There’s a new political party in Texas looking to shake things up. But instead of running towards the edges, the Serve America Movement (SAM) has its roots planted firmly in the middle. While SAM already has parties established in four states, Texas could be the linchpin of its overall success. The rest of the country will be closely watching to see if SAM has a fighting chance in a deep red state. But how can it succeed where so many other new parties have failed? What is it offering that would...
Jun 29, 2021•45 min•Ep. 103
Inside the skyline, the transformation has been subtle and taken time but downtown Dallas has a new story to tell. In their first in-person podcast episode in almost a year and a half, the Jasons pile into a booth at the stylish Catbird restaurant and bar in the newly renovated 50-story National building for a conversation with Kourtny Garrett, the president & CEO of Downtown Dallas, Inc. In 1996, 200 people lived downtown. Today, it’s home to 12,000. Twenty years ago, downtown Dallas had 40...
Jun 22, 2021•52 min•Ep. 102
We use it every day for freeways and foundations, pools and patios. In fact, Texas uses more cement than any other state, says Ed Sullivan, the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Market Intelligence for the Portland Cement Association. But Covid-19 caused cement supply chain disruptions. And then the February winter storm hit, temporarily knocking cement plants offline and doing serious damage to at least one major facility. Now, this crucial ingredient for concrete is in tight supply ...
Jun 15, 2021•38 min•Ep. 101
On June 15, 2021, the city of Fort Worth will have its first new mayor in 10 years. And even Mattie Parker understands she’s now the youngest Mayor of a major U.S. city (12th largest according to new Census Bureau estimates). In this bonus episode of Y’all-itics, Parker explains why the budget is her first priority as the city emerges from the pandemic flush with federal dollars. Parker also says she’s excited to work with a younger City Council, which has five new members, with the average age ...
Jun 10, 2021•25 min•Ep. 100
Texans are one signature away from being able to carry their handguns in public without a permit. And many members of law enforcement say permitless carry will make their jobs far more dangerous… and the consequences are coming. The President of the Dallas Police Association says many officers are asking how they’ll even know the difference between the good guy and the bad guy. And Michael Mata tells the Jasons he fully expects the number of violent confrontations between business owners and cus...
Jun 08, 2021•57 min•Ep. 99
Whether you’re building or buying, it’s a brutal housing market in Texas. And it’s about to get even tougher as we enter the summer season, when people really start looking for a new home. Texas leads the country, by far, in new housing permits. But demand is outpacing supply by a Texas mile. Hang around any construction type and you'll hear the phrase "I've never seen anything like this before.” In fact, in this episode the Jasons are hearing that from Ted Wilson, one of the foremost residentia...
Jun 01, 2021•35 min•Ep. 98
Following the catastrophic power failure in February, Texans heard all sorts of promises from lawmakers and other state leaders. They’ll fix this mess, they told us, so it never happens again. Another legislative session has nearly come and gone, and lawmakers have yet to pass any energy reform bills (anybody remember 2011?). Lawmakers are close. But can they get anything across the finish line during the final week of the session? The consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen tells the Jaso...
May 25, 2021•40 min•Ep. 97
By now you’ve likely heard the news, legendary WFAA sportscaster Dale Hansen is retiring. But we’re pretty sure you haven’t heard the stories that Dale shares on this special episode of Y’all-itics. Exactly 24-hours after the announcement, Dale cracked open a beer with the Jasons for a look back at his 50-years in broadcasting, the well-known statewide politician he was recruited to run against a few years ago, the unbelievable way he got a job in Dallas, and how he handles haters – who really g...
May 19, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 96
A new study says re-opening schools in Texas led to an additional 43,000+ cases and 800+ deaths across the state. In fact, one of the lead researchers says it was a stronger connection than they would have guessed. What isn’t clear, is exactly how many of those were teachers. That researcher tells the Jasons why that is and why he hopes the study becomes part of the discussion before any concrete decisions are made for schools in the fall. The Texas Education Agency tells us they stand by their ...
May 18, 2021•47 min•Ep. 95
A record number of women are currently serving in the United States Congress, but to many, it’s just a mirage. And they say true parity remains distant, especially here in Texas. A few years ago, two women launched the Lone Star Parity Project to not only get a better idea of the number of women running for office in Texas, but also which positions they filed for and how many were actually elected. A couple of reports later, the numbers remain stark. Out of 254 counties in Texas, their new study...
