It was the first time a sitting President has ever debated a former President. And now that the first Biden/Trump showdown is in the books, did either candidate move the needle with voters, especially those who don’t like either candidate? In this special release, our Y’all-itics panel of political experts discusses what the candidates did right, and what they got wrong. Guests Jessica Huseman, Votebeat Editorial Director Berna Dean Steptoe, WFAA Political Producer Michael McCardel, WFAA Politic...
Jun 28, 2024•56 min•Ep. 282
Elliston Berry was only 14 when a classmate created fake pornographic images of her that quickly spread on social media. But the courageous teen hasn’t just shared her story, she’s also inspired the TAKE IT DOWN Act, bipartisan national legislation that would protect victims of real and deepfake non-consensual intimate imagery. In this episode of Y’all-itics, Elliston and her mother discuss the difficult odyssey they’ve endured over the past eight months. And we sat down with U.S. Senator Ted Cr...
Jun 27, 2024•43 min•Ep. 281
Think you know what happened in the Uvalde massacre? The public hasn’t seen a sliver of the evidence. Now, more than two years later, a Texas attorney walks us through the legal fight to get DPS to finally reveal what a Texas court has ordered it to release. GUEST: Laura Lee Prather, Attorney | Haynes Boone
Jun 23, 2024•44 min•Ep. 280
As we get ready to simmer through another summer in Texas, keep an eye on the grid. The fragility of electricity supply in Texas has been an issue since the near total collapse of the grid in the winter of 2021. University of Houston Energy Fellow Ed Hirs says the 'fixes' since haven't been enough. He sees the potential for summer days where supply might have trouble keeping up with growing demand. And even if there is enough power to go around, he explains why we are paying more for it. Guest: ...
Jun 16, 2024•35 min•Ep. 279
It is not a crime in Texas for someone to claim your house as their own. State lawmakers finally plan to fix it. Guest Terri Boyette, Mesquite Homeowner State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston
Jun 09, 2024•38 min•Ep. 278
Johnson County ranchers say their cattle, fish and horses are dying and getting sick because of fertilizer spread on nearby farmland. That fertilizer is made from treated human waste and it comes from the city of Fort Worth in the next county over. Ranchers say runoff from the fertilizer has made their land useless, so they’re suing. And the battle has even led to a criminal investigation. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons share a pint with WFAA Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Rebecca...
Jun 02, 2024•41 min•Ep. 277
SYNOPSIS: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett isn’t afraid to bite back. She has gone viral again for defending herself against a personal attack from U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia. In the 10-days since she called Greene a ‘bleach blonde, bad built, butch body’, memes have popped up online, flowers have come in to her office and she says some Republican members of congress have even given her private praise. On this episode, Crockett explains how it unfolded, why she trademarked the ‘bl...
May 26, 2024•30 min•Ep. 276
Less than six months before we elect our next president, a Texas attorney says there are leadership lessons that eight former U.S. presidents can teach us. Some of these led the country during badly divided times. What will history think about Biden and Trump 50 years from now? The Jasons get a history lesson in this episode from Talmage Boston, author of “How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons From Our Top Presidents”. Shoutout to Oak Highlands Brewery who shared their space and some cold draf...
May 19, 2024•44 min•Ep. 275
There are two groups of Republicans in four states that could decide the next presidential election. The Lincoln Project, a group of former Republican political strategists, has its eyes set on these voters, thinking they will be enough to defeat Donald Trump. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Lincoln Project reveals one line of messaging that works. And the group gives the Jasons a sneak peek at their election strategy over the next six months. Guest Stuart Stevens, Lincoln Project Senior Adv...
May 12, 2024•50 min•Ep. 274
$11.4 Billion. That’s how much it’s costing Texas every year for failing to provide adequate childcare for working families. And researchers at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT-Austin say the crisis should be one of the paramount policy issues facing lawmakers when they return to Austin next January. Bottom line: if families can even find decent childcare, it’s costing them way too much. In this episode of Y’all-itics, one of the authors of that policy brief explains why this issue is so i...
May 05, 2024•37 min•Ep. 273
They’re Governor Greg Abbott’s biggest priorities: border security and school vouchers. But a new poll by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation (THPF) makes it clear that while Abbott, and Republicans, are winning big with one, the other issue is a major political loser. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons hit a patio with THPF CEO and former Republican state Representative Jason Villalba, who explains why he thinks the Governor is so hell-bent to move forward with an issue a clear majorit...
