Y'all-itics

Y’all-itics: February 19, 2023 Less than nine-months after the mass murder at Robb Elementary, Governor Greg Abbott didn’t mention Uvalde in his state-of-the-state address. And that is symbolic of the difficult struggle ahead for Texans now pushing for gun reform after losing loved ones in mass shootings. The lawmakers who represent Uvalde have introduced several of what they call “common sense” gun reform bills this session. But is there common appeal to make any changes? How about having to show ID before buying bulk ammunition? Or requiring insurance before you can buy certain types of guns? In this episode of Y’all-itics, Sen. Roland Gutierrez joins the Jasons to discuss his proposals and an innovative marketing campaign trying to win the hearts and minds of suburban parents. A father who lost his son at Robb Elementary also tells the Jasons why he doesn’t think Republicans will allow any movement on the issue this session. GUESTS Sen. Roland Gutierrez, (D) San Antonio Brett Cross, Uvalde Father

It's stealing in broad daylight. And state lawmakers have yet to fix the problem. Thieves forge sellers’ signatures on property deeds, file them with the county clerk and take control of properties they don’t own. A four-year investigation into "dirty deeds" by WFAA has exposed thieves stealing homes, a church, a former Burger King restaurant, even an entire Sam’s Club building. Two years ago, Texas lawmakers required anyone filing a deed in the state's largest counties to show ID. But they missed the devil in the details, so the problem continues today unabated. Texas, in fact, ranks second in the nation for deed fraud cases. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons sit down with investigative reporter Tanya Eiserer, one of the few journalists in the country to track these thefts. She explains why counties still don’t have clear authority to stop them and details what lawmakers are now considering in this legislative session to protect Texas families, their property… and their money. WATCH THE WFAA "DIRTY DEEDS" SPECIAL: https://bit.ly/3YDbj2N

Where were the protests? Why didn’t activists take to the streets after Tyre Nichols was fatally beaten in Memphis, Tenn.? The city there fired five police officers before ever publicly releasing video of what they did. Was justice so swift against these five lawmen because they are all Black? Or has something changed in policing since the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Black Americans say they don’t feel any safer when they are pulled over by a Black officer than a white one. The Tyre Nichols case raises complicated and exposes new faults in the struggle to root out bad policing. Why did Memphis handle its case so differently than Minneapolis? Former prosecutor-turned civil rights attorney, David Henderson, joins the Jasons to explain why Nichols’ case might now be a blueprint for cities and police departments moving forward. GUEST:David HendersonFormer prosecutor, civil rights attorneyDallas, TexasBEER SELECTION:Jason Whitley: Nitro Gentleman's Relish, Lone Pint Brewery in Magnolia, TXJason Wheeler: Honey Citrus Blonde, Community Beer Co. in Dallas, TX

How to Escape from Afghanistan to Texas… AliveY’all-itics: January 29, 2023There will be no need for you go to a movie this week. We have all of the drama, action, political intrigue, and danger you would ever need in this latest episode of Y’all-itics. The organization Project Dynamo has made it its mission to rescue Americans, and most recently many Texans, trapped in the world’s hot spots. These men and women – most with former ties to the U.S. military – go where the U.S. government won’t, or can’t… gray spaces such as Afghanistan, Ukraine, and even Russian held territory, where this group and its founder, Bryan Stern, have even managed to make Russian President Vladimir Putin angry. That’s because they’ve managed to pull off some of the most daring rescues you could ever possibly imagine. One of their most recent missions led to the successful rescue of a mother and her five young children who live in Texas. So sit back with the Jasons and learn how this is even possible, what goes into the meticulous planning and just how extraordinarily dangerous it is. And they learn all of this from the man our foreign adversaries are now calling “The Magician.”GuestBryan Stern, Project Dynamo Founder

He is one of the first two Muslim Representatives ever elected to the Texas House as well as the first south Asian. But Rep. Salman Bhojani, a Democrat who represents Euless, Arlington, and other areas of Tarrant County, is used to being a first and he thinks that experience will help him in Austin… as will some of the bigotry and hate he endured on the campaign trail. Even the Quran he used to take the oath of office at the state Capitol is historic. In this episode of Y’all-itics, Rep. Bhojani joins a Jason and a Teresa to talk about his origin story and what he hopes to accomplish as a minority member of the minority party in a conservative state. Guest Rep. Salman Bhojani, (D) Euless

As Texas lawmakers begin their work in Austin, they are flush with cash, enjoying a whopping $32 Billion surplus. The Texas surplus is more than the entire budget in 29 other states. There’s never a shortage of ideas during the session, but this year they have the money to do more than just dream. Those dollars, though, will lead to friction and fighting as lawmakers try to decide who gets how much. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons take you to Austin and inside the Capitol to hear from the new leaders of each party’s caucus in the Texas House and how they’d like to spend billions. Beyond the budget, the Jasons are also seeing some political flashpoints emerge that could dominate the session – from whether to ban minors from social media to potentially raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm.

