Hello Houston: The Commuter Cut

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” John Diamond, a senior fellow in public finance at Rice University’s Baker Institute, shares his thoughts on the current state of the U.S. economy amid pressures like the national debt, rising costs, and major investments in AI.Next, we hear Hello Houston Executive Producer Jim Kovacik talk with Houston City Councilmember Edward Pollard for this week’s edition of our regular Tuesday feature, Five Simple Questions.Also, we hear from Ayden Runnels, a reporter for The Texas Tribune, who discusses a Texas city’s attempt to charge more than $2 million for public records on the city’s Flock cameras and how this has become a flashpoint in the debate over how these cameras are being used.

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," the Texas Tribune’s urban affairs reporter Joshua Fechter talks about the hundreds of thousands of Texas homeowners who may be missing out on property tax savings because they haven’t claimed a homestead exemption.Then, playwright Elena Coates discusses her new play, Shadow of Nuremberg, which explores the human, ethical, and historical questions that emerged from the Nuremberg trials and how societies wrestle with the lingering effects of atrocity.Plus, we hear Tessa’s conversation with Kim Miller, founder of the grassroots organization America’s Women, who discusses civic engagement and how they’re encouraging women to become more involved in elections.

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” we hear Ernie and Tessa’s conversation with PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger, who shares her perspective on PBS today, the evolving ways audiences engage with public media, and the future of public television.Then, in this week’s edition of Tessa Takes On, Tessa chats with representatives from Houston’s primary women’s rugby organization, the Houston Athletic Rugby Club, for a discussion on the city’s role in the ever-growing international sport.Plus, we wrap up the week with our regular Friday feature, Last Minute Plans, in which our hosts share a list of Houston area events to help you make the most of your weekend, while they also share their own plans for the weekend.

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," we spotlight the Harris County Judge debate that will be hosted by Houston Public Media tonight with HPM reporters Andrew Schneider and Sarah Grunau, who will both be involved in the debate.Next, we hear from Houston Public Media reporter Bianca Seward, who breaks down the elections for the Texas State Board of Education and how they could shape the future of public education in Texas for this week’s edition of HPM in Focus.Also, following Houston native NFL quarterback Jalen Hurts’ season-ending blood clot diagnosis, we discuss how these conditions are formed, who’s most at risk, and how they’re treated with Dr. Daniel Hermann, an interventional cardiologist with Memorial Hermann, who’s also experienced deep vein thrombosis himself after traveling.

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” we hear this week's edition of On The Marquee, in which Ernie chats with Sylvia D'Eramo and Matthew Polenzani, who both discuss playing the titular roles in Houston Grand Opera's productions of Susannah and Faust.Next, Baylor College of Medicine’s Dr. Richa Shukla discusses living with inflammatory bowel disease, treatment options, and a new learning event at The Health Museum that's designed to connect patients and families with information and support.Plus, we also hear from filmmaker Azfar Ali and producer and co-writer Yasir Raza, who both talk about the award-winning, Houston-produced film Jyoti, what went into bringing this film to life, and what it was like to collaborate across cultures.