The Texan Podcast

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Welcome to Inside the Impeachment: Paxton on Trial.

In this special podcast series from The Texan, we're delving into the historic impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, accused of bribery and abuse of office — charges that have set the stage for one of the most riveting political sagas in the Lone Star State.

Inside the Impeachment offers an exclusive backstage pass to the trial’s drama, strategy, and real-time developments. Whether you’re a political junkie or simply curious about the inner workings of Texas governance, this podcast is your front-row seat to history in the making. 

What can you expect?

• Daily debriefs during the trial, starting September 5th
• In-depth analyses of arguments from both sides
• Background context to help you follow the proceedings
• Expert interviews and insider insights 

Ahead of our daily podcasts at the start of the trial, we're releasing our first episode to give you background on the allegations first raised by senior assistants to Paxton three years ago.

Look out for Episode 2 in just a few days.

Don't forget to support us by subscribing at: https://thetexan.news/

Welcome to Inside the Impeachment: Paxton on Trial.

In this special podcast series from The Texan, we're delving into the historic impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton, accused of bribery and abuse of office — charges that have set the stage for one of the most riveting political sagas in the Lone Star State.

Inside the Impeachment offers an exclusive backstage pass to the trial’s drama, strategy, and real-time developments. Whether you’re a political junkie or simply curious about the inner workings of Texas governance, this podcast is your front-row seat to history in the making. 

What can you expect?

• Daily debriefs during the trial, starting September 5th
• In-depth analyses of arguments from both sides
• Background context to help you follow the proceedings
• Expert interviews and insider insights 

Ahead of our daily podcasts at the start of the trial, we’ve already released our first episode to give you background on the allegations first raised by senior assistants to Paxton three years ago.

Look out for Episode 2 in just a few days.

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free Texas flag hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://thetexan.news/subscribe/
 
The Texan’s Weekly Roundup brings you the latest news in Texas politics, breaking down the top stories of the week with our team of reporters who give you the facts so you can form your own opinion. Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review! 
 
Got questions for the reporting team? Email [email protected] — they just might be answered on a future podcast. 
 
This week on The Texan’s Weekly Roundup, the team discusses: 

• Ken Paxton reportedly on the Texas House impeachment team’s witness list
• Gov. Greg Abbott speaks on southern border with four other governors
• A former judge declines to help Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick preside over Paxton trial
• Austin’s chief of police announces retirement
• Tickets required for members of the public to sit in on Paxton’s impeachment trial
• Planned Parenthood faces Medicaid fraud lawsuit that could cost $1.8 billion
• Conroe ISD voters see $2 billion bond on their November ballot
• Appellate court revives Texas Bar disciplinary action against first assistant attorney general
• Instagram account puts up billboard in Austin to protest the state’s “drag ban”
• Texas Young Republicans disassociates from the state GOP over comments from Chairman Matt Rinaldi
• Man sued over comment criticizing a teacher advising students to call pedophiles “minor-attracted persons”

And more. 

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free Texas flag hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://thetexan.news/subscribe/

The Texan’s Weekly Roundup brings you the latest news in Texas politics, breaking down the top stories of the week with our team of reporters who give you the facts so you can form your own opinion. Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review! 

Got questions for the reporting team? Email [email protected] — they just might be answered on a future podcast. 

This week on The Texan’s Weekly Roundup, the team discusses: 

• Republican Texas Rep. Matt Schaefer announcing he will not run for re-election in 2024
• Sen. Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger Rep. Colin Allred sparring over a federal semiconductor law
• U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson’s confrontation with police over a seizure victim at a Texas rodeo
• Pornhub and other sites suing the state over a law requiring age verification for “sexual material harmful to minors”
• New accusations against Ken Paxton, including that he used burner phones and Uber to have an affair
• Gov. Greg Abbott unveils a new nuclear power plant project in Calhoun County
• The Texas House’s Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment releasing its initial report
• Gov. Greg Abbott announcing wildfire disaster declarations for 191 of Texas’ 254 counties
• Plano ISD’s plan to implement a school marshal program to comply with state law
• The state attorney general finding Franklin County’s solar farm moratorium likely “invalid and unenforceable”
• Texas opening up sale and renewal of state hunting licenses for the upcoming seasons

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free Texas flag hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://go.thetexan.news/texas-flag-hat/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=weekly_roundup

The Texan’s Weekly Roundup brings you the latest news in Texas politics, breaking down the top stories of the week with our team of reporters who give you the facts so you can form your own opinion. Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review! 

