Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, June 1, 2023:
A debt ceiling deal’s been reached. When did this become a thing – and why?
Despite the political and media frenzy over the debt ceiling, a deal was reached in Washington on Wednesday night. While default would have been catastrophic, the panic is tied to political theater – and little has changed. Joseph Morton, Washington correspondent for The Dallas Morning News, joins us to talk about what happened and what’s next.
Here are some laws that impact rural Texans
What did Texas lawmakers accomplish in the initial legislative session? We’re reporting on that question all week. Today, reporters from around the state get us up to speed on new laws addressing rural communities. We’ll hear from Marfa Public Radio’s Mitch Borden, KETR Commerce’s Mark Haslett, and Texas Tech Public Media’s Sarah Self-Walbrick.
Houston residents install their own air monitors to hold polluters accountable
The Houston area’s high concentration of industry and lack of zoning means that many low-income communities of color are neighbors with heavy polluters. To get their own data on what they’re breathing, community groups have been installing air monitors over the past several years. Houston Public Media’s Katie Watkins reports.
How to get the most out of your meetings (and when they really should just be an email)
Either online or around a conference table, does anyone really enjoy work meetings? But there are ways to make meetings better. Our tech expert Omar Gallaga recently wrote for Wired about getting the most from meetings, and he’s here to share it all with us.
Is the doom mongering over AI’s power justified?
Leaders in the AI field have issued a statement urging global leaders to mitigate its risks, likening unchecked power to threats like pandemics and nuclear war. Anjana Susarla, professor in responsible AI at Michigan State University, joins us to discuss AI’s potential threat and whether such statements are overblown.
The San Antonio Spurs are the toast of sports talk radio once again
The Spurs winning the first pick in the NBA draft means the chance to draft Victor Wembanyama, the most heralded prospect in a generation. Texas Public Radio’s Dan Katz reports:
With the anniversary of Kabul’s fall approaching, Afghan refugees remain stuck in legal limbo
The United States has taken in more than 100,000 Afghan refugees since the Taliban took over the country almost two years ago. Many of those refugees have settled in the Houston area. But Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider reports thousands of them remain in legal limbo, with a deadline fast approaching.
Texas set to renew its court battle against DACA immigration program in Houston
The future of the Obama-era program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is in the hands of a federal district judge in Texas for a second time. Judge Andrew Hanen is set to hear arguments today on the legality of a Biden administration rule meant to strengthen DACA protections. For more, we’re speaking with the Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
