What to expect as the Supreme Court reconvenes

0:00Support comes from Central Market, celebrating fall with decorative pumpkins and locally grown squashes and gourds. Centralmarket.com. Oye, oye, oye, on this first Monday and October, the U.S. Supreme Court back to work and early look at the docket, what Texans should watch more and more today on the standard. Texas Standard is a production of KUT Austin, KERA North Texas, Houston Public Media, and Texas Public Radio Incentive. Texas Standard is a production of KUT Austin Public Radio Incentive.

1:29Texas Standard is a production of KUT Austin Public Radio Incentive. Texas Standard is a production of KUT Austin Public Radio Incentive.

2:29Texas Standard is a production of KUT Austin Public Radio Incentive. Texas Standard is a production of KUT Austin Public Radio Incentive.

3:29Texas Standard is a production of KUT Austin Public Radio Incentive. Texas Standard is a production of KUT Austin Public Radio Incentive.

4:30Texas Standard is the production of KUT Austin Public Radio Incentive. Texas Standard is the industry in the region, and becomes a reserve suffrage at the age of age. is considered in force, title nine. And what does the Supreme Court hasn't decided yet is whether employees can sue about what they alleged to be sex discrimination against themselves. Very interesting. We don't have much time here, but I want to touch on Viramonte's versus Cook County, Illinois. This is a second amendment case, right? Yeah, so this is Illinois's ban on assault weapons. A couple of states have banned assault weapons. And the question here is, is that okay under the second amendment?

5:31So the Supreme Court's test for the second amendment goes back and looks at history. They say they look at history and tradition. And this is from a 2022 case. And so typically when the government regulates, you have to look back at some precedent from either the 17th or 18th century, or the 18th or 19th century, and figure out like, is there something to justify this? Is there a similar government regulation from back then? And of course, these new guns, the ones that we're talking about here, in this case, high capacity, semi-automatic rifles, right? That did not exist back then. Right, they did not exist in the 18th or 19th century, right? So the government won't have a direct, directly analogous regulation. And the big question in the Supreme Court's second amendment case is since 2022 is, well, how close does the analogy have to be? And I think that's what the Supreme Court is gonna be facing here too. And I think a lot of eyes are gonna be on this case because if it turns out that governments

6:31can't actually regulate assault weapons, I think that would be a real shock to a lot of people in our society. We should point out that there's a big debate over the definition of assault weapons, and I'm sure that's something that the court will be picking apart in oral arguments. Any other cases or issues that you're looking for to come up this term? So I think there are gonna be some really important issues about plaintiff's ability to sue federal officers for violating their constitutional rights. There's one case pending on that. I think this is a big issue in our society right now because there are suits pending. The Supreme Court may grant surgery in the case involving the 10 Commandments in schools in Texas, which will obviously be a great interest to all people in our state, and several other states have passed these laws as well. So I anticipate it's gonna be a big term. We've been speaking with Tara Grove, the Vincent and Elkins Chair in Law at UT Austin professor. Thanks so much for joining us. Thank you so much.

7:36One of the Red Hot Congressional races getting outsized attention in Texas is between a Republican gun rights YouTuber and a child advocate and first time Democratic candidate. They are both running to represent a vast congressional district, one that stretches from San Antonio across much of the Texas Mexico border, talking about Texas as 23rd. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies has the story, but we must warn you and parents' special heads up here, this story does include some vulgar language. It's Saturday morning at a busy San Antonio shopping center volunteers have arrived for Brandon Herrera, the Republican nominee for the 23rd Congressional District of Texas. They're waving campaign signs at passing cars and offering them to potential supporters. I came to ask Herrera some questions about the race, but I was told by his campaign manager, Kimmy Gonzalez, that he wasn't there and he would never speak to me. I'm gonna open to talk to Brandon. No, he's not available. Okay, any ideas how I can make that happen?