Got questions for the reporting team? Email [email protected] — they just might be answered on a future podcast. 

This week on The Texan’s Weekly Roundup, the team discusses: 

• State Rep. John Raney announcing he will not run for re-election in 2024
• The Office of the Attorney General appealing a district court’s ruling that the Heartbeat Act is unconstitutional
• The Texas Legislature failing to pass a judicial compensation reform bill in the 88th Legislative Session
• A Texas man sentenced for threatening mass shooting against Arizona election officials
• Protesters assaulting and spitting on attendees of the signing of the Save Women’s Sports Act
• DPS officials sound off on the dangers of illegal border crossings between ports of entry
• ACLU Texas suing to block Texas ‘drag ban’ on sexually oriented performances with children in attendance
• Members of a San Antonio family pleading guilty to bribing government employees for million-dollar contracts
• A breakdown of Texas A&M’s bungled hiring of journalism professor Dr. Kathleen McElroy
• Leander ISD parents holding a rally over a board trustee’s sexual assault allegations
• Angelina County authorizing a ‘planning study’ to consider building a new courthouse
• A first grade teacher in Mesquite ISD resigning after her ‘anti-white’ online posts went viral

Want to support reporting on Texas politics that doesn’t include the spin? Subscribe at https://thetexan.news/subscribe/ 

Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi, a former member of the Texas House of Representatives, joined The Texan’s senior reporter Hayden Sparks to discuss his vocal criticism of the chamber’s decision in May to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton. 

“I’ve been representing the Republican Party of Texas in what is effectively a declaration of civil war by Republicans in the House, namely House leadership,” said Rinaldi, comparing the leadership of Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) to that of former Speaker Joe Straus. 

“The members didn’t even know [the impeachment vote] was going on until 48 hours before. They were surprised by it. And then, instead of leaving the members to vote, they whipped votes like it was a policy matter. So the way it was handled was extremely top-down.” 

In addition to discussing his criticisms of the impeachment process, Rinaldi also weighed in on how he believes the Senate should handle the trial, how the votes on impeachment could play a role in the next Republican primary election cycle, and how the division between Republicans on impeachment fits into the broader political battles with Democrats. 

Enjoy this content? Be sure to subscribe for similar interviews and The Texan’s Weekly Roundup — a podcast released every Friday that brings you the latest news in Texas politics.

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free Texas flag hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://go.thetexan.news/texas-flag-hat/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=weekly_roundup

The Texan’s Weekly Roundup brings you the latest news in Texas politics, breaking down the top stories of the week with our team of reporters who give you the facts so you can form your own opinion. Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review! 

Got questions for the reporting team? Email [email protected] — they just might be answered on a future podcast. 

This week on The Texan’s Weekly Roundup, the team discusses: 

• Ken Paxton’s attorneys filing a motion to dismiss 19 of the suspended attorney general’s 20 impeachment charges
• The potential endangered species designation that could hinder Gov. Greg Abbott’s Rio Grande buoy barrier system
• Oklahoma sending its National Guard troops to assist Texas with securing the southern border
• The Texas DPS having rescued over 900 children from human smuggling and trafficking through the southern border
• Parker County as a microcosm of the state’s 2024 Republican primary elections
• The beginning of the first of 21 election contests over Harris County’s 2022 general elections
• A Title IX investigation into Garland ISD revealing “shockingly inadequate” compliance with student safety standards
• The ongoing conflict between Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and HISD Superintendent Mike Miles
• The SMU graduate suing the university over its shift to online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic
• A poll of likely Houston voters showing crime as a top issue going in to the city’s mayoral election
• A new law that prohibits hunting in river beds over concerns for private property rights
• Texas having nearly $9,000 in local government debt for each resident of the state
• The $142 million Houston-based Medicare fraud scheme that ended in three arrests

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free Texas flag hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://go.thetexan.news/texas-flag-hat/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=weekly_roundup

The Texan’s Weekly Roundup brings you the latest news in Texas politics, breaking down the top stories of the week with our team of reporters who give you the facts so you can form your own opinion. Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review! 

