Y'all-itics

In the April 26 episode, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller tells us how Texas farmers are being squeezed by a war 7,300 miles away, and whether rising fertilizer and diesel costs will impact your grocery prices. Corpus Christi Council Member Mark Scott discusses the city’s impending water emergency and why residents may have to cut water usage by 25%. And Texas Democratic Party chair Kendall Scudder talks about keeping the party focused during an internal fight over party leadership.

00:00 — Texas Political Headlines: EARLY VOTING, GOP TO DROP LAWSUIT, AND NEW AIR FORCE ONE

03:03 — INTERVIEW: Sid Miller on Rising Fuel Costs & Farming Pressures

07:28 — ROUNDTABLE: Debating the Gas Tax Suspension & State Infrastructure

10:16 — INTERVIEW: Councilman Mark Scott on Water Rationing & Usage Cuts

14:27 — INTERVIEW: Chairman Kendall Scudder on Texas Democratic Party Turmoil

18:13 — ROUNDTABLE: Redistricting Impact & The Battle for the Latino Vote

Governor Abbott wants to freeze property appraisals statewide for five years, but Tarrant County just tried a two-year version—and the results are shocking. Chandler Crouch joins the Jasons on the patio at Manhattan Project Brewing Co. and shares the data he tried to show the Governor and the Tarrant County Appraisal District. Crouch also gives the one thing you MUST do before the next deadline to protect your wallet.

GUEST

Chandler Crouch, Chandler Crouch Realtors/FreeTaxProtest.com

Eric Crile, TAD Board of Directs Member

In the April 19 episode, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, pushes back against proposed budget cuts to NASA and argues that Iran will not be a forever war. On Tuesday, Arlington city council votes to spend $273-million dollars to keep the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T stadium through 2055.  Council Member Bowie Hogg takes our questions on whether voters should get a say in it. And state Senator Royce West, D-Dallas, says his 1999 law to help minority- and women-owned state businesses get a cut of state contracts needs some tweaking - even as he defends it in court.

Long waits in juvenile detention. Cases languishing in court. High recidivism. Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot called it a failure of responsibility and set out to change it. And some four years later, it appears to be working. Earlier intervention and a better understanding of risk factors appear to be lowering the bad numbers and raising the good numbers across the board. In this episode of Y’all-itics, Creuzot discusses how and why they changed the way they thought about juvenile justice and the new report that says the results are substantial.

GUEST

John Creuzot, Dallas County District Attorney

In the April 12 episode, Fort Worth District 3 Council Member Michael Crain explains what he wants state lawmakers to do when it comes to regulating data centers, and why his residents don’t think leaders should be providing tax breaks. State Representative John Bucy III tells us why he’ll file legislation to prevent one party from dictating how another party runs elections at the local level. And State Representative Jared Patterson on why he thinks recent jury verdicts against social media will help him pass legislation banning under-16s from using it in Texas.

Texas leads the nation in new solar installations — and now, a massive factory just south of Dallas is churning out 25,000 Texas-made panels every day. Y’all-itics hit the road to meet Jaime Gualy, a former oil and gas guy turned solar exec, who says despite political headwinds, the future of solar in Texas is shining bright.

In the April 5 episode, state Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, says annexing part of New Mexico is no joke. He explains what it might take to get it done. Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne on the House Republicans rare pushback against the President, the Senate and Speaker Johnson, plus Dallas Council Member Paul Ridley on whether he still has confidence in the city manager after new revelations on the future of the iconic city hall building.

NASA’s Artemis II mission is a go. And four astronauts will soon travel farther from Earth and closer to the Moon than any human in more than 50 years. The mission will be full of “firsts” and “farthests” in an effort to get humans ready to once again step foot on the lunar surface and eventually travel to Mars. In this early release episode of Y’all-itics, retired, and highly decorated, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy explains why it matters, what it means when the astronauts wave across the ditch, and how in the world they take a toilet break among four people inside a studio apartment traveling at speeds up to 25,000 mph.

GUEST

Chris Cassidy, Retired NASA Astronaut

The deadline to drop out of the runoff has come and gone, so Republican voters in Texas will have a Cornyn vs. Paxton ballot in the May 26 Primary runoff election. And just like the gladiatorial combat made famous in the Mad Max series - - this political grudge match has already been vicious and unrelenting. In this episode of Y’all-itics, our political experts tell the Jasons this is only the beginning, and it will get nastier. Meantime, by the fall, the U.S. Senate race could become a $200 million campaign, a spending level never reached before.

GUESTS

Vinny Minchillo, GOP Consultant/Glass House Strategy

Andrea Coker, North Texas Commission Chief Advocacy Officer

In the March 29 episode, U.S. Representative Craig Goldman explains why he’s not opposed to the war in Iran and whether he’d support boots on the ground. State Representative Ramón Romero Jr. tells us why he supports the new FWISD Superintendent installed by the state and why he’s okay with Texas removing the name Cesar Chavez. And former DISD Board President Miguel Solis discusses the district’s proposed $6.2 billion bond, which would be the largest in state history.