Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Aug. 18, 2025:
What’s ahead at the Legislature this week?
The second special session is underway, with redistricting still front and center, and House Democrats have returned to Austin.
Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom joins us with the latest and what’s next.
The unregulated herbal supplement is touted as a safer alternative to opioids, but it comes with its own risks.
Stephen Simpson of The Texas Tribune explains the legal and health complications.
This week in Texas music history: Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell is born
On Aug. 20, 1966, metal legend Darrell Lance Abbott, better known as Dimebag Darrell, was born in Grand Prairie. Jason Mellard with The Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University has the story.
Old satellites, tools, even food wrappers: Space debris is piling up. Now a Texas company’s recycling initiative has NASA’s attention.
Kirsten Cessna of Gensler Austin tells us how it works.
A high-profile meeting in Alaska and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s White House visit could ripple through global energy markets.
Matt Smith, energy analyst for Kpler, breaks it down.
A UT Austin-led team has discovered the oldest, most distant black hole yet – 13.3 billion years old.
Researcher Anthony Taylor explains what it means for our understanding of the universe.
Mapping America’s power outage risks
Texas A&M researchers have built an AI-powered index to predict where weather-driven blackouts will hit hardest.
Dr. Ali Mostafavi joins us to explain what the data shows.
