Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025:
New poll shows who voters are supporting in US Senate primaries
A new poll on the U.S. Senate primaries from Texas Southern University shows that, among likely primary voters, the yet-undeclared former Rep. Beto O’Rourke is leading on the Democratic side, while Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton edges incumbent Sen. John Cornyn on the Republican side.
Michael Adams, professor of political science and founding director of the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University, joins with more.
11 Texas school districts temporarily blocked from displaying Ten Commandments, federal judge rules
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked 11 public school districts in Texas’ largest metropolitan areas from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms as required by a new state law set to take effect Sept. 1.
Charles “Rocky” Rhodes, a constitutional law professor at the University of Missouri School of Law – formerly with the South Texas College of Law in Houston – breaks down the new developments.
Civil rights group calls for probe into state funeral agency over anti-Muslim texts
A Muslim civil rights group is calling for the Texas governor to investigate the state’s funeral regulation agency.
KERA’s Toluwani Osibamowo reports it comes after newly surfaced text messages show the agency’s chair sharing anti-Muslim links and photos:
How SNAP cuts could impact Texans facing food insecurity
Last month, President Donald Trump signed into law a massive tax and spending package that includes nearly $187 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Seventeen percent of Texans are food insecure, and that could increase with impending reductions to SNAP. Houston Public Media’s Justin Doud reports on how Houston-area residents could be impacted.
Rural community pushes back on Bitcoin mine noise pollution
In a rural part of Hood County, 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth, residents say a nearby Bitcoin mine is disturbing their quiet way of life. Their solution? Turn the unincorporated area into a town and seek limits on the noise and disruption.
But those efforts didn’t go so well once the company that owns the facility got involved. Keaton Peters, who covers energy and the environment for Straight Arrow News, joins us with the details.
We’ll get the answer from Wizzie Brown, a program specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and our go-to insect expert.
Department of Defense issues new directive on facial hair
The Defense Department is tightening its grooming standards for facial hair. It will now be harder for troops to get exceptions to the daily shaving requirement.
Carson Frame with the American Homefront Project reports the new policy especially affects Black men with a skin condition that makes shaving painful and potentially disfiguring.
Investigative series delves into impact of Texas’ strict abortion rules
Texas’ strict rules on abortion access are the new normal. Those seeking an abortion by and large need to travel out of state to get one. And those with medical crises during pregnancy have also been impacted by a medical establishment less willing to intervene quickly for fear of breaking the law.
The Dallas Morning News is shining a light on how people have felt these changes in their own lives. Investigative journalist Lauren Caruba joins Texas Standard for a discussion.
