Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Jan. 9, 2023:
What happened with President Biden’s trip to the border
President Joe Biden visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday for the first time since taking office, meeting with federal, state and local officials and community leaders. For more on the president’s trip to the borderlands, we’ll hear from Angela Kocherga, news director at KTEP El Paso.
Texas has an unprecedented budget surplus. What can be done with the billions of dollars?
When the state Legislature begins its new session Tuesday, it will have an unprecedented budget surplus of at least $27 billion. Lawmakers and interest groups are already lobbying on how to spend it. The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports.
TCU fans look for a happy ending to a storybook season in Monday’s National Championship game
Texas Christian University faces top-ranked Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship game tonight in Los Angeles. Their historic run this year marks the first time a Texas team has made the playoff since it began in 2014. KERA’s Toluwani Osibamowo reports the national attention trained on the Fort Worth school has fans, students and alumni reflecting.
What’s driving the drop in oil and gas prices?
Just a few months ago, the thought of through-the-roof energy prices this winter was making people equally anxious, especially in Europe. But things are playing out differently now that the new year is upon us. Matt Smith, lead oil analyst for the Americas at Kpler, shares more.
Over 60,000 people in Central Texas might not be able to use their health insurance at one of the region’s biggest hospital systems starting next month. Without a new contract, Ascension Texas hospitals will no longer be in-network for people with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas insurance. Nicole Villalpando covers health at the Austin American-Statesman and has been following the situation.
Red Raiders strike black gold
Texas Tech raised the mast of the first operational oil rig on a university campus. Texas Tech Public Media’s Sarah Self-Walbrick tells us how the setup will help students starting this semester:
Wealth inequality may actually be on the decline
Wealth inequality is one of the most salient topics in politics, culture and economics. Noah Smith, a College Station–based economics blogger who runs the newsletter Noahopinion, recently published a piece noting that in some respects, wealth inequality may now be on the decline. We’ll hear more today.
The most powerful Republican in Texas may not even live here
Who is the most powerful Republican in Texas? Texas Monthly Senior Editor Michael Hardy’s answer might surprise you: It’s Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. A rising star among conservatives nationwide, he scored a massive victory in November, and his policies are prompting conservative talking points, even in Texas. Hardy joins us with more.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