The 88th Texas Legislature is upon us. And as state lawmakers return to Austin with plenty of political promises and priorities, Y’all-itics is here to help you understand what they might actually do to make your life better… or worse, depending on your perspective and political bent. To do that, we went straight to the top and had a sit-down conversation with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. The Texas Senate’s top Republican can make or break the legislative agenda inside the state Capitol. And he talks at length about his priorities, from saving Texas homeowners money to parental freedom to increasing police pay. The one topic he doesn’t expect to come up during the session? Adding exceptions to Texas’ abortion law.GuestLt. Gov. Dan Patrick, (R) Texas

Happy 2023! The Y’all-itics team is still on break, spending time with family. But the Jasons wanted to share our top two performing episodes of 2022 with you while they’re out. To start this new year, we’re looking back at the playbook to take down Texas public schools. Conservatives made it a priority in 2022 to attempt to reshape school boards across the state. And this effort will continue in 2023. And as we get closer to the start of the legislative session later in January, expect to hear more about this issue and school choice/vouchers. This episode originally released on February 14, 2022. And 10 months later, the Jasons add some new context to our second most listened to podcast of the year.Original summary:The right-wing is trying to take over public schools. Texas superintendents are quitting. Boards have banned books. The once obscure term Critical Race Theory is now part of our lexicon. Why is public education under attack? Who’s behind it? And how did we get here? In this episode of Y’all-itics some pastors are now pushing back. The Jasons put down their pint glasses after seeing an evangelical group tangle on Twitter with a sitting Republican Congressman over this issue. Scrolling further through their feed, an op-ed from a Baptist news organization began trending after arguing that the right-wing has had this playbook in the works for 60-years. What’s the end game for the right? What’s really at risk? The Jasons walked away with some better context on this mashup of church, state, and Texas politics. (original release date: February 14, 2022)GuestsRev. Charles Johnson / Executive Director, Pastors for Texas ChildrenMark Wingfield / Executive Director and publisher of Baptist News Global

The holiday season is upon us and the Y’all-itics team is taking a break to spend time with family. But the Jasons wanted to share our top two performing episodes of 2022 with you while they’re out. We start with your property taxes, and why 2022 might have been your best year to fight them and save yourself some money in the process. But don’t worry, the same will hold true in 2023 and the tips you pick up in this episode will carry over into the new year. This episode originally released on April 25, 2022. And eight months later, the Jasons add some new context to our most listened to podcast of the year.Original summary:Doesn’t it just seem worse this year? Many of us are still in sticker shock over our property appraisals, so this episode is all about how to reduce the amount of property taxes you pay. Turns out, your odds of winning that protest might be greater this year than ever before with half of the houses in Texas potentially overvalued. Wheeler is back for this one as the Jasons call up Chandler Crouch, a realtor, and an expert on protesting your property tax value. Chandler explains how to not only play defense in this process with the Central Appraisal District, but also go on the offensive. But the Jasons also zoom out and talk about how to reform this system politically. Texas’ property taxes are among the highest in the nation and home values have easily jumped double digits in Texas’ major cities. So, what exactly are lawmakers going to do to help us? We recently extended an invitation to Gov. Abbott to join us and have not yet heard back from his campaign staff. But his Democratic challenger this November, Beto O’Rourke, took our call even after testing positive for COVID-19 and explained his plan to lower the state’s skyrocketing property taxes. After all these years, can that even be done? (original release date: April 25, 2022)GuestsChandler Crouch, Chandler Crouch Realty

It sounds complicated, confusing, and esoteric. But if the U.S. Supreme Court legitimizes the independent state legislature theory (ISLT), many experts say it would upend hundreds of years of constitutional law and dramatically restructure the relationship between state legislatures and state Supreme Courts. The Justices have already heard oral arguments in Moore v. Harper. Now we await a ruling, expected in June 2023. But we’re impatient here at Y’all-itics. So, the Jasons called up our resident constitutional law expert, Professor Stephen Vladeck from the University of Texas School of Law to learn what could happen. Vladeck says it’s not that democracy is hanging in the balance in the short term, but that future state legislatures could alter Presidential elections in profoundly undemocratic ways. Think “Stop the Steal” on steroids. And that’s one of the reasons an odd collection of bedfellows have coalesced against the theory and filed Friend of the Court briefs, including one signed by the Chief Justices of all 50 states, something that’s never happened before.GUESTStephen Vladeck, University of Texas School of Law

It’s the holiday season, so get ready for family, friends, and great food. But are you also ready to talk politics? As we get together over the holiday, many of these conversations are unavoidable… as is the stress and anxiety they can cause. You may have even seen phrases like “political stress syndrome” being thrown around. Well, the struggle is real. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons turn to a mental health expert for tips on how to keep your holiday stress from spiraling out of control. She tells the Jasons she’s seeing more and more clients with political stress and the anxiety is impacting their day-to-day lives. And if you’re looking to add some emotional armor, she says it all starts with boundaries.PS: keep this episode of Y’all-itics close during the holiday in case you need another listen to make it through that holiday meal!GUESTBrianda Diaz de Leon, Thriveworks Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LSCW)

The kids did it again. They helped to alter the trajectory of the 2022 midterms for the third election cycle in a row, and helped prevent a predicted Republican “Red Wave.” 27% of eligible voters between the ages of 18 – 29 showed up to cast a ballot and they overwhelmingly backed Democrats, by a nearly 30-point margin. Politicians would be wise to understand why Gen Z is so important, their careers literally depend on it. Some Republicans have even responded to Gen Z’s growing political power by suggesting the legal voting age in the U.S. be raised to 21. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons have a conversation with Jack Lobel with the Gen Z political organization “Voters of Tomorrow.” And Lobel says much of the rhetoric coming from the right tells young people they’re not to be trusted and his generation is motivated by politicians who are fighting for their futures. GUEST Jack Lobel, Voters of Tomorrow Twitter: @jackplobel

