Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Dec. 18, 2023:
Biden under pressure from right and left in attempts to fund foreign military aid
White House and Senate negotiators are still trying to reach a border security deal that would unlock President Joe Biden’s request for billions in military aid for Ukraine and Israel and humanitarian aid for Gaza. It’s looking less likely, however, that a deal will be reached before senators recess for the holidays.
University of Houston politics professor Brandon Rottinghaus joins the Standard with more.
Thousands of vulnerable Texans stand to lose food and health benefits
The federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children – also known as WIC – is facing a budget shortfall that could leave over 200,000 low-income Texans without access to affordable food, formula and other infant care products.
KERA’s Christopher Connelly joins the Standard to tell us more about the program’s status amid Congressional gridlock.
Longhorns serve up a second championship in volleyball
The University of Texas volleyball team made history over the weekend, sweeping top-seeded Nebraska to win a second consecutive NCAA volleyball championship:
The district benefitting most from Texas’ messy school funding system
Many Texas school districts are struggling to make ends meet, in part because the state hasn’t increased its funding share in four years.
But not all districts are feeling the pinch. In fact, an obscure element of the school finance system, dubbed Golden Pennies, leaves a handful of districts with far more money than they need. Texas Public Radio’s Camille Phillips takes us to the district that benefited the most from golden pennies last year: Wink-Loving ISD in West Texas:
Why Texas has the lowest gas prices in the country
Gasoline prices in Texas recently dropped to their lowest levels in nearly three years, averaging $2.57 a gallon. It’s a continuation of a monthslong drop in gas prices.
Here to explain what’s behind it is Matt Smith, energy analyst for Kpler.
Tyler Campbell, son of NFL legend Earl Campbell, shares his struggles and triumphs in new book
Tyler Campbell’s life has been full of trials and heartbreaking setbacks, including a battle with multiple sclerosis. But he pushed through, and now the son of NFL Hall of Famer and Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell is sharing his story.
Tyler Campbell joins the Standard to talk about “The Ball Came Out: Life From the Other Side of the Field.”
Dallas fights over priorities in billion-dollar bond package
What would you do with a little more than a billion dollars? For Dallas leaders, that’s the question as they prepare to take a big bond measure to voters in May – and the fighting to get a part of that pot of money is already well underway.
KERA accountability reporter Nathan Collins joins the show with more.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
