Here’s what’s coming up on Texas Standard for Friday, July 24, 2026. Listen on your Texas public radio station, or ask your smart speaker to play Texas Standard. Check back later today for updated story links and audio.
School finance lawsuit heads to court
Texas’ “Robin Hood” recapture system will soon face legal scrutiny for the first time in a decade. The Midland Independent School District board voted unanimously on a lawsuit Tuesday night, arguing the funding rules unfairly strip the local board of the power to levy property tax.
Isaac Yu with the Houston Chronicle’s Austin bureau is covering the story.
Proposed nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia leads to concerns
The war with Iran has put new strain on the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Now, the Trump administration has reached an agreement with the Saudis for what’s described as a “civilian nuclear program,” one that could eventually allow the kingdom to enrich uranium on its own soil. Critics fear it could bring Saudi Arabia closer to building nuclear weapons.
Professor Michael Mosser, director of UT-Austin’s Center for European Studies, spoke with the Standard about the issue.
Hill Country floods causes buoys on the Rio Grande to break away
The epicenter of recent flood damage was the Texas Hill Country, but the storm also led to rising waters further south that damaged roads and bridges. It brought to light an additional hazard — breakaway buoys in the Rio Grande. Experts have warned for months these Department of Homeland Security buoys could become a public safety threat.
Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports.
Budget cuts hinder efforts to search for missing Vietnam War-era troops
Budget cuts have sharply reduced the Pentagon’s efforts to find the remains of thousands of troops still missing from long-ago wars.
Jay Price with the American Homefront Project reports the impact is hitting one group of families especially hard.
AI drone factory in Denton lands $900k incentive deal
Denton’s City Council voted 4 to 3 a few months back to approve about $900k in incentives for an AI drone company called KrateoSky. The new company looks to make drones for both commercial and military uses and plans to get to work on them as early as this fall. But locals have begun to push back — and their fight is gaining momentum at the same time as folks are speaking out against data center development.
Christian McPhate with the Denton Record-Chronicle has been monitoring the story.
Texas-based author Mary Helen Specht on new novel ‘Mudlark’
Texas-based writer Mary Helen Specht’s new dystopian book “Mudlark” follows a daughter separated from her rock musician mother after a chaotic final performance at Burning Man. 25 years later, that daughter is scavenging the flooded ruins of Manhattan when she discovers the master recording of her mother’s lost solo album. And she discovers something else: Evidence that her mother may still be alive.
Mary Helen Specht sat down with the Standard to discuss her book.
Typewriter Rodeo
The gang delivers another custom poem.
The week in Texas politics
The Texas Tribune’s Jasper Scherer joins the Standard with a recap of the week that was in Texas politics.
