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By threatening public safety grants, Greg Abbott exerts control over Texas cities
The governor’s threats have produced quick wins on hot-button issues important to the GOP base – immigration and perceived threats posed by Islam.
Texas council says more resources needed to address complaints against behavioral health providers
The agency that oversees behavioral health and social work providers has about 1,000 "pending" complaints against providers — hundreds more than it has received in previous years. Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council leadership told lawmakers it may need support from the state to handle the volume.
The week in politics (May 6, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And foodies discuss great food that looks really ugly -- but still tastes great.
Horowitz Co-Authors Paper on Networked Resonant Systems in <em> Science Advances</em>
Associate Professor of Physics Viva Horowitz, with collaborators in the Alemán Group at the University of Oregon, published a paper on designing and building networked resonant systems.
Will Texas turn blue this year?
With midterms around the corner and President Trump's approval rating low, Democrats expect to flip a lot of seats this election. Polls show a Democrat could win a statewide seat in Texas for the first time in the 21st century.
Democrats Eye 2028 as Battle for Identity Begins
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
Christian Menefee and Al Green, rivals in TX-18, align on aim of strengthening voting rights
The two congressmen, in a Democratic primary runoff election for the same Houston-based seat, both came out strongly for the need to pass new legislation to counteract the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that crippled enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.
Health care is getting more expensive. Texas lawmakers want to understand why
Health care costs are increasing faster than the rate of inflation. A Texas House committee is holding a two-day hearing this week to learn more about what drives lack of affordable healthcare before working on policy recommendations later this year.
FCC orders ABC stations, including Houston’s KTRK, to re-apply for broadcast license amid political squabble
The Federal Communications Commission ordered KTRK and seven other television stations owned by Disney to file for renewing its license by May 28 — years earlier than anticipated.
Hispanic population experiences worst health care outcomes, access in Texas, report finds
A new report from the Commonwealth Fund found Texas has worse racial and ethnic health disparities than other states in the Southwest.
Landsman, Carey Bipartisan Bill to Support New Small Businesses Passes U.S. House
Cincinnati, OH – Today, Congressman Greg Landsman (D-OH-01) announced his bipartisan bill with Congressman Mike Carey, the NO BOSS Act, passed unanimously out of the U.S. House of Representatives. The New Opportunities for Business Ownership and Self-Sufficiency (NO BOSS) Act is bipartisan legislation to support Americans as they pursue small business ownership. The bill improves the […]
The week in politics (April 29, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And we meet the folks behind Ice House Radio, an online radio station streaming from Houston dedicated to the music of southern culture.
Congressman Cohen Announces $$6.8 Million Grant to Christ Community Health Services
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that Christ Community Health Services will receive a grant of $6,832,768 from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services to operate its programs for its economically or medically vulnerable patients.Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
Scandals, Resignations, and Trump’s Iran Gamble
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
The week in politics (April 22, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And author Ashanté Reese considers how gardens, reunions, and everyday meals can create connection.
7 foods cardiologists love that won't bore you to tears — including some very clever swaps
You don't have to give up bacon and fries entirely, but occasionally swapping them for healthier foods or changing the way you prepare them can benefit your heart.
Trump picks top Texas health official for CDC deputy director
Dr. Jennifer Shuford has led the Department of State Health Services in Texas since 2022 after serving as the state's chief epidemiologist and helping to lead the COVID-19 response here.
Trump vs. The Pope: A Political and Spiritual Showdown
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
Commissioners approve business accelerator initiative to expand child care accessibility in Harris County
The demand for child care subsidies soared during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains on the rise. In Harris County, around 30,000 families are on a waitlist to receive state scholarships for child care services through the Texas Workforce Commission, according to a recent University of Houston study.
