other stories we’re tracking- the US Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments this week over Biden Administration vaccination mandates. We’ll have the latest. Also, the 5th Circuit […]
Texas Standard: January 3, 2021
January 03, 2022 17:35 - 51 minutes - 70.5 MBWith schools statewide returning to classes and Omicron cases rising, many Texans are asking: now what? Some answers from a doctor today on the Texas Standard. Other stories we’re tracking- the US Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments this week over Biden Administration vaccination mandates. We’ll have the latest. Also, the 5th Circuit […]
Texas Standard: December 31, 2021
December 31, 2021 17:00 - 50 minutes - 69.6 MBIn a year that started out with redistricting as a top priority, Texans and the news from Texas in 2021 made national headlines as seldom, if ever, before. What happened? What didn’t? And why? Moreover, what do the events of the past year tell us about what may be to come in the Lone Star […]
Texas Standard: December 30, 2021
December 30, 2021 17:00 - 50 minutes - 69.4 MB2021 may soon be in the rear view, but the sounds of Texas will linger for a long time. The year that was in Texas music on a special edition of the Texas Standard. Willie remains the king, and Beyoncé the queen… But the sound of Texas is more diverse than ever before with rule […]
Texas Standard: December 29, 2021
December 29, 2021 17:00 - 49 minutes - 68.6 MBPeak air travel meets pandemic spike. With delays, cancellations and hassles for holiday flyers…but wait: there’s more. As bad as the holiday season’s been for air travelers, the turbulence could last a good while for the airline industry in Texas and beyond. We’ll hear more. Also, not so solitary confinement: inmates at one of Texas’ […]
Texas Standard: December 28, 2021
December 28, 2021 18:40 - 50 minutes - 69.8 MBShe was a new Texas attorney with little experience who won her case before the Supreme Court setting a precedent on reproductive rights. The passing of Sarah Weddington comes as many across the nation wonder how much longer the rights established in her best known case, Roe vs. Wade, will endure. We’ll have more. Also, […]
Texas Standard: December 27, 2021
December 27, 2021 17:07 - 50 minutes - 69.8 MBAs COVID-19 cases soar in Texas, we look at where Texas stands in the pandemic fight and what more we can do in the holiday season. Texas health experts weigh in on what’s happening with the rapid spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. Also what 2021 tells us about 2022 when it comes to Texas’ […]
Texas Standard: December 24, 2021
December 24, 2021 17:00 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBIn the aftermath of a historic winter storm and deadly rolling blackouts came recriminations – but are we any more ready for this winter? Before the Texas power crisis of last February there were warnings about the power grid. After the storm came the promises for change, to fix the problems and to be better […]
Texas Standard: December 23, 2021
December 23, 2021 17:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBIt was an event that left an indelible mark on Texans – what exactly happened as a winter storm and blackouts rolled across the Lone State State? There had been warnings for years that Texas’ power grid was vulnerable. Yet on a mid-February morning in 2021, the lights went out for millions of Texans – […]
Texas Standard: December 22, 2021
December 22, 2021 17:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBAfter the storm and deadly rolling blackouts – a major question remains: why was Texas’ power grid so vulnerable? In February, a winter storm brought the energy capital of the world to its knees, leading to millions of Texans without power, a death toll well into the triple digits – and many questions such as […]
Texas Standard: December 21, 2021
December 21, 2021 17:00 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBMillions of Texans lost power, hundreds died – months later, the question lingers: how did this happen? They call Texas the energy capital of the world, which makes it all the more a mystery. As a winter freeze gripped the state in February, a text message sent statewide in the middle of the night was […]
Texas Standard: December 20, 2021
December 20, 2021 17:00 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MBSince 2010, more than 380 workers have died in the U.S. due to conditions at work. Deaths which experts say were preventable. The problem of heat-related deaths in the workplace is likely to intensify with climate change and workers of color are disproportionately affected. And what’s being done to curb these deaths? We’ll have the […]
Texas Standard: December 17, 2021
December 17, 2021 17:11 - 50 minutes - 70 MBAn historic change coming to the US military in the wake of the 2020 killing of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen. That story and more today on the Texas Standard. Coming up, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia on the changes coming with the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, now on the President’s desk. We’ll have the latest. Also, […]
Texas Standard: December 16, 2021
December 16, 2021 18:15 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBTexas’ 35 billion infrastructure dollars: Governor Abbott is warning state agencies think twice before taking the money. Why? We’ll explore. Also, as Texans wrap up holiday gathering plans, health care workers report a rise in COVID-19 cases. We’re checking in with Amarillo where the hospitalization rate is rising fast. And our go to Tech expert […]
