Here’s what’s coming up on Texas Standard for Wednesday, May 13, 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.
Obama meets with James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa in Texas
Former President Barack Obama appeared in Austin yesterday, nabbing tacos and headlines by visiting with voters and statewide Democratic candidates Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico.
What can we make of the visit? J. David Goodman eyed the appearance for The New York Times and joins the show with more.
Houston’s World Cup grass operation is a massive logistical feat
Houston’s FIFA World Cup host committee is preparing to install thousands of square feet of carefully cultivated grass inside NRG Stadium ahead of next month’s matches.
Houston Public Media’s Michael Adkison reports on the yearlong growing process in Colorado, and the enormous challenge of building a field ready for some of the world’s best soccer players.
It used to take 2 years to get affordable childcare in Travis County. Now, it’s taking months
The cost of childcare is rising nationwide, in many states outpacing the price of in-state college tuition. Across the country, local governments are trying to figure out how to make it cheaper – but Travis County is ahead of the game. A locally-funded program for affordable childcare has been in the works for over a year.
KUT News’ Katy McAfee reports.
Texas public schools saw one of the biggest enrollment drops in modern history
Texas public school enrollment fell by more than 76,000 students this school year, according to a new report — one of the sharpest declines outside the pandemic era.
Dallas Morning News education reporter Silas Allen joins the Standard to talk about what’s driving students away, how the losses vary across the state, and what declining enrollment could mean for school funding.
Pulitzer-winning writer Aaron Parsley reflects on surviving the Central Texas floods
Texas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley joins the Standard after winning the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for his deeply personal account of surviving last summer’s Guadalupe River floods.
Parsley discusses writing through grief, documenting the loss of his 20-month-old nephew Clay, and how firsthand storytelling became the only way to fully capture the human reality of the disaster.
These companies reincorportated in Texas. What’s been the real economic impact?
When Dell and Exxon/Mobil announced plans to move their legal, corporate home to Texas, state officials crowed, claiming the moves represent a vote of support for Texas’ business-friendly policies.
The Texas Tribune’s Paul Cobler has been looking into what reincorporation in Texas has actually meant for the state’s economy and joins the Standard with more.
