Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, June 19, 2025:
Israel, Iran and a shift in U.S. war posture
Israel doesn’t have the firepower to destroy Iran’s deeply buried nuclear facilities, but the U.S. does – and President Trump is now reported to be considering such an unprecedented strike.
UT Austin professor Nahid Siamdoust joins to explain what’s changed in Trump’s stance and what escalation could mean for the region:
Fort Hood returns: Trump restores Confederate-era base names
The Army is preparing to rename seven bases after President Trump ordered the reinstatement of their Confederate-era names, including Fort Cavazos reverting to Fort Hood.
Dan Katz with the American Homefront Project reports from Central Texas, where some are protesting the move.
Marking Juneteenth where it began: Galveston celebrates freedom
Juneteenth marks the moment Union troops arrived in Galveston to enforce emancipation, freeing a quarter million enslaved people in Texas in 1865.
The Standard’s Sean Saldana reports on how the city is helping preserve that history and support new celebrations through a grant program.
That’s not rain over San Antonio. Those are bats.
Each summer, new meteorologists in San Antonio learn a local weather quirk: What looks like rain on the radar is actually hundreds of thousands of bats taking flight at dusk.
Jack Morgan of Texas Public Radio reports on the phenomenon and how to spot it.
A new park for Texas adventurers
As part of the Standard’s 10th birthday, we’re highlighting some of our best stories each month. For National Great Outdoors Month, we revisit a conversation about a major land acquisition in Burnet County that could become Texas’ next state park, right next to Colorado Bend.
Todd McClanahan of Texas Parks and Wildlife tells us more about the vision for the site.
Audit exposes failures in Texas jail oversight
A scathing audit of the agency overseeing Texas jails finds widespread issues with prisoner complaint handling and inspections.
Lucio Vasquez of The Texas Newsroom joins the show with an overview.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