Texas Standard: December 15, 2021
December 15, 2021 17:18 - 50 minutes - 34.4 MBWith the window now closed for names to go on the primary ballot for statewide races in 2022, what are we learning about the state of Texas politics? We’ll take a look. Other stories we’re covering, in a state with more military bases than any other except California: active duty service members reach big deadline […]
Texas Standard: December 14, 2021
December 14, 2021 17:29 - 50 minutes - 69.7 MBAll politics is local, the saying goes…but hyperpartisan, too? How the TX landscape is changing for local and school board races. Republicans in Potter County, home to Amarillo say they’ll conduct their own primary without the help of election officials and they’re urging other Texas counties to do the same. We’ll have the latest. Plus […]
Texas Standard: December 13, 2021
December 13, 2021 17:12 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBThe Texas secretary of state asks for detailed information on the 2020 presidential election from 4 Texas counties. Why? We’ll have more on whats described as phase two of a controversial audit of voting in Texas in the November 2020 elections. Also the national guard’s involvement in an ongoing border mission, and new concerns about […]
Texas Standard: December 10, 2021
December 10, 2021 18:20 - 51 minutes - 70.5 MBA Supreme Court decision on Texas’ new abortion law- which says more about legal procedure than reproductive rights. Details today on the Texas Standard. Almost halfway through the school year and chronic shortages of teachers combined with COVID concerns continue to cause trouble in districts statewide, coming up, how this is playing out at a […]
Texas Standard: December 9, 2021
December 09, 2021 17:33 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MBSurvey says: Governor Abbott with a double digit lead against his best-known democratic challenger in the governor’s race. We’ll take a look behind the numbers with the Houston Chronicle’s Jeremy Wallace. Also, allegations of sexual abuse and assault against federal judges and what investigative reporter and author Lise Olson discovered about a code of silence […]
Texas Standard: December 8, 2021
December 08, 2021 17:21 - 50 minutes - 34.3 MBAs Texans gather for the holidays, pandemic trends not moving in a positive direction in the Lone Star State, as concerns mount over a new COVID-19 variant. We’ll talk with a member of the Texas Medical Association’s COVID-19 Task Force on increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations and the Omicron variant. Also, a Politifact check of women […]
Texas Standard: December 7, 2021
December 07, 2021 17:45 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBThe U.S. Justice Department files suit against the State of Texas alleging that the new redistricting maps violate the Voting Rights Act. We’ll have details. Other stories we’re tracking the first case of the newly named Omicron COVID-19 variant discovered in Texas. We’ll look at what we know and what we don’t. Also after years […]
Texas Standard: December 6, 2021
December 06, 2021 18:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBTwas the month before an election year and all thru the House and Senate and beyond, concerns rising among Democrats in Texas. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune reporting on a push for change at the top of the Texas Democratic Party. Also a growing list of unanswered questions one month after the deadly tragedy […]
Texas Standard: December 3, 2021
December 03, 2021 17:06 - 50 minutes - 34.9 MBThe Trump era policy for asylum seekers to resume after talks between the Biden administration and officials in Mexico. The so-called remain in Mexico program is coming back, despite promises of change. We’ll hear why. Also the push to preserve the history of a formally segregated school in West Texas. And El Paso’s ban on […]
Texas Standard: December 2, 2021
December 02, 2021 17:08 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBReading between the lines of questioning in one of the most potentially consequential abortion cases since Roe vs. Wade. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re tracking: how the Texas Capitol city appears to be on track to become the least affordable city in the country after California. We’ll talk with the New York Times […]
Texas Standard: December 1, 2021
December 01, 2021 17:37 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBFour new laws aimed at improving the lives of almost a million and a half Texas residents who served in the military. We’ll have Details. Other stories we’re following: young authors and librarians weigh in on the Governor’s attempts to purge what he calls pornography from public schools. Also big news for a small city: […]
Texas Standard: November 30, 2021
November 30, 2021 17:21 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBWhere do we stand with Texas’ new abortion restrictions on the eve of oral arguments in one of the biggest challenges to Roe vs. Wade? Two Texas legal scholars specializing in abortion rights talk about the challenge to Texas abortion law now being considered by the high court, and the intersection with a major case […]
Texas Standard: November 29, 2021