Almost as soon as the election ended in Harris County calls to investigate began. Of the 782 voting locations there, 23 of them ran out of paper ballots on election day. Others opened late. But was a crime committed? Texas Republican leaders have called for investigations and even the Democratic District Attorney in Harris County, Kim Ogg, asked the Texas Rangers to get to the bottom of it. On this episode, the Jasons get two perspectives of the problem plaguing Houston and the state’s most populated county. Chris Hollins is a veteran of the Harris County Elections Office. He ran the 2020 election for Harris County and admitted even he’s surprised by the shortage of paper on election day. But Chris also tells the Jasons why he thinks these calls for investigation are rooted in politics. But one Republican state senator says not so fast. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, led significant changes to the state’s election law last year. And Sen. Bettencourt said he thinks the investigators will have no problem finding a crime. GUEST Chris Hollins, (D) Former Harris County Clerk State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, (R) Houston BEER SELECTION:Wheeler’s pick:FUBAR (Red Ale)5X5 Brewing Company, Mission, Texashttps://www.5x5brewing.com/ Whitely’s pick:Bowie BockFreetail Brewing Company, San Antonio, Texashttps://www.freetailbrewing.com/

Former congressman Beto O’Rourke is now 0-for-3 in his campaigns for higher office. So, what’s next for this former congressman from El Paso? Jason Lee was O’Rourke’s Deputy Campaign Manager and takes us inside his run for governor on this episode of Y’all-itics, explaining why Texas Democrats should be optimistic despite the loss, what Greg Abbott’s campaign did well, and the lesson for Texas Democrats in it. But what’s next for Beto O’Rourke himself? Would he run for office again? Will he remain active behind the scenes in Democratic politics? He’s leaving his successors with lots of data on donors, voters, and volunteers. And that’s one reason, Lee says, Texas Democrats have a lot to look forward to.GUESTSJason Lee, Beto O’Rourke Deputy Campaign Manager

It wasn’t even close. In this episode, we go inside the Greg Abbott campaign and ask ‘how did you do it?’ Dave Carney, Abbott’s long-time political consultant who also worked for the first President Bush and former Texas governor Rick Perry, pulls back the curtain on Abbott’s winning campaign. Carney tells Y’all-itics why he never worried about Beto O’Rourke, how *he* would have managed Beto’s campaign differently, why there’s only one gubernatorial debate, the good and bad of polling, why the independent voter wields the real power, and how Abbott’s team knows exactly who to target with political ads. And to top it off, Carney says they already started work on Abbott’s 2026 gubernatorial campaign. 2026. Seriously. This is an ‘Ask Me Anything’ with one of the GOP’s veteran consultants.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Texas Republicans swept every statewide office on Tuesday night. Governor Greg Abbott even won by a similar, wide margin as he did four years ago, but this time against an opponent with much better name recognition and fundraising ability. Texas Republicans said they could also sweep three congressional seats in South Texas, but they’re projected to win only one Congressional District there. And after yet another brutal election for Texas Democrats, where do they go next? How about Beto O’Rourke? For this special Election Hangover episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons assembled one of the best teams of political analysts in Texas to explain what the results mean for the future of Texas. Oh, and we go there. 2024 Presidential talk officially starts now.

We are now just days away from the midterms and many Elections Administrators across Texas are asking the same question: where are the voters? Even taking into account this isn’t a Presidential Election driving higher turnout, those running elections just aren’t seeing the numbers they expected. In this early release episode of Y’all-itics, we head all over the state to check the temperatures of those behind the vote. And turnout isn’t the only thing keeping those folks up at night. Because of the current political climate, we’ve discovered many firsts: from de-escalation teams to elections workers being told how to politely end a call with an irate voter. Join us as we travel from north Texas to the Mexico border, the Gulf Coast to central Texas for a snapshot of what’s happened so far in early voting and whether election day could turn into a long night for all of us. Guests Jacquelyn Callanen, Bexar County Elections AdministratorKristin Miles, Bastrop County Elections AdministratorHilda Salinas, Hidalgo County Elections AdministratorBruce Sherbet, Collin County Elections AdministratorClifford Tatum, Harris County Elections Administrator

Halfway through Early Voting and with November 8 now just days aways, Texas is back in the glaring, national political spotlight. And experts all across the country say what happens here will dictate the nation’s future… from Democrats’ untenable hold on South Texas, to the Governor’s mansion, to who will be controlling the levers of government the next time we vote for President. Are we ready for the scrutiny? Texas Secretary of State John Scott joins us to discuss whether the Texas election will be safe, the latest on the 2020 audit, turnout and any issues that have arisen thus far. ABC News Political Director Rick Klein also took our call for this episode of Y’all-itics to discuss the Texas impact on the rest on the nation. Get ready for 2024 talk. It begins in earnest on November 9th (unless you listen to this episode of Y’all-itics, in which case it starts now).Early Voting is underway. The Election is November 8th. Go Vote! Elections have consequences.

LANGUAGE WARNING: This episode has some adult language scattered about as our guest gets fired up about what he worries the Democratic Party is not doing in South Texas.Chuck Rocha, the senior most Democratic Latino political strategist in the country, is sounding the alarm about what his party is - and is not doing - in South Texas. Now that Hispanics are the largest racial demographic group in Texas, winning the Latino vote is the goal of politicians up and down the ballot. Some margins are so close, that vote could be the deciding factor in many races, particularly in south Texas. So just a few weeks out from the election, Rocha hit us up to talk about his worries in this part of the state. He has worked in Texas politics for more than three decades, manages a political consulting firm, ran Sen. Bernie Sanders' two presidential campaigns and co-hosts The Latino Vote podcast. Rocha’s raising red flags for his party in three south Texas congressional districts which he says are cut like “pieces of bacon” running north and south from San Antonio and Corpus Christi down to the Rio Grande. And he explains in this episode of Y’all-itics why national Democrats appear to be walking away from the Rio Grande Valley. That's going to haunt Texas Democrats forever, he said, if the party suffers a big loss down there. In fact, Rocha argues that if Democrats can’t stop a certain trend in south Texas, they won’t be able to win nationally either. The Democratic strategist also tells us why money and a Latina surname could make the races for Governor and Attorney General closer than folks are expecting.

