THE KICK Podcast

Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin sits down to explain a role most residents have never heard of, one that quietly shapes nearly every aspect of life for five million people. From election integrity to environmental enforcement to home theft, the county attorney's office is fighting battles that rarely make headlines but carry enormous consequences. Kamin walks through the live legal fights h...

En estas elecciones tan importantes - urge que la comunidad hispana entienda lo que está de por medio y votemos. En este episodio hablamos con la candidata Leticia Gutiérrez sobre varios temas importantes para nuestra comunidad y en particular en el distrito #9. Hablamos de los cambios en los distritos 9 y 18 …Por qué ocurrieron y qué esperanza tuvieron los Republicanos cuando insistieron en “REDI...

Harris County is growing faster than almost anywhere in the country, and the decisions made at commissioners court touch nearly five million people. Commissioner Leslie Briones of Precinct Four sits down to explain what is actually driving the county's budget pressures, and why the answers are more complicated than a single line on a tax bill. From unfunded state mandates and the cost of refus...

Texas redistricting carved up Congressional District 9 to hand Republicans an easy win. Leticia Gutierrez, a lifelong East Houston resident, environmental advocate, and single mom, is running as the Democratic candidate to take it back. She covers the ground-level reality of a district shaped by industrial pollution, ICE enforcement fear, healthcare gaps, and small businesses squeezed by tariffs....

Texas is pouring billions into AI data centers while struggling to supply the electricity, water, and regulation those facilities demand. Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle columnist and longtime Texas observer, breaks down why the economics of AI may be far shakier than the hype suggests. But the conversation goes deeper than kilowatts and server racks. Tomlinson wrote a New York Times bestseller...

Billions of public dollars flow through municipal and state contracts every year, and who gets access to that work has shaped the economic fabric of American communities for generations. In Texas, a decades-old program designed to open that access was dismantled almost overnight, and the ripple effects are still being felt. Ed Ryland, CEO of Arvo Realty Advisors and a certified hub business owner...

Dr. Letitia Plummer, Democratic candidate for Harris County Judge, brings an unusual combination to the race: a dentist, a small business owner of 25 years, a former city council member, and the granddaughter of the first African American judge in Texas. Her argument is that running a county of five million people requires someone who has met a payroll, navigated a broken lending system, and actua...

Houston's biggest advantage isn't its size. It's its people. As the fourth-largest city in America continues to grow, local leaders face an increasingly difficult challenge: protecting opportunity while navigating pressure from Austin, Washington, and a rapidly changing economy. Houston City Council Member Edward Pollard joins THE KICK Podcast to discuss immigration, constitutional rights, healthc...

Texas is not just fighting over maps. It is fighting over what kind of state it wants to become. In this episode of THE KICK Podcast, Texas State Representative Gene Wu joins the show for a direct conversation about redistricting, political power, healthcare, education, workforce development, immigration, and the policies shaping Texas’ future. Wu argues that the stakes of the next election go far...

Texas created a new court system for business disputes. Now voters are deciding who sits on one of the most important pieces of it. In this episode of THE KICK Podcast, Jerry Zimmerer, Tom Baker, and Marc Meyer join the show to explain the 15th Court of Appeals, the Texas Business Court, and why this new judicial structure matters for companies across the state. What began as a specialized court f...

Healthcare costs. Energy demand. Workforce shortages. Infrastructure strain. Regulation. Education. Water. Housing. In this episode of The KICK Podcast, Texas State Representative and Lieutenant Governor candidate Vikki Goodwin joins us for a business-first conversation about the policies shaping the future of the Texas economy, and whether the state is making the right long-term bets. From workfo...

The agency shaping Texas energy is one most voters barely understand. In this episode, Jon Rosenthal joins THE KICK Podcast to unpack one of the most overlooked and consequential offices in Texas government: the Railroad Commission. Despite the name, this is not about trains. It is about the fuel, infrastructure, and oversight that sit underneath a huge share of the Texas economy. Fritz and Rosent...

Harris County does not need more noise. It needs leadership that can actually make government work. In this episode, Annise Parker breaks down one of the most misunderstood roles in Texas politics: the Harris County Judge. It is not a courtroom job. It is the position responsible for keeping a region of millions functioning, especially when things go wrong. From flood control and emergency respons...

Texas is paying a hidden price for politics without accountability. For years, emergency powers and insider contracting have quietly reshaped how taxpayer dollars move through the state. In this episode, gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa argues that Texans are footing the bill for a system that favors access over fairness. In this episode, Gina digs into what she calls the corruption tax, the...

Texas has not always felt this unsettled. There was a time when public institutions operated with balance, the Attorney General functioned as a check on power, and businesses could rely on steady and predictable rules. This episode examines what has shifted and what a different approach to leadership could look like. Fritz sits down with Joe Jaworski, former Mayor of Galveston and candidate for Te...