Y'all-itics

In the October 4 episode, find out what President Donald Trump has to say about Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton one month before the election, and we ask the President whether he regrets endorsing Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn. And in Dallas County, Commissioners are asking residents to raise taxes to fund homelessness efforts. Commissioner John Wiley Price explains his opposition while families are struggling, while County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins will tell you why he thinks the permanent tax will help the county grow.

In the September 27 episode, Republican U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington tells us why he’s calling for a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget and why he chose Dallas for a field hearing to discuss the $40 trillion national debt. Republican nominee for Ag Commissioner Nate Sheets explains why he’s not calling for a data center moratorium and how he’d help Texas farmers and ranchers stay in business. And Dallas Council Member Paula Blackmon on the coalition now calling for Dallas voters to decide the fate of City Hall.

Democrat James Talarico is asking Republican Ken Paxton if he’ll commit to a debate in their Senate race if it’s in what Talarico calls Paxton’s “safe space” on FOX News. If that doesn’t happen, for the first time in a quarter century, the U.S. Senate candidates in Texas will not go before Texas voters to explain their policies and defend their positions in a debate. Talarico has repeatedly said yes. Paxton? Not so much. In this episode of Y’all-itics, you’ll learn why debates are going the way of the dodo. And a longtime Republican consultant tells us why he thinks Paxton is dodging a debate and why he would still advise his clients to accept one. GUESTS Brian Mayes, GOP Political Consultant Brandon Rottinghaus, UH Political Science Professor

The headline is stunning enough: “Fiasco in the Factory: Taxpayers Funded a $533 Million Artillery Plant That Made Nothing”. But the details in the story that follow are even more extraordinary: crashing robotic machines, equipment catching fire, and an artillery shell that was supposed to be smooth coming out shaped like a soft serve ice cream swirl. The Jasons are joined by the ProPublica reporter who broke the blockbuster story on a Mesquite, Texas plant where he says taxpayers got nothing for the big bucks they spent. And more reports are coming. Note: Y’all-itics reached out to General Dynamics to give them a chance to respond to the details of the ProPublica report and/or to join the podcast discussion and they declined comment and passed on an interview. We tried reaching out to Repkon with the same offers for their response and didn’t hear back. Guest: Jesse Coburn, Reporter at ProPublica The full Pro Publica Report: https://www.propublica.org/article/general-dynamics-artillery-factory-failed

‘Inside Texas Politics’: Chip Roy, Clayton Tucker, and How AI and Data Centers Are Shaping the Midterms In the September 20 episode, Republican U.S. Representative Chip Roy explains why he thinks government must take a “human first” approach to regulating AI, and why he disagrees with President Trump calling AI safety fears a “hoax.” And Democrat Clayton Tucker tells us why he’s so focused on data centers in his race for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, and why one of the first things he’d do in office is conduct an agriculture impact study.