This episode of Y’all-itics is as close to a second gubernatorial debate as Texas will get. Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke both agreed to one-on-one interviews with Y’all-itics as we approach the start of early voting. Just the willingness of the state’s top two candidates to speak to us at length in the final weeks is not lost on us. It shows that both campaigns are acutely aware of how competitive this race remains. Even if you think you have your mind made up in the race for Texas governor, hear them out. We asked them pointed questions. They answered some. And tried to dodge others. P.S. This is also the first Y’all-itics we’ve ever recorded in an airport bar. P.S.S.: Early voting begins October 24 in Texas. Elections have consequences. Go vote! P.S.S.S. Tell your friends about Y’all-itics.

The race for 2024 begins next month – as soon as the polls close in the November midterm. There’s already been lots of speculation about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis potentially running for the White House. But another Republican governor, who neighbors Texas, suggested to the Jasons he might launch his own bid for President. Asa Hutchinson is a former Congressman, the former head of the DEA, and now term-limited out as Governor of Arkansas. And unlike other Republicans today, Gov. Hutchinson is not afraid to disagree with Donald Trump. Which begs the question, can a center-right, Reagan-style Republican, survive nationally in today's GOP? Gov. Hutchinson, who was in Austin recently as a guest speaker for The Texas Tribune Festival, says leadership in that environment is a delicate balancing act. And in this episode of Y’all-itics, he has a candid conversation with the Jasonsabout his plan to secure the border, abortion and why he says limitations and restrictions are not the way out of gun violence.

Y’all-itics: October 1, 2022Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke spent 57-minutes together in an empty auditorium at U.T. Rio Grande Valley on Friday night in their first and only debate before the November election. There was not a gotcha moment and no memorable soundbite. But the Jasons have some interesting observations about what they watched. They loaded up the Y’all-itics jet and flew down to the border for this one. But why all the attention on South Texas? Politically, this place is more complicated than one might imagine. They also tracked down the top political scientist on the UTRGV campus who explained why this hotly contested tip of Texas matters so much to the two parties. He also explains why it’ll take something much bigger than the Rio Grande Valley to help Beto O’Rourke come from behind and win in November.GUESTProfessor Clyde W. Barrow, PhDU.T. Rio Grande Valley Chair of Political Science Department

Y’all-itics: September 25, 2022It’s a job no one wanted. Restoring reliability in the Texas electric grid. Brad Jones took the governor’s call and agreed to be the interim CEO of ERCOT. Over the last year and a half, he has made significant changes to how ERCOT operates and why we have not had any more energy emergencies. The real test, though, will be another winter. That’s when we’ll find out if the changes really work. While you’ve heard a lot about new “weatherization” requirements for the industry, in this episode of Y’all-itics, Jones and the Jasons talk about what’s different, how confident he is the grid will stay on, and perhaps most importantly, why Texas shifted from affordability to reliability. Jones also explains why renewables are a must. He was one of the featured speakers at the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival and took our call during the event – even recounting a late night phone call he got from the Governor.GuestBrad Jones, ERCOT Interim CEO

Y’all-itics: September 18, 2022You’ve seen the candidates on the ballot, the ones with the “L” by their name. The Libertarian Party has been around for more than 50-years and they hold only around 350 elected offices across the country. And the party has never broken through with a win in a major nationwide race, or even one here in Texas. Why then are Texas Republicans trying to kick Libertarians off the ballot in our state? Libertarians will tell you it’s because they’re scared. Republican officials and even some candidates asked the Texas Supreme Court to remove 23 Libertarians from the November ballot. The Libertarian Party says the vast majority of those are two way races between, you guessed it, Republicans and Libertarians. In this episode of Y’all-itics, a Libertarian candidate for Congress tells the Jasons about all of the roadblocks he’s facing in his bid for office and why he’s fine with a Democrat winning his race. And the statewide party chair describes the growing adversarial relationship between Libertarians and Republicans in Texas.Guests:Kevin Hale, (L) Candidate for 5th Congressional DistrictWhitney Bilyeu, Libertarian Party of Texas Chair

Y’all-itics: September 11, 2022 That escalated quickly. In the week since our last podcast, during which we broke the news that Republican Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley would be voting for Democrat Mike Collier in the race for Lieutenant Governor, another prominent Republican has done the same. State Senator Kel Seliger calls Republican incumbent Dan Patrick an “extremist,” and says state leadership must adapt to the growing diversity in Texas. These cross-over endorsements certainly send a message, but is it a warning for the Texas GOP? In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons are joined by native Texan and political expert Jessica Huseman, Editorial Director of Votebeat. Jessica says the endorsements are significant politically in a state like Texas. And even if it doesn’t change the outcome on November 8, 2022, it could have a major impact by the time the Presidential election rolls around in 2024. You’ll also hear directly from Senator Kel Seliger about why he made his decision and from Mike Collier, who will tell you why he thinks these Republicans are coming to his side. We invited Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to join us on Y’all-itics. A spokesman for his campaign said he is unavailable. Guests Jessica Huseman, Votebeat Editorial Directorwww.votebeat.org Sen. Kel Seliger, (R) Amarillo Mike Collier, (D) Candidate for Lt. Governor

