Hello Houston: The Commuter Cut

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Doris Childress talk with Houston Public Media reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh , who discusses his story on what legal experts think about Mayor Whitmire saying HPD can’t investigate Tuesday's fatal ICE shooting.  Then, Houston Public Reporter Sarah Grunau joins Walsh as they discuss the newest episode of the podcast series, After the F...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Charlie Mechling talk with Houston-based photographer Violeta Alvarez about her new Fresh Arts residency, Casa de Cultura: The Living Archive , and how it explores cultural identity and collective memory. Then, we hear from Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare , who shares his perspective on Tuesday's  fatal shooting involving an...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host  Robert Arnold learn about the Houston Public Library's  Summer Reading Program with Nicholas Sawicki, Executive Director of the  Houston Public Library Foundation . Then, recently appointed Harris County Attorney  Abbie Kamin joins us to share her perspective on the fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Houston’s East End yesterday and ho...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Robert Arnold talk with Dr. Venkat Selvamanickam , a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Houston, who tells us about a possible breakthrough in fusion energy. Then, Benjamin Hayden , an adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering and linguistics at Rice University, discusses a new study that looks at h...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host HPM reporter Michael Adkison talk again with Chris Canetti , President of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Houston Host Committee, who discusses how Houston fared as a host city for this massive event.   Then, we hear from best-selling author Christina Diaz Gonzalez , who talks about her new middle-grade graphic novel, Offside , which follows f...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Katharine Shilcutt talk with Timothy Malcolm , the Deputy Managing Editor of Texas Lifestyle at Chron, who tells us about their new list ranking the 250 most influential Texans since 1776 and how this list was put together. Next, Houston Public Media reporters Dominic Anthony Walsh and Sarah Grunau unpack the latest episode of the new...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Katharine Shilcutt talk with Gina Plata-Nino, the SNAP Director at the Food Research and Action Center , who discusses a new report that examines how changes to SNAP policies are impacting recipients. Next, we learn about the Bayou Bend exhibition “ George Washington: America’s Enduring Icon ,” with Daniel Kurt Ackermann, the Director...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Chau Nguyen talk with Dr. Stephen Sherman , a research scientist with the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, who explains the findings of their 2026 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report. Then, Claudia de Vasco, the Managing Director of Miller Outdoor Theatre , tells us about all the upcoming performances that will be...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Raheel Ramzanali talk with Kavita Self, Executive Director of the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land , who tells us all about the museum’s Science of Soccer event. Next, we hear from Betsy Mayotte, President of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors , who helps us break down the upcoming changes affecting student loans beg...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host  Doris Childress  talk with Gary Joiner, the Communications Director of the  Texas Farm Bureau , who gives us the latest information on the spread of the New World screwworm. Next, we hear from  Vanessa Gilmore , a former U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, who breaks down the Sup...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Doris Childress talk with Dr. Hilary Fairbrother , a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School, who shares tips on how people can stay safe during the summer. Then, director Noely Mendoza talks with us, along with Houston filmmaker Greg Carter , to tell us all about her award-winnin...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Maria Todd talk with University of Houston Energy Fellow Ed Hirs , who shares his thoughts on how data centers will impact Texas’s power grid and how they’ve already affected consumers. Then, Houston-born filmmaker Karla Murthy and HTX MADE creator Li Lu join us to tell us about a screening of Murthy’s award-winning documentary, The Ga...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Maria Todd explore what’s behind rising political extremism and threats of political violence in the U.S. with Michael Soules , a political scientist with the University of Houston. Then, we shift the conversation to estate planning and hear from University of Houston Law Center professor Hilary Reed , who shares her expertise on what...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Michael Adkison talk with Chris Canetti , President of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee, who gives us an update on how the city is handling the crowds and festivities of the World Cup. Then, Jessi Bowman, the founder and owner of FLATS , a Houston-based photo lab, community darkroom, and exhibition space, joins us to tell...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” historian and author Blair LM Kelley and Prairie View A&M’s Dr. Melanye Price join us to discuss what Juneteenth means to us in the modern day and how the holiday continues to shape conversations about social justice in the U.S. Then, we hear from the Texas State Director for Save the Children , Militza Mezquita, who shares advice on how parents can ke...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host  Chau Nguyen  talk with University of Houston Energy Fellow Ed Hirs , who shares his thoughts on the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, and what we can expect to see with oil prices. Next, we learn about the importance of organ, eye and tissue donations, with Kevin Myer , CEO and President of LifeGift , the organ pr...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Chau Nguyen receive an update on the effort to relocate the Space Shuttle Discovery to Houston from Kelly Crow , a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, who’s been covering this story. Then, Ryan Hyatt, host of the Texas Tech-focused radio show and podcast “Raiderland” in Lubbock, joins us to help us unpack the legal fight over former...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Michael Adkison talk with Houston Chronicle reporter John Lomax V , who helps us understand the resignation of the Harris County Flood Control District’s director and what's happening with their flood control projects. Then, we receive a recap of last week’s 2026 Texas Republican Convention from University of Houston political science...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Tessa Barerra talk with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa , who explains why she decided to run for Texas governor, her priorities, and what she would do differently if elected. Then, we hear from Logan Vaden, the founding artistic director of the Garden Theatre and Houston-based vocalist Wendy Taylor, who both tell us a...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Nicole Ellis talk with Thomas A. Saenz , President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, who discusses the future of the Texas Dream Act. Then, we hear from Christine Ruiz Hopkins and Heidi Lutz , authors of Secret Galveston: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure , who both educate us on...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Nicole Ellis talk with actor Adam Brett, who discusses playing the character Wadsworth in the national tour of CLUE , which is running at the Hobby Center now through Sunday, June 14th. Next, Nikolas Guggenberger , Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center, joins us to discuss Florida’s lawsuit against OpenAI a...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Donna Reed talk with the University of Houston's  Gail Buttorff  and  Maria Perez Arguelles , who break down a new study that explores how Houston neighborhoods help shape mobility and community health. Then, we hear from Deandre Prescott , the Research Director for Colliers in Houston, who explains what’s happening with Houston’s grow...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Houston Public Media reporter Michael Adkison talk with the Houston People’s Budget Campaign’s Alice Liu and Felix Kapoor, who discuss the organization’s amendment proposals for Mayor Whitmire’s city budget plan.   Then, we hear from former U.S. ambassador Chase Untermeyer , who, along with Nicholas Sawicki, executive director of the H...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Tessa Barerra talk with Heidi Russell , Director of the Center for Health Policy at Rice University's Baker Institute, who discusses how healthcare policy has changed during President Trump’s second term in office.  Also, we hear from legendary Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett , who joins us to talk about his concert...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Tessa Barerra talk with the Baker Institute for Public Policy's John Diamond , who breaks down how the conflict with Iran is affecting the U.S. economy. Next, we learn about the New World Screwworm and the threat they pose to the U.S. cattle industry with Bain Wilson, the Rancher Education and Outreach Manager at Ranchbot Monitoring So...