In this episode of Party Politics, Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina unpack a turbulent week in politics at both the national and state level. With a government shutdown now in full effect, the hosts dig into how it could ripple across the economy, voter turnout, and the midterm elections. They also examine new military rules rolled out by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, raising questions about the future of U.S. defense and civil-military relations. Closer to home, the race for Texas governor is heating up, with new challengers, big fundraising numbers, and even a pop star making unexpected headlines.NATIONAL TOPICSGovernment shutdown in effect.Government shutdown impact on elections.New military rules from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.TEXAS TOPICSGina Hinojosa enters the governor’s race.Greg Abbott for president.Commissioner Miller primary in danger.Talarico raises $6M for campaign.Bad Bunny in Paxton’s CrosshairsIn addition to YouTube, Party Politics airs every Friday night at 8:00 p.m. CT on Houston Public Media TV-8 (PBS), or listen every Friday at 7:30 p.m. CT on News 88.7. The audio podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts). SUBSCRIBE for more local news and information from Houston Public Media: https://www.youtube.com/@HoustonPublicMedia