Trump, Iran Tensions, Birthright Citizenship Fight, and Texas Senate Drama
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
“AI polls” are fake polls
A few weeks after Donald Trump’s second presidential win, I took the train up from London (where I was living at the time) to Oxford to attend a conference on polls and forecasts of the 2024 election. Most of the attendees were pollsters or academics, but I also watched presentations from Aaru and Electric Twin, two companies that do what is interchangeably called synthetic sampling, silicon sampling, or synthetic audiences. Stripped of startup jargon, that means they use large language models (LLMs) to simulate responses to public opinion polls by having AI agents take on the role of survey respondents. I had already heard of Aaru thanks to some articles with eye-catching headlines like “No people, no problem: AI chatbots predict elections better than humans” in the months leading up to Election Day. The founders were making some big, some might even say far-fetched claims, such as: “within two years, we will simulate the entire globe — from the way crops are grown in Ukraine to how that impacts production of oil in Iraq, trade through the strait of Malacca, and elections for the mayor of Baltimore.” When Semafor asked Aaru’s cofounders — Cameron Fink and Ned Koh — about my boss, they said “we respect all those who came before us.” Nate (as he so often does) shared his thoughts on Twitter: Fink and Koh were relatively good-natured about this back-and-forth when we spoke at Oxford. They even offered to mail me one of the t-shirts featuring Nate’s quote they apparently had made. I never took them up on the offer, which I now somewhat regret. These synthetic sampling companies fell off my radar for a while, but they do still exist. In fact, Aaru recently received a $1 billion valuation. Is what they’re doing anywhere close to the most important frontier in AI development? Not by a longshot, especially when Anthropic just developed a model so adept at exploiting software vulnerabilities that it’s only being released to 40 companies. Still, silicon sampling is increasingly finding its way into public polling. Axios reported in March that “a majority of people trust their own doctors and nurses” based on findings from Aaru — without mentioning that the “people” in that sentence were actually LLMs. Around the same time, the Public Sentiment Institute “boosted” their online sample of 373 real survey respondents with 114 AI agents.1 (Spoiler alert: even the co-founder of Electric Twin doesn’t think that’s a particularly defensible approach.) Polling companies like Qualtrics and Ipsos are also developing synthetic data panels. So, what should we make of these … “polls”? Let’s get one thing out of the way: whatever they are, they’re not polls in the way that term is usually defined. Subscribe You can’t replace polls with AI On one hand, using LLMs to essentially make up fake survey respondents sort of sounds like the dumbest idea ever, one that will at best imperfectly replicate real polls while introducing all sorts of biases. On the other hand, with LLMs improving at a remarkable, perhaps even alarming rate, maybe that means I’m a dinosaur at the ripe old age of 24 because I still want to rely on polls that talk to actual people. I’m not going to argue that synthetic samples are completely useless. In fact, as I’ll return to later, there is evidence that some techniques can replicate topline survey results quickly and cheaply. But the marketing from certain companies can be slightly optimistic. “No traditional poll will exist by the time the next general election occurs,” said Fink in 2024. We’re just 206 days away from the midterms, and based on the fact that I still have to collect a bunch of polls every day, I’d say he should have run that prediction by a sample of AI agents before the interview.2 To see why synthetic samples can’t replace polls, here’s a quick primer on how they work. The simplest version of these models involves taking a LLM (like ChatGPT or Claude), giving it a demographic profile (e.g., a white, college-educated woman who lives in Utah and makes $70k a year), and then asking it to respond to a survey question. You repeat that process a few thousand times using different demographic profiles and end up with a sample of synthetic survey responses. The actual models used by private companies are more sophisticated than this, usually because they incorporate more hypothesized demographic characteristics for each agent and provide them with extra information. Aaru, for example, feeds agents a diet of news and information they’d be likely to consume, while Electric Twin incorporates their customers’ proprietary data about the audience they’re trying to replicate. The way Ben Warner, the co-founder of Electric Twin, explained it to me was “we have a large amount of data on […] for instance, 5,000 people. Can we make an accurate prediction of how they would respond to another question?” Still, it should be obvious why synthetic samples can’t replace polls. Polling is fundamentally a data collection process. We might use surveys to make predictions by feeding them into election forecasts, but the main purpose of a poll isn’t prediction, it’s gathering new data about what people think and how they feel. Silicon sampling, on the other hand, produces no new data. It’s simply a model: you input LLM training data, demographic prompts, and a bunch of other information, and it spits out a prediction for what a poll would say. We love models here, but models aren’t polls. That difference is an important philosophical sticking point for most pollsters I talk to. “I think politics should stay away from [synthetic sampling], because we’re trying to […] represent the voice of the people,” said Natalie Jackson, a vice president at GQR Insights. Democratic pollster John Hagner told me: “I think I’m just incredibly skeptical of this idea. I don’t think it’s research. At that point, you’re asking the machine to tell you what you already believe.” Hagner has seen some presentations of early synthetic sampling experiments, but so far, “if it’s being used in a campaign, people are keeping it incredibly quiet.”3 But Eli, I hear you saying, aren’t polls themselves increasingly governed by modeling decisions? Indeed they are: pollsters’ choices on which sampling method to use, how to define their likely voter models, and how to weight their samples can and do lead to dramatic differences in the results they publish. Aaru even