November 29, 2021 17:07 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBWith a big rise in COVID-19 cases in New Mexico and pediatric cases up in El Paso, experts raise red flags for Texas. In time for the holidays, growing warnings about COVID-19 in Texas as the President announces new steps amid the spread of a new variant. We’ll have the latest. Also, with the infrastructure […]
Texas Standard: November 26, 2021
November 26, 2021 17:00 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBFrom what’s been called the shrine of Texas liberty, to a ghost town reborn by the sound of music. It’s been said that you have to know where we’ve been to appreciate where we’re headed. Remember the Alamo? Forget it, say the authors of a new book that’s stimulated a serious rethink about an important […]
Texas Standard: November 25, 2021
November 25, 2021 17:00 - 49 minutes - 33.9 MBAmid an ongoing pandemic, partisan divides and more, what’s there to be thankful for? Quite a lot actually. In the run up to this national holiday we asked our producers to reflect on some of the stories we’ve shared with you that they’re thankful for. From a telehealth program tackling opioid addiction to wildlife along […]
Texas Standard: November 24, 2021
November 24, 2021 17:00 - 50 minutes - 34.9 MBSince 2010, more than 380 workers have died in the U.S. due to conditions at work. Deaths which experts say were preventable. The problem of heat-related deaths in the workplace is likely to intensify with climate change and workers of color are disproportionately affected. And what’s being done to curb these deaths? We’ll have the […]
Texas Standard: November 23, 2021
November 23, 2021 17:44 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBAfter 30 years in Congress, a top Texas Democrat decides not to run for another term. Our conversation with Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson. Also, small town Texas was once a haven for those fleeing rising home prices in Texas’ cities. Not so much anymore. The Texas Standards Jill Ament on housing affordability in small town […]
Texas Standard: November 22, 2021
November 22, 2021 17:37 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBAfter earnest promises to fix the grid after last winters statewide blackouts, is Texas better prepared for the next winter storm? A new report offers answers, we’ll explore. Also Dallas and Houston among the top destinations in the U.S. for holiday travelers who are hitting the road this week despite a spike in gasoline prices. […]
Texas Standard: November 19, 2021
November 19, 2021 18:34 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBMore than 20 Texas representatives say they won’t be seeking re-election next year. The latest to announce, one of the most senior members of the house. Our conversation with Garnet Coleman of Houston on why after 30 years, he’s stepping aside. Plus from natural disasters to COVID-19, Army and Air National Guard troops have been […]
Texas Standard: November 18, 2021
November 18, 2021 17:19 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBAmong Texas democrats, few potential challengers to the incumbent have his name recognition. But will it be enough? We’ll have all the details on O’Rourke Vs Abbott. Also, as retailers and consumers gear up for high shopping season, a supply chain bottleneck at Texas’ biggest ports of entry. The view from Houston. And millions earmarked […]
Texas Standard: November 17, 2021
November 17, 2021 17:06 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBA primary care doctor in rural Texas sounds an alarm amid an ongoing pandemic: where are all the other doctors? We’ll explore. Also, after outrageous and false claims about the Sandy Hook school massacre, a decision in a defamation case brought by parents against Texas provocateur Alex Jones. We’ll have details. Plus billions coming to […]
Texas Standard: November 16, 2021
November 16, 2021 17:08 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBSouth Texas switcheroo: for the first time in a decade, a Texas lawmaker changes parties. A harbinger of other political changes? We’ll have more on representative Ryan Guillen’s decision to leave the democratic party, and what if anything it says about a changing political climate in a region where democrats have long been dominant. Also, […]
Texas Standard: November 15, 2021
November 15, 2021 17:11 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBA serious candidate is running for Texas governor as a democrat, and chances are you know his name. Coming up, our conversation with Beto O’Rourke about his plan to challenge Greg Abbott in 2022. Also, as president Biden signs a bill for bridges roads and broadband, how Texas’ biggest city plans to move the money […]
Texas Standard: November 12, 2021
November 12, 2021 17:52 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBRoads, bridges, electric charging stations… in all some 35 billion dollars earmarked for Texas in the infrastructure bill. So what comes next? San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg joins us. Also, a new law aimed at preventing deaths due to drug overdose has a policy expert warning about the fine print. Plus the week in Texas […]
Texas Standard: November 11, 2021
November 11, 2021 17:12 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBWhile the Supreme Court considers Texas’ new abortion law, what appears to be the first hearing on SB8 in a state court. We’ll take a look at the potential impact. Other stories we’re tracking: more than a hundred noted Texas authors sign an open letter warning of book bans, censorship, and a threat to marginalized […]