The November issue of D Magazine got tossed out of a Dallas grocery store because its cover bears the word "Negroes." Jean, a Black woman and a journalism professor, describes how the cover came across to her and how she might have done things differently. Also, we talk about how often she gets to party with Bob Schieffer. 

Alex is the guy behind D Magazine’s new daily newsletter, LeadingOff. We had him on the podcast to promote that, a conversation that led us to his deep-seated animosity toward Axios and all who work for it. But then we started talking about what scares Alex, and things got — REAL. Who knew that Tim and Zac both have their own (very valid) reasons for fearing rats? And garbage disposals!

D Magazine’s new sports editor explains what the heck a "sports vertical" is and why StrongSide is going to be the best version of such a thing that Dallas has ever seen. Also, he performs a Cowboys-related feat that will blow your mind. And collegiate meat judging. We get into some of that, too.

Rejoice, cinephiles! The Oak Cliff Film Festival makes its triumphant return June 24 – 27. Barak is one of the organizers. He stopped by to break down some of the 23 feature-length films on the program. We also discussed some exciting news about the Texas Theatre and why Barak's home theater setup is trash. If you would, hop into Apple's podcast app and write a short review of EarBurner. We'll be your best friend. Thank you. 

The new top cop in Dallas just announced how he'll get after the bad guys in this town. Matt and Zac fired fastball questions at him on that topic and others, including his taste in hip-hop and his allegiance to the Cowboys (he was a fan before he even learned to speak English). 

The mayor of Dallas is an interesting fellow. He hoisted himself out of poverty, went on to earn Ivy League degrees, and got elected, it seems, without really trying all that hard. Two years into his first term, he is involving himself in City Council elections, undermining incumbents who've butted heads with him. So what exactly is at work here? D Magazine’s Peter Simek went looking for answers, even as the mayor declined to provide any.

Our staff photographer, Elizabeth Lavin, talks about her work for the August issue of D Magazine. She donned PPE to go inside UTSW's Clements hospital to document what doctors and nurses are doing to save lives in Dallas. 

Jim worked at the Dallas Observer for 24 years. Now he works for us. How long will this arrangement last? God only knows. But for the time being, the most revered and reviled city columnist in Dallas will do his best for your favorite city magazine. Here's what he has to say about that transition, whether the police chief should be fired, how Backpage.com took over the Observer, and everything else that you should care about. Listen up. 

The former mayor of Dallas invited us into his backyard to talk about sheltering in place; the people he'd pick to marry, eff, and kill; how he worked with County Judge Clay Jenkins through the Ebola crisis and the lessons from that experience that our current mayor might want to heed; and which sports arena in the land is the most hostile to visiting teams. Plus there was gin. So much gin that even a dog drank some. Fourteen stars.

Mike is a beloved radio legend and not a young man, so to avoid killing him, we recorded this podcast in a park within eyesight of the friendly Mercantile Tower and not too far from his downtown Dallas apartment. We stood 6 feet apart and controlled our sneezes. The studies so far have been inconclusive about whether the virus can be spread via flatulence, so that was fair game.