Apr 28, 2024•42 min•Ep. 272
He does not do a lot of interviews. State Rep. Glenn Rogers, a conservative Texas Republican, lost his re-election last month after a pricey misinformation campaign against him. Despite a very conservative voting record, Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz, and billionaire backers campaigned against him because Rogers opposes school vouchers. So, is there still a place for him in the Texas GOP? Is Rogers responsible for enabling any of it? Will he vote for Cruz in November? In this episode of Y’all-...
Apr 21, 2024•22 min•Ep. 271
Talk of secession has gotten a little louder these days, amplified by the so-called “Take Texas Back” pledge. The site devoted to the pledge boasts that dozens of Republican candidates and officeholders have signed up, promising to support legislation that would push Texas to leave the United States under certain conditions. This has all been talked about before. So, is this time different? And how do we know when chatter about secession is something to take more seriously? The Jasons called Dr....
Apr 14, 2024•39 min•Ep. 269
Ken Paxton is on a winning streak: acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial, successfully defeating some fellow Republicans on Super Tuesday, and most recently Paxton got the criminal charges against him finally dropped after nine years. So, is Ken Paxton the most powerful Republican in Texas? One of the state’s top Democrats – who tried to take the AG’s job – says Paxton absolutely is. Why then would Joe Jaworski, a Houston attorney and the grandson of Leon Jaworski, the famous prosecutor in t...
Apr 07, 2024•40 min•Ep. 268
It’s almost time for the dreaded property tax appraisals in Texas. For the first time, Texans will get a real say in the process. The board overseeing central appraisal districts have always been appointed. A new state law requires at least three members to be elected. Chandler Crouch, a real estate broker and expert in protesting property taxes, says the new law is a game changer. He joined the Jasons at Turning Point Beer in Bedford, Texas for this episode. GUEST: Chandler Crouch RECORDING LOC...
Mar 31, 2024•47 min•Ep. 267
Ever since settling the criminal case against Attorney General Ken Paxton, special prosecutor Brian Wice told us he has been excoriated by people who think it was a bad move. So why did he do it? And why won’t specifics of the deal be made public? We had lots of questions after this bombshell news broke. Wice made the decision and he took our call from his Houston office in this special episode of Y’all-itics. GUEST: Brian Wice / Special Prosecutor in Paxton case
Mar 27, 2024•16 min•Ep. 266
Turns out, Republicans made errors hand-counting votes. The GOP in Gillespie County (Fredericksburg) did not trust machines to count the votes on Super Tuesday. So, they did it themselves. By hand. 8,000 ballots. And they made mistakes in every precinct. Jessica Huseman, the editorial director of Votebeat, was there on election night and joined the Jasons for a pint on this episode to explain what happened and the bold new project her newsroom is undertaking in Gillespie County. https://www.wfaa...
Mar 24, 2024•28 min•Ep. 265
There have been several times recently when 60% - 70% of all the power consumed in Texas came from renewables. And in January, the state set a new solar production record, topping out at over 14,000 megawatts, more than enough to power San Antonio and Austin. Life is so good for renewables in Texas, a new study funded by the oil and gas industry found that they should likely connect to the grid to get cheaper power… thanks to the influence of renewables. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jason...
Mar 17, 2024•38 min•Ep. 264
How do you beat a Republican in Texas? Move further to the right. And in many ways, that’s exactly what happened in Texas during the primary. But one of the biggest surprises of the night happened on the Democratic ballot. In this election hangover edition of Y’all-itics, the Jasons and our panel experts discuss the results of the GOP civil war, the fallout from the results and what it all means for the future of Texas. Guests Berna Dean Steptoe, WFAA Political Producer Michael McCardel, WFAA Po...
Mar 06, 2024•41 min•Ep. 263
Mexicans elect a new president this summer and two women are competing for the top job. How might they impact our politics, our shared border, and the hundreds of billions of dollars in trade that move across it? Laura Collins, an immigration expert at the Bush Institute and Jennifer Apperti, a former Mexican diplomat who now leads SMU’s Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center join the Jasons to explain how immigration impacts politics on the other side of the border. Guests Jennifer Apperti, Director...
