Texas Take

Texas Take

Ep166: A GOP Flameout in Fort Bend and Impeachment Drives Texas Donations to Trump

Dec 6 • 40 min

The political career of a Republican lawmaker came to a swift end in the Texas suburbs this week after he made racially offensive comments about Asian Americans. Gov. Greg Abbott’s office is under scrutiny after two members of a commission that oversees…

Ep165: President Trump Comes to Texas, Dan Patrick Hangs with Kanye West

Nov 22 • 32 min

President Trump made yet another trip to Texas this week, this time to tour the Apple campus in Austin to put a focus on the economy. But he ended up talking about the impeachment proceedings anyway. Plus Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spent time with Kanye West…

Ep164: Texans on Both Sides in the Impeachment Hearings

Nov 14 • 38 min

Republicans and Democrats in Congress played key roles in public impeachment hearings as they began to unfold in Washington this week. We break it down for you. Plus, a Texas lawmaker is caught with cocaine at the Austin airport and, one last time, Beto…

Ep163: What Keeps Dan Patrick Up at Night? Answer: Michelle Obama Running for President

Nov 6 • 32 min

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick this week said that what he thinks would make the Democrats competitive against President Trump would be Michelle Obama entering the race for the White House. Meantime Democrats under performed in a suburban Houston race for Texas…

Ep162: Finding Nuance in the Era of Trump? Good Luck

Oct 31 • 33 min

Texans in Congress went on the record this week voting for or against procedures for the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, stands out from his GOP colleagues as a member of the party looking for some nuance in…

Ep161: The Speaker of the Texas House falls

Oct 24 • 32 min

After months of scandal that boiled over last week with the release of secretly-recorded audio, Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced this week he will not seek reelection in 2020. Meantime, the Texans running for the White House really need…

Ep160: Trump says Texas got rich off Hurricane Harvey, Speaker Bonnen faces his own storm

Oct 18 • 55 min

President Trump rallied his supporters in Dallas this week and took a swipe at Texans in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, joking about leaders in this state still calling him for money two years later. Meantime, the Texas House Republicans rebuffed the GOP…

Ep159: Texas GOP blowback to President Trump

Oct 10 • 40 min

President Trump’s abrupt decision to pull US troops from Northern Syria has drawn sharp criticism from some Texas Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Dan Crenshaw. Also, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke plans a counter rally as President Trump comes…

Ep158: Down to the wire for Texans running for president

Oct 2 • 44 min

Fundraising and polling is more critical than ever for former Rep. Beto O’Rourke and former Secretary Julian Castro as they try to avoid being cut from the field of Democratic presidential hopefuls. Meantime, new polling shows very competitive races for…

Ep157: Movement toward impeachment forces Texas politicians to choose sides

Sep 27 • 45 min

Now that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has hit the gas toward impeaching President Donald Trump, every Democrat in Congress from Texas has come out in favor of moving forward with the inquiry. But Republicans including Sen. John Conryn say some of the…

Ep156: All-out civil war in the Texas GOP?

Sep 20 • 54 min

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s feud with hard line conservatives on the issue of guns has put into sharp focus the deep divisions in the Texas GOP. You can add that to the fact that grassroots conservatives are debating whether Republican House Speaker Dennis…

Ep155: Historic Debate in Houston

Sep 11 • 41 min

On the eve of an historic debate in Houston, we break down how the Texas candidates may approach it and look back on the fact that 1987 was the only other time Democratic presidential hopefuls debated in Houston - and Joe Biden was on stage. Meantime, Lt.…

Ep154: A special session on gun violence? Not so fast

Sep 5 • 34 min

In the wake of shootings in El Paso and Odessa, Democrats across Texas demanded Gov. Greg Abbott call a special session on gun violence. But he was quick to say no and instead issue eight executive orders. Meantime, Rep. Dan Crenshaw got into a social…

Ep153: Mistakes were made, Gov. Abbott says

Aug 31 • 48 min

In a rare conciliatory moment, Gov. Greg Abbott this week admitted that “mistakes were made” in the days before the El Paso shooting when his campaign sent an anti-immigrant fundraising letter to supporters. Critics said it was similar in tone to the…

