Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, May 29, 2025:
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
Texas resident and businessman Elon Musk is leaving his role as a “special government employee” and top adviser to President Donald Trump. His departure, announced Wednesday evening, marks the end of the billionaire’s time heading the Department of Government Efficiency.
We’ll get the latest from Lauren McGaughy, an investigative reporter and editor for The Texas Newsroom who has been reporting on Musk in Texas.
Oil companies face new deadlines to plug orphaned wells
A bill that aims to plug the state’s abandoned oil and gas wells – sometimes called “orphaned wells” – is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. Senate Bill 1150 by Republican state Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston puts deadlines on oil and gas companies to plug wells that are no longer operational.
Carlos Nogueras Ramos, who has been following the bill’s progress for The Texas Tribune, joins with the details.
In Texas, insurers are watching your home from above. It could cost you coverage.
Insurers in Texas are partnering with aerial imaging and AI companies to assess homes from the sky. Computer models parse these photos to flag moldy roofs, askew tree branches and missing shingles.
KUT’s Audrey McGlinchy has been looking into this practice and joins us for the Drill Down, our monthly segment highlighting the investigative work of our partners across the state.
Checking in on bills that would regulate apps, social media for minors
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill this week that requires Apple and Google to verify the ages of people who download software from their app stores. Another bill would have banned minors from having accounts on services like TikTok and Instagram.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga, who has written about these restrictions for CNET, has more.
Poetry from a Texas Standard listener
Michael Owens of Cypress shares his award-winning poem, “Box Purse,” inspired by his childhood in Grapeland:
With the power to both bring folks together and spark long-lasting regional rivalries, the taco has crossed into the Lone Star State’s cultural zeitgeist – and with that comes the flooding of hot takes.
Mando Rayo, host of the Tacos of Texas podcast, has lots of hot takes on his plate today.
Dairy farms are vulnerable to Trump’s mass deportation threats. The industry hopes to get a pass
President Donald Trump has promised mass deportations, a big concern for industries that rely on workers without legal immigration status, including dairy farms.
Texas is the No. 3 dairy-producing state in the country. And according to the Texas Association of Dairymen, that includes 260,000 jobs. A few months into the new administration, the rhetoric is still intense, and there have been many high-profile deportations.
But as Bridgit Bowden reports from Wisconsin, dairy workers there are carrying on with their jobs.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
