Here’s what’s coming up on Texas Standard for Thursday, May 21, 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.
Texas schools face painful budget decisions
El Paso ISD may be headed toward drastic cost-cutting measures after district officials revealed a far larger budget crisis than previously understood. Consultants are now recommending the district declare financial exigency, a step similar to bankruptcy, as EPISD faces a projected $52.8 million shortfall tied to failures in financial oversight.
Claudia Lorena Silva of El Paso Matters joins the program with more.
Railroad Commission runoff becomes a GOP test
One of the few statewide runoff races on the ballot could offer clues about the future of the Texas Republican Party.
The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey reports on the contest between incumbent Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright and challenger Bo French.
Downtown Dallas to see new safety measures as World Cup nears
The Dallas Police Department will open a new downtown command center weeks before the FIFA World Cup comes to North Texas, part of a broader security update ahead of the tournament.
KERA News’ Priscilla Rice reports.
Houston prepares a major new homeless shelter
Houston is preparing to open a large new shelter and service hub in East Downtown aimed at helping some of the city’s most vulnerable unhoused residents.
Houston Public Media’s Dominic Anthony Walsh reports on the facility and the debate surrounding the city’s homelessness strategy.
Southwest says no to humanoid robots
Southwest Airlines has updated its carry-on rules to ban humanoid and animal-like robots from flights while also tightening restrictions on lithium batteries.
CNET tech reporter Omar Gallaga joins the show to explain what changed — and why airlines are increasingly worried about batteries onboard planes.
New novel imagines a 77-year-old woman’s surprise pregnancy
Laurie Frankel’s new novel “Enormous Wings” follows a 77-year-old woman living in an Austin retirement home whose life is upended by an impossible pregnancy.
Frankel joins us to talk about aging, bodily autonomy and why Texas felt like the right setting for the story.
Texas data centers collide with water shortages
Corpus Christi and the small neighboring town of Sinton are locked in a growing water fight. Corpus Christi, facing a water emergency, is anxious to tap Sinton’s reserve, but the small town is fighting the move in court. Looming over the dispute: Chatter that Sinton is holding out for a large data center development — projects notorious for massive water demand.
Inside Climate News reporter Dylan Baddour joins the Standard with more.