Ep152: A Republican at the center of the Speaker scandal breaks his silence

Aug 22 • 43 min

After weeks of silence, former Texas House GOP Caucus Chairman Dustin Burrows on Thursday spoke out about the allegations that he and Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen offered media credentials to a political operative in exchange for targeting GOP…

Ep151: The Texas House Speaker Under Investigation

Aug 16 • 59 min

As a scandal grows surrounding Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, a committee of lawmakers this week voted to ask the Texas Rangers to investigate the meeting between Bonnen and Empower Texans spokesman Michael Quinn Sullivan. Plus the State of Texas…

Ep150: Fallout from the mass shooting in El Paso

Aug 9 • 39 min

This week the political ramifications were apparent but progress toward solutions was not after the mass shooting in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in particular was reaching for reasons including blaming graphic video games and social…

Ep149: Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen faces his first scandal

Aug 2 • 33 min

As he faces accusations of potential bribery and politically targeting members of his own party, Republican Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen has demanded that an audio recording be released of a meeting he had with the spokesman for a group called…

Ep148: Another Texas Republican surrenders in the suburbs

Jul 26 • 39 min

In perhaps a sign of things to come, another Texas Republican officeholder from the suburbs has announced he’s not running for re-election. Meantime, Democrats are ruffling some feathers in Austin by telling corporate lobbyists the minority party is…

Ep147: GOP builds a fortress against Democrats vying for Texas House seats

Jul 19 • 32 min

Since the end of the legislative session, top Texas GOP officeholders have raised $18 million as they promise their supporters they can keep Democrats from taking over the Texas House in 2020. Chronicle reporter Andrea Zelinski joins the show with the…

Ep 146: Houston will be the center of the political universe again

Jul 12 • 35 min

Houston has been chosen as the site of the third Democratic presidential debate coming up in September just. And there are more Democrats running for Congress in Texas than at any time in a generation. No wonder the Republican Party of Texas is…

Ep145: O’Rourke and Castro Clash in First Democratic Debate

Jun 27 • 46 min

As the Democratic presidential debates got underway this week, the Texans in the race clashed before a national audience creating fresh buzz for former HUD Secretary Julian Castro. He laid into former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who barely cast a shadow in the…

Ep144: Beto Slams Biden; Castro Appears on Fox News

Jun 13 • 40 min

The Texas Democrats in the race for the White House are trying to stand out from the huge field of candidates by slamming former VP Joe Biden and by appearing on Fox News Channel. Meantime, some are asking whether Texas Democrats are acting as props for…

Ep143: Was Gov. Abbott Directly Involved in the Voter Purge?

Jun 6 • 26 min

New emails shed some light on whether Gov. Greg Abbott was directly involved in the botched voter purge rolled out earlier this year. San Antonio Express-News reporter Allie Morris joined us with details and explained what questions remain. Plus Houston…

Ep142: A Grand Bargain as the Session Comes to an End

May 24 • 42 min

The 2019 session of the Texas Legislature is coming to an end this weekend as the House and Senate plan to vote on a grand bargain for public education funding and property tax “relief.” Meantime, Beto O’Rourke now says it’s time to start impeachment…

Ep141: Saving Chik-fil-A, Space Pirates, and a White Flag of Surrender

May 17 • 27 min

After a legislative session that had been focused on property tax relief and school finances, suddenly the “Save Chik-fil-A” bill, a “voter suppression” measure, abortion bills and more are on the move. Is it all for show? Join the conversation featuring…

Ep140: The Sales Tax Plan Falls Apart

May 9 • 48 min

The Texas Senate this week voted to make it harder for communities to get rid of Confederate statues and other monuments, but will this become law? Plus the tax plan that Gov. Greg Abbott guaranteed just last week would pass is now dead. For a look at…

Ep139: Gov. Abbott Doubles Down on Sales Tax Increase

May 3 • 37 min

Gov. Greg Abbott this week promised that when this legislature completes its work, property owners in this state will see lower tax bills than they received this year. Even some conservatives said it might be his “read my lips” moment. Meantime, the Texas…

Ep138: Houston takes center stage in race for the White House

Apr 25 • 42 min

This week, eight of the Democrats running for president made their pitch in Houston at Texas Southern University. Jeremy was there. In Austin, the debate over taking a softer stance on marijuana heated up as the Texas House delved into the issue. Ryan is…

Ep137: Dan Patrick’s do-over on the border

Apr 18 • 42 min

With more and more people in the Texas Capitol community hoping Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will receive a plum appointment in the Trump Administration, the Texas Senate’s presiding officer faced off with Democrats in dueling press conferences about the…

Ep136: Trump vs Castro in Texas

Apr 12 • 50 min

With Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at his side, President Donald Trump took a brief tour of Texas as former San Antonio Mayor and HUD Secretary Julian Castro rallied his troops in his bid for the White House. Plus, a plan to raise sales taxes in exchange for…

Ep135: Amid School Finance Debate, Texas Republicans Come Under Fire for Being “Too Liberal”

Apr 4 • 52 min

Now that the Texas House has approved a major school finance overhaul, what happens next? Meantime some self-described conservatives are attacking GOP leadership including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as “too liberal.” Really? Oh, and Beto…

Ep134: Beto’s kickoff; priorities moving through the legislature

Mar 29 • 50 min

After months of talk from Republican leadership in Austin about how they’re all on the same page when it comes to property taxes and school finance, those issues are finally moving through the process. But now it seems there’s a rush to pass something on…

Ep133: A New Dan Patrick?

Mar 22 • 33 min

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has begun to strike a very different tone in his governing style and in speeches. Why’s that? Plus, Beto O’Rourke raised a mountain of money as he kicked off his campaign and support for a ban on red light cameras seems to be dropping…

Ep132: Beto O’Rourke is Running For President

Mar 14 • 37 min

Beto O’Rourke jumped into the race for President of the United States on Thursday, and President Trump can’t help it, he’s already making fun of the former Texas Congressman. Plus, speaking of presidential politicking, why did Houston miss out on the…

Ep131: Marijuana bill gains momentum, school finance plan rolls out and should Texas nix daylight saving time?

Mar 8 • 42 min

Will Texas “decriminalize” marijuana? There’s a legitimate question as to whether the proposals will cross the finish line and become law this year. Plus; nearly a dozen presidential contenders make their way to Austin for SXSW. The Texas House rolls out…

Ep130:Beto rules out Senate run; Texas House gets its shot at property taxes

Feb 28 • 51 min

Another busy week in Texas politics — from Beto O’Rourke’s possible race for the White House to a marathon hearing at the state capitol over your property taxes. Plus an update on Texas Secretary of State David Whitley’s attempt to keep his job despite…

Ep129: Can Texas Lawmakers Really Avoid Red Meat? Plus, it Turns Out Beto Spent More Time on Oprah’s Couch

Feb 21 • 33 min

An abortion bill is in the mix along with taxes and school finance. More on Beto’s couch time with Oprah.

Ep128: Trump vs Beto, and the Secretary of State apologizes

Feb 14 • 35 min

President Donald Trump and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke held dueling rallies in El Paso trading jabs over the idea of more physical barriers along the international boundary with Mexico. Meantime, there’s building frustration at the Texas Capitol with the…

Ep127: The property tax throwdown begins, plus Beto O’Rourke on Oprah’s couch

Feb 7 • 61 min

The property tax throwdown begins, plus Beto O’Rourke on Oprah’s couchFrustrations boiled over during a marathon hearing on property taxes in the Texas Senate when Chairman Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, clashed with local officials. Gov. Greg Abbott laid…

Ep126: Abbott unveils a tax plan, secretary of state rolls back a voter list, and Cornyn gets a head start on re-election

Feb 1 • 48 min

Texas Secretary of State David Whitley continues to take heat for the way his office rolled out a list of suspected noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls. As it turns out, many of the people on the list are citizens, but that didn’t keep President Trump…

Ep125: The Shutdown Showdown and a Meltdown in the Texas Senate

Jan 24 • 51 min

The shutdown in Washington has become emotional as senators shout and Sen. Ted Cruz takes the brunt of the criticism from those who argue he has trivialized shutdowns in the past. Back in Austin, tensions in the Texas Senate between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick…

Ep124: Castro is in, Beto is in a funk, and Abbott promises the moon this session

Jan 17 • 27 min

With solid commitments to funding public education Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick were inaugurated, again, as the top elected officeholders in Texas. Former San Antonio Mayor and HUD Secretary Julián Castro launched his campaign for president…

Ep123: Dan Patrick skips beginning of legislative session to help Trump sell wall

Jan 11 • 41 min

Sparking rumors that he is joining the Trump administration, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick skipped town on the first day of the legislative session this week to join the president in the White House. Meanwhile, the session got underway with the election of a…

Ep122: As 2018 comes to a close, is Texas politically different?

Dec 20, 2018 • 45 min

The ascendancy of Texas Democrats in 2018 - knocking off Republicans in legislative races and making statewide races more competitive than they’ve been in decades - will no doubt set the tone for 2019 Legislature. At this time two years ago,…

Ep121: Castro moves toward a run for the White House and Beto gets the biggest celebrity dollars

Dec 14, 2018 • 32 min

Now that much of the national conversation about politics has moved to the 2020 race for the White House, former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is inching toward entering the race. Join the conversation featuring Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum…

Ep120: Bush 41 Laid to Rest in Texas

Dec 7, 2018 • 41 min

The nation paused this week to pay tribute to former President George Herbert Walker Bush, who was laid to rest at his presidential library on the campus at Texas A&M University in College Station. Meantime, the Republican Party of Texas was…

Ep119: Paxton Sues San Antonio Over Sanctuary Cities Law and Beto Has a Change of Heart

Nov 30, 2018 • 41 min

exas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday announced his office is suing the City of San Antonio over alleged violations of the state’s ban on so-called “sanctuary cities.” The move comes ahead of the next legislative session when lawmakers are…

Ep118: A new presumptive Texas House Speaker and an outbreak of decency

Nov 16, 2018 • 37 min

The race for Texas House Speaker was declared over this week by Rep. Dennis Bonnen, who provided a list of 109 pledges to his candidacy. He only needed 76 votes of House members to get the job, but Republicans and Democrats came together in a unique…

Ep117: The election is over, but what does it all mean?

Nov 8, 2018 • 33 min

The historic 2018 Texas election is in the books and even though some of the dust has yet to settle — the vote counting continues in a few races — there is plenty to be said for what it all means. The race between Sen. Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke was…

Ep116: What’s Scarier? Halloween or the campaigns?

Nov 1, 2018 • 27 min

President Trump this week ratcheted up his rhetoric on illegal immigration, threatening to send as many as 15,000 troops to the US-Mexico border in response to a caravan of people traveling north from Central America. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has fully…

Ep115: Trump comes to Texas as Senate race surpasses $100M milestone

Oct 26, 2018 • 32 min

President Donald Trump arrived in Houston this week to a warm welcome at a rally in support of Sen. Ted Cruz as Texas’ junior senator fends off a spirited and well-funded challenge by Rep. Beto O’Rourke. Plus, Ryan Poppe has an in-depth report on…

Ep114: Is a vote for Cruz a vote for Trump?

Oct 18, 2018 • 32 min

Sen. Ted Cruz is getting backup from President Trump on Monday when he comes to Houston to rally for the senator fending off a challenge from Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke. Trump’s theme at campaign rallies around the nation has been that a vote for…

Ep113: Critics say “Come on, Ted.” And the polls show he’s coming on.

Oct 11, 2018 • 33 min

Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Beto O’Rourke are making their final arguments to voters across the Great State in the home stretch of the U.S. Senate campaign. Richard Linklater, the renowned Austin filmmaker, has now directed TV ads for an anti-Cruz PAC in…

Ep112: Cruz Teams With Donald Trump Jr, O’Rourke Teams with Willie Nelson

Oct 4, 2018 • 40 min

The star power is now coming out in the Texas US Senate race as Sen. Ted Cruz and challenger Rep. Beto O’Rourke look to offer voters a dramatic contrast. Sen. Cruz welcomed First Son Donald Trump Jr. to Wichita Falls, O’Rourke welcomed Texas icon…

Ep111: It’s Round Two for Ted and Beto

Sep 27, 2018 • 40 min

Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Beto O’Rourke are set to clash in their second debate this weekend in Houston. On the show, we break down the first debate in Dallas and offer a preview of how the Senate candidates may throw down in Houston Sunday night. …

Ep 110: Willie Nelson doesn’t care what you think of his politics

Sep 20, 2018 • 44 min

Willie Nelson took a lot of heat this week for his upcoming concert to fundraiser for Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke, but he doesn’t seem to care. Meantime, O’Rourke’s trailing Sen. Ted Cruz in one new poll this week and leading him in…

Ep 109: The Mission to Rescue Ted Cruz

Sep 14, 2018 • 39 min

Republicans are sounding the alarm that Sen. Ted Cruz could be in real danger of losing his reelection bid to Rep. Beto O’Rourke. That’s why Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick reportedly went to the White House earlier this year to ask that President Trump come…

Ep108: Showing the #@%* up in the Cruz and O’Rourke race; plus Dan Patrick’s jet-fueled campaign kickoff

Sep 6, 2018 • 38 min

Now that Labor Day weekend has come and gone, the campaigns for statewide office in Texas kick into high gear. Sen. Ted Cruz keeps doing all he can to define Rep. Beto O’Rourke, his Democratic challenger, as “too liberal” and “too vulgar”…

Ep107: Trump to Head to Texas, But Does it Help or Hurt Cruz?

Aug 31, 2018 • 42 min

Trump to Head to Texas, But Does it Help or Hurt Cruz? The race between Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Beto O’Rourke is heating up this week as President Trump promised to campaign for Cruz in October. The venue? “The biggest stadium in Texas we can…

Ep106: O’Rourke and Cruz Clash Over What it Means to Be American

Aug 24, 2018 • 45 min

Beto O’Rourke and Ted Cruz clash over the controversy surrounding protests by NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to draw attention to shootings of African-Americans by law enforcement. Meantime, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says…

Ep105: What-a-mistake in the Senate race, Abbott’s staff rolls in dough, and where is Valdez’s gun?

Aug 16, 2018 • 47 min

What a show this week as Ted Cruz’s campaign really stepped in it when it comes to an iconic burger chain. The state started awarding letter grades for public schools. And a gun belonging to the Democratic nominee for governor went missing. Yes, you…

Ep 104: Cruz cozies up to Trump, a Russian invite and ‘Easy Rider’ Abbott

Aug 9, 2018 • 26 min

Plus: Bail reform, a new DACA showdown and ‘Winning for Texas’ as campaign season rachets up

Ep 103: A red wave, heroin and support for abortion rights

Aug 3, 2018 • 48 min

Plus ‘indictment’ cake, GOP in-fighting and a passel of summer polls

Ep102: Medical marijuana, debate talk and Russian spies, it’s all Texas; plus, a growing political storm over DACA, family reunification and gun control

Jul 26, 2018 • 39 min

A growing push to expand the availability of medical marijuana is taking place in conservative rural Texas, of all places, and the effects of the ongoing drive are likely to show up in the legislative session next year. Voters in Oklahoma…

Ep101: Will this be the year of ‘reverse coattails’ in Texas? Plus, as Texas-size campaign totals come in, Trump sets off another storm in The Swamp

Jul 20, 2018 • 36 min

Money, and lots of it, is flowing into several top-ballot races in Texas, even as some top statewide candidates are having trouble raising much of anything. Consider that incumbent Republican Greg Abbott has $29 million in the bank, while…

Ep100: Big money for Beto and herding angry cats; Plus, a fight over paid sick leave, a $2.8 billion bonus on our 100th episode

Jul 12, 2018 • 32 min

Call this the week of fights. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, is raking in loads of campaign cash in his bid to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, raising more than all the other Democrats running for statewide…

SPECIAL EVENT: Ask Texas Take (almost) anything

Jul 6, 2018 • 1 min

On Thursday, July 12 at 2PM, join the Texas Take hosts Mike Ward of the Houston Chronicle, Scott Braddock, editor of the Quorum Report and Texas Public Radio’s Ryan Poppe for a Facebook Live Q&A followed by the recording of Ep100. Get your…

Ep99: A fight over sex ed, special elections galore, and more

Jun 29, 2018 • 31 min

This week’s hodgepodge of Texas political news includes Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s legal troubles and his fight with the Fort Worth School District over sex ed curriculum. There are also special elections playing out across the state to…

SPECIAL EDITION: Texas Democratic Party Convention

Jun 23, 2018 • 40 min

The Texas Democratic Party met in Fort Worth this weekend to hammer out their platform and celebrate their slate of candidates for the fall. The crowd in the convention hall was on their feet for big Democratic stars like Beto O’Rourke and Julian…

SPECIAL EDITION: Texas GOP Convention

Jun 16, 2018 • 39 min

A fight over party chair, saluting President Trump; The inside skinny, direct from the GOP state convention in San Antonio Two years ago, nobody wanted to talk about The Donald, even as he was winning his takeover bid of the Republican Party. At this…

Ep98: Were Texans sightseeing in boats as Hurricane Harvey blew in? Plus, presidential pardons, LGBTQ politics and a basketball shoot off

Jun 7, 2018 • 29 min

President Trump thinks Texas sightseers were the reason that thousands of Coast Guard rescues, but chagrined Houston officials have another thought: Next storm, we’ll push Trump out into Galveston Bay in a small boat to watch the storm blow in….

Ep97: Ted Cruz, Jimmy Kimmel and a Blobfish

Jun 1, 2018 • 42 min

In a week dominated by school safety concerns, a basketball challenge lightens things up

Ep96: Dan Patrick blames school shootings on a ‘culture of violence’ as Lupe Valdez explains her $12,000 in unpaid property bills, the fall campaigns heat up

May 24, 2018 • 26 min

As state officials began looking for solutions to curb school shootings like the tragedy at Santa Fe High School that left 10 people dead and 13 people wounded, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blamed the “culture of violence” prevalent in the United States as a…

Ep95: Santa Fe school shooting spurs new gun-safety debate; plus, Gov. Greg Abbott promises quick action to protect schools, as Dan Patrick warns about Fake News

May 18, 2018 • 42 min

The school shooting in Santa Fe that left 10 dead and 10 injured has state officials lining up to offer possible solutions to prevent another such tragedy, so Texas students can be safe in their classes. Gov. Greg Abbott says he will be leading a…

Ep94: Greg Abbott after ‘liberal’ Lupe Valdez; plus, before the runoff election, Texas GOP governor ramps up his attac

May 10, 2018 • 26 min

The Democratic runoff for governor is a week away, but incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has already declared war on the candidate he wants to run against. In a new website, Greg The Guv is blasting away at Lupe…

Ep93: Was Gov. Abbott trolled by the Russians on Jade Helm? Plus, the NRA show comes to Dallas, Blake Farenthold tells Abbott to pound salt and more

May 3, 2018 • 43 min

As the National Rifle Association opened its annual meeting in Dallas, the former CIA director says that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott got trolled by the Russians in his Jade Helm response three years ago. Say what? According to Michael…

Ep92: Texas throwdowns starring Blake Fahrenthold, HISD and Congress; plus, shade gets thrown at low minority college rates and media stars Diamond and Silk

Apr 27, 2018 • 36 min

Call this the week of the throwdowns. It started with a raucous Houston Independent School District board meeting over controversial plans involving several school campuses, in the nation’s seventh-largest district, where cops were…

Ep91: Will Texans get a chance to roll the dice at casinos? Plus, discussion about a possible expansion of medical marijuana and Barbara Bush remembrances

Apr 19, 2018 • 38 min

Andrew White, the Democrat running a long-shot campaign to become Texas’ next governor, thinks Texans should get the chance to roll the dice for improved schools. Literally. Under his plan, casino gambling in the Lone Star State would be…

Ep90: A silver tsunami and warnings about Chinese spies in Texas, plus; National Guard troops head back to Texas’ border with Mexico, as Washington politics go wild again

Apr 12, 2018 • 25 min

New forecasts are predicting that a mushrooming population of senior Texans, and a shortage of doctors to care for them, could produce a ”silver tsunami” in coming years. This, in a state targeted for years by complaints that it was not…

Ep89: GOP Gov. Abbott picks Democrat Valdez as runoff victor? Plus; border security an issue again, NAFTA changes and Ted Cruz as the ‘unity’ candidate

Apr 5, 2018 • 36 min

Gov. Greg Abbott surprised Democrats with a tweet where he acknowledged for the first time that former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez would be the party’s nominee to face him next November. “The next 7 months will be a battle between…

Ep88: Jeb Bush says his kids actually love him, plus; a fight over the census, opoids, Bollywood and Mars also on the dance card

Mar 30, 2018 • 28 min

Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who was Donald Trump’s favorite punching bag during the 2016 GOP presidential primary, is at it again with the orange-haired guy who is now POTUS. In a speech at Yale University (he graduated from…

Ep87: A psychopath, secret cameras and frozen yogurt; plus, political debate intensifies as runoffs, general election fights come closer

Mar 23, 2018 • 45 min

In a week dominated by news about the Austin bombings, Texas politics gave up a few surprise headlines to make things interesting. The bombings came to an end after the suspect, a jobless, 23-year-old college dropout, blew himself up as…

Ep86: ‘You can’t be a liberal man’ becomes new GOP ditty; Plus, tariffs, Trump and a West Texas woman with 46 grandkids

Mar 9, 2018 • 35 min

With the primary election now in the rear-view mirror, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is amusing himself with a short song, “You Can’t Be a Liberal Man,” that pokes at his Democratic general election opponent, U.S. Rep….

Ep85: Record early voting, nasty campaigns and deer semen donations

Mar 2, 2018 • 36 min

The Texas primary season is nearly over as early voting closes Friday and election day is Tuesday. All across the state, Texans have been turning out in record numbers for a non-presidential election, with huge enthusiasm on the Democratic…

Ep84: P is for Primary, U is for Unpleasantness

Feb 22, 2018 • 31 min

Early voting has started in Texas’ spring primary elections, and Democratic turnout is reported to be at record levels. Republicans, on the other hand, seem focused on attacking each other in several high-profile contests. Gov. Abbott is campaigning…

Ep83: ‘Liberal’ the GOP stink bomb in primary races; plus, bathrooms, heartburn over mail ballots and complaints over ‘crappy articles’

Feb 8, 2018 • 39 min

Forget that civilized political discourse thing that you may think elections are all about. Texas’ Republican primaries are beginning to look more like a full-on street fight. It’s a state where GOP leaders pride themselves as being conservative with…

Ep82: ‘I agree with President Trump’ new GOP mantra: As primary election draws closer, president’s popularity drives kudos in Texas

Feb 2, 2018 • 37 min

Not so long ago, a lot of Texas Republicans were running for cover from President Trump. Now, with The Donald’s approval ratings high in Texas on the even of the March 6 primary, many are running to embrace him. “I agree with President Trump” seems to…

Ep81: Harvey relief versus DACA, as sparks fly over toll roads: Plus, as primary season gets serious, the political rhetoric becomes a blow torch

Jan 25, 2018 • 33 min

After a three-day shutdown of the federal government, Congress is back at working trying to resolve the issue that triggered it: What to do with The Dreamers, the undocumented immigrants that were brought to this country by their parents. Texas U.S….