referenced these limitations in the methodology statement included with that maternal mortality “poll” — although I’m using the term “methodology statement” loosely here, because it doesn’t really explain how the model works at all. We can ignore the (frankly preposterous) implication that synthetic sampling isn’t subject to a separate set of biases. The important point is that there’s still a meaningful difference between using weighting and other statistical techniques on actual polling data and using a model to predict what a poll would say. The latter is far closer to election forecasts or techniques like MRP — potentially useful models, but not a replacement for polls.4 To be fair, other synthetic sampling companies are perfectly happy with the distinction between polls and models. Warner compared polling and synthetic sampling to different tools in a toolbox. “The mistake I think we make is we think that these new tools should either work in exactly the same way or somehow replace these old tools,” he said. “Rather than thinking of it as, okay, so we’ve always had the hammer, we’ve always had the screwdriver, now we’ve got a saw. But don’t use a saw to try [to] do the job of a hammer.” A quick comment from Nate Eli didn’t ask me for a comment — rather rude of him, don’t you think? But since I’m editing this story, I figured I’d add a few quick thoughts rather than putting words in his mouth. Beyond the frequently misleading marketing, what bothers me about the AI “poll” hype is that as AI tools make statistical inference cheaper and/or better (note that these are not synonyms) that actually increases the comparative value of collecting original data. You might be able to train a model to make a reasonable estimate of what some hard-to-reach poll respondent would say — say, a young Black man who voted for Trump. (Such a person checks a number of boxes for a voter who is usually hard to reach in surveys.) Indeed, this is closely related to what models like the Silver Bulletin forecast already do. They essentially smooth out the kinks in noisy survey data by making inferences based on past voting patterns or national polls or surveys of other states. But you don’t actually know what these voters think unless you’re reaching them directly. If there’s a shift in opinion among this subgroup, you’re not going to detect it. So if I were running a campaign, I’d invest more in going the extra mile to find a representative sample of those voters. And then I’d hire some smart quants — or Claude? — to figure out the implications for campaign strategy based on proprietary data that my competitors didn’t have access to. -Nate Silver Are these models any good? If synthetic surveys are just a new type of model, the next obvious question is whether the models are at least accurate. The answer very much depends on who you ask. On one end of the spectrum, you have the maximalist argument that synthetic sampling is more accurate than actual polls. “It’s an incredibly challenging problem to go to someone and say ‘hey, we’re going to be more accurate at predicting human behavior than you, even when you talk to your customers directly’,” Koh recently told CNBC. In his view, synthetic sampling isn’t a saw to polling’s hammer, it’s “magic.” There’s certainly evidence that synthetic samples can replicate certain survey toplines. But if Aaru does have any examples of their approach outperforming the polls, they’re keeping those to themselves.5 Aaru’s 2024 election model, for example, had Kamala Harris leading in Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin on November 4th. And although they’ve since taken down their forecast page, they gave Harris a 50.5 percent chance of winning the race on November 2nd.6 After the election, Fink told Semafor he was happy enough with those results because they were “within margin of error,” a term that is completely meaningless when applied to a “sample” of AI agents. And of course, Aaru says their models have improved since 2024, so supposedly now they’d be more accurate than the polls? Still, their stronger argument is on cost: “We are significantly faster and cheaper than traditional polling, and still more accurate,” said Fink. The first two claims are undeniably true, but the third brings us to the opposite end of the spectrum. Both Jackson and Hagner are skeptical that these models are reliable for anything beyond replicating common survey toplines. “I just […] don’t think the machines are what we want when we’re looking for nuanced views. My example on this is people in Arizona and Nevada in 2024 who voted for Trump and voted for expanding abortion in their states on ballot initiatives,” said Jackson. Hagner identified another issue. Maybe the synthetic respondents, like sycophantic LLMs, are inhuman in one important way: they’re too nice. “The reports that have come through at the meetings that I’ve been at are that the early experiments on this, they cannot get respondents to be as racist or sexist or, frankly, as negative as human respondents,” he said. Academic research mostly agrees on this point. While there are some papers that show promising results when using LLMs to replicate polling data, most show that LLMs suffer from various quirks like producing too few “don’t know” responses and can seriously overpredict the favorability of politicians like Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. They also seem to struggle with too little variation between demographic subgroups, so the difference in predicted opinion between Democrats and Republicans, for example, is too small. When I asked Warner about these studies, his response to these papers was that just because academics can’t get synthetic sampling to work doesn’t mean that the technique doesn’t work in general. “Actually, the argument is, okay, yours does not [work]. That does not mean […] for this complex set of machinery, which uses a lot of investment, a lot of time, a lot of money, you can’t get it to work.” Cards on the table, I’m somewhat sympathetic to this argument because academics aren’t exactly great at making election forecasts. Usually, the people with skin in the game are the most accurate. Warner’s argument is that the approach Electric Twin takes — which includes, for example, making multiple predictions for each synthetic respondent using different models and prompts and subsequently averaging those to get a final prediction in a sort of ensemble forecast — produces better results than the simpler academic models. Warner shared a comparison between his method and the method from a recent academic paper with me, and Electric Twin was indeed able to get more accurate replication. But even still, he acknowledged that synthetic sampling “is not a crystal ball.” “If you asked me, do I think using other data sources will be more accurate than asking somebody who they will vote for, I would probably say no. But if you asked me ‘would your system be useful for our turnout modeling today?’ I would say yes.” For better or worse, it looks like the method is already getting more popular in the market research world. Most of the clients Aaru touts these days are businesses like EY and McDonald’s. And AI will probably begin to pop up in other parts of the political polling process. Pollsters are already using it to code open-ended survey responses, and some firms, like YouGov, are testing using LLMs to ask survey respondents questions. More worryingly, one danger to actual polls is that AI agents can be used to infiltrate online surveys. Most online polls use various checks to prevent that from happening, but there’s conflicting evidence on how effective those filters are and how prevalent AI agents currently are in online panels. If those agents ever become impossible to detect, it might spell the end of online polling, but the solution isn’t to replace all of your respondents with ChatGPT. Silver Bulletin is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a subscriber. Subscribe 1 That particular poll obviously doesn’t meet Silver Bulletin standards for aggregation. But we exclude all Public Sentiment Institute polls from our averages because we classify them as an amateur polling firm. 2 You could argue that Fink meant the next presidential election, but (a) I’m also confident we’ll still have real polls in 2028 and (b) in that case he should have asked an LLM to define “general election.” 3 Quick caveat: that’s reporting from a Democratic pollster. It’s possible that Republicans are more willing to use AI in political campaigns. 4 Indeed, Silver Bulletin does not include “polls” produced by MRP in our forecasts or averages, and we think it’s extremely misleading when their practitioners describe them in a way that suggests original data had been collected among a large number of states or Congressional districts. 5 A recent report from Aaru and EY did show two examples of a synthetic estimate being closer than a survey to a real-world benchmark — but I’d take those findings with a grain of salt because the report reads more like an ad and didn’t involve any sort of prediction being made ahead of time. 6 For comparison, our odds for Harris on the same day were 48.2 percent.
Memorial Hermann and BCBSTX reach a new deal, restoring in-network coverage, hospital says
The Houston-based health system and the insurance giant had previously let an April 1 deadline pass without a new agreement, meaning many patients across the region were forced to pay higher medical costs or find new doctors.
Texas House committee slaps Democrats with nearly $422K in penalties for 2025 quorum break
The Committee on House Administration voted along party lines to fine 50-plus Democratic members more than $8,000 apiece for fleeing the state to try to block a GOP-led congressional redistricting plan.
‘We need new blood’: Texas voters look for leadership changes, fresh faces this election year
Some vocal Texas voters say they want to get rid of politicians who've served the state for decades. Much of that sentiment can be boiled down to a preference for younger candidates with new energy — or even older ones who buck long-held status quo.
Rising costs for food, labor, credit card swipe fees threaten Texas restaurants
Half of all Texas restaurant operators failed to earn a profit last year, according to data tracked by the National Restaurant Association.
Political oversight reaches Texas college classrooms, with Texas Tech and A&M at the forefront
Public universities across Texas have instituted sweeping changes to course teachings and offerings in recent months, in a bid to appease concerns from Republican lawmakers that they're indoctrinating students with what they consider to be liberal ideas.
Breaking: ScreaM returns to action six years after hanging up the mouse
The 31-year-old fragger will look to roll back the clock on the Franco-Belgian roster.
Rollback of state minority business program will damage Harris County’s tax revenue, legal filing says
The comptroller's action, according to the lawsuit, will damage the stability of the county's procurement system, narrow the universe of potential bidders and reduce investment, workforce development and tax revenues in Harris County. The comptroller's office could not immediately be reached for comment.
Merrimack Premium Outlets Adds Dining and Entertainment Concepts to Expanding Lineup - Boston Real Estate Times
MERRIMACK, N.H.— Merrimack Premium Outlets is expanding its offerings with a mix of new dining and entertainment concepts, as the shopping destination continues to evolve beyond retail. The outlet center […]
Top takeaways from CPAC, the influential conservative convention that just wrapped in Texas
The annual Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, has wrapped in Grapevine, Texas. The event included speeches from Texas officials — including Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. Mayes Middleton — all current candidates for statewide office.
Partial Shutdown Chaos Hits Home
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
CPAC draws conservatives to Texas amid Iran war, Republican battle for U.S. Senate nomination
The influential Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, is underway in Grapevine, Texas. While the annual event draws attendees and speakers from all over, a host of Texans — including Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Senate hopeful Ken Paxton and state Sen. Bryan Hughes — are scheduled to speak on Friday.
New Dems Hear from Small Businesses on the Harmful Impacts of Tariffs
The Official Site For The New Democrat Coalition
Abbott legal brief criticizes Paxton’s rushed lawsuit against Harris County’s immigrant legal fund
“Perhaps the Attorney General only recently learned of this program; perhaps the office’s attention was focused elsewhere,” lawyers for Abbott wrote, noting the fund has existed for five years.
The week in politics (March 25, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And we consider whether Texas is too big.
The Girl at the End of the World: A Gratitude Day Reflection on the