8:36Not available, but thank you. Any time? No, but not available. So thank you. I told Gonzalez that if Herrera wouldn't agree to an interview, then I would have to use clips from his YouTube videos to report on the campaign. Thank you. Thank you. No, we're good. So otherwise I'm gonna have to choose where you put online. Go do what you need to do and we'll do what we need to do. Thank you. I'm gonna ask you to leave now, please. Well, I'm not going to leave because you call me to leave. Since Herrera has become the Republican nominee for the 23rd, I've tried repeatedly to set up interviews with him, but with no success. Herrera is a firearms manufacturer and calls himself the AK guy. On YouTube, he has four million subscribers and recently posted a video complaining that the news media has been unfair to him because reporters have pulled clips of him saying vulgar things. Yes, the mainstream media, including CNN, Rolling Stone, MSNBC, what MSNW, whatever the f*** they are now,

9:39pouring over hundreds of hours of my content, trying to find anything they can latch onto to try to make me seem like a piece of s***. One of Herrera's YouTube clips that is attracted attention is from January, 2023, when Herrera discusses the gun safety group Mom's Demand Action founder, Shannon Watts, okay, here is the offensive vulgar language that we can't avoid. First off, I want to get it off my chest. I think Mom's Demand Action is f***ing stupid. He then said a sexually explicit line that boils down to just because you got pregnant, doesn't mean I care about your political opinions, followed by... The fact that you kept your f***ing trophy doesn't make you any less wrong about the dumb s*** that you say. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has endorsed and raised money for Herrera. Johnson was asked on CNN about Herrera's comments. That's the look detestable language, you know how I feel about all of that, Jake. But also, no brain in Herrera has been out running a very effective campaign and explained to people

10:40that he has apologized for all that. On that same Saturday, Herrera's Democratic opponent, Katie Padea-Stout, met with block walking volunteers in San Antonio in the parking lot of Ronald Reagan High School. She is an attorney representing children in the Texas foster care system and a former public school teacher. Padea-Stout says Herrera's comments should not be dismissed as just comedy. So I think regardless of whether or not you say you're joking, there's still a harm in rhetoric and we still want someone who's serious about issues and is serious about this community representing us. Padea-Stout says Herrera's online remarks put him out of step with the district. She is campaigning on the cost of living and access to healthcare. Herrera's signature issue was expanding access to guns, including a national right to conceal and carry. Herrera is endorsed by President Trump, who won the district by about 15 points in 2024. The Cook Political Report writes the Texas 23rd as likely Republican.

11:40I'm David Martin-Davies in San Antonio. [♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ Joining us now Assistant Digital Editor, Role Alonzo with the talk of Texas Role. Welcome. Hey there, David. So this week for the talk of Texas, we are talking community safety. Specifically, what it is that makes a community safe to begin with. This topic came to mind in light of recent high profile shootings by ice officers in Texas and the ongoing backlash against flock security cameras. Both headlines had me thinking about these sorts of entities that are often highlighted as promoting safety in a community, but these headlines seem to open up debates about that. So I'm turning to our listeners to get their thoughts. Our question this week is kind of more broadly, what makes a community safe? In what ways can policy, municipal services, culture, or other aspects contribute to a safer community? Is there something in your own neck of the woods that makes you feel particularly safe living out there?

12:41We want to hear from you. Head on over to texestanner.org slash talk. Leave us a voice message with your thoughts. Again, that's texestanner.org slash talk. We've got a handful of comments already in social media, and I'll be back to share a few of those at the end of the show, David. Role Alonzo, he's going to be back in about 35 minutes here on the standard. Coming up, the week in Texas music history also a new law designed to help doctors understand when they can legally perform abortions in Texas. How's that working out? We'll have a closer look and much more as the texest standard continues. We are fast approaching 19 minutes past the hour. Texas standard time. Support for Texas Standard comes from trial med, conducting clinical research for over 30 years. Info on current trials in Texas at trialmed.com. Support comes from Austin Waters Conservation Team. Residents can work together to protect and preserve

13:42the future water supply by watering only one day, week, and at the right time of day. Watering schedules, tips, rebates, and more at austinwater.org. At this time on our broadcast, we hear our segment this week in Texas music history. Unfortunately, we can't play it here on our podcast because of issues with music streaming rights. However, you can find it over at texestandard.org or find a version on Texas standards Facebook or Instagram page. I'm Laura Rice. The Texas legislature passed a law last year aimed at clarifying when doctors can legally perform abortions in medical emergencies. The one narrow exception to the state's strict abortion ban. Physicians who advocated for the legislation are now working to ensure women and physicians know their rights. KUT's Olivia Aldridge spoke with doctors about what they think is working under the law and what's still unknown. Ever since most abortions became illegal in Texas in 2021,