May 11, 2021•33 min•Ep. 94
If so many Texans are angry over their property tax appraisals, has anybody ever considered scrapping the entire system? A lawmaker from East Texas has. He even has such a bill in Austin to do just that. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons find out how it would all work. HB 3770: Texas Legislature Online - 87(R) History for HB 3770
May 04, 2021•42 min•Ep. 93
It’s “the season” again… that magical time of year when Texans walk to the mailbox with a mix of resentment and trepidation, take a deep breath, and then dare to look at their property appraisal. Even if you have no plans to move, the red-hot housing market in Texas may cause your appraisal (and later your property taxes) to rise significantly. But you don’t just have to accept what the appraisal district has written on that piece of paper. You can protest. And one of the foremost experts on how...
Apr 27, 2021•52 min•Ep. 92
The conversation in this episode was real, raw and recorded live as the verdict in the Derek Chauvin came down on Tuesday afternoon. In this emergency release of Y’all-itics, the Jasons are joined once again by the politician and the educator, both fathers, who first joined the podcast after the killing of George Floyd in May 2020. Podcast host Cydney Walker, a mother who’s been following the trial gavel to gavel, also joins this important conversation. As the country watched this defining momen...
Apr 20, 2021•33 min•Ep. 91
HB 6. SB 7. That simple combination of four letters and two numbers could have a profound impact on Texas for years to come. Those are bills that lawmakers are debating in Austin that could change Texas voting laws. A recent report by The Perryman Group, led by a respected Texas economist, predicts if those bills are passed, Texas would lose billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs… in the next four years alone. What’s more, the Perryman Group says that doesn’t even include the potentia...
Apr 20, 2021•40 min•Ep. 90
Ready for a change? A growing number of Americans are exchanging four walls for four wheels. The fast-growing subculture is full of folks looking to redefine the American dream while living exclusively in their RVs, vans and campers. And one of the oldest and largest groups of digital nomads has an “address” right here in Texas, some 75-miles north of Houston. Members “live” in that city even though they may never visit. And that means they can get a Texas driver’s license, register their vehicl...
Apr 13, 2021•33 min•Ep. 89
Race, violence and medicine. Those three words intersect in Dr. Brian Williams’ emergency room. Gun violence is more than a headline or political talking point for him. Dr. Williams sees the aftermath of it every day. What’s most concerning, he says, is the disparities in gun violence. Young black men are half of all gunshot victims. Dr. Williams has set out to change that. He wants to start a conversation about the larger societal issues, and he has the credentials to do it. Dr. Williams, a Bla...
Apr 06, 2021•44 min•Ep. 88
It is a seller’s market on steroids right now in Texas. Healthy housing inventory is typically six months. But some cities in Texas are down to days. If you’re a seller, you’re likely receiving multiple offers, some significantly above asking. If you’re a buyer, good luck. It could take you a while. Some buyers are even resorting to entering contracts without a guaranteed final sales price. And at the end of the day, all homeowners in Texas will pay for the housing frenzy through higher property...
Mar 30, 2021•49 min•Ep. 87
Election security? Or voter suppression? The rhetoric is heating up in Texas as the battle over election reform begins in earnest this week. While there is a spate of bills lawmakers will consider, Senate Bill 7 is the granddaddy of them all. Among other things, it would eliminate drive-thru voting, limit voting hours, make it much harder to vote by mail. In this week’s episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons are joined by the Executive Director of Progress Texas, an organization that amplifies progr...
Mar 22, 2021•37 min•Ep. 86
A Republican leader along the Texas-Mexico border calls the latest migrant surge a repetition of a crisis, the result of “duct tape immigration policy.” The Democrat leading the oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the U.S. calls it “Biden’s political pinata,” as the 2021 surge includes thousands of unaccompanied minors. And experts on both sides of the political aisle believe the situation is about to get much, much worse. The Jasons drill down into what’s driving this latest surge and ...
Mar 16, 2021•44 min•Ep. 85
On the day Texas returned to 100% occupancy and eliminated the mask mandate, Dr. Anthony Fauci sat down with WFAA reporter William Joy to provide his report card for the state. And William joined a Jason for this bonus podcast to discuss that discussion. The nation’s leading infectious disease expert warns that getting back to “normal” isn’t like turning a switch on and off. And he says Texas is taking a risk. But in this episode, Dr. Fauci will also tell you why Texans shouldn’t be discouraged ...
