U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is back in the limelight, promising pitchforks and torches if the new Republican majority in Washington doesn't deliver on its promises to drain the swamp and make American politics work for the people again.

If the Washington establishment is feeling the heat from Donald Trump being president-elect, so could Texas lawmakers who are heading back into their biennial session starting in January. They face a growing list of issues -- including several on which the Senate and House already don't agree, such as school choice and transgender restrooms and fetal tissue.

Add to that list the fact that Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will be heading to Austin seeing  a deal on pension reform in Texas' largest city, in a session where Democrats already are thinking Trump could end up being good for them if he secures the border so Texas can spend its billion-dollar allocation there on other state programs.

Texas politics are never boring, and these intriguing highlights and other behind-the-scenes insights are explored in this week's Texas Take: The Podcast -- the leading political podcast in the Lone Star State, with a much-watched Facebook Live video to boot. Saddle up and watch at Chron.com.