Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Friday, Oct. 13, 2023:
House speaker, lieutenant governor fight intensifies amid clash over white supremacist
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick doubled down this week on his decision to keep $3 million in political contributions he received from the Defend Texas Liberty PAC earlier this year.
House Speaker Dade Phelan called on Patrick and other politicians who got money from the PAC to donate the funds after the Texas Tribune reported this week that the group’s leader met for several hours with an avowed Nazi sympathizer. Patrick in turn called on Phelan to resign.
For more on the latest we’re joined by Hogan Gore, who covers politics for the Austin American-Statesman.
The school voucher program state lawmakers are considering in the third special session would provide state subsidies to private school students.
Meanwhile, advocates are instead calling for a long-awaited fix to the way Texas funds special education. As Houston Public Media’s Dominic Anthony Walsh explains, those folks feel left behind.
The science on why it’s fun to be scared
Does the name Jason Voorhees mean anything to you? The hockey mask-clad, machete-wielding horror movie icon of “Friday the 13th” fame?
The fact this Friday the 13th falls during the spookiest month of the year got us thinking about all ways people actively seek out fear for fun. Art Markman, a cognitive science expert at the University of Texas at Austin, joins the Standard with more.
How to watch this weekend’s annular eclipse
Many listeners will get to witness firsthand a rare annular eclipse this Saturday. It’ll be visible across a large part of South and West Texas. So how should one prepare to view such an event safely?
The McDonald Observatory’s Judith Meyer joins Texas Standard with what you need to know.
Ken Burns turns his attention to the American Buffalo in new documentary series
Even with Texas’ rapid, consistent growth, there are still plenty of wide-open spaces – spaces where millions of buffalo once roamed free.
Though you might know the general story of their destruction, Ken Burns shares many eye-opening details in his latest documentary. Ahead of his two-part series “The American Buffalo,” coming to PBS stations Monday, Oct. 16, Burns joins the Standard today.
The gang delivers another custom poem. Reach out to Texas Standard with your topic suggestions!
Texas Tribune managing editor Matthew Watkins stops by with a recap of the week that was in Texas politics.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
