Y'all-itics

The threats are real. So, for the first time, elections offices in Texas and across the country are preparing for worst case scenario situations: from panic buttons, to tabletop exercises, to learning de-escalation techniques. Votebeat Editorial Director Jessica Huseman joins the Jasons to pull the curtain back on preparing for potential violence during and after the election. Guest Jessica Husema...

Jane Nelson rarely gives interviews. But for years she has been one of the most influential state leaders in Texas. In this special release Y’all-itics, Nelson answers questions on election misinformation, suing for citizenship records and the state's new plan for keeping voter rolls clean. WFAA Anchor Cynthia Izaguirre scored the rare exclusive and joins the Jasons with highlights. Guests Cynthia...

Can you honestly say Austin is still ‘weird’? Many now say it’s unaffordable with terrible traffic and a skyline that keeps ascending. Has all of that destroyed what made the city such a cool, hip place? Austin has had cultural booms and busts before. But can it recover from the explosive growth it’s experiencing now? The Jasons shared a beer with Author Alex Hannaford, an Austinite for 20 years w...

Ted Cruz and Colin Allred are facing off in their first -- and only -- televised debate of their 2024 campaigns to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. The debate moderators are WFAA senior political reporter Jason Whitely and Dallas Morning News political writer Gromer Jeffers.

When have three letters ever caused such a stink? Propositions S, T and U on the November 5 ballot in Dallas would, among other things, force the city of Dallas to hire more police officers and open city leaders up to citizen-led lawsuits. Dozens of former mayors and city leaders recently came out against the propositions, arguing they would cripple Dallas for years, if not decades. In this episod...

There may not be any official courtrooms just yet. There aren’t even enough judges. But the new Business Court in Texas is up and running. And you can’t have Texas’ version of Wall Street, “Y’all Street,” without it. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons sit down with attorney David Harper from the huge Texas law firm Haynes and Boone. Harper explains why the court is needed, how it’s operati...

America is divided, there’s no question about it. So, how do we go about fixing our problems with so many extremes on both sides? What if it was as easy as calling an engineer, instead of a politician? We’re doing just that in this episode of Y’all-itics. Texas author William Taggart examined some of the largest issues facing our country, but searched for solutions through the eyes of an engineer....

We told you back in February how the state of Texas, last year, abandoned a fraud-fighting database that is designed to catch repeat voters and keep voter rolls accurate. And Texas pulled out without finding a replacement. Fast forward seven MORE months, and Texas still hasn’t found a replacement for the Electronic Registration Information Center, ERIC, because none really exists. And in this epis...

It has been 48 hours since the first Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. But has anything really changed since the fiery exchange? In this early release episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons discuss whether the political needle is moving at all here in Texas with WFAA Political Producer Berna Dean Steptoe and Fort Worth Star Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy. Guests Berna Dean St...

The fundraising figures for Kamala Harris’ bid for President are staggering. $310 Million in July. Another $361 Million in August. She could raise more than $1 Billion before Election Day and she didn’t start until late July. But that money has to come from somewhere… and someone has to get it. In this episode of Y’all-itics, one of Texas’ most prolific Democratic fundraisers sits down with the Ja...

It is ambitious. It is far reaching. And it is also quite expensive, with a price tag of up to $54.5 Billion. But why now? In this episode of Y’all-itics, the chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board and the chair of the Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs explain the state’s first ever flood plan, why the price tag is so high, and why the dangers facing millions...

The Y'all-itics's guide to the biggest race in Texas this November. In this episode, you’ll hear interviews from both candidates; Cruz making a case for six more years and Allred explaining why voters need to make a change.

A new poll by the American Psychiatric Association found that 73% of American adults are anxious about the November election. Republicans. Democrats. Independents. Anxiety could care less about your political affiliation. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the President & CEO of The Center for Integrative Counseling and Psychology, Dr. Brad Schwall, joins a Jason at Jaquval Brewing Company and offers...

More and more, Texans have wondered why 'the energy state' can't deliver reliable electricity. Renewable advocates say the solution could be batteries that store power from solar and wind. In this episode of  Y’all-itics , Doug Lewin, founder of Stoic Energy, a clean energy consulting firm, discusses how batteries are increasingly propping up the grid and lowering energy costs. And he explains how...

They voted for Republican Nikki Haley, but they now back Democrat Kamala Harris. And Haley isn’t happy about it, sending a cease and desist order. But this group of voters refuses to stop and by Labor Day, they expect to be a “substantial force” financially. And the Director of “Haley Voters for Harris” says his group could easily swing the election in battleground states. Craig Snyder also explai...

Most Texas cities do not have enough police, plain and simple. In Dallas, a group wants voters to force city leaders to raise pay and hire hundreds of cops. But at what cost? That’s just one of three proposed amendments the group successfully got on the November ballot. Oak Cliff Brewing Company hosted the Jasons and the Executive Director of Dallas HERO to discuss how they could fundamentally cha...

With a growing population, political influence often follows. So why aren’t Texas lawmakers paying much attention to this group? The Jasons find out why in this episode of Y’all-itics. GUEST: Albert Shen, AAAFund National Chair

2.7 million Texans in the dark. Why can’t the energy state deliver reliable electricity? And will anyone be held accountable for the apparent lack of preplanning by Centerpoint Energy. What KHOU’s veteran investigative reporter Jeremy Rogalski found has only exacerbated the problems for Centerpoint. Jeremy joins the Jasons to discuss. Guest Jeremy Rogalski / KHOU News Investigative Reporter Jeremy...

Texas Democrats are clashing over whether President Biden should remain in the race for the White House. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett says Democrats are scared of their own shadow and have embarked on a terrible strategy, Congressman Lloyd Doggett argues that Biden must drop out and state Rep. Ron Reynolds wants to remove “Vice” from Vice President Kamala Harris’ title. Guests Congressman Lloyd...

It was the first time a sitting President has ever debated a former President. And now that the first Biden/Trump showdown is in the books, did either candidate move the needle with voters, especially those who don’t like either candidate? In this special release, our Y’all-itics panel of political experts discusses what the candidates did right, and what they got wrong. Guests Jessica Huseman, Vo...

Elliston Berry was only 14 when a classmate created fake pornographic images of her that quickly spread on social media. But the courageous teen hasn’t just shared her story, she’s also inspired the TAKE IT DOWN Act, bipartisan national legislation that would protect victims of real and deepfake non-consensual intimate imagery. In this episode of Y’all-itics, Elliston and her mother discuss the di...

Think you know what happened in the Uvalde massacre? The public hasn’t seen a sliver of the evidence. Now, more than two years later, a Texas attorney walks us through the legal fight to get DPS to finally reveal what a Texas court has ordered it to release.     GUEST: Laura Lee Prather, Attorney | Haynes Boone

As we get ready to simmer through another summer in Texas, keep an eye on the grid. The fragility of electricity supply in Texas has been an issue since the near total collapse of the grid in the winter of 2021. University of Houston Energy Fellow Ed Hirs says the 'fixes' since haven't been enough. He sees the potential for summer days where supply might have trouble keeping up with growing demand...

It is not a crime in Texas for someone to claim your house as their own. State lawmakers finally plan to fix it. Guest Terri Boyette, Mesquite Homeowner State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston

Johnson County ranchers say their cattle, fish and horses are dying and getting sick because of fertilizer spread on nearby farmland. That fertilizer is made from treated human waste and it comes from the city of Fort Worth in the next county over. Ranchers say runoff from the fertilizer has made their land useless, so they’re suing. And the battle has even led to a criminal investigation. In this...