Ep80: Tax talk stirs the election debate, cuts and no new hikes: Plus, as state costs from Harvey, foster care, special education continue to grow

Jan 19, 2018 • 31 min

Within hours after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott rolled out his plan put the brakes on skyrocketing property taxes in Texas, to GOP cheering, Democrats and a variety of other groups were shooting at it right and left. Lupe Valdez, at an Austin forum a…

Ep79: President Trump uses another expletive, but Dan Patrick calls him ‘greatest’: Plus, DACA, state border-security funding, Astros’ Series win become bookmarks in a busy political week

Jan 12, 2018 • 41 min

As the elbowing among dozens of little-known Texas candidates in both parties intensifies as they scramble to get attention just eight weeks before the election, President Trump is again stealing the limelight with an explosive remark featuring an…

Ep78: Ted Cruz touts tax cuts and throws shade on Washington Democrats

Jan 4, 2018 • 48 min

As U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz touts the Republican-pushed tax cuts recently approved in Washington, he predicts that Texans will see more in their paychecks by next month. A prophecy, he calls it, that will refute the claims of Democrats who opposed the cuts….

Ep77: Tax cuts, cuts, cuts signed into law as Washington politicians jockey for credit In Austin; plus, brawling begins for what promises to be some raucous March primaries

Dec 22, 2017 • 44 min

Tax cuts, cuts, cuts, as President Trump loves to say, were approved by Congress to great Republican jubilation, and predictions by Democrats that the bill could be a GOP Waterloo. Hmmm. The two parties had much the same stance just a few years ago…

Ep76: ‘F-tards,’ jail bait and ‘cowardly RINOs’ as sex dominates the political debate in Washington and Texas

Dec 14, 2017 • 43 min

Sex continues to dominate politics in Texas and Washington. U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold of Corpus Christi becomes the latest casualty of the sex-harassment scandal in Washington, even as new allegations surface that he crudely treated staffers and was…

Ep75: Candidates line up in droves to run for office: Plus, busy filing period for Dems, GOP makes for excitement in 2018 elections

Dec 8, 2017 • 43 min

Texas Democrats have eight — count ‘em, eight — candidates running for governor in the spring 2018 primary. Eleven candidates, seven Republicans and four Democrats, have signed on to replace Ted Poe in Congress. Outspoken Republican Agriculture…

Ep74: Joe Barton, sex pics and Sid Miller’s ‘Jesus Shot’; Plus those hated toll roads and a wild political filing season

Nov 30, 2017 • 40 min

Amid continuing revelations about lurid details from his last, and demands from fellow Republicans to step aside, U.S. Rep. Joe Barton decides not to seek another term. He becomes the first casualty of the national uproar over sexual harassment. …

Ep73: Roy Moore, communist Democrats and the alt-left press as political rancor intensifies in Washington and Austin

Nov 16, 2017 • 47 min

In Texas and Washington, politics seems to be getting uglier and uglier. Take, for instance, the U.S. Senate campaign of Alabama justice and conservative icon Roy Moore, who has been accused of groping and trying to date young girls years ago….

Ep72: Tragic church shooting renews gun-control debate

Nov 9, 2017 • 40 min

Plus: Piers Morgan goes after Ken Paxton, Ted Nugent and more

Ep71: Is Congress gonna cut taxes for Average Texans, or what? Plus; Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick gets a GOP opponent, and the Astros win the World series

Nov 2, 2017 • 37 min

Politicians in Washington are arguing over how to cut taxes, and Texans are suggesting they should quit all the talking and just get it done. Let’s not make this another drawn-out debate by Republicans where nothing happens in the end, like the…

Ep70: Straus retires, Patrick says it ain’t personal, and frustration mounts about Harvey recovery

Oct 27, 2017 • 36 min

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus delivered a stunner this week when he announced he will retire from his job as presiding officer. Unlike other top Texas Republicans who retired, he’s not expected anytime soon on Dancing with the Stars….