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said he expects some blowback for what he said in this episode. The veteran Republican and long-time chief elected official in Tarrant County revealed that he will back Democrat Mike Collier instead of Republican Dan Patrick in race for lieutenant governor this November. This is Judge Whitley’s tell-all before he retires from politics at the end of the year. Whitley implores people to participate in elections to reduce political polarization, discusses the brutal primary race to become his successor, and explains why Tarrant County is not turning purple. There’s one indicator that will tell you when that happens, he explained. The Jasons saddled up and drove to Fort Worth for this episode to meet Judge Whitley at one of his favorite places – Acre Distilling Co. where the three sampled whiskeys and talked Texas politics. GUEST:Glenn Whitley, (R) Tarrant County Judge

Y’all-itics: August 28, 2022After nearly 50-years, America is finally returning to the Moon, as Artemis 1 is scheduled to launch Monday, August 29, 2022. The ambitious, 42-day-long mission will be the first time NASA uses Orion, the new spacecraft built to take humans back to the moon. While no astronauts will be on board this mission, it is step one in getting Americans back on the moon by 2024. And the ultimate goal is Mars, moving far beyond the flags and footprints from the original Apollo missions. In this exciting episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons call up NASA astronaut Dr. Stanley Love, who talks about the importance of this mission, particularly as a moment of unity in our country. NASA’s Chief of Exploration Mission Planning Nujoud Merancy also details the massive amount of work that’s formed the backbone of the mission. And the systems engineer explains how this all leads to Mars.Artemis 1 mission: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/GuestsDr. Stanley LoveNASA AstronautNujoud MerancyChief, NASA Exploration Mission Planning

Y'all-itics: Tuesday, August 23rdThe Jasons don’t often do sequels, but Whitely got a call that two elected officials wanted to give their first-ever news interviews and Y’all-itics responded. In this episode, for the first time, top school board members at Keller ISD and Grapevine Colleyville ISD take questions from a journalist. GCISD Vice President Shannon Braun and KISD President Dr. Charles Randklev discuss the new policies that conservatives majorities on each board just passed this week. They answer why their boards changed the way library books are selected and revised how teachers talk about race, gender and sexual identity. Did any outside conservative groups influence GCISD? What books will not return to the shelves in Keller ISD? And which districts want to replicate these policies elsewhere in Texas? Braun and Randklev answer it all in this special episode.GUESTS:Shannon Braun, Grapevine Colleyville ISD Board Vice PresidentDr. Charles Randklev, Keller ISD Board President

Y’all-itics: August 21, 2022 41 library books have come off the shelves inside one school district in North Texas. Why? Parents challenged why their children should be exposed to them. Among the titles are “Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation” and – wait for it – the Bible. Public school libraries are now the frontlines in the ongoing culture wars. In this episode of Y’all-itics, a fired up Keller ISD mom joins the Jasons with a strong warning for parents in other school districts about what’s coming. Plus, state Rep. Matt Krause takes their call as well. The Fort Worth Republican says it’s always a good idea to make sure library books in public schools are age appropriate. This issue is suddenly spreading, and Krause said he expects the Texas legislature to address it next year. GuestLaney Hawes, Keller ISD MotherState Rep. Matt Krause, (R) Fort Worth

Texas is rolling in it! A strong economy and soaring inflation have spurred extraordinary tax and fee collections, swelling the state’s coffers by up to $27 Billion more than was budgeted. So the first question that comes to mind is: How is the surplus going to be spent?Rest assured there will be a Texas-sized wishlist from politicians, especially incumbents who can afford to make big promises now as we barrel toward the November election and a legislative session that starts two months after that. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar makes his first appearance on Y’all-itics to talk to The Jasons about the unexpected windfall…whether any of it will bring much sought tax relief for Texas property owners…and what he thinks of a California-style mass check sending campaign to residents to give back a surplus there that was almost 4 times bigger than the budget bounty here in Texas. Guest: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar

Y’all-itics: AugustThis episode is about the two most influential men in Texas politics that you’ve likely never heard of. They’re billionaire oil men from West Texas who also preach at their local churches. Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks are now the focus of a new CNN documentary titled “Deep in the Pockets of Texas.” In talking to experts and fellow conservatives, veteran Texas journalist Ed Lavandera shows how Dunn and Wilks have successfully pushed Texas politics – and that of the nation – to the far-right. So, the Jasons invited Lavandera out for a pint to find out more about these two men, what shaped them and the political future they want for Texas.GuestEd Lavandera, CNN Correspondent

SYNOPSIS:This past year has taught us not to take electricity for granted. Better be careful with water, too. Texas needs more of it to keep up with all the residents and businesses moving here. One small town along the Red River is already running low on the resource. The plan for Dallas / Fort Worth alone calls for five new reservoirs. One, proposed in northeast Texas, would flood 66,000 acres of land, move out families, and take property off the tax rolls. But not acting soon enough could also cost Texas billions of dollars in lost business and population. It’s a dicey dilemma and time is of the essence. Joining the Jasons this week is Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. His office is studying what’s at stake. And Janice Bezanson, from the Texas Conservation Alliance, argues for other options besides taking away family farms.GUESTS:Glenn Hegar, R-Texas ComptrollerJanice Bezanson, Texas Conservation Alliance

