Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. Check back later today for updated story links and audio.
Candidates scramble as redistricting ruling lands on filing deadline
With the U.S. Supreme Court allowing Texas’ updated congressional map to stand, candidates face a hectic final day before the 2026 filing deadline. The decision ends weeks of uncertainty after a lower court that found the maps unconstitutional – and from retirements to last-minute district switches, the landscape is shifting fast.
Gabby Birenbaum, Washington correspondent for The Texas Tribune, joins the Standard with the latest.
Young mariachi musicians shine at San Antonio’s annual extravaganza
Hundreds of students ages 8 to 23 gathered in San Antonio this weekend for Mariachi Extravaganza, one of the nation’s largest youth mariachi competitions. Performers traveled from across the country to showcase vocal and instrumental talent steeped in tradition.
Texas Public Radio’s Saile Aranda reports.
Trans students push back as university policies shift
After a Texas A&M professor was fired for discussing gender identity in a children’s literature course, universities across the state have launched new reviews and curriculum restrictions. As many faculty members warn the changes threaten academic freedom, transgender students are working to build community support beyond campus.
Texas Standard intern Kaye Knoll reports.
Texas researcher develops breakthrough in edible cottonseed
Cottonseed is typically inedible due to naturally occurring toxins, but a Texas A&M scientist has spent decades developing a way to make it safe for consumption, potentially opening new avenues for food security and agricultural sustainability.
For Harvest Public Media, the Texas Standard’s Michael Marks reports.
New book explores the potential and pressure of the Austin-San Antonio megaregion
A new book by former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros, alongside journalists Robert Rivard and David Hendricks, examines how rapid growth between Austin and San Antonio is creating a sprawling megaregion. The authors explore opportunities in transportation, housing, industry and the political challenges ahead.
Cisneros and Rivard sit down with Texas Standard to discuss “The Austin–San Antonio Megaregion: Opportunity and Challenge in the Lone Star State.”
Republicans reassess strategy as Latino political landscape shifts
After President Trump made major gains with Latino voters in Texas in 2024, new dynamics – like changing demographics, recent election results and district-level shifts – are giving Republicans reason to worry.
Asher Price, politics reporter for Axios, joins the Standard to discuss what his reporting reveals.
