Second Reading Podcast

In a new Second Reading Podcast, James Henson & Joshua Blank talk about the politics of Republican responses to the aftermath of the Mar-a-Lago search, and the broader context of the decay of democratic norms and institutions – including how the history of elite messaging encouraging distrust of elections and electoral institutions is now part […]

Jim and Josh discuss debate planning in the Texas gubernatorial campaign, and ponder the reactions to the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. Mixed and Mastered by Allie Arrazola

Jim and Josh discuss Tuesday’s primary results around the U.S., and check in on the race for Texas governor between Gregg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke. Mixed and Mastered by Allie Arrazola

This week, Jim and Josh discuss the Robb Elementary Investigative Committee report. This episode was mixed and mastered by Kate Whitmer, Clayton Faries, & Will Shute

This week, Jim and Josh are joined by guest Ross Ramsey, co-founder of the Texas Tribune to discuss recent polling on the upcoming Texas elections, Abortion, and Gun Control. This Episode was Mixed and Mastered by Karoline Pfiel and Chidera Orazulike

Jim and Josh discuss the ramifications of Roe v. Wade being overturned, and how Texas law and politics will respond to this change. This episode was mixed and mastered by Jonah Hernandez

Jim and Josh discuss the current Texas House’s investigation of the Uvalde shooting police response, as well as the recent Texas Republican Party Convention in Texas. This Episode was Mixed and Mastered by Clayton Faries, and Jonah Hernandez.

This week, Jim and Josh discuss the special election in CD-34, and Senator John Cornyn’s space in the Texas political universe as he receives national attention for his work on gun safety legislation in the U.S. Senate. This episode was mixed and mastered by Clayton Faries and Will Shute

Jim is joined by Molly Hennessy-Fiske, the Houston Bureau Chief of the Los Angeles Times, to discuss her on-site reporting of two current situations: the patrolling of the Texas border by armed militia group Patriots for America, and the aftermath of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. This episode was Mixed and Mastered by Clayton […]

In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Jim and Josh discuss polling on gun attitudes and the upcoming gubernatorial election in Texas. Mixed and Mastered by Oscar Kitmanyen and Clayton Faries

This week, Jim and Josh talk about public education attitudes captured in the latest UT/Texas Politics Project Poll in the context of recent school board elections and Gov. Greg Abbott’s signals about private school vouchers. This Episode was Mixed and Mastered by Karoline Pfiel

This week, Jim Henson, Josh Blank and Daron Shaw discuss results from the newly-released University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll, including attitudes toward banning abortion in Texas, border security, the economy, and more. This Episode was Mixed and Mastered by Clayton Faries and Will Shute

This week, Jim Henson and Josh Blank talk about at the structural context of the politics of border security and immigration in Texas, from the complexity of immigration as a policy issue to the cultural politics driving the continued salience of the issue among Republican voters. Mixed and Mastered by Clayton Faries and Will Shute

Jim and Ross Ramsey talk about the range of issues in Ross’s last four Texas Tribune columns – public education, broadband internet to areas of Texas in need, abortion, and gerrymandering in redistricting.

Jim Henson and Josh Blank discuss the collision of COVID-19 and border security politics in Washington D.C. and Texas, and implication for the Texas gubernatorial race between Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke. This Episode was Mixed and Mastered by Clayton Faries and Will Shute

Jim and Josh discuss Texas governor Greg Abbot’s renewal of the disaster declarations for COVID-19 and border security, as well as the changing public views of the pandemic in Texas. This Episode was Mixed and Mastered by Clayton Faries and Will Shute

Journalists Perla Trevizo of The Texas Tribune and ProPublica and Andrew Rodriguez Calderón of the Marshall Project join Jim to discuss their joint investigation of Greg Abbott’s border initiative, Operation Lone Star.

This week, Jim talks with Robert Vitalis, the author of Oilcraft: The Myths of Scarcity and Security That Haunt U.S. Energy Policy and Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, about the reemergence of misconceptions and myths about oil and geopolitics in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This Episode was […]

This week, Jim Henson talks with Lauren McGaughy of the Dallas Morning News to discuss the recent developments in the heated politics around gender affirmative care for transgender kids in Texas.

Jim and Josh discuss early results of the 2022 Texas Primaries and the likely upcoming attorney general runoff election.

Jim and Josh discuss the attempted GOP reboot of public education as an issue in Texas, with a look at recent UT/Texas Politics Project polling results on removing books from libraries, parental influence, and teaching about racism.

Jim Henson, Josh Blank, and Daron Shaw discuss the results of the just-released University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll.

In a new Second Reading Podcast, Jim Henson and Josh Blank take a close look Latino voting patterns in Texas  – and what common media narratives miss about the subject.

Jim talks with Harvey Kronberg of Quorum Report about the 2022 primary elections and the forces at work in Texas politics.

Jim Henson and Gromer Jeffers, Jr., of the Dallas Morning News discuss the Republican primary contest in Texas for Attorney General and other legislative and congressional primary races in the North Texas region.