14:45doctors have said the law was unclear about what defined a medical emergency. And the consequences are major if they get it wrong. Up to $100,000 in fines, the loss of their medical license, and even extensive prison time. That's why many physicians urged legislators to pass Senate Bill 31, also known as the Life of the Mother Act. Among them was Dallas area doctor Deborah Fuller, who testified for its house companion bill in 2025. I'm testifying for this bill because I know this bill will help save women's lives. Legislators on both sides of the aisle supported the law too. It represented a tiny sliver of common ground on abortion. It clarified that a pregnant person's death or impairment does not have to be imminent before a doctor can step in. And the doctors can discuss abortion while considering if it's the best treatment option. It also confirmed that the burden of proof is on the state to demonstrate that no reasonable doctor

15:47would have provided an abortion in the same situation. Now more than a year later, Fuller said she believes the law is helping doctors. The angst that might come, the confusion that might come across hard as the 31 has really lessened. But she also thinks there's work left to do to educate pregnant women throughout the state about their rights under the law. Most of them have not heard of it at all. Fuller is now on the advisory committee for asking for a mom, a campaign to ensure that pregnant women and their loved ones are informed about the law. It's a project of the Texas campaign for mothers, a nonprofit that lobbied for SB 31. The group defines itself as nonpartisan, but has several influential Republicans on its advisory board. Asking for a mom puts information on a website and on brightly colored flyers for doctors to keep inside their clinics. Fuller hopes these resources will arm women with the knowledge they need ahead of any emergency

16:47that might arise. In an obstetrical emergency, it would be very unusual for someone to access a law to find out what isn't happening, what isn't covered, where am I in this legislation? Patients are only one half of the equation. The other is doctors. Senate Bill 31 requires Texas OBGYNs, ER doctors and family medicine physicians to receive online training on the law to renew their licenses with the Texas Medical Board. It walks through how to handle a few specific scenarios, like an ectopic pregnancy, premature water breaks, and a woman who needs chemotherapy for cancer treatment. Doctors should be allowed to terminate a pregnancy in those cases, but that process only happens every two years. So some doctors haven't received the training yet. Asking for a mom is trying to bridge those gaps by hosting trainings at medical schools and other clinical settings. Austin OBGYN and Med School Professor,

17:47Dr. Charles Brown, helps lead these sessions. Most practicing physicians don't spend their day reading legal journals, they take care of patients all day. That's why he feels it's valuable to offer an in-person forum where medical professionals can ask questions and get up to speed, especially in light of reporting from ProPublica, about women who've died when abortion care has been delayed. Between that and the personal kinds of stories that I would hear at the medical meetings for my colleagues, I really felt like we needed to clear the air to try and get back on track to let the physicians do what they know how to do. Brown estimates he's visited at least a dozen medical residency programs to provide in-person training. The questions he gets from participants, he says, tend to be legal rather than medical. All the OB-GYN doctors know what to do. They need to have the confidence. They can legally do it, so they will do it. The Texas Medical Board's training emphasizes

18:48that doctors are able to lean on their judgment and emergencies. That does not mean that all physicians would necessarily agree with the decision. It says that as long as you're practicing evidence-based medicine and documenting your decision-making, the risk of prosecution is low. But some physicians still have concerns. Dr. Domla Carzon and Houston has joined multiple lawsuits involving Texas' abortion laws. Even after the Life of the Mother Act, she thinks the band's exception could be confusing. I think there's still so much fear. And so people aren't 100% certain. If providers aren't 100% certain, they're going to delay. There are documented cases of delays in Texas that have put women in life-threatening and even fatal situations. It may take time before data is available that can shed light on whether Senate Bill 31 is having life-saving effects. Initial Texas Health and Human Services data shows that a few more abortions were performed

19:48under the emergency exception during the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year. But in the meantime, Dr. Charles Brown says he's hopeful. You know, time will tell if it's going to be as effective as intended, but I'm trying to make it as effective as it can be. Brown says he's committed, disparaging the word, one training at a time. I'm Olivia Aldridge in Austin. Support for Texas Standard comes from half-price books, a Texas-Bred new-and-use bookstore, proudly supporting public media, and its role in informing our communities. Store locations, staff picks and more at hpb.com. Lie from the Texas newsroom, I'm Shelby Rose. President Trump is headed back to Texas for a third time this month. He will campaign for Republican candidates in San Antonio on Wednesday.

