Y'all-itics

In the April 5 episode, state Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, says annexing part of New Mexico is no joke. He explains what it might take to get it done. Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne on the House Republicans rare pushback against the President, the Senate and Speaker Johnson, plus Dallas Council Member Paul Ridley on whether he still has confidence in the city manager after new revelations on the future of the iconic city hall building.

NASA’s Artemis II mission is a go. And four astronauts will soon travel farther from Earth and closer to the Moon than any human in more than 50 years. The mission will be full of “firsts” and “farthests” in an effort to get humans ready to once again step foot on the lunar surface and eventually travel to Mars. In this early release episode of Y’all-itics, retired, and highly decorated, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy explains why it matters, what it means when the astronauts wave across the ditch, and how in the world they take a toilet break among four people inside a studio apartment traveling at speeds up to 25,000 mph. GUEST Chris Cassidy, Retired NASA Astronaut

The deadline to drop out of the runoff has come and gone, so Republican voters in Texas will have a Cornyn vs. Paxton ballot in the May 26 Primary runoff election. And just like the gladiatorial combat made famous in the Mad Max series - - this political grudge match has already been vicious and unrelenting. In this episode of Y’all-itics, our political experts tell the Jasons this is only the beginning, and it will get nastier. Meantime, by the fall, the U.S. Senate race could become a $200 million campaign, a spending level never reached before. GUESTS Vinny Minchillo, GOP Consultant/Glass House Strategy Andrea Coker, North Texas Commission Chief Advocacy Officer

In the March 29 episode, U.S. Representative Craig Goldman explains why he’s not opposed to the war in Iran and whether he’d support boots on the ground. State Representative Ramón Romero Jr. tells us why he supports the new FWISD Superintendent installed by the state and why he’s okay with Texas removing the name Cesar Chavez. And former DISD Board President Miguel Solis discusses the district’s proposed $6.2 billion bond, which would be the largest in state history.

China has become, by far, the epicenter of new mega battery storage projects for its electric grid. But after that, the most compelling ramp up of battery power is happening in Texas, says Michael Thomas. He’s the founder of Cleanview.co, a site that tracks an expansive constellation of new and planned battery farms that harvest power when electricity is abundant and feeds that juice back into the Texas grid when supply is short. He joined the Jasons from his Colorado base to explain how batteries are making Texas electricity more reliable and cheaper…and why much more of it will be needed here. Guest: Michael Thomas, Founder and CEO Cleanview

00:00 Sarah Eckhardt’s Path to Texas Comptroller 00:28 Tarrant County Legislative Race: Arman Mazani vs Kate Brennan 00:56 May Runoff Election Explained + Key Voting Rules 01:52 Sarah Eckhardt Interview: Why She Wants to Be Comptroller 02:57 Managing School Vouchers & Public School Concerns 03:34 Debate Over State Audits and Government Oversight 04:40 Can Democrats Flip the Texas Comptroller’s Office? 07:37 School Voucher Applications & Who Benefits 09:40 Arman Mazani on Winning the Republican Primary 11:11 Religion, Values, and Representing Diverse Voters 13:19 Kate Brennan’s Strategy to Win a Deep Red District 16:55 Cornyn vs Paxton Runoff & The Battle for Republican Voters

00:00 – Inside Texas’ Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) 01:05 – How PEP Is Changing Lives Behind Bars 02:20 – Meet Michael Etcheson: From Prison to Leadership 03:45 – Why Texas Supports This Unusual Prison Program 05:10 – Sharing Life Dreams in a “Tough on Crime” State 06:40 – What Makes the Prison Entrepreneurship Program Elite 08:05 – Business Skills and Leadership Training in Prison 09:30 – 100% Job Placement After Release: How It Works 10:55 – Why PEP Graduates Are Less Likely to Reoffend 12:20 – The Support System Waiting After Prison 13:40 – Bipartisan Support and Interest From Other States 15:00 – The Future Expansion of PEP Across Texas

00:00 Show Preview: Dallas City Hall Fight, TX-33 Runoff, Corpus Christi Water Crisis 01:01 Show Open – Inside Texas Politics 01:06 Headlines: Corpus Christi Water Shortage & Possible State Takeover 01:30 Wise County Pushes Back on Texas Data Centers 01:56 Republicans Target Democrat James Talarico 02:21 TX-33 Democratic Runoff: Colin Allred vs Julie Johnson 02:49 Colin Allred on Criticism of Political Opportunism 05:37 Allred on Senate Race, Service, and James Talarico 06:36 Julie Johnson on Trailing Allred in the Primary 07:50 Johnson on Key Differences Between Her and Allred 09:15 Debate Over DHS Funding and ICE Policy 10:22 Roundtable: Could the TX-33 Runoff Be Close? 11:16 Gas Prices, Iran Strikes, and Political Fallout 13:16 Dallas City Hall Controversy & Possible NBA Arena Site 13:42 Dallas Councilman Maxie Johnson on Future of City Hall 18:11 Roundtable: Texas Water Crisis and Data Center Growth

00:00 – Cold Open: “Je ne sais quoi” debate 00:31 – Texas Primary Election: Biggest Surprises 01:27 – Chris Turner’s Upset Loss Explained 02:16 – Who Is Junior Ezeonu? The 26-Year-Old Rising Star 03:39 – A New Generation in Texas Politics 05:13 – Junior Ezeonu Interview: Why He Challenged Chris Turner 07:08 – How Canvassing Won the Race 10:04 – Policy Priorities: Schools, Housing & Small Business 11:03 – Is 26 Too Young for the Legislature? 17:47 – Chris Turner Reacts to the Election Results

0:00 Preview: Texas Primary Surprises & Political Shakeups 0:30 Texas Political Headlines: Gonzalez Resigns, Agriculture Controversy 2:14 Don Huffines Wins GOP Comptroller Primary 3:36 Huffines on Auditing Government Waste in Texas 6:40 Roundtable: Why Polls Missed Key Texas Primary Races 9:38 Junior Ezeonu Upsets Veteran Democrat Chris Turner 11:46 Campaign Strategy: How Door Knocking Beat Big Money 14:45 Latino Voters and What the Texas Primary Revealed 18:03 Roundtable: What the Results Mean for November

Voters turned away. Poll hours extended by a judge. An order from the Texas Supreme Court overruling that judge. A hearing that will determine which votes will be counted. And that’s just Dallas County. It’s been a wild primary election all across Texas, from surprising wins to unexpected runoffs. In this primary hangover edition of Y’all-itics, the Jasons cut through the confusion with our panel of experts. GUESTS Vinny Minchillo, Republican Consultant/Glass House Strategy Domingo Garcia, Democratic Strategist/Former LULAC President

In the March 1 episode, Y’all-itics joins forces with Inside Texas Politics and we cut through the primary noise with two political insiders who discuss what they’re really seeing in the marquee races and what you need to know if you haven’t already voted early. Dallas Council Member Chad West updates the city’s effort to keep the NHL team in Dallas. And our roundtable on what to make of the early voting turnout.

00:00 Y'all-itics at Community Beer Co. 01:52 What Is a Texas “State Takeover”? 03:32 The 5-Year Failing Rule Explained 04:29 Outsourcing Failing Schools to Avoid TEA Control 05:26 $375,000 Per Month Per School 06:24 Who Is Third Future Schools? 07:32 The Mike Miles Connection 08:47 What Changes Inside These Schools? 10:11 Silent Hallways & Strict Discipline Model 11:36 Answer Math to Get Lunch? 13:01 Is This Privatization of Public Schools? 15:17 Where the Money Comes From (SB 1882 Funds) 20:19 Do Test Scores Actually Improve? 21:46 What Happens When the Contract Ends? 36:53 Big Picture: Sustainability, Vouchers & What’s Next 41:18 Closing Thoughts

00:00 Show Open & Headlines Preview 01:06 Record Spending in Texas U.S. Senate Race 01:35 School Vouchers Hit 100,000+ Applications 02:04 Early Voting Deadline & What Voters Need to Know 02:22 Jake Ellzey on SAVE Act & Proof of Citizenship 03:52 Debate Over Evidence of Non-Citizen Voting 04:33 Ellzey on Iran, Cuba, Russia & “Regime Change” 06:41 Roundtable: SAVE Act Political Impact 09:21 Wesley Hunt on Senate Race Strategy 10:48 Hunt on Missed House Votes 13:05 Hunt Reacts to Trump Post About the Obamas 14:10 Aicha Davis on ICE Detention Center in Dallas County 16:47 Davis on School Vouchers & Democratic Strategy 17:43 Roundtable: Supreme Court Strikes Down Tariffs 19:21 Early Voting Turnout — Democrats vs Republicans 21:17 Final Thoughts & Show Close

This one is simple: listen or watch to learn everything about the most competitive races in Texas from two veteran insiders. Primary day is Tuesday, March 3. Early voting in Texas runs February 17 – 27. Listen to, or watch, Y’all-itics and then go vote!

0:00 Primaries Shake Up – New Texas Polling1:02 University of Houston Poll Breakdown1:57 Sid Miller, Don Huffines & GOP Races2:24 El Paso Airport Shutdown Explained3:00 Tony Gonzales on FAA & Military Coordination4:21 Should Airports Have Laser Drone Defense?5:32 DHS Funding Standoff & Partial Shutdown6:28 Roundtable on FAA Failures & Politics9:23 Plano’s DART Withdrawal Vote10:12 Mayor John Muns on Rescinding the Exit13:47 GOP Anti-Islam Messaging Debate14:51 Salman Bhojani on Sharia Law Claims16:45 Reaction from Texas Muslim Community17:20 Y’all-itics Voter Guide Preview17:50 Roundtable: Abbott Endorsements Tested18:56 Can Abbott’s Influence Deliver Wins?19:22 Democrats Gaining Momentum?20:45 Undecided Voters & Primary Uncertainty21:14 Final Thoughts

In the February 8 episode, Senator-Elect Taylor Rehmet discusses whether he thinks other Texas Democrats can duplicate his success in a special election and how his Republican family reacted to his shocking upset. Dallas County DA John Creuzot tells us if he’s prepared to prosecute federal agents if he thinks they broke the law. And state Rep. Gene Wu on why Democrats can’t get overconfident following the party’s SD 9 win and whether he wants to lead House Democrats anymore.

00:00 – Why SD-9 Shocked Texas Politics1:49 - Interview Guest: Ross Hunt, Hunt Research 03:45 – The Independent Voter Breakaway07:10 – Candidate Quality vs. Turnout10:20 – Why Democrats Shouldn’t Celebrate Turnout13:05 – GOP Warning Signs for November16:40 – How Redistricting Comes Back to Bite19:55 – Suburban Shifts in Tarrant County23:30 – What Republicans Misread About SD-925:35 - One on One with State Senator-Elect Taylor Rehmet 27:05 – Could Democrats Replicate This Statewide?31:50 – Looking Ahead to November & Key Battlegrounds

Texas Attorney General Race — Full Podcast Breakdown00:00–05:00 — Setting the Stage05:00–10:00 — Candidate Introductions & Ideology10:00–15:00 — Attacks, Ads & Escalation15:20–20:00 — Issues, Moderation & Candidate Lane Positioning20:00–25:00 — Border, Lawsuits & Priorities25:00–30:00 — Campaign Strategy, Debates & Voter Impact30:00–35:00 — Final Breakdown & What’s at Stake

In the February 1 episode, Congressman Chip Roy explains why he thinks he can avoid a runoff in a crowded and chaotic Republican race for Texas Attorney General. U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson on the tough questions she says she’ll ask when the leader of ICE testifies before her committee. And acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock provides a checklist for Texas parents days before they can sign up for the school voucher program.

There are more than 18 million registered voters in Texas. And the federal government now knows a heck of lot more about each and every one of them. The state of Texas turned over its complete voter roll to the Trump Administration, along with all of the personal information it includes, from DOBs to driver’s license numbers to the last four digits of their social security. The move has raised concern, criticism, and confusion. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons get some answers from Votebeat reporter Natalia Contreras who recently broke the story.

In the January 25 episode, Congressman Keith Self discusses the controversial ICE tactics being used in Minneapolis and why, absent a complete list of known criminals, innocent citizens might get caught up in the dragnet. Dallas City Council Member Paul Ridley tells us why a one city, one vote solution to the DART crisis is “not realistic.” And state Senator Mayes Middleton explains why he’s more “MAGA” than his primary opponents in the race for Attorney General.

Less than three weeks before parents can start applying for vouchers, and new numbers indicate parents might not have as much “choice” as lawmakers originally thought. Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock, who oversees the voucher program, revealed the numbers to WFAA anchor Dia Wall in an exclusive interview. And in this episode of Y’all-itics, she unveils the figures to the Jasons over a pint at the Manhattan Project Beer Company.

In the January 18 episode, Congressman Jake Ellzey explains why he thinks President Trump’s saber-rattling is sending a strong message to our enemies worldwide. Pastor Frederick D. Haynes III tells us why he doesn’t consider himself leaving the pulpit even though he’s running for Texas’ 30th congressional district. And former state Representative Barbara Mallory Caraway, also running for the 30th district, discusses why she thinks her experience is why voters should send her to Congress.

In the January 11 episode, Congressman Roger Williams explains why he doesn’t think boots are needed on the ground in Greenland, and why he sees that territory as a “business deal” and selling Venezuela’s oil as a good business plan. State Rep. James Talarico touts his fundraising prowess and discusses why Texas voters should choose him for U.S. Senate. And the Dallas Business Journal’s Will Anderson talks about why AT&T is abandoning downtown Dallas.