Mar 03, 2024•45 min•Ep. 262
The border politics dominating conversations have long overshadowed the importance of all the other stuff flooding over the border from Mexico. And the bickering, bloviation and incessant battling is negatively impacting the Texas economy and our wallets, a loss of more than a billion dollars in output and thousands of jobs. Dr. Ray Perryman is the brains behind this new report, which is a political hot potato. But Dr. Perryman tells the Jasons why he thinks it’s a good thing he’s called an “equ...
Feb 25, 2024•30 min•Ep. 261
It is an election system designed to find cases of illegal voting, keep voter rolls accurate, and make elections cheaper and more efficient. But Texas, and eight other Republican-led states, abandoned the program without any plan to replace it. That is bad news for Texas voters and the bill comes due on Super Tuesday, March 5. In this episode of Y’all-itics , the Jasons crack open a cold one at Celestial Beerworks with Jessica Huseman, the editorial director of Votebeat, a nonprofit news organiz...
Feb 20, 2024•46 min•Ep. 260
She’s the only major Republican presidential candidate left standing not named Donald Trump. And former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley hit Texas recently to raise cash and build momentum leading up to Super Tuesday on March 5. But everything’s bigger in Texas, including Trump’s lead. In this early release episode of Y’all-itics , candidate Haley explains her views on everything from Texas’ abortion law to whether we should be taking guns away. Guest Nikki Haley, Republican Candidate for Pre...
Feb 16, 2024•14 min•Ep. 259
Many residents of Eagle Pass, Texas, say they’ve had enough. But they’re angry with the Texas Governor, not the migrants crossing the border. They just sent him a letter, accusing his rhetoric of putting the community in danger now that armed militias are actively showing up after hearing the Governor’s words. In this episode of Y’all-itics , a local business owner who’s already sued the state tells the Jasons what life is truly like now on the ground in Eagle Pass. And you’ll learn why Congress...
Feb 11, 2024•42 min•Ep. 258
Our guest this week decided to go public with what so many Republican lawmakers have said in private. State Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, does not have a primary opponent and is free to speak openly and boy does he in this episode with the Jasons. Patterson goes unplugged about Paxton, the far right disruptors in the Texas GOP, Republicans in Congress who trot down to the Texas border for photo ops and much more. This episode was recorded at Community Beer Co. in Dallas. GUEST: State Rep. Jare...
Feb 02, 2024•56 min•Ep. 257
One of the nation’s foremost experts on the U.S. Supreme Court says its current session is likely “the biggest term of our lifetimes.” That’s because the docket is chock-full of cases that will impact your daily life, many of them originating here in Texas. The Justices have already waded deep into the immigration battle taking place in the Rio Grande along the Texas-Mexico border. Will Texans still have access to a widely prescribed abortion pill? Will Trump even be on the ballot in 2024? Const...
Jan 28, 2024•49 min•Ep. 256
The state of Texas just did something that will make it near impossible for the Uvalde families to sue over the law enforcement failures the day of the massacre at Robb Elementary, failures recently described in detail inside a Department of Justice investigative report. In this episode of Y’all-itics , the Jasons are joined by an attorney who is waist deep in the effort to make the evidence file public. And she says Texans still have no idea what truly happened on May 24, 2022. Guest Laura Lee ...
Jan 19, 2024•39 min•Ep. 255
After surviving subzero temps, a blizzard and a surprising cut of meat, the Jasons get into the nitty gritty of the Iowa Caucuses.
Jan 16, 2024•39 min•Ep. 254
Three major candidates remain in the Republican race for president. What happens on Monday night in Iowa might reduce that even further. And the winter weather that’s freezing Texas has socked in Iowa with snow, briefly paralyzing politics and adding another factor campaigns didn’t count on. The Jasons braved a blizzard warning to get beer, barbecue and this this conversation with Averi Harper, the Deputy Political Director at ABC News. Guest: Averi Harper ABC News Deputy Political Director...
Jan 13, 2024•29 min•Ep. 253
Reality doesn’t live up to reputation when it comes to freedom in Texas. The Lone Star State is dead last in personal freedoms in an annual study by The Cato Institute. Which states are more free? How did Texas get so restrictive? The Jasons have questions for William Ruger, a Texas native himself, who prepares the freedom report every year. “Freedom in the 50 States” report: Freedom in the 50 States 2023 | Cato Institute Guest William Ruger, CATO Institute...
Jan 07, 2024•49 min•Ep. 252
