TribCast: Dan Patrick’s eventful week
On this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with James and Alexa about Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s political power and problems with mail-in ballot applications.
Feb 18, 2022•44 min
Texas Tribune TribCast
The TribCast is a weekly political podcast hosted by Matthew Watkins, James Barragán and Eleanor Klibanoff, and featuring a rotating cast of editors, reporters and other guests. The TribCast is returning as a limited-run weekly series during the 2025 legislative session.
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Episodes
TribCast: Previewing the Texas primaries before early voting starts Monday
In this week’s episode, Matthew and Ross break down the GOP primary for attorney general and highlight the other top races that have grabbed their interest.
Feb 12, 2022•35 min
TribCast: The Texas power grid fares better in 2022’s winter storm
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Mitchell and James about how Texas held up during the wintry weather, plus the struggles of the National Guard during their border deployment.
Feb 04, 2022•39 min
TribCast: FBI raid at U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s house shakes up his primary
On this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Abby and Karen about U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s legal situation and whether the omicron wave is receding.
Jan 28, 2022•27 min
TribCast: A legal snag for Gov. Greg Abbott's border initiative
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Jolie and Alexa about a potentially influential court case in Gov. Greg Abbott’s effort to arrest migrants at the border and a high rejection rate among applicants seeking to vote by mail.
Jan 14, 2022•32 min
TribCast: Is the omicron wave in Texas nearing its peak?
In this week's episode, Matthew speaks with Karen and Patrick about the pandemic and Ted Cruz taking heat from conservatives over his comments about the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Jan 08, 2022•26 min
TribCast: Breaking down the Supreme Court's ruling on the Texas abortion law
On this week's episode, Matthew and Reese make sense of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision and what it means for abortion in Texas.
Dec 10, 2021•22 min
TribCast: Texas braces for the next winter storm and a new COVID-19 variant
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Mitchell, James and Karen about the status of the power grid and the pandemic heading into winter.
Dec 03, 2021•42 min
TribCast: Beto O'Rourke launches his bid for governor
In this week's episode, Matthew talks with Cassie, James and Patrick about the early days of the Beto O'Rourke campaign and how the rest of the 2022 ballot is shaping up.
Nov 19, 2021•39 min
Tribcast: Parsing through Texas GOP officials' hunt for "pornographic books" in public schools
In this week’s episode, James talks with Jolie and Patrick about Gov. Greg Abbott's call for an investigation into books at public schools and the ramping up of the 2022 election season as candidate filing season begins.
Nov 12, 2021•36 min
TribCast: How worried should Texas Democrats be about 2022?
In this week's episode, Matthew speaks with Patrick, Reese and Neelam about Tuesday's special election results, poll numbers in the governor's race and oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court over Texas' abortion law.
Nov 05, 2021•36 min
TribCast: Previewing the Texas abortion law's day in the U.S. Supreme Court
In this week's episode, Matthew speaks with Reese and Brian about Monday's oral arguments in the Supreme Court over the state's near-total abortion ban and a lawmaker's request to investigate books in school libraries.
Oct 29, 2021•33 min
TribCast: Is the Texas Legislature finished for 2021?
On this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Alexa, James and Patrick about the end of the Texas Legislature’s third special session and whether there will be a fourth.
Oct 20, 2021•37 min
TribCast: A federal judge temporarily blocks Texas’ near-total abortion ban
In this week’s TribCast, Matthew speaks with Alexa and Reese about the ongoing court fights over Texas’ new abortion law and the redistricting process in Texas.
Oct 08, 2021•33 min
TribCast: Texas unveils a proposed new congressional map — and an election audit
In this week's episode, Matthew talks with Alexa, James and Jolie about redistricting, Gov. Greg Abbott's election audit and the troubles with Texas' border enforcement efforts.
Sep 29, 2021•41 min
TribCast: A preview of redistricting in the Texas Legislature
In this week's episode, Matthew speaks with Ross, Alexa and James about the coming legislative and legal fights over redistricting in Texas.
Sep 15, 2021•45 min
TribCast: Legal fights continue over Texas' new abortion law
On this week's TribCast, Matthew speaks with Allyson, Patrick and Reese about the court battles over Texas' abortion law and Abbott's call for a third special session.
Sep 11, 2021•36 min
TribCast: A new law banning most abortions in Texas takes effect
On this week's episode, Matthew speaks with Neelam and James about the state's new abortion law and the final days of the special session of the Texas Legislature.
Sep 02, 2021•31 min
TribCast: The election restrictions bill passed the Texas House. What’s next?
In this week’s episode, Matthew, Alexa and Cassi look back at months of political fights after the elections bill made it out of the Texas House.
Aug 27, 2021•28 min
TribCast: How much worse will Texas’ current COVID-19 wave get?
On this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Karen, Cassi and James about whether the this pandemic wave will turn out to be Texas’ worst and why no Democrats have been arrested since their warrants were signed last week.
Aug 18, 2021•31 min
TribCast: Local officials defy Gov. Greg Abbott on mask orders as COVID-19 rages
In this week's episode, Matthew speaks with James, Patrick and Joshua about COVID-19 overwhelming hospitals again and efforts to restore a quorum in the Texas House.
Aug 11, 2021•39 min
TribCast: The Texas Legislature’s first special session of 2021 ends Friday. What happens next?
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Cassi, Jolie and Patrick about the law enforcement presence at the border and Democrats’ and Republicans’ next moves as the special session wraps up.
Aug 04, 2021•39 min
TribCast: Coronavirus cases climb in Texas, and realignment rocks college sports
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Karen, Ross and Heidi about the rising COVID-19 case numbers in Texas and conference realignment in college sports.
Jul 29, 2021•34 min
TribCast: Texas Democrats blow up the special legislative session
On this week's episode, Matthew speaks with Alexa, Cassi and James about Democrats fleeing the state to fight new voting restrictions.
Jul 14, 2021•36 min
TribCast: Previewing the special legislative session
In this week's episode, Cassi speaks with Alexa and James about the upcoming special legislative session that starts July 8 in Austin.
Jul 07, 2021•33 min
TribCast: Donald Trump and Greg Abbott visit the U.S-Mexico border
In this week's episode, Matthew speaks with Ross, Patrick and Reese about the politics surrounding Donald Trump's trip to Texas and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on student learning.
Jul 01, 2021•35 min
TribCast, special edition: Our pollsters on how Texans feel about immigration, voting, Greg Abbott and more
In this edition of the TribCast, Ross talks to pollsters Joshua Blank, James Henson and Daron Shaw about the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll and what voters are thinking about issues argued in the Legislature, immigration and border ...
Jun 30, 2021•36 min
TribCast: Looking ahead to the Texas Legislature's special session
In this week's TribCast, Matthew speaks with James, Cassi and Isabella about lawmakers' planned return to the Capitol in July, Gov. Greg Abbott's executive powers and the fight over critical race theory.
Jun 24, 2021•46 min
TribCast: Assessing Texas' power grid and its plans to build a border wall
On this week's TribCast, Matthew speaks with James, Alexa and Erin about Gov. Greg Abbott's border wall plans, the state power grid and Democrats pushing for voting legislation in Washington.
Jun 18, 2021•44 min
TribCast: Will Texas build its own border wall?
In this week's TribCast, Matthew speaks with Ross, Patrick and James about Gov. Greg Abbott's border wall idea, the politics of South Texas and the GOP statewide ticket in 2022.
Jun 11, 2021•35 min
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