Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, March 24, 2022.
Few good options as Biden, NATO leaders meet over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
President Joe Biden travels to Brussels today for an extraordinary closed-door summit with NATO leaders. What can they do in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine? Larry Napper is a former U.S. ambassador to Latvia and Kazakhstan and professor at the Texas A&M University Bush School. He joins us with his perspective today.
What Texans need to know about the BA.2 COVID variant
The BA.2 variant of the coronavirus is on the rise. Often referred to as a “stealth” subvariant of the omicron strain, BA.2 has become the dominant type of COVID in some states outside Texas. As the new variant arrives amid a paradigm shift in how the Centers for Disease Control approaches COVID and communities loosen their protections, how concerned should Texans be? Dr. Catherine Troisi, infectious disease epidemiologist with UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston, shares her perspective with us.
How the pandemic has changed nursing
If you’ve gone to your local hospital for treatment, the nurse who took care of you might not be there anymore. That’s because there’s been a shift in the profession. Houston Public Media’s Sara Willa Ernst looks into how the pandemic has fundamentally changed nursing.
An investigation of a Marine is raising questions about the military’s extremism policy
A Marine Corps investigation in California could provide an early test of the Pentagon’s new anti-extremism policy. The Marines are trying to find out whether the reservist son of a former Republican party official tried to join a white supremacist group. But even if he did, it’s not clear if the military could discipline him. Amita Sharma reports for the American Homefront Project.
Ocelots!
Ocelots are small wild cats with big eyes and coats of black spots and bands against golden fur. They used to live across large parts of Texas. But these days, you’re most likely to see one on a ‘Save the Ocelots’ license plate. Researchers say there are less than 100 ocelots still living in the wild. All are in deep south Texas near the Gulf of Mexico. Most are on private ranches. Sara Hutchinson reports scientists are hoping to change that.
‘Cleft Thoughts’ offers compassion, and practical advice, for folks with facial differences
Author Joe Rutland says the community of people with craniofacial differences is broader than those born with cleft lips or palates; it also comprises those affected by accidents and war. Learn more in this Texas Standard show ID.
What’s behind the onslaught of tech TV miniseries?
Limited-run TV series focusing on big tech’s moist lurid stories are seemingly everywhere: shows looking at the rapid rise (and in some cases, spectacular fall) of startups like Uber, Theranos and WeWork. Our tech expert Omar Gallaga has been eyeing these Silicon Valley soaps and shares his thoughts.
Round Rock rebuilds after powerful storms and tornadoes
Plenty of folks will be out enjoying Texas’ spring weather today. Others, however, will be focused on cleaning up from severe storms earlier this week. Tornadoes touched down in communities near the Oklahoma state line all the way down to central Texas. In Round Rock, winds from a tornado may have reached 135 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. Joining us to tell us how the city’s recovering is Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan.
All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.
