Party Politics

Party Politics is officially BACK from it's summer hiatus this week with your two favorite political science professors and podcast co-hosts, Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina! In this week's episode Brandon and Jeronimo provide a full recap on the latest news from the 2020 Democratic Presidential race, the tragic shooting in Midland and Odessa, Texas over the weekend, and a look ahead into the 2020 Texas midterms. 

NATIONAL TOPICS:

• Hurricane Dorian
• Brexit Disaster
• 2020 Presidential Candidate Update
• President Trump Fires White House Aide
• Playboy Journalist Gets Credentials Back
• Vice President Pence Stays at Trump Resort in Ireland

TEXAS TOPICS:

• “Texas Exodus” and U.S. Rep. Bill Flores' Retirement
• Texas Senator Royce West and his Government Contract
• Senator Ted Cruz Meets Alyssa Milano

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email [email protected]. Party Politics is produced by Sophie Moll, and the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander. 

Party Politics is taking a quick break from summer hiatus to cover the most recent political events and breaking news in local and national politics. Co-host Brandon Rottinghaus is joined by guest co-host and fellow University of Houston Political Science professor Jerónimo Cortina, to analyze the first two rounds of the Democratic Presidential debates. Brandon and Jerónimo also update us on the most recent changes in the Texas Legislature and predict how these changes could impact the 2020 Texas midterm election.

Party Politics will officially return from summer hiatus on September 6 with a new co-host joining Brandon! Stay tuned for the announcement!

NATIONAL TOPICS

• Winners and Losers of the first Democratic Presidential debates
• State of play for 2020 Presidential election
• What to expect for 3rd Democratic Presidential debate in Houston

TEXAS TOPICS

• Empower Texans allegations against Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen
• Political landscape of 2020 Texas midterm election
• Predictions for the 87th Texas Legislature

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email [email protected]. Party Politics is produced by Sophie Moll, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer analyze the multiple layers of the years-long trade war between President Donald Trump and China. Jay and Brandon discuss the logistics behind the trade talks and how China’s raised taxes on U.S. imports will impact businesses and the American economy. Stay tuned towards the end of the show where Jay reveals a big announcement!

NATIONAL TOPICS

• 2020 Presidential roundup
• Donald Trump Jr. to testify before Senate Intelligence Committee
• Alabama abortion ban
• Trump gives Pete Buttigieg a nickname
• Former President Jimmy Carter breaks hip

TEXAS TOPICS

• Texas Senate election
• Update on race for Texas Congressional District 23
• Texas judicial pay raises
• Chick-Fil-A bill is back
• Comptroller revenue estimate updated
• Sandra Bland Act

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email [email protected]. Party Politics is produced by Sophie Moll, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer analyze the potential outcomes of the House Judiciary Committee’s decision to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt after his refusal to comply with the Committee’s subpoenas to provide documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report.

Jay and Brandon discuss the politics behind Trump evoking an Executive Privilege on all Mueller Report documentation, and explain why the Republican led Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr. for his testimony on the Russia investigation.

NATIONAL TOPICS

• 2020 Presidential roundup
• Trump’s tax records reveal big financial losses
• Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin denies House Dem's request for Trump's tax returns
• Trump says “Collusion Delusion” stole the first 2 years of his Presidency
• Kentucky Derby winner disqualified

TEXAS TOPICS

• Mayoral roundup – Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth
• School finance reform update
• Sales Tax hike proposal fails
• Representative Jonathan Stickland resigns from Freedom Caucus and calls vaccines “sorcery”

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email [email protected]. Party Politics is produced by Sophie Moll, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer are joined by a very special guest and “celebrated raconteur”! Former Obama speechwriter and Pod Save America host Jon Lovett discusses his take on the political climate going into the 2020 Presidential Election, and the strengths and weaknesses of the major Presidential candidates.

Ahead of his live Houston show, Lovett shares his views on Texas politics, how humor continues to play a role in the political world, and much more!

Make sure to check out his podcast Lovett or Leave It, and get tickets to his live show in Houston on May 2.

TOPICS

• 2020 Presidential Election and the Democratic Primary
• Strengths and weaknesses of major candidates
• Jon Lovett’s views on where the primary electorate is
• Joe Biden taking on Trump in the 2020 election
• Texas turning “purple” after 2018 Midterms and how it will impact the 2020 election
• The return of the Republican turnout machine
• Humor and politics
• 1600 Penn & the Obama Administration
• Partisan new media
• Cable, podcasts, video casts, etc., influencing partisanship?

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email [email protected]. Party Politics is produced by Sophie Moll, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

After months of deliberation, former Vice President Joe Biden finally announced his decision to throw his hat in the ring for the 2020 Presidential Election.

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer analyze who are the front runners for 2020 and discuss whether Biden has a real shot of winning the Democratic nomination.

Jay and Brandon also discuss ideological shifts in the Democratic Party and how they could impact the 2020 election.

