Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

On this week's episode we speak with Bishop Sue Briner of the Southwestern Texas Synod. Bishop Briner recently met with migrant families in Washington, D.C., after they were bused from the Texas border to the nation's capital as part of Gov Abbott's border security protest. Later in the show Scott talks with Texas Impact staffers Bobby Watson and Isa Peterson, who just spent a couple of days at th...

It's Earth Week y'all! Scott sits down with Luke Metzger, the Executive Director of Environment Texas, as they discuss Texas' renewable energy landscape and some of the exciting projects on their plate for 2022. Later in the program Bee Moorhead joins us with audio from a recent gathering of journalists in Houston where she had the privilege of sitting on a panel with Katharine Hayhoe, atmospheric...

This week we turn our focus to state agencies and vulnerable kids. Scott speaks Elisa O'Callaghan, Chair of the Board of Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON), and Bobby Watson, Texas Impact's Immigration Advocacy Fellow. Elisa and Bobby provide updates on the situation at the border, including recent changes to Title 42 and its impact on migrant children. On the Weekly Watchlist, Josh discusses the cr...

Spring is here and it's time to start planning for the 2023 legislative session! This week, we discuss the release of Texas Impact's primer on the Public Utilities Commission of Texas' Sunset review. Scott talks with our own Isa Peterson, who is the lead author of our new policy primer Light and Life: Using the Public Utility Commission of Texas Sunset Review to Safeguard Texans' Health and Wellbe...

The Texas 2022 primary elections are over, so Scott sits down with two policy pros to parse out the highlights heading in to the runoffs. Bonnie Bruce is long-time Capitol insider who has recently founded her own government affairs practice, Mesquite Strategies. Texas Impact Foundation Board President Beaman Floyd also joins us this week to survey the post-primary landscape. On the Weekly Watch Li...

This week we address the recent attacks on transgender youth and their parents by the Texas Governor and Attorney General. Scott speaks with Shelly Skeen, an attorney with Lambda Legal, about the impact of these attacks, and with TX UU Justice Ministry executive director Rev. Erin Walter, who speaks passionately about the role of Texas' communities of faith in the fight to protect trans youth. Jos...

We wrap up our series on election 2022 as Scott welcomes special guest Sen. Carol Alvarado of Houston to talk about her filibuster during the multi-session fight over Texas' election reform legislation. Texas Impact Executive Director Bee Moorhead joins Scott to reflect on his conversation with Sen. Alvarado. Former Texas Impact intern Rev. Ezequiel Herrera offers the Weekly Word from his post in...

Our series on elections continues: Scott interviews defenders of democracy and cheerleaders for voting. Grace Chimene, President of the League of Women Voters about Election 2022. Scott is also joined by Kendal Gladish and Cathy Morgan from University Presbyterian Church in Austin to talk about their congregation's efforts to encourage voting. Their pastor, Rev. Matt Gaventa brings the Weekly Word...

Our series on elections continues: Scott interviews women leaders from two national voting rights organizations, who are focused on empowering Texas' diverse electorate amid the confusion resulting from SB1. Christina Das, Attorney at the NAACP LDF, talks to Scott from Brooklyn about the Voting Rights Defender Project at the Thurgood Marshall Institute. Elizabeth Bille, NALEO's Texas Director of C...

Scott fights a cold from home this week to bring you interviews with Anthony Gutierrez, Executive Director at Common Cause, and Rev. Diane McGehee. Also Rev. George Oliver bring us our Weekly Word.

The January 26th edition of Weekly Witness features our new audio format! Scott welcomes Beaman Floyd to the conversation with follow up from Texas Impact's own Bee Moorhead and Josh Houston. Rev Franz Schemmel delivers our Weekly Word.

December 16, 2021: Year-End Weekly Witness: Hate Free Speech, Elections, and Voting featuring Bee Moorhead and Josh Houston.

December 7, 2021: Weekly Witness: featuring Laura Peralta-Schulte from NETWORK with a federal update, focusing on the Build Back Better Act and other priorities.

November 29, 2021: Weekly Witness: Climate Change and Methane, a conversation about climate change and methane featuring Colin Leyden, Texas Political Director for the Environmental Defense Fund and Cassandra Carmichael, Executive Director of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment

November 15, 2021: Weekly Witness: Featuring a panel to discuss the recent rise in anti-Semitism in Texas, including: Rabbi Neil Blumofe, Congregation Agudas Achim in Austin; Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Faith Commons in Dallas; Renee Lafair, Anti-Defamation League-Austin; and Rev. Jonathan Page, First Congregational Church of Houston.

November 8, 2021: Weekly Witness: COP26 Climate-Palooza Part 2 with Texas Impact CEO Bee Moorhead and Texas Impact's delegation to COP26: Mel Caraway, Beaman Floyd, Isa Peterson, and Ilka Vega.

Weekly Witness: This week Bee Moorhead; Texas Impact, Susannah Tuttle; North Carolina Interfaith Power and Light, and Rev. Michael Malcom; Alabama Interfaith Power and Light, join us to discuss current climate news coming out of COP26 in Glasgow.

Weekly Witness: Joshua Houston joins us this week to provide an update on what happened during the third special session and how it will impact Texans.

Weekly Witness: Dr. Marc Boom, CEO of Houston Methodist, joins us this week to discuss COVID-19, vaccine requirements, and public health in Texas.

Weekly Witness: Sid Earnheart joins us to discuss the current issues along the Texas-Mexico Border, and Josh Houston joins us to give a Legislative Update on the Third Called Special Session.

Weekly Witness: PUC Sunset Update with Adrian Shelley, Public Citizen, joins us this week to discuss the latest news about the Public Utilities Commission in the Sunset Committee and Josh Houston, Texas Impact, provides us with an update on the Texas Legislature.