20:49Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro posted a video asking Trump to visit the Dilly Detention Center. And so, President Trump, you're coming to San Antonio. I would invite you to go to Dilly to see what Stephen Miller, who sits with you in the White House, has done for these children. To see the lifelong lasting trauma he's caused to these kids. Trump is scheduled to appear Wednesday at the Freeman Coliseum with Republican Carlos De La Cruz. Meanwhile, opponents of a planned ice detention facility marched through San Antonio's East Side Saturday as local officials increasingly look to legal action to try to halt the project. The San Antonio reports Diego Medell has more. Hundreds of protesters marched from Davis Middle School towards the 640,000 square foot warehouse located on southeast loop 410, that ice plants had turned into a processing facility for up to 1,500 people per day. For some of the people making that walk, the fight over the facility is taking place

21:51in their backyard. That includes East Side resident and high school teacher, Sharon Lundy. She says her family isn't directly affected by immigration enforcement. But that doesn't mean she can look the other way. Sometimes we have a tendency just as humans to think if something's not affecting us directly, then it's not our problem, it's not my fight. But this is everyone's fight. I suspect the facility to open this winter. I'm Diego Medell in San Antonio. State Senator Angela Paxton is taking an active role in electing Republicans next month, including her estranged husband. She's featured in a new ad and encouraging voters to support the Republican ticket. It's not as much about the individual players on the team. It's about getting the whole team across the finish line. Angela Paxton does not mention her husband by name. She filed for divorce from Ken Paxton after 38 years of marriage, citing adultery. He's currently on a tight race for US Senate. Funding for 11 HIV care organizations, including foreign Houston recently lost $45 million in funding

22:54from the Center for Disease Control. Carl Schmidt, executive director of the HIV and Hepatitis Policy Institute says the loss is critical. They're the ones who are educating people about HIV, how to prevent it, testing people, linking people and providing crap, which are drugs that prevent HIV. And without federal support, other organizations in Texas and nationwide could be forced to shut down. I'm Shelby Rose in the Texas newsroom. Support for these Texas headlines comes from Texas Mutual Insurance Company, a workers compensation provider committed to recognizing policyholders who keep employees safe and losses low with annual programs. More at texasmutual.com slash TXM advantage. 33 minutes past the hour, Texas Standard Time. I'm David Brown. We are not endorsing theft here at the standard, but let's face it, some items are easier to steal than others. A candy bar, piece of fruit, child's play, as they say. But what about something far less accessible,

23:55even buried deep underground? Like crude oil? Well, oil theft may not be straightforward, but it does happen. Just ask Sarah Stogner, District Attorney for the 143rd Judicial District in West Texas. That's an area that includes ward, reaves, and loving counties between El Paso and Midland. She recently wrote an op-ed about the growing problem of oil field larceny, something many Texans may not realize is a thing. District Attorney Stogner, welcome to the Texas Standard. Thanks for having me. First, give us a sense of how illegal drilling works in West Texas. I struggle conceptualizing it because, you know, you think of the logistics and complexities involved with extraction of oil and gas. How can someone sort of sneakily start pumping oil? Yeah, well, I would say it's not so much clandestine drilling. What it is is it's people who are taking advantage of the trust system that the upstream oil and gas is built on,

24:57which means when you go, when we produce oil, it comes up with oil, water, and natural gas. It goes to what we call a tank battery to be separated where the gas either gets sent to sail or flared, the water gets hauled away and re-injected in a disposal well, and the oil gets hauled away and put into a pipeline to go down to the coast to be refined. And so what we're seeing a lot of is people in that midstream sector that are responsible for taking either the water or the oil from the tank battery to disposal or to sail. And when they should only be hauling water, for example, they get a little oil and they're skimming oil and taking that and selling it is most important. That is fascinating. And a very clear explanation of that separation process, I must say. I understand though that your office is recently prosecuted a few of these kinds of cases. Can you tell us about the scope of these operations? How big are they? And how are they able to sell their product?

