Y'all-itics

If you’re waiting for the supply chain to return to normal, stop immediately.  This is the new abnormal.  And our experts say it’s going to stay this way for a while.  The problem is worldwide and can be found in factories, on cargo ships and inside ports and trucks.  And often, it’s not that the goods aren’t available.  In fact, warehouses all across the country are full.  There just aren’t enoug...

Y’all-itics is celebrating a birthday!  The unofficial podcast of Texas is now a two-year-old.  And in this special release, we celebrate with you… and our boss.  We asked for comments from our listeners and you delivered.  And the Jasons are also joined by the unofficial Y’all-itics CEO.  Thanks for your support!  We couldn’t do this without you. And the entire Y’all-itics team is looking forward...

Only 90-minutes after his official announcement that he’d be running for Texas Governor, Democrat Beto O’Rourke joined the Jasons for this early episode of Y’all-itics.  And one of the first things they noticed was a different candidate than in the past.  O’Rourke didn’t hold back, speaking directly about many issues, including his past comments on guns, February’s power grid fiasco, protecting oi...

You say it’s our birthday?  Well, yes it is. Y’all-itics is turning two and we want you to be a part of our birthday podcast!  Tell us why you listen, your favorite episode, who you’d like for us to interview, what beer we should try, even what you’re hoping to see in 2022.   Click on this link to go to our Zoom room and record a video voicemail! Or call the Y’all-itics hotline at (214) 977-6020

You don’t have to live near the Texas coast to soon start seeing the effects of climate change. The next decade or two mean more flooded parking lots, water in roads, and beach erosion from sea level rise. The ocean has already risen two feet in Galveston since 1900. But there’s another problem unique to this state. Texas is also sinking. All the oil and gas we have pulled out of the ground for th...

It is an alarming statistic: rural Texans are twice as likely to die of COVID than their urban counterparts.  While the pandemic has heightened the mortality disparity, the reasons behind it go much deeper than the disease itself.  Secret vaccinations and remote healthcare are helping some of these communities pull through.  But not all.  In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons go on the road t...

November 1 could mark a historic moment at the U.S. Supreme Court.  That’s when Texas goes to D.C. to defend its new abortion law and the ruling could change 50-years of legal precedent.  The Justices even took the rare step of fast-tracking two cases brought against the state’s near-total ban.  Abortion providers filed one. The U.S. Department of Justice filed the other.  So, in this episode of Y...

Better get ready for winter.  Electric providers and some state lawmakers tell the Jasons they remain concerned that Texas could again experience a large-scale failure if the state suffers through another deep freeze in the coming months.  State Representative Jon Rosenthal recently filed a bill that would close a loophole which allows natural gas companies to opt out of winter weatherization requ...

One came tantalizing close to victory in the same race in 2018.  The other was a Democrat, turned Republican and is now a Democrat again.  And both have very specific ideas for Texas.  In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons share a beer with WFAA anchor/reporter Teresa Woodard, after she conducted wide-ranging interviews with Mike Collier and Matthew Dowd. They’re talking Texas’ two biggest pr...

As the Texas Secretary of State spins up an audit of the 2020 election, it’s important to remember this is a road we’ve been down before. In this episode, the Jasons are joined by SMU professor Matthew Wilson, Ph. D., an expert in politics and elections in America, who explains why this could be our new normal. Questioning election results also happened in 2000, 2004, and 2016. But the most recent...

There are two folks you have not heard from in all the news coverage of the state’s new abortion law; these are the two out-of-staters who are suing a San Antonio abortion doctor. So, the Jasons cracked open the White Pages, pulled out their long-distance calling card and got Oscar Stilley on the phone from Cedarville, Ark. and Felipe Gomez on the line from Chicago. Though, Gomez said, tongue-in-c...

The Lincoln Project is going after Governor Greg Abbott.  This is the group of former Republicans well known for blistering attacks on President Donald Trump and later, Senator Ted Cruz.  And this latest battle is already getting juicy.  The Lincoln Project released a new attack ad called “Abbott’s Wall,” criticizing his handling of the pandemic by highlighting how many Texans have died of COVID-1...

