Texas Standard

Did the Trump administration defy a court order by sending planeloads of alleged gang members to El Salvador?As wildfire anxiety grows, Austin plans to designate half the city as at risk of fire damage.A bill headed to the Texas House would establish a specialized task force to combat petroleum theft, aiming to curb millions of dollars in losses.Supporters are betting state lawmakers are ready to approve legalized gambling when it comes to sports betting.And: Why the WNBA’s top draft pick, Paige Bueckers, is likely to play for a Texas team. The post Lawmakers renew push for legalized sports gambling appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A Houston-area midwife and two others have been arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortions, marking the first instance of criminal charges under Texas’ restrictive abortion law.In West Odessa, the demand for water has outpaced the infrastructure. Now, a grassroots effort is underway to secure a more reliable water supply.Dallas is working to make it easier and safer to ride a bicycle. Are there lessons for other urban areas?And: the story behind the success of the faith-based indie studio that calls Austin home. We talk to the head of the Wonder Project. The post West Odessa residents take water crisis into their own hands appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Weekend winds toppled trucks and fueled wildfires, one of the worst of which is still burning north of Fredricksburg. We’ll get the latest on the Crabapple Fire, which has burned almost 10,000 acres.A hunters’s day out in West Texas leads to an unexpected archaeological trophy: the discovery of a mammoth tusk in a dry creek bed.And: The brackets are set for the race to the college basketball championships, and several men’s and women’s teams from Texas are part of the madness. The post West Texas hunter stumbles upon rare mammoth tusk fossil appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Emergency officials warn of extreme wildfire dangers across much of the Lone Star State as residents of the Panhandle mark one year since the largest wildfire in state history. The Texas Newsroom’s Rachel Osier Lindley reports on the long road back to normal.From basketball to soccer and more, women’s sports is having a major moment. Now the state’s first women’s sports bar is about to open in Austin. The Standard’s Sarah Asch tells us more.And: Bernard Harris Jr. made history as the first Black astronaut to walk in space. He shares his journey and discusses his new book, “Embracing Infinite Possibilities.” The post Fans are overjoyed for Texas’ first women’s sports bar appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Legislature is considering bills that would lift restrictions on how Texas’ maternal mortality committee can investigate maternal deaths, including by reviewing abortion-related deaths.Looking for a Tesla? Or trying to sell one? How politics appears to be reshaping the market for the Texas-based company long considered the leader in the electric vehicle space.Also: Seismic activity in West Texas prompts regulators to put the brakes on the subsurface injection of wastewater. But one company appears to be flaunting the directive. The post What are current struggles signaling for Texas-based Tesla? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The fight against the measles outbreak in West Texas is being hampered in part by poor infrastructure.Two days before a death row inmate was set for execution, it’s been delayed for the second time. The back-and-forth over evidence – and how victims families are feeling.Another day of high wildfire danger across Texas. How one county is looking to help some people who may struggle to better prepare.Going a cruise? Many Texans don’t have to leave the state to start that journey. How Galveston has become a key player in the industry. The post Galveston becomes a major hub for the luxury cruise industry appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Texas comptroller’s race is underway in what’s expected to be a very crowded field. Who’s running and what’s at stake?President Trump delayed tariffs on products from Mexico for a month. As a new deadline looms, we look at how Texas companies are coping.Also, is testimony from inmates against other inmates reliable? We’ll examine a death row case.Plus, a county in South Texas got financing to build low-income homes in Central Texas. Now there’s a lawsuit to stop the project.And a new play about an enslaved man who found an unusual path to freedom in the 1800s. The post How border businesses are reacting to Trump tariffs appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Protests planned and hearing scheduled at the Capitol this week. The issue? Taxpayer money for private schooling. Blaise Gainey of the Texas Newsroom with the latest on what to expect this week at the Legislature.Millions in federal funds to help legal immigrants is now being held up in D.C. How is this affecting services in Texas?Prices at the pump – how are on again/off again tariffs having an impact on what we’re paying?A new documentary debuts centering on the woman dubbed by the media as the “Uvalde Mom.”Also, dismay among many Texans who work with fabric and crafts as a mainstay retailer unravels. The post ‘Uvalde Mom’ profiles woman behind viral act of bravery appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Mason LaDue raises cattle on family land in Central Texas. But before he was a rancher, he was mostly on the road, managing tours for artists like Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa.His journey from the Dallas hip-hop circuit to the homestead is the focus of today’s special program, Rap to the Ranch: The Ballad of Mason ‘Bric’ LaDue. The post Rap to the Ranch: The Ballad of Mason ‘Bric’ LaDue – A Texas Standard special appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The passing of a giant: Remembering Sylvester Turner, a longtime legislator, mayor of Houston and member of Congress.The Neiman Marcus flagship store, a symbol for Dallas for more than a century, is set to close for good, despite local efforts.The history of vaqueros and a legacy that continues in many a Texas kitchen and beyond. Tacos of Texas host Mando Rayo explains.Plus: the week in politics with The Texas Tribune and poetry from the Typewriter Rodeo. The post Remembering Sylvester Turner’s life and legacy in Houston appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.