25:59Just people in Houston saying, yeah, I'll take it. Yeah, no. It's how different permit holders get it into the system, right? So waste haulers aren't allowed to be hauling oil. They're only supposed to be hauling waste. But if a waste hauler picks up oil and they get pulled over DPS or the police have no way of knowing what's in that tank, it's really difficult roadside to tell. And so they're able to move it to a facility that's then legally able to sell it and it gets entered into commerce. And so what we're seeing is waste people paying drivers cash to steal the oil, which is never proper. A waste hauler should never be getting paid money for oil. How organized is this process? Is there like a cartel that's behind this? And how big of an issue is this for the local economy? Yeah, I would say just like anything else, yes, there's some really large cartel-related entities.

27:00And then you've also got Joe Bob with the truck that knows where to go and how to get it into market. So I think we have all extremes. What have you concluded that the state or that officials could do to try to crack down on this more effectively? Yeah, I mean, first of all, we need the Railroad Commission to properly train people and enforce the rules. That's the first thing, right? When people have delinquent P5s, or they're not turning in their water injection numbers, those kinds of things, we need to pull permits for people who are not strictly in compliance. P5 for kind of permit, I presume, is that right? Correct, that's the right to do anything within the Railroad Commission's jurisdiction. You can't haul water, produce oil, you can't do anything without a P5. So crack down on those. Right, and unfortunately, it's easier to get a P5 than it is to get a barber's license in the state of Texas, right? There's no training required. It's literally a one-page form and I think it's $750. So it's really easy to start a company

28:03and to purport to be legitimate. And then what they're doing is they're using these allegedly legitimate companies to do illegitimate things. The other thing I think we need to do is I think we need to make it mandatory for operators to report when there's been a theft. Because unfortunately, a lot of times what happens is you've got an insider guy that's leaving a gate unlocked or somehow enabling this theft, he gets terminated and then it's not reported. So he goes on to a different company. And if we want to truly shut down the theft, then we need to hold the bad guy's accountable and we need to make sure that we're properly reporting, investigating and prosecuting the crimes, which requires training law enforcement, having them understand the oil and gas industry what to look for and how to do this safely. Sarah Stogner is district attorney for the 143rd judicial district about halfway between El Paso and Midland. District Attorney Stogner, thank you so much for taking time to talk with us on the Texas standard. We certainly do appreciate it. Thanks, anytime.

29:03MUSIC Support for Texas Standard comes from Texas Mutual Insurance Company, a workers compensation provider committed to recognizing policyholders who keep employees safe and losses low with annual programs, more at texasmutual.com slash TXM and Vantage. MUSIC Support comes from the Austin Public Library, celebrating 100 years of APL with a party at Central on October 17th. Details on Centennial Events at library. Austin, Texas.gov slash 100. It's a Texas standard. I'm Angela Cochera. Sometimes you know you're getting closer to home just by listening to the people around you. Roberto José Andrade Franco wrote he gets that feeling at the airport gate waiting for a flight back home to El Paso.

30:07There's the familiar mix of English and Spanish, a fellow traveler wearing a U-TEP cap, little signs of the place he loves. He brings that perspective to the October issue of Texas highways dedicated to El Paso, which takes readers through El Paso's food, history, landscape and culture, and more, and across the river to Sula Juarez. Roberto José Andrade Franco is the issues guest editor and we welcome him here to the Texas standard. Hi, Roberto. Hello, Angela. Thank you for having me. Well, you're right that there's nowhere you'd rather live than the El Paso Juarez border. I fully understand that. When you got the chance to help shape an entire issue about home, what did you most want readers to understand? I think I wanted them to understand the uniqueness compared to the rest of Texas, and frankly, compared to the rest of the country. I've been fortunate enough to live in other parts of the country and other parts of Texas, but there's something that just always kind of brought me back home,

31:11right? It could be simple things like eating menudo with bolillo instead of tortilla or the lot that's being white corn instead of yellow corn, but you know, there's those tiny little differences, they really make up home. So that's what I wanted the readers to understand. The issue explores the mission trail, including the Isletta mission, and it's continuing importance to the Tiguah community. What can visitors learn about the indigenous history of this region and the people carrying traditions forward? I think that history was here before it was the history of Texas, right? I think being the western most part of the state, we're a little bit more removed from the Texas history so far as all the revolution and all that, and frankly, before any of that, it was the indigenous history here, right? The history of the Spanish and obviously the indigenous aspect of it, and that all feeds into what El Paso is and what it became,

