Texas Take

Texas Republicans and their national brethren were settling a lot of scores this week. While the Texas GOP officially threatened the political future of fellow Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows, the Trump White House went after comedian Jimmy Kimmel to the objection of notable Texas Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz. Reporters Benjamin Wermund and Taylor Goldenstein join host Jeremy Wallace to assess how much danger Burrows is in and what Cruz had to say at The Texas Youth Summit amid the Kimmel controversy. Plus, state Sen. Carol Alvarado joins the program to slam Republicans for threatening the political career of the only Latina to ever represent Houston in Congress. Listeners will also hear what Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett said during a speech in Austin and why it was so important. Finally, listen to Cruz break into his favorite characters from his favorite movie -- a flashback to when he was once the president of his high school drama club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Veteran Texas political reporters Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News and John Moritz of the Austin American-Statesman join host Jeremy Wallace to break down the suddenly red-hot 2026 primaries, including the clash between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton plus the budding rivalry between Colin Allred and James Talarico. They also dive into a major upheaval in the state’s congressional delegation and tell you the latest on what Democrat Jasmine Crockett and Republican Wesley Hunt are planning. Finally, Jeffers, Moritz and Wallace all explain their origin stories and have advice for campaigns, academics and legislative staffers on how to get into stories, TV appearances, podcasts and newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The political turmoil around Texas A&M University this week has been years in the making as Republican leaders from Vice President JD Vance to Gov. Greg Abbott have made clear that college campuses are the new battlefront in controlling the future of the nation. Reporter Samantha Ketterer joins host Jeremy Wallace to help explain what is happening and why A&M is a prime target. Reporter Benjamin Wermund also explains why there are huge overtime bills being racked up at the Texas border by state troopers and columnist Joy Sewing spells out the real world consequences of Houston still being without a member of Congress for nearly 800,000 people. Retired Houston astronaut Terry Virts also drops by the program to explain why he’s running for the U.S. Senate and we delve into the life of Charlie Kirk and how he rose to such prominence in American politics over the last decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another Texas summer is in the books and it had us wondering who in Texas politics made the most of their opportunity to get ahead. Host Jeremy Wallace, with help from reporters Benjamin Wermund and James Osborne, breaks down 10 names in Texas politics that crushed the summer and are riding high going into the fall. In the process, you’ll hear the latest on congressional redistricting, the battle over THC and a big change to testing in public schools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Houston Democrat Gene Wu has received a burst of national attention for being the leader of the Texas House Democrats as they fled the state to try to stop President Donald Trump's redistricting plan. Ultimately, the maps passed despite Wu's efforts. He sits down with Texas Take host Jeremy Wallace to explain what if anything Democrats accomplished, how he's dealt with racists attacks as his profile has grown and why many in his community warned he about making too many waves in politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump got the redistricting maps he wanted from Texas, but it may come with a big political price tag. The Democratic Party, so fractured after the 2024 campaigns, suddenly found a rallying issue that washed away many of its own internal divisions - at least temporarily. Brad Johnson of The Texan and Kat Vargas of Howdy Politics join host Jeremy Wallace to break it all down. Plus, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called out Gov. Greg Abbott again for his stance against banning all THC products in Texas, further muddying what the Legislature will do in the closing days of the special session of the Legislature. And finally, Texas House Democratic Leader Gene Wu joins the show for a deep dive on how his recent national media attention has helped illustrate how he’s had to navigate racism and generational norms in the Asian-American community.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn joins the Texas Take for a special episode to talk about being a political underdog for the first time in decades and pushes back against attacks that he's going more MAGA just to win his GOP primary next year. The Republican also explains why he called on the Justice Department to investigate Texas Democrats and what he did to make sure the state got reimbursed for all of the border spending it did during the Biden administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From California to New England, Texas Democrats have the entire nation focused on the Great State and President Donald Trump’s push to redraw the state's congressional districts. Reporters John Moritz and Taylor Goldenstein explain where things stand and whether Democrats are succeeding in their mission. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn also joins the show, pushing back against critics who say he is becoming more MAGA just to salvage his political career. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Colin Allred also drops by to talk about where he went wrong in his last campaign and how he’ll be a different candidate this time. Finally, there’s another Bush family member ready to jump on the campaign circuit. Host Jeremy Wallace breaks it all down with a little inspiration from Paul McCartney, George Strait and Randy Rogers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special edition of The Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace shares the full audio of a rare 1990 speech by President Ronald Reagan, delivered in Chicago to recent high school graduates. Recorded two years after leaving office and just a few years before he would stop making public remarks, Reagan reflects on topics from repealing the 22nd Amendment to his criticism of gerrymandering. This copy, one of the few remaining, is being donated to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Texas Republicans weren’t messing around. Their Trump-directed redistricting map could end the political careers of the three longest-serving Texas Democrats in Congress and shake up who represents Black and Hispanic districts. It all triggered heated exchanges in and around the Texas Capitol. We break it all down, plus give you the latest on the battle over THC products, the future of the STAAR test and another potential way Gov. Greg Abbott wants to stop property tax hikes. As an added bonus, we have a rare recording of Ronald Reagan weighing in on the evils of redistricting 35 years ago in one of his last speeches ever on the topic. Host Jeremy Wallace breaks it all down with Reporters Isaac Yu and Benjamin Wermund. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Texas Republicans hold almost all the cards when it comes to redrawing the state's 38 Congressional Districts. But that doesn't mean Democrats don't have some tools they can employ to slow the game down. U.S. Rep. Greg Casar and State Rep. Ron Reynolds join us to talk about their options in fighting President Donald Trump's plan. Plus, Gov. Greg Abbott sits down for an exclusive interview to talk about redistricting and how U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's school choice legislation will impact what he's already trying to do in Texas on the same front. Host Jeremy Wallace breaks it all down with columnist Chris Tomlinson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an exclusive interview, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz talks in-depth about how legislation he crafted will expand private school vouchers in Texas, even beyond the separate state program Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law. Cruz also addresses his reputation as a bomb thrower in the U.S. Senate and how, in this case, it helped him score some key legislative victories in President Donald Trump's big, beautiful bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Be careful what you ask Gov. Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump after a tragedy. As the state and federal governments respond to the disaster in the Texas Hill Country, Abbott and Trump both made clear some questions from the media are completely off limits for them. We catch you up to speed on what happens next in the disaster response and get you ready for the special session of the Texas Legislature, where once again Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will try to ban THC products in Texas. Host Jeremy Wallace breaks it all down with reporters John Moritz, Isaac Yu and Taylor Goldenstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats are trying to get it together ahead of what should be a pretty good election cycle for them here in Texas. But the top of their ticket already includes the very real possibility of a US Senate nominee who lost badly to one of the most hated Republicans in America just 9 months ago. What are they even doing? Join the conversation with Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have reached a really dangerous point in American history when people aren't so much judged for what they did, they're judged differently based on who did it even if it's the exact same thing. We'll explain plus Little Gov. Patrick looks defeated on THC and Jeremy reports on what might be the last days of a dying industry in Texas. No one can come close to covering this state like we do, right? Join the conversation with Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Gov. Abbott waits until the last possible minute to let us all know how he's going to handle the proposed THC ban in Texas, candidates are already lining up for races up and down the ballot in next year's elections. We've got the fullest report on that yet. Plus, the rift within President Trump's MAGA base was on full display when Tucker Carlson and Sen. Cruz duked it out during a two-hour argument in Washington. We listened to it so you don't have to. Join the conversation with Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lt. Gov. Patrick this week called Jeremy "stupid" and "crazy" for asking him if adults should be able to use THC products legally in Texas while protecting children. Jeremy's ready to respond on the show. Plus, Gov. Abbott got his wish of cracking down on crime through "bail reform." But what does it really mean and did Abbott try to go too far? Join the conversation with Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lt. Gov. Patrick brought the Texas House to heel this week in his quest to ban THC completely. How did he do it? We'll fill you in. Plus, single moms in a large swath of Houston have no representation in Congress as their food assistance is threatened. And this weekend marks the third anniversary of the Uvalde massacre. We'll take a look back and tell you about how little has been done to respond in the aftermath. Join the conversation with Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Little Gov. Dan Patrick says this has been a "boring session" for him. Why would that be? Well, maybe it's because the Texas House is doing just about whatever the right-wing Texas Senate wants even though Speaker Dustin Burrows was elected with a majority Democratic coalition. Plus, the fight over Medicaid cuts gets downright nasty in Washington and Sen. Ted Cruz has serious concerns about President Trump accepting a gift of a luxury jet from a foreign government. Join the conversation with Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Texas Republicans this week moved to ban some foreigners from owning land in this state, sparking an emotional and lengthy debate about a crackdown on immigrants that still won't help many GOP lawmakers avoid nasty primary challenges. Plus, Gov. Abbott says his signature school voucher initiative is a huge win for families and a "promise kept" from his campaign. We'll spell out the facts on that. Join the conversation with Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices