Y'all-itics

Will Texas Governor Greg Abbott run for president in 2024? Will he win re-election this November? What drives the 64-year-old politician and expert fundraiser? Does he get along with Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick? In the May edition of Texas Monthly, executive editor Mimi Swartz carefully and comprehensively lays out the political rise of Greg Abbott and asks the question; how much do Texans really know about Greg Abbott? He is running for his third term as the state’s leader after serving three terms as attorney general. Mimi joins Jason and guest host Teresa Woodard to talk about how Abbott’s past is shaping his future.

GUEST:

Mimi Swartz, Executive Editor at Texas Monthly

READ: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/who-is-greg-abbott/

Texas simply fails when it comes to taking care of foster children. Sure there are success stories that should make us all proud. But the state, admittedly, has too many major problems with it and no one has indeitified a workable solution. WFAA’s Cynthia Izaguirre has covered this issue for years. On this episode, Cynthia joins host Jason Whitely for a frank conversation. They called Heidi Brugel Cox, a family law attorney with firsthand knowledge of the state’s system. And Cynthia and Jason got state Representative James Frank, R-Wichita Falls, on the line, as well. Not only does he chair the Texas House Human Services Committee which oversees the state’s child welfare system in Texas, but Chairman Frank has also fostered and adopted two children. So, how does Texas finally fix this? Heidi said the most obvious starting place is something no one is doing.

Guests

State Rep. James Frank, (R) Wichita Falls

Heidi Cox, Family Law Attorney

Looking for that next, great technology breakthrough? Maybe the next Uber or Airbnb? Supporters of Blockchain technology say look no further than the real estate industry. They claim Blockchain is democratizing real estate by opening it up to average, everyday citizens who can buy and sell real estate like rich folks. And they say they can do this because Blockchain makes transactions more secure and, most importantly, cheaper. In this episode of Y’all-itics, you’ll hear some of the major players in Texas in this burgeoning industry explain how it works and what they see the technology changing in the future. Even Governor Abbott has said he wants the Lone Star state to be a leader in this type of technology. And you’ll hear from one of Texas’ preeminent real estate experts who likes the potential of blockchain, but doesn’t think this new disruption is just around the corner. But when it comes to buying property, all agree there is one area within real estate where Blockchain could have an immediate and noticeable effect. 

Guests

Peter Rex, CEO/OWN Prop

Sohail Hassan, Managing Partner/MarketSpace Capital

Todd Tramonte, Real Estate Marketer & Broker

In his first interview of record since getting released from federal prison, Dwaine Caraway gets into everything on this special episode of Y’all-itics. Caraway, at one time, was among the most powerful politicians at Dallas City Hall. He spent more than a decade on city council and served briefly as the 60th mayor of Dallas. But he resigned and pleaded guilty to taking $450,000 in bribes. Now after serving a four-year prison sentence, Caraway is working on his comeback. He talks to host Jason Whitely about his past, lays out his future and explains what made him so upset when he got back to Dallas.

GUEST:

Dwaine Caraway

Get ready for an raw, insightful, and in the weeds conversation about how Latinos might save the U.S. democracy. Mike Madrid, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, and Chuck Rocha, senior strategist for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns, get into the nitty gritty of The Latino Vote – which is also the title of their new podcast series. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the two veterans of national political campaigns explain why candidates have finally started to communicate directly with Latino voters, which political party has the advantage in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and whether Latino support for Donald Trump was a one-off or an indicative of changing trends. 

https://thelatinovote.buzzsprout.com/

GUESTS:

Mike Madrid, Founder, The Lincoln Project – host of The Latino Vote podcast

Chuck Rocha, Senior strategist, Bernie Sanders campaigns – host of The Latino Vote podcast

It may seem like a world away. But experts say the crisis unfolding all along Ukraine’s border will eventually find its way to Texas. And in this special release of Y’all-itics, we take you to Moldova, a small country to the southwest of Ukraine, that’s also Europe’s poorest. If the same number of Ukrainian refugees that have flooded Moldova, percentage-wise, suddenly crossed into Texas, it would be the equivalent of around three million people, with just under a million or so deciding to stay. In Moldova, we’re joined by Sara Phillips with Medical Teams International, who’s been on the ground for nearly two weeks assessing how her organization, which provides basic medical care, should respond to the growing crisis that has no end in sight.  And Sara says it’s not just war and bombs they’re worried about now. It’s also illness, from COVID to colds. There was even a recent polio outbreak in Ukraine and since the war completely halted the vaccination campaign underway to end it, there are fears that disease is coming across the border too. And Sara also tells us why many of these refugees could ultimately end up in Dallas, Texas.

Guest

Sara Phillips, Medical Teams International

https://www.medicalteams.org/country/ukraine/

SYNOPSIS:

This week marks one month since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Most of what we see and read about it is focused on military movements. But Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, is still bustling with more than two million people who have not evacuated. In this episode of Y’all-itics, we called a 24-year-old photojournalist who decided she wanted to document what is underway. While air raid sirens are a regular occurrence, life in Kyiv is not what you’d imagine. Madeliene Kelly describes coffee stands reopening on Kyiv’s streets, artists from an underground scene turning their creativity into creating body armor and devices to stop Russian tanks and raw determination keeping fear at bay – for now.

GUEST:

Madeleine Kelly, photojournalist

Kellyindependent.com/ @kellyindependent

What if your natural blonde or red hair suddenly meant you couldn’t get that job you always wanted? Or what if that same hair color got you suspended from school if you refused to change it? African-Americans say they’ve been fighting this type of discrimination for hundreds of years. And an attempt to ban race-based hair discrimination recently failed in the U.S. House of Representatives with 188 Republicans voting against it. Known as the CROWN Act, similar legislation here in the state of Texas also stalled during the last legislative session. But supporters vow to continue the fight in D.C. and Austin calling it a civil rights issue because folks are being discriminated against based on something they can’t change. In this episode of Y’all-itics, Jason Whitely is joined by WFAA anchor Tashara Parker, who’s been shining a bright light on the issue for years after her own experience, in particular through her “Rooted” series. And state Representative Rhetta Bowers also promised to reintroduce the Texas CROWN Act next year with even broader protections.

Guests

Tashara Parker, WFAA Anchor

(www.wfaa.com/rooted)

State Rep. Rhetta Bowers, (D) Garland

Le Roy Torres remembers the last words his Sergeant Major told him; Don’t give up the fight. There are at least 31,000 Texans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and came home with rare cancers, debilitating headaches and severe breathing problems after inhaling toxic smoke from piles of trash that the U.S. military burned at most every large base. Torres’ symptoms got so bad that he had to leave his position as a Texas state trooper. After years of persistence, the U.S. House of Representatives just passed a substantial law to help vets like him. The Senate is considering another one. And Le Roy and his attorney are taking their case to the U.S. Supreme Court at the end of the month. It’s monumental movement in a battle he never expected to fight

Tuesday night brought some surprises in the Texas primary elections. The top of your November ballot is already decided. Greg Abbott will face Beto O’Rourke for governor. But runoffs will settle a number of other big contests including the Republican race for Texas Attorney General. Joining the Jasons for this podcast is a team of Texas political experts who have context and analysis on the results. What did the results say about the state of the Texas GOP? Can Texas Democrats finally win a statewide seat? How important will South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley be in November. This is one to listen to for all die-hard Texas politicos.

GUESTS:

Chrysta Castaneda, Democratic Strategist

Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Berna Dean Steptoe, WFAA Political Producer

Jason Villalba, Republican, former Texas State Representative