NATIONAL

• 2020 Presidential roundup – Congressman Seth Moulton is in; Elizabeth Warren’s answer on student debt
• President Trump cancels Iranian oil sanction waivers
• Mueller report fallout, Treasury misses deadline for Trump tax returns
• House Oversight Committee v. President Trump on financial records

TEXAS

• MJ Hegar announces Senate run
• Dallas and San Antonio municipal roundup
• Texas House votes to legalize the farming of industrial hemp
• Debate on property tax and school finance bills
• End of Confederate Heroes Day?
• End of Daylight Savings Time?

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email [email protected]. Party Politics is produced by Sophie Moll, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

Following the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, Party Politics co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer break down the redacted version of the report and discuss what the findings reveal about the investigation into the Trump campaign.

Jay and Brandon analyze the takeaways and missing pieces of the report, and evaluate how it differs from Attorney General William Barr’s summary. What comes next for the Trump Administration? How will this impact American politics moving forward?

NATIONAL TOPICS

• 2020 Presidential rundown
• Nancy Pelosi asks Capitol Police to review protection for Representative Ilhan Omar
• Trump Administration ponders sending undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities
• Interior Department opens ethics investigation of new Secretary David Bernhardt
• President Trump offers Pope Francis his condolences over the devastating fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral

TEXAS TOPICS

• Texas Senate aims to undermine Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s overseeing of fuel pump regulations
• Texas House and Senate fundraising roundup
• Governor Greg Abbott criticizes Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot
• Lt. Governor Dan Patrick warns he’s willing to use the nuclear option
• Texas House passes “born alive” abortion bill
• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton denies information to U.S. House inquiry on voter purge
• “Save Chick-fil-A” protest at Texas Capitol

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email [email protected]. Party Politics is produced by Sophie Moll, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

President Donald Trump is tightening his grip on immigration by proposing big policy changes, including cutting aid to Central America and a more aggressive stance against people seeking asylum. How will the Administration respond after a federal judge blocked his asylum proposal earlier this week?

Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer break down the resignation of Kirstjen Nielsen at the Department of Homeland Security and the politics of immigration policy. 

National topics

• 2020 Presidential roundup: Eric Swalwell, Tim Ryan, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders… and are we still waiting on Joe Biden?
• Herman Cain to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors?
• Tax Day is around the corner – but will we ever see the president’s taxes?
• Trump cancels baseball deal with Cuba

Texas topics

• President Trump visits Texas to announce executive orders to boost energy sector
• Dennis Bonnen’s home menaced by pro-gun activist; Texas House Speaker abandons “constitutional carry” bill
• Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick and Speaker Bonnen propose 1 percent sales tax increase to cut property taxes
• Ted Cruz jinxes Texas Tech?

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email [email protected]. Party Politics is produced by Sophie Moll, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

This week on Party Politics, we celebrate our 100th episode with a live podcast event recorded at the University of Houston’s coffee shop The Nook.

Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer share their favorite moments from the past 100 episodes, including President Trump’s greatest wins and losses since his inauguration.

Brandon and Jay take questions from the audience, analyze the biggest shifts in American politics and the impact on our culture and society. They even predict which candidates they think will be on the ticket for the 2020 Presidential Election!

Brandon and Jay’s top moments in politics over 100 episodes:

Jay’s Top 4:

• Donald Trump becomes the social media President. Roosevelt had radio, Reagan had TV, and Trump has social media
• 2018 Texas midterm elections and the massive shift in politics across the country. Suburban voters move leftward, Nancy Pelosi is back as House Speaker, and a return to divided government
• “Betomania” and the return of Texas Democrats. Texas inches back to becoming a two party state powered by Beto O’Rourke and an increasingly more moderate state. How structural is this shift?
• Local government vs the State. How local control and population shifts have caused an increasingly widening division between the state and local government

Brandon’s Top 4:

• President Trump goes unilateral on executive orders and Supreme Court nominations.
• #MeToo and #TimesUp: Roseanne Barr fired, John Conyers and Al Franken resign
• Texas House Speaker Joe Straus steps aside
• George H.W. Bush passes away

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email [email protected]. Party Politics is produced by Sophie Moll, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer discuss the results of the most anticipated investigation since Watergate.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has delivered his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election to Attorney General William Barr.

Brandon and Jay discuss the report and analyze the politics of the summary presented by the Attorney General. Will the public ever see the report?

NATIONAL TOPICS
-2020 Democratic Presidential candidate roundup
-Supreme Court hears case on gerrymandering
-Green New Deal goes down in the Senate
-Obamacare under attack – again
-Jimmy Carter is officially the longest-living U.S. President

TEXAS TOPICS
-Texas Legislature debates budget and school funding
-Harris County sues petrochemical company over massive fire at Deer Park facility
-Abortion bill rankles Texas Democrats
-Texas Education Agency suspends HISD Superintendent search

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email [email protected]. Party Politics is produced by Don Geraci, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.