Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, April 30, 2026. Check back later today for updated story links and audio.
SCOTUS ruling could reshape national voting maps
A Supreme Court ruling in a Louisiana case could weaken a key part of the Voting Rights Act, with possible consequences for Texas redistricting fights and future elections.
Eleanor Klibanoff of the Texas Tribune joins Texas Standard with what the decision means next.
Chinese cars are already showing up in El Paso
Chinese automakers are building cheaper cars Americans say they want, even as tariffs and regulations try to keep them out. Yet some are already visible along the Texas border.
Ryan Felton of the Wall Street Journal joins the show with more from El Paso.
Bull riders chase finals spot in Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi’s Buc Days festivities include a stop for elite bull riders chasing a path to the Professional Bull Riding World Finals in Fort Worth.
KEDT’s Rob Boscamp reports from South Texas.
Supreme Court weighs police geofence searches
The Supreme Court is weighing when police can use cell phone location data to identify suspects, and how much information about everyone else gets swept in, too.
Our tech expert Omar Gallaga unpacks the geofencing case and what’s at stake for privacy.
Texas taco hot takes, served spicy
Everybody has a taco opinion, and some of them are fiery. Ground beef, tripas texture, whether salsa should cost extra: Taco journalist Mando Rayo rounds up the strongest takes and brings them to Texas Standard.
Can the middle class be rebuilt?
The middle class has long symbolized the American Dream, but rising housing costs, debt and shrinking opportunity have put that status under pressure.
UT law professor Mechele Dickerson joins Texas Standard to discuss her book “The Middle Class New Deal: Restoring Upward Mobility and the American Dream.”
What will the World Cup really cost cities?
Houston and Dallas are set to host the FIFA World Cup, but staging the tournament could cost cities hundreds of millions while FIFA earns billions.
Houston Chronicle reporter Dylan McGuinness joins the show to talk about following the money.