32:12and not just El Paso, but the entire region, El Paso and Cuadis. And you know, you go to these emissions, and it's still very much a part of the community. I mean, we're in Hermeses and there's always something going on that they're right, once Christmas comes around, it's just, it's not the past, it's the present, and that's a deeply part of what it is to grow up here. Well, we have to talk food. There's Menudo, Juarez de Alburritos, Colitas de Pavo, and of course, very strong opinions about Chico's tacos. What's a food that you'd put in front of a visitor to help them understand this region? I think the burritos, the burritos are definitely, I would call them kind of like the national food of the borderland. It turns out several places have these kind of like origin stories where they claim some sort of birthright for the burrito. Cuadis de Alpaso has one of them as well, and I think that's the food that really captures more so than anything, the distinctiveness, right? That here you kind of grew up eating more flour tortillas than corn tortillas.

33:15Obviously, corn tortillas are very much a part of the diet here as well, but it was always burritos. It was always like that fast food, extra fast food, to just stop somewhere along the way and pick them up. It was something that you would just eat at home or something that you could eat on the road. So yeah, I would say the burritos were definitely the place where I would take people. And I have to say, our friends in San Antonio, in Austin, sometimes, I think they call them breakfast tacos but they look like burritos to me. At least we have. And Dallas too. Well, where did we get the name burrito? I thought that was interesting to explain that. Well, part of this creation story or myth, or I'm entirely sure what to call it, but is that a man used to sell these, what we wouldn't know now as burritos, out of the back of a donkey, a Greatland Spanish. And that's where the name comes from. So the donkey would pull this carto. He'd have them on the bedunkey and sell them. Very interesting. So we've got it to the uninitiated.

34:17You have to explain what Chico's tacos are. Those tacos floating in a soup like red sauce. And why are there very differing opinions on these tacos? Yeah, I mean, that's what they are. I'd almost like a flout that shaped piece of food. I'm not even sure what they call it. And they're just soaked in this tomato sauce with what seems to be very cheap type of cheese. And you know, some people love them. Some people are indifferent about them. But I think what that kind of comes back to is, you know, long before the internet made these kind of foodie places well known outside the community, that was the one thing that you kind of missed when you left home, right? That you couldn't find that type of food anywhere else. And it wasn't so much that it was delicious, even though, you know, if you enjoy that, then you might think that, but it was something that you could only find there, right? That, you know, now increasingly you find people from our past so going to other places in Austin and San Antonio and Dallas that have created these sorts

35:21of inspiration of what Chico's tacos is. But back then, you know, you really couldn't find that. And that was the one thing that you would eat that was uniquely to this place. Yeah, those mounds of cheap yellow cheese. And it was affordable. So that was why families also enjoyed it. Well, you have also talk about our beautiful Franklin mountains within the city limits that are available for hiking. And there's the art scene that stretches from neighborhood murals to museums and independent galleries. If you had one day to show someone you're out, your El Paso, where would you take them? I think somewhere along the mountain, I, you know, one of those things that once you move away, you don't realize what you're missing until you just don't see there. And one of those things was the mountains. You know, I could look out my backyard right now and there's the mountains and they become just such a part of the everyday landscape that essentially they become invisible because they're there all the time, right? You take them for granted.

36:21And it's not until you live somewhere else and you get to other geographic places of Dallas and, you know, those mountains aren't there. So I would say the mountains are definitely, definitely the place that I would take someone so they could see a different side of El Paso that isn't anywhere else in Texas. I know when I moved away too, I felt strange to just have these flat areas in the mountains. So I get what you're saying. Well, what do you think most people get wrong about El Paso, especially many of those who just drive through here? I think exactly that that is just almost like a way station, right? I think historically that's what it's been perceived that. And, you know, right now it's almost like a place where you stop on your way to Phoenix or to other parts of Texas if you're going towards the east. El Paso is one of the biggest cities in Texas. And I think people just kind of drive past it, right? I think also the geography plays a role in that where if you just cross through I-10, the way it's shaped, you know,