Mar 11, 2021•27 min•Ep. 84
Fatigue from COVID-19 and last month’s polar vortex are expected to drive millions of people to Texas beaches as spring break begins this week. Even though Governor Abbott is lifting the mask mandate and allowing businesses to return to 100-percent capacity, many businesses are still adhering to CDC health safety guidelines and still expecting huge crowds. The Jasons called up a couple of Texans along the coast to see what to expect before they put their feet in the sand. Along part of the Texas...
Mar 09, 2021•47 min•Ep. 83
Call it the Texas restaurant massacre. The industry has taken a beating during our year of pandemic lockdown. In human terms, it amounts to 150,000 Texans who have lost their jobs. And those restaurants that did survive took another hit during the historic winter weather and power catastrophe. That event wiped out the often-lucrative Valentine’s Day dining. If this sounds like a horror story… it is. So why then does the president of the Texas Restaurant Association think this story will have a h...
Mar 02, 2021•35 min•Ep. 82
In our last episode, a former state lawmaker told the Jasons that Texas missed a golden opportunity six years ago to start planning for extreme weather events. Current Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson explained how he thinks his bill would have helped prevent the near failure of the Texas electric grid but was killed in the final moments. One of Johnson’s friends, a former state lawmaker himself on the other side of the aisle, says he remembers the episode too, but with a few different details. Ron Sim...
Feb 26, 2021•22 min•Ep. 81
Texas lawmakers are meeting on Thursday in Austin – pledging to get to the bottom of the massive statewide power outages last week. But a former state lawmaker tells the Jasons that Texas missed an opportunity six years ago to start planning for something like this. Eric Johnson, the current Mayor of Dallas, was a state representative in 2015 and introduced a bill that might have helped prevent the near-failure of the Texas electric grid last week. Johnson explained what his bill would have done...
Feb 23, 2021•28 min•Ep. 80
ERCOT called the Jasons super early on Tuesday to offer the first interview with CEO Bill Magness. He’s probably the most sought after newsmaker of the week in our state. Magness manages ERCOT, which is the Texas power grid. And millions of Texans are in the dark right now in below freezing temperatures. We asked Magness many of the same questions you’ve been asking us. When will this be over? Will it get worse before it gets better? Come to find out, Magness’ wife and his child are among the mi...
Feb 16, 2021•27 min•Ep. 79
We knew what was coming, so why were Texas electric utilities not ready for the severe winter weather? The widespread electric outages did not surprise energy experts in the state. In fact, history is repeating itself here. The issue that caused the widespread electric outages this week was the same thing that caused a similar failure in 2011. And one before that in 1989. A state lawmaker also told the Jasons that Texans deserve answers.
Feb 16, 2021•30 min•Ep. 78
It’s hard to believe hair remains an excuse for discrimination in 2021, much of it rooted in racism. Do a quick internet search and it won’t be hard for you to find the stories. And this isn’t a one-size-fits-all problem as you can find victims all across the spectrum, from women in the workplace to teenage boys in High School. In this episode of Y’all-itics, we join the project “Rooted” being shared across Tegna Texas that explores black hair in America. The Jasons are joined by WFAA anchor Tas...
Feb 09, 2021•38 min•Ep. 76
It’s one of the most diverse counties in Texas. So, why then did it take 150 years for Fort Bend County to elect its second Black sheriff? And as Texas lawmakers begin to debate police reform, Sheriff Eric Fagan has his own ideas for it and wants the public to hear his perspective. Just don’t use the word “defund” around him. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the man making – and following – history in Fort Bend County answers the call from the Jasons and discusses everything from the pressure and...
Feb 02, 2021•25 min•Ep. 75
Contact Tracing. The very phrase has been somewhat poisoned in the United States, where many of us tend to think of “big brother,” that the government is watching. A company out of New Zealand says we have it all wrong and we should instead consider it to be contact “logging.” That company helped New Zealand essentially eliminate the virus. And now, SaferMe has set up shop in Austin, Texas. Does that mean we’re now well on our way to eliminating it here in the Lone Star State? SaferMe’s CEO tell...
Jan 29, 2021•33 min•Ep. 74
There are nearly 29-million Texans. But as of January 25, 2021, after a month of distribution, fewer than 1.5 Million of those Texans have received a single dose of the vaccine. Only 266,000 Texans have received both doses. At that rate, it would take nearly two years for Texans just to get one dose and nearly five years for all Texans to be fully vaccinated. If the vaccine was developed in record time, one Texas lawmaker wants to know why the state’s distribution plan wasn’t ready. And he tells...
Jan 26, 2021•36 min•Ep. 73
