Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025:
Texas House passes new congressional districts map
After protests, a two-week quorum break and out-of-state pressure, the Texas House passed a new map for the state’s congressional districts on Wednesday. The bill now proceeds to the Texas Senate, which is weighing a slightly different redistricting map.
The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey and Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider have been following developments and join Texas Standard for a roundtable discussion.
USDA to put up funds in screwworm fight
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to make major investments to fight a flesh-eating pest that threatens Texas livestock. The Texas Standard’s Michael Marks has more:
U.S. consumers pull back from credit card binging
During COVID, with interest rates low, credit cards got a serious workout. But now, it seems, the party’s over.
Imani Moise covers personal economics for the Wall Street Journal and joins the Standard for a discussion about Americans’ retreat from credit-card binging.
Apple won’t be required to provide backdoor access to user accounts
An agreement between the U.S. and British governments means that Apple will not be required to provide unencrypted backdoor access to its user accounts. The UK government had previously announced that Apple would be required to provide that access, raising objections from the company, who touts user privacy as a selling point for its cloud services.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga wrote about the agreement for CNET, and he joins the show to discuss.
Tacos of Texas unwraps its fifth season
If there is one thing we know as Texans, it’s that the taco is king. It’s a ubiquitous food, so no wonder host Mando Rayo has built an award-winning podcast around it.
Tacos of Texas season 5 just premiered, and Rayo joins us with a preview of what’s on the menu.
Peyote, important to Indigenous religion, is drying up in Texas
The Native American Church has hundreds of thousands of members, and their religious practices involve consuming peyote, a spineless cactus that contains mescaline – a naturally occurring psychedelic. Peyote is a Schedule I controlled substance, but if you’re a member of a “traditional Indian religion,” there’s a legal exception.
Here in the United States, it’s only naturally grown in one place: Texas. And as a new story from Texas Monthly shows, the supply is drying up. Lea Konczal wrote the story, and she joins the show with more.