Got questions for the reporting team? Email [email protected] — they just might be answered on a future podcast. 

This week on The Texan’s Weekly Roundup, the team discusses: 

• Gov. Greg Abbott’s response to the Department of Justice demanding he remove the Rio Grande buoy barrier system
• Texas book vendors suing over a state law that penalizes them for selling “explicit” books to schools
• Ken Paxton’s attorneys requesting a bill of particulars for the attorney general’s impeachment charges
• VA employees now able to request a religious accommodation from performing abortion procedures
• Texas withdrawing from a multi-state voter data sharing organization after transparency and impartiality concerns
• Texts revealing Texas House members’ anger about Paxton’s $3.3 million settlement funding request
• Sen. John Whitmire and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee leading in the Houston mayoral race
• A Texas woman’s $1 million lawsuit over botched gender modification treatments she received as a teenager
• The attorneys for a lawsuit from Uvalde victim families facing criminal contempt charges in a $6 billion lawsuit
• Former Harris County employee Rick Noriega demanding $685,000 and an apology from Judge Lina Hidalgo
• An computer glitch causing Limestone County appraisal values and property taxes to skyrocket
• Aldine ISD planning to use eminent domain on a home to build its new football stadium parking lot

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free Texas flag hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://go.thetexan.news/texas-flag-hat/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=weekly_roundup

Already a subscriber? You can also purchase a Texas flag hat in our store at store.thetexan.news. 

The Texan’s Weekly Roundup brings you the latest news in Texas politics, breaking down the top stories of the week with our team of reporters who give you the facts so you can form your own opinion. Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review! 

Got questions for the reporting team? Email [email protected] — they just might be answered on a future podcast. 

This week on The Texan’s Weekly Roundup, the team discusses: 

• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issuing a gag order on all parties in the Ken Paxton impeachment trial
• Greg Abbott defending Operation Lone Star against claims that officers mistreated illegal immigrants
• The funds Texas Republicans raised following Paxton’s impeachment
• U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz introducing a bill to ban the use of “Latinx” in documents from government agencies
• Dan Crenshaw and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pushing studies on psychedelic drug treatments for veterans with PTSD
• Texas lawmakers criticizing the Biden administration’s attempt to force Texas to expand Medicaid
• The Kemah City Council hiring a former Odessa official who was fired for interfering with an investigation
• Texas Rep. Four Price announcing he will not seek re-election next year
• Uvalde mayor Don McLaughlin announcing his run as a Republican for a moderate Texas House district
• The February DWI charges against Texas Sen. Charles Schwertner being dismissed
• Texas localities preparing for solar eclipse tourists in October
• Elon Musk’s X Corp. suing four Dallas “John Does” for allegedly scraping Twitter data
• The Odessa City Council’s investigation into a data breach via an ex-employee’s email account

Want to support reporting on Texas politics that doesn’t include the spin? Subscribe at https://thetexan.news/subscribe/ 

Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) joined The Texan’s senior reporter Brad Johnson to discuss the passage of the property tax relief compromise agreed to by the Texas House and Senate last week. 

Bettencourt served as a chief negotiator for the Senate during the tense standoff between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dade Phelan, and Gov. Greg Abbott. 

“It’s quite frankly a joy to be able to be involved in a process that gives $18 billion of tax relief back to the citizens of Texas,” said Bettencourt. 

During the interview, Bettencourt discussed the details of the plan, how the final deal evolved from the start of the legislative session in January, and the process of negotiating with the House. 

Bettencourt also talked about his criticisms of the Harris County election administrator and efforts to provide more oversight and accountability in elections. 

“If you don’t have an election process that people have faith in, you’ve got nothing,” said Bettencourt. “Harris County, while it isn’t too big to fail, it’s too big to ignore.” 

Enjoy this content? Be sure to subscribe for similar interviews and The Texan’s Weekly Roundup — a podcast released every Friday that brings you the latest news in Texas politics.