Texas Republicans are lining up to run against Governor Greg Abbott. So, why isn’t there a single Democrat in the race yet? Veteran Texas Democratic consultant Harold Cook hammered out a harsh Tweet about the lack of a candidate in his party. So, the Jasons called him up for this episode. Cook, who worked on President Bill Clinton and Governor Ann Richards’ campaigns in Texas, says ‘can’t beat som...

The Texas bullet train could finally happen sooner than you think. In fact, a vote in Congress this month might determine its future. The CEO of Texas Central, Carlos Aguilar, answered the Jasons call for this episode of Y’all-itics and gave them the lowdown on what’s happening behind the scenes, how much money is needed to finish the project, what a ticket will cost on the bullet train, as well a...

Y’all-itics: August 30, 2021   The deadline for the U.S. to withdraw from Afghanistan is upon us: August 31.  Since the rapid collapse of the Afghan government, Americans in that country, Afghans who hold Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) and anyone who helped the U.S. war effort over the last 20-years have been scrambling to leave the country.  And as our military action winds down in Afghanistan, it...

Will you need a ticket and a Covid status card for concerts? Before they could listen to the music recently, some Texas concertgoers first heard: What’s your vaccination status? With the Delta variant of the coronavirus still ravaging Texas, country music star Jason Isbell took the stage for a mid-August performance at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth in front of a crowd that---on his insistence—was comp...

Are you as confused about the local mask mandates in Texas as we are? Who can order what and when is about as clear as mud at this point.  Even the courts can’t seem to agree.  So we decided to turn to a constitutional law expert for some clarity.  Stephen Vladeck from the University of Texas joins the Jasons once again to help explain in a way only he can.  One thing he said that’s crystal clear?...

The resistance is underway in Texas and growing by the day.  And more cities, counties and school districts are expected to challenge the Governor’s ban on mask mandates in the coming days.  For many parents who’ve already sent their kids back to school – or are about to – the issue is one of life-or-death.  In this emergency episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons are joined by two Superintendents who...

Passions have already been flaring in Austin.  But the temperature may get hotter under the Capitol dome as new Census numbers arrive and the thorny process of divvying up the state's 38 Congressional districts commences.  Before he became the senior counsel for the Brennan Center's Democracy Program, Michael Li went to school and worked in Texas.  He knows the state well.  And he regards Texas as...

Conservatives are lining up to run against incumbent Governor Greg Abbott and incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton. Who has a shot? Does anyone have a shot? Could Abbott or Paxton face a loss? The Jasons called up two Texas Republicans from different sides of the party. Former state Sen. Konni Burton, R-Fort Worth, explains why she thinks Abbott is in political trouble. Former state Rep. Jason Vi...

When the first school bells ring across Texas just weeks from now, students, parents, and educators will head back into the pandemic unknown. The Jasons check back in with Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa. He was on Y’all-itics a year ago when there was so much uncertainty heading into a new school term. It feels like that all over again as he readies his mega-district for the start...

There’s no end in sight to this political standoff. Texas House Democrats remain in D.C. Austin remains at a standstill. The inevitable is likely only delayed. But is there any room for compromise? Will this legislation change how you vote? And what’s up with that case of Miller Lite on the bus with Democrats? Wheeler took off to put his feet in the sand for a few days leaving Whitely on his own t...

In a special legislative session underway right now, Texas Republicans are once trying to change voting laws in this state.  And the Supreme Court of the United States just dealt another blow to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That watershed law was pushed through by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, a Texas native, who rightly predicted that by signing it, he was also signing away his party's chanc...

On Thursday, Texas lawmakers are returning to the state capital for a special legislative session. Changing voting laws is paramount for Texas’ Republican leaders who are intent on avenging Donald Trump’s defeat. But the bill they consider during the 30-day special session, likely will not be as strict as the one that failed during the regular session. Still, do Democrats have a shot of stopping a...

There’s a new political party in Texas looking to shake things up.  But instead of running towards the edges, the Serve America Movement (SAM) has its roots planted firmly in the middle.  While SAM already has parties established in four states, Texas could be the linchpin of its overall success.  The rest of the country will be closely watching to see if SAM has a fighting chance in a deep red st...