Listen to the first episode of Season 3 The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout. This season the podcast explores the history of oil and gas regulation, how the industry became essentially self-regulating, and how some Texas officials continue to see natural gas as the future of electricity production, despite the rapid rise of renew…

Steinbeck’s comments about Texas and Texans go well beyond his “Texas is a state of mind” quote. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong explores. The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps. The post John Stein…

After a long wait, the House speaker makes his committee assignments, and some Texas Republicans are none too pleased. We’ll hear the backstory and how it could affect the legislative session going forward. With the New York Stock Exchange moving part of its operations to Dallas and a separate Texas Stock Exchange in the works, North Texas could so…

A new survey gives some strong indications what Texans make of the 47th president and what that portends for Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s re-election prospects. Apple and Microsoft have followed Google in renaming the Gulf of Mexico on their maps after a Trump executive order. Tech journalist Omar Gallaga explains what’s behind the change, and whether …

It’s been four years since the deadly days-long blackout in Texas – and “The Disconnect” podcast is back for a third season, exploring what’s changed and what hasn’t. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been told by the new Trump administration to stop work. How a long-term closure might affect you. An investigation into the death of a fos…

How President Trump’s new tariffs on steel and aluminum will impact a wide range of companies across the state. Slashing federal grants that fund overhead for research labs will save some money but also hinder life-saving research. Texans know the price of feeding your dog or cat has been rising. A state lawmaker wants to provide some relief by eli…

Concerns are growing about a measles outbreak in West Texas as some legislators push to rollback vaccination requirements. It appears the threat of cutbacks from the federal government may already be having an effect on health services for veterans. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted targeted enforcement actions in Austin last month…

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spoke in front of a crowd of lawmakers and supporters to deliver his State of the State Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 from Arnold Oil’s corporate headquarters in East Austin. He named his list of emergency items, which are the only issues lawmakers can pass bills on in the first 60 days of the session. This is a recording of a live pr…

Reports of massive staffing cuts at USAID are rattling the federal bureaucracy and supporters of foreign aid. Andrew Natsios, a Texas A&M professor and a Republican who once served as a USAID administrator, joins the show with his take on the claims of waste and inefficiency at his former agency. A new historical marker stands outside Rockport buil…

A bill to let families use taxpayer dollars to cover private school tuition was approved by the Texas Senate, but the debate over the bill’s not done. Next stop: the Texas House. El Paso has still not recovered from government vacancies dating back to the height of COVID, with growing concerns about how that’s affecting basic services in one of Tex…

Gov. Greg Abbott announced his priorities over the weekend, and it looks like lawmakers in his party are getting right to work. The Arlington City Council unanimously approved a drilling site that would put 10 new gas wells within a few thousand feet of homes, a daycare and elementary schools. A closer look at the debate. The impact of bird flu goe…

The Trump administration’s tariffs on China have taken effect, while tariffs on Canada and Mexico are on hold for now – but the threat looms, along with uncertainly. We’ll break down what it means for the state. Pete Hegseth, the new secretary of defense, visits the Texas/Mexico border. What he says about sending more troops. When is a school distr…

With a de facto North American trade war set to begin tomorrow, Presidents Donald Trump and Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico announce a one-month delay on tariffs in exchange for added troops at the border. What we learned in Gov. Greg Abbott’s State of the State address, where he announced some unexpected priorities. And: A surprise deal by the Dallas …

What to expect from this weekend’s State of the State address, where Gov. Greg Abbott will reveal his emergency items for the current legislative session. Have you noticed the flu is going around? There’s actually more than one virus making folks sick at the moment. We’ll check in with a doctor. One of the many ways public media organizations raise…

A bird flu outbreak noted early in Texas is now a national issue, and concerns are rising about what the federal government plans to do. From property taxes to THC and more, Lt Gov. Dan Patrick outlines the first batch of 40 legislative priorities for the current Texas legislative session. Why a fight over mass transit it Dallas could wind up a mat…

If Texans were in charge of the state’s budget, how would they spend the money? A new survey from the Hobby School of Public Affairs sheds light on priorities. We know many state lawmakers are prioritizing a school voucher effort that would give money for private education directly to families – and the proposal has moved forward in the Senate. Som…

Gov. Greg Abbott wants the federal government to reimburse the state for more than $11 billion spent on Operation Lone Star, and some lawmakers from both sides of the aisle support the request. Texas leads the nation in wind energy jobs, but a White House executive order to pause new wind projects has some in the industry concerned. As the Trump ad…

President Trump’s long-promised deportation raids get underway in Texas and in other parts of the country. Today, what we know about the weekend operations and what we’re learning. On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Texas Standard’s Sarah Asch brings us the voices and memories of survivors living in Texas. And: The Texas Senate ha…

A dramatic move at the Texas Capitol upends a decades-long tradition of power sharing as conservative Republicans succeed in banning Democrats from chairing legislative committees. The end of the CBP One program for asylum-seekers following President Donald Trump’s inauguration has left many with questions about their future. And: Growing demand an…

The U.S. military is sending around 1,500 active-duty troops to the country’s southern border, under orders from President Donald Trump. But what will they be doing, exactly, and what are the limits on what they can do? Half a trillion dollars have been pledged for a new AI venture called Stargate, and the first project is a data center in Abilene.…

As Texans try to keep warm, volunteers are bundling up to help a particularly vulnerable population: sea turtles facing “cold stun,” a life-threatening condition. We’re three days into the new Trump administration and trying to keep up with a slew of executive orders. Digging into the impacts on the energy industry, as well as what it means to issu…

Much of Texas is dealing with dangerously cold temperatures and conditions that make travel hazardous. How the state is coping – plus a look at the power grid. President Trump declared an emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border and issued several executive orders on immigration. We’ll delve into the details. A look at the life and legacy of Cecile Rich…

Parts of Texas that seldom see snow may well see frozen precipitation blanketing beaches tomorrow. We’re keeping watch. Seven employees of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission have been fired for improperly accessing, and in some cases, stealing, from the accounts of thousands of Texans receiving public assistance. And: TikTok went dark f…

We’ll have the latest on a dramatic drop in thermometers statewide and what that could mean for large parts of Texas next week. Also: How some are hoping to protect people experiencing homelessness from the worst of the big freeze. The incoming Trump administration has vowed to make immigration enforcement a top priority, possibly including mass wo…

A Texas case before the U.S. Supreme Court on verifying ages for adult content has bigger implications than just whether one free speech law can stand. TikTok users are flocking to other Chinese-owned apps as they await a ruling on whether the U.S. can ban TikTok. But a lot could still change. Carbon capture is a growing technology in the Houston a…