37:22you kind of figure it's a smallish place because you could cross I-10 in 20 minutes, 30 minutes maybe, right? But it extends north and south as well as east and west. So I would say that right and along with that comes its own unique culture, its own unique history. And this mix with the border having a huge impact on this, that makes El Paso different from any other place in Texas and frankly the country. I couldn't agree more. So definitely worth the stop. Get off of I-10 and take a look around. And you can certainly look at the issue of Texas highways edited by Roberto José Andrade Franco. He's a reporter and guest editor of the October issue and it's devoted to El Paso. You can find that issue at TexasHighways.com. And we have more online at texestandard.org. Roberto, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you very much for having me, Angela. Support for Texas Standard comes from the Houston Cinema Arts Festival. Now through October 11th at Fenus across Houston,

38:24films include The debut and once upon a time in Harlem, programming includes screenings and film excursions. More at cinemahtx.org. Support for Texas Standard comes from HB and the MyHB app, which is available for download and shopping fresh departments like seafood, produce, bakery, and deli, and scheduling curbside pickup or home delivery. More at hb.com. It's a Texas Standard. I'm David Brown. If you filled up lately, you don't need us to tell you fuel prices are high. But something interesting is happening at the pump right now. Prices are finally beginning to ease somewhat, just not nearly back to where they were prior to the war with Iran. Regular gasoline averaging about $4.37, a gallon nationally on this Monday. Here in Texas, that number is closer to $3.91. Diesel is another story, however. Nationally, the average price per gallon is about $6.32.

39:25Here in Texas, closer to $5.74. It's nearly $2.5 a gallon more than Texans were paying a year ago. Both gas and diesel have come down over the past week, but diesel in particular remains close to record territory. Question here, why are prices finally moving lower, a sign of better things to come or not so much? Matt Smith is top energy analyst at Kepler, and he joins us every couple of weeks here on the Standard. Matt, welcome back. Thanks, David. Let's talk gas, or petrol, as you might say, Matt. We are hearing that more oil is passing through the straight of Hormuz. I think I saw a big article in the New York Times last week. What's actually happening right now? How much broadly speaking is getting out across the Middle East compared to pre-conflict levels? Yeah, sure. And that's the trouble, David. It ebbs and flows. So in the last couple of weeks, we've really seen volumes increasing. So just passing through the straight of Hormuz will be getting closer to normal levels there.

40:26But it's come back again because over the last week, we've had renewed attacks from Iran. That's the most leverage that they have is to be able to slow these flows. And so we've seen them ramping up attacks. But there's a couple of things to bear in mind here. When you look at the total Middle East, as in, you've got the ability to reroute this crude view of different pipelines and different load points, we've actually seen them even just now. There are about 90% of pre-conflict levels if you take Iran out of the situation. Yeah. But that's another thing, too. Iran actually hasn't exported anything since August because the blockade is working so well. And so there's that piece of it. The other piece, too, is that it's very different between crude and products. We're seeing a lot of crude passing through the straight on these VLCCs, very large crude carriers that carry 2 million barrels. So you don't need a whole lot of those to get through for a lot of volume to be passing.

41:28But on the product side of things, we've been seeing that very, very slow because of all the refinery issues in the Middle East. And so that's adding to the global pressure that we're seeing on the refined product prices. You know, on the diesel front, I know there have been a lot of saber rattling from the administration over diesel prices. There was a concern that global demand for diesel, US diesel was driving up costs for US customers. And the administration had been talking, maybe there should be some kind of ban on diesel exports to push prices lower. Then we saw last week, Europe releasing barrels of diesel from their strategic reserves. Instead, I guess to hold off on a US diesel ban. Are these positive developments or a mistake from both sides? I mean, we are seeing diesel prices moving lower, right? Yeah. So we'll take each in turn, right? So if we look at the US side of things, a diesel ban wouldn't work. Just because yes, it would drive down prices on the Gulf Coast because we've got all the refineries there.

42:30You know, there'd be much more production than consumption. So inventories would start to build. But it would then cause these refiners to shut in. It would call gasoline prices to rise. So even the US energy secretary came out and said, I think this would be a bad idea. But this was used as a bargaining chip. And so the US essentially put Europe under pressure to release from their reserves because they said otherwise we're going to put an export ban in place. And that would hurt Europe more because Europe gets a lot of diesel from the US and you just see prices skyrocketing. And so it's a positive thing for Europe in that they're releasing, it's forcing them to release more of their barrels. But thank goodness we didn't see the export ban in the US. Yeah, I know there's a Dallas Fed energy survey that came out last week. We don't have much time. But what are they saying about forecasts on prices? And how does it jive with what you're hearing? So one of the questions in that, they were looking at what will WTI, that US benchmark be by the end of this year?

43:31Most Texas intermediate, yeah. Yeah, exactly, yeah. And they said between 80 to $90, that was the most popular answer. And that feels fair. We may see it a little bit higher than that as well, just if this conflict reignites. And honestly, David, that's the real worry here is that we see re-escalation, particularly as we move closer to the midterm elections. You know, Iran will be incentivized to cause a bit of trouble here. Matt Smith, Senior Oil Analyst at Kepler, Matt, thanks so much for the update. And we'll talk again soon. Speak soon, thanks, David. And you are listening to the Texas Standard. The Texas Standard. The Texas Standard. The Texas Standard. The Texas Standard. The Texas Standard. The Texas Standard. Assistant Digital Editor Role, Alonzo, Joinsis, as promised with more of the talk of Texas, Howdy Role. Hello, David. Well, as I mentioned earlier in the show, we are talking community safety this week, specifically. What it is exactly that folks feel makes a community safe to begin with. So this topic came to mind in light of recent high profile

44:31shootings by ice officers in Texas and the ongoing backlash against flock security cameras, both headlines having touched off conversations around community safety, namely, the presence of immigration officers on city streets, as well as the expanding presence of surveillance devices. So have you're policing surveillance? There are certainly calls for both to be eased or even removed from our streets. But then of course, there are many who do feel safer having them. And then you've got those who are in favor of one, but not the other. So there are many things, of course, that make up the infrastructure of community safety. So that's why this week I'm asking listeners more broadly. What makes a community safe? And what ways can policy municipal services, culture or other aspects contribute to a safer community? Is there something in your own neck of the woods that makes you feel particularly safe living there? We've already received a few thoughts on social media. Over on Facebook, Tyler Maloy says, what would make community safer a bigger safety net?

45:32Higher minimum wage, universal healthcare, properly funded schools and economic opportunity. In summary, well intentioned policy. There are also quite a few folks highlighting the importance of knowing your neighbors. Also on Facebook, Jimmy Kelly writes that, caring neighbors who look out for one another and vote for a public good contribute to safety in a community. Same for Alberto Afaro, who points to neighbors, watching out for each other. So those are just a couple of comments. I've certainly loved to hear from more of our listeners, with an emphasis on here. Send in your voice recordings to texasstandard.org slash talk and tell us what makes a community safe? In what ways can policy, municipal services, culture, all these different aspects contribute to a safer community. And if there's something in your own neck of the woods that helps you feel, makes it feel like a safe place to live, feel free to reach out to us. Again, we wanna hear your voice on the air. Go to texasstandard.org slash talk.

46:33Head on over to that orange record button. Leave us a voice message. And we just might play a few on the show on Friday, David. Yeah, there'd be a lot of fun. Texasstandard.org slash talk. Did I get that right? That is correct, Texasstandard.org slash talk. Assistant Digital Literary Roll Alonzo with the talk of Texas. Let us hear some talk from you. You know when parents are deported, what happens to their kids who remain in the US? We'll hear from the author of a new report exploring that issue, more common than many might imagine. Also, ever get so stressed, you wanna scream? Now a place for Texans to vent. We'll hear the where, why, and how. And a new encyclopedia that may or may not help settle some long smoldering arguments over barbecue. All that and more on tomorrow's edition of the biggest little loose broadcast in Texas. Till Tuesday, I'm David Brown wishing all the very best from the Texas Capital City. Phil and Thropic support for Texas Standard, Kelser and Casey and Scott O'Hare, the Winkler Family Foundation, Lynn Dobson and Greg Woldridge, Adrian Killam, and the George Huntington family.

47:36If you want to know what's going on in the world, then you need to know what's going on in Texas. Every weekday on the Texas Standard, we bring you stories from across the state that affect what's going on elsewhere. As part of the NPR network and independent coalition of our nation's leaders, we'll see you next week. Thank you for your time, and I'll be back with you next week. I hope you enjoyed today's episode of the New York City and the New York Times. I'm Michael Marks, talk to you tomorrow.