Y’all-itics: July 24, 2022It has become one of the most pressing debates in the life of a modern parent: when to allow their children access to social media and once they have it, how best to limit it. A Texas Republican wants to eliminate the guesswork for parents and ban any child under 18 from using social media. And in this episode of Y’all-itics, state Representative Jared Patterson joins the Jasons to discuss everything from First Amendment and parental rights, to why he thinks parents stand no chance against the algorithms social media companies are using the target their children. The lawmaker, who plans to introduce this bill during the next session in January, also explains why he doesn’t think social media companies will send any representatives to a joint committee hearing being planned next month.GuestRep. Jared Patterson, (R) Frisco

The lights…and thankfully the A-C…stayed on in Texas last week. But as the state baked in triple digit temps, the electric grid operator pleaded with Texans on multiple days to hike up the thermostat and conserve power as much as possible, because the state was uncomfortably close to not having enough electricity to meet demand. And it could happen again in the week ahead, with forecasts showing another string of sweltering days. But going into the summer, Governor Abbott touted the strength of the Texas electric grid…and he has said that state leaders did everything that needed to be done to fix the problems that led to deadly, widespread outages in February 2021 when the state didn’t have enough power to go around. Beto O’ Rourke, the governor’s Democratic opponent in this year’s election has made the fragile electricity situation in Texas a key pillar of his campaign, promising to fix it if he is elected in November. This week he joins the Jasons to discuss that. Also on this episode: Ed Hirs, the Energy Fellow at the University of Houston. Professor Hirs says there are no quick, easy, or cheap fixes for the situation Texas is in. Without big changes, he predicts many more problems ahead. He adds that this status quo is enriching some energy companies and is jacking up the retail electric rates we all pay.Guests: Professor Ed Hirs, University of Houston Energy Fellow Beto O’ Rourke, Texas Democratic Gubernatorial candidate

Y’all-itics: July 10, 2022In their official party platform, Texas Republicans now call homosexuality “an abnormal lifestyle choice.” The party goes even further and states that it opposes any criminal or civil penalties against “those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.” And the Texas GOP still refused to allow Log Cabin Republicans, which represents LGBTQ conservatives, to have a booth at the state convention last month. Despite this hostility, some Texas Republicans who identify as gay say the platform regarding homosexuality isn’t as bad as it seems. And in this episode of Y’all-itics, a Republican leader and former LCR chair explains why he still feels welcome in the Texas GOP even though he thinks it’s an interesting time to be an openly gay Republican. Guest Marco Roberts, Texas Conservative Liberty Forum

Think you’re paying a lot for gas this July 4th holiday? As hard as it is to believe, you should actually enjoy it now, because you’ll likely be buying $6 gas by the time the next federal holiday rolls around. Many experts believe these skyrocketing gas prices will only accelerate the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. But that could lead to huge problems in Texas. Experts says the power grid in our state is in no way ready for EVs to comprise the bulk of our fleet, much less EV charging stations every 50-miles. In fact, the Energy Fellow at the University of Houston tells us in this episode of Y’all-itics, your neighborhood transformer might not even be ready for a few extra EVs on your block. And he explains why you’ll paying so much for gas.GuestsEd Hirs, UH Energy Fellow/Energy Economics ProfessorJennifer Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy

Y’all-itics: June 26, 2022Chaos. If the public ever sees the body cam images, security footage and documents related to the massacre at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, state Senator Roland Gutierrez thinks that’s all you’ll find. But so far, the Democrat from San Antonio, whose district includes Uvalde, says he’s been stonewalled at every turn in his attempts to obtain those records. In fact, the Senator tells us he was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement before he’d be able to see anything at all. In this episode of Y’all-itics, he explains why he refused and why he’s now suing the Texas Department of Public Safety, which he claims had 91 troopers on scene while the gunman was inside the classroom. You’ll also hear why Senator Gutierrez expects nothing to come out of the hearings held this week by the Senate Special Committee investigating the mass shooting and why he thinks it could take a while for the Uvalde community to regain its trust in law enforcement. And perhaps most importantly, if anything will lead to new legislation when lawmakers return to Austin in January 2023.GuestSen. Roland Gutierrez, (D) San AntonioSen. Robert Nichols, (R)

Emergency Y’all-itics: June 24, 2022Abortion is now illegal in Texas. Our state never repealed any pre-Roe anti-abortion statues, so the moment the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, those became immediately enforceable again. And thanks to our state’s “trigger law,” in 30-days, the penalty will become even more severe, jumping from a misdemeanor to a felony. But this is only the beginning of the story in Texas. As you’ll hear in this emergency episode of Y’all-itics, Republican lawmakers are already planning legislation that would punish businesses that help female employees obtain an abortion. Rep. Briscoe Cain says there could even be legislation that empowers district attorneys to prosecute folks from neighboring counties, if their home county DA decides not to enforce it. Meantime, Democrats call the historic ruling a devastating blow to women that will severely limit access to healthcare. And Rep. Nicole Collier wonders out loud why the same folks who used the argument “my body, my choice” to resist COVID-19 vaccines and masks aren’t making the same argument now. And finally, the Jasons and special guest host Teresa Woodard turn to one of the nation’s premiere constitutional law experts to find out if the Supreme Court’s ruling will put any other rights at risk.GuestsRep. Nicole Collier, (D) Fort WorthRep. Briscoe Cain, (R) BaytownSteve Vladeck, University of Texas School of Law

Already this summer, Texans have been asked to conserve energy, just to make sure we have enough power. We’ve already climbed above 100 more than once, and we’re barely halfway through June. And we still haven’t recovered from the devastating winter storm of 2021 that led to the catastrophic failure of Texas’ power grid and hundreds of deaths. So, we had a simple question here at Y’all-itics. Will our air conditioning stay on during what promises to be a brutal summer? We turned to expert energy analyst Alison Silverstein and Senator Nathan Johnson, a leading voice on the power grid in the Texas legislature. They explain why we actually have so much electricity right now in Texas, some generators are losing money, while we’re paying more. It’s only possible because so many of our extra power plants are online, plants usually undergoing maintenance this time of year. And running these plants so hard, for so long, could have devastating consequences come August and beyond. Guests Allison Silverstein, Energy Analyst/Consultant Sen. Nathan Johnson, (D) Dallas

Y’all-itics early release: June 12, 2022That is the state of public education in America today. School safety is under such threat, many educators say it is all they think about. And after the Uvalde tragedy, it certainly has the attention of students, parents, teachers, lawmakers and just about every Texan there is. While Democrats push gun control, Republicans push the “hardening” of schools. Can common ground even be found? In this special, early release edition of Y’all-itics, we turn to an expert in public education in Texas, Austin ISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde, who will soon take over the same job with the Dallas ISD. The experienced educator who’s worked in some of the largest school districts in Texas tells us whether the proposals being pushed by Republicans would work, from single entrances to arming teachers to random safety checks. She also explains the steps she thinks we should take to keep our kids safe and return to the core mission of public education. It is a wide ranging and engaging conversation led by WFAA anchor/reporter Teresa Woodard, who took over for the Jasons (they are both taking some much needed family time… and we hope you are too during these difficult days).GuestDr. Stephanie Elizalde, Austin ISD Superintendent

Rural Texas counties that are inland and politically conservative have received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid that Congress set aside for populated coastal communities that are often underserved. Federal lawmakers had never set aside billions of dollars just to help Texas communities hit hardest by Hurricane Harvey prevent another disaster. But a federal investigation revealed that not only did communities in need get nothing initially, the plan that Texas used to distribute the money was discriminatory. Some of those dollars, for instance, were going to build a road between a Home Depot and a Wal-Mart in a community hundreds of miles from the Gulf Coast rather than to install better drainage in Houston. So, the Jasons called up David Wheaton, the Advocacy Director at Texas Housers. His organization sounded the alarm and filed the complaint that launched the federal investigation. And they’re now trying to claw back cash owed to some of the least privileged neighborhoods in Houston and surrounding coastal areas. Guest David Wheaton, Texas Housers Advocacy Directorwww.texashousers.org

Imagine if you get your COVID-19 vaccine through a patch. No needles or syringes. And the patch stays stable at room temperature for months making it easier to ship to low and middle income nations. This is the future of COVID vaccine research and some of the best work in the world is being done inside a lab at the University of Texas at Austin. Their interest piqued, the Jasons called up lead scientist Dr. Jason McLellan, whose work has been integral to all of the leading vaccines against COVID. But it’s where this field is headed that’s truly exciting. They’re trying to figure out a way to go from a genome sequence of a virus to manufactured vaccine in only 100 days. That would be three months, instead of the already historically fast ten months it took to manufacture the COVID vaccines. And even that speedy timeline was only made possible through the work of McLellan and his team. In this episode of Y’all-itics, you’ll hear the stories behind the work that’s saved millions of lives across the globe. And wait until you hear why McLellan’s bid to develop a universal coronavirus vaccine was rejected… FIVE years ago.GuestDr. Jason McLellan, Scientist/University of Texas Professor

Extremes are now more extreme. Record highs and lows are constantly being broken. And the water is already starting to rise along our coast. Scientists say it’s not longer a projection. It is now reality in Texas. The United Nations released an alarming report on climate change earlier this year. And the lead author is from the University of Texas. So naturally, Y’all-itics called her up. And Camille Parmesan very matter-of-factly told the Jasons the goal of the report wasn’t doom and gloom, but factual presentation.And she says looking strictly at the numbers paints a startling picture. Climate change is not only speeding up, its impacts are more severe than scientists thought even five years ago. But Parmesan says you already know this if you survived the Big Freeze that crippled our power grid for days and left hundreds dead in 2021. We can no longer say “this doesn’t happen in Texas” because it does now. The Jasons also sit down with award winning WFAA journalist David Schechter who discusses his most recent investigations into climate change in Texas. Things are changing so rapidly, even tornado alley might now be moving.Watch David’s Reporting:https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/west-texas/planet-warming-effects-behind-oil-production-west-texas/287-5eba6b44-9d84-4d36-836c-d032a02ac53dhttps://www.wfaa.com/article/tech/science/climate-change/is-tornado-alley-shifting-what-is-dixie-alley/287-c027113c-752b-4cfd-8d50-5c32394bdf11IPCC Report: www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/GuestsCamille Parmesan, UT Professor/IPCC lead authorwww.jsg.utexas.edu/researcher/camille_parmesan/David Schechter, WFAA Reporter

Some of the fallout from Russian’s invasion of Ukraine is now only 250-miles away. But it’s not in Texas. It’s above our heads, up in space. The Russian Federation is threatening to abandon the International Space Station. And it’s a threat NASA must take seriously. Russia is one of five international partners on the ISS, along with NASA, the European Space Agency, Japan and Canada. And all four partners outside of Russia are having lengthy and serious discussions about a Plan B. But if Russia does bail on the ISS, would it just drop out of the sky? And how could NASA even begin to make up the loss? In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons call up former Astronaut Chris Cassidy, who’s trained extensively in Russia, with Russians and on Russian equipment. He says one of the first steps following a collapse in cooperation would be to simply close the hatch between the two modules. It would then quickly get complicated. But Cassidy tells the Jasons he thinks the Russians need us more than we need them. And he explains how it might change business at Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center near Houston, TX.

Tens of thousands of criminal cases are backing up in courtrooms all across Texas. Dallas County Commissioners say their county is at the point of crisis due to the backlog… and they’re blaming judges. In fact, John Wiley Price says if you average all 17 felony criminal judges, they’re only holding around 12 trials a year. That’s half a normal year. And Commissioners are so frustrated, they are about to start naming names in an effort to “motivate” the judges to clear more cases. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons meet up with veteran and award winning WFAA reporter Rebecca Lopez. Rebecca’s been following this issue for years and she recently discovered the backlog is about to cost Dallas County tens of millions of dollars. And she has stories about this backlog happening all across the state. Rebecca also tells the Jasons about the growing problem with judges allowing violent offenders to be released on minimal bond. Watch Rebecca’s reporting: www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-county-commissioners-say-some-dallas-county-judges-are-not-clearing-dockets-fast-enough-creating-huge-backlog/287-d3b87245-5500-448f-8547-bf1195bc99c3 https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-police-chief-upset-over-some-violent-offenders-being-released-after-bonds-lowered-by-judges/287-72be5665-6c2d-4b71-bc2d-97e29f8806a2

If you visited downtown Dallas 20-years ago after 5pm, you would have found yourself in the middle of a dead zone. But over the next two decades, downtown Dallas added 20+ acres of parks, a feat no other downtown can match. Four priority parks are the centerpiece of this effort: West End Square, Pacific Plaza, Harwood Park and Carpenter Park, which celebrates its grand opening this week. In this episode of Y’all-itics, Jason Whitely and fellow Dallas resident and WFAA anchor Chris Lawrence have a conversation with Amy Meadows, the CEO of Parks for Downtown Dallas, the driving force behind the greening of Dallas. Amy says the effort has made downtown Dallas the envy of the nation and she shares a cold one with Jason and Chris in the middle of the all of the action and growth. And we learned Carpenter Park added a feature that’s never been downtown before. We think you’ll be as stunned as we were when you hear what it is.GuestAmy Meadows, CEO/Parks for Downtown Dallas

Doesn’t it just seem worse this year? Many of us are still in sticker shock over our property appraisals, so this episode is all about how to reduce the amount of property taxes you pay. Turns out, your odds of winning that protest might be greater this year than ever before with half of the houses in Texas potentially overvalued. Wheeler is back for this one as the Jasons call up Chandler Crouch, a realtor and an expert on protesting your property tax value. Chandler explains how to not only play defense in this process with the Central Appraisal District, but also go on the offensive. But the Jasons also zoom out and talk about how to reform this system politically. Texas’ property taxes are among the highest in the nation and home values have easily jumped double digits in Texas’ major cities. So, what exactly are lawmakers going to do to help us? We recently extended an invitation to Gov. Abbott to join us and have not yet heard back from his campaign staff. But his Democratic challenger this November, Beto O’Rourke, took our call even after testing positive for COVID-19 and explained his plan to lower the state’s skyrocketing property taxes. After all these years, can that even be done?GuestsChandler Crouch, Chandler Crouch RealtyFreeTaxProtest.comBeto O’Rourke, (D) Candidate for Texas Governor

Will Texas Governor Greg Abbott run for president in 2024? Will he win re-election this November? What drives the 64-year-old politician and expert fundraiser? Does he get along with Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick? In the May edition of Texas Monthly, executive editor Mimi Swartz carefully and comprehensively lays out the political rise of Greg Abbott and asks the question; how much do Texans really know about Greg Abbott? He is running for his third term as the state’s leader after serving three terms as attorney general. Mimi joins Jason and guest host Teresa Woodard to talk about how Abbott’s past is shaping his future.GUEST:Mimi Swartz, Executive Editor at Texas MonthlyREAD: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/who-is-greg-abbott/

Texas simply fails when it comes to taking care of foster children. Sure there are success stories that should make us all proud. But the state, admittedly, has too many major problems with it and no one has indeitified a workable solution. WFAA’s Cynthia Izaguirre has covered this issue for years. On this episode, Cynthia joins host Jason Whitely for a frank conversation. They called Heidi Brugel Cox, a family law attorney with firsthand knowledge of the state’s system. And Cynthia and Jason got state Representative James Frank, R-Wichita Falls, on the line, as well. Not only does he chair the Texas House Human Services Committee which oversees the state’s child welfare system in Texas, but Chairman Frank has also fostered and adopted two children. So, how does Texas finally fix this? Heidi said the most obvious starting place is something no one is doing. GuestsState Rep. James Frank, (R) Wichita FallsHeidi Cox, Family Law Attorney

Looking for that next, great technology breakthrough? Maybe the next Uber or Airbnb? Supporters of Blockchain technology say look no further than the real estate industry. They claim Blockchain is democratizing real estate by opening it up to average, everyday citizens who can buy and sell real estate like rich folks. And they say they can do this because Blockchain makes transactions more secure and, most importantly, cheaper. In this episode of Y’all-itics, you’ll hear some of the major players in Texas in this burgeoning industry explain how it works and what they see the technology changing in the future. Even Governor Abbott has said he wants the Lone Star state to be a leader in this type of technology. And you’ll hear from one of Texas’ preeminent real estate experts who likes the potential of blockchain, but doesn’t think this new disruption is just around the corner. But when it comes to buying property, all agree there is one area within real estate where Blockchain could have an immediate and noticeable effect. GuestsPeter Rex, CEO/OWN PropSohail Hassan, Managing Partner/MarketSpace CapitalTodd Tramonte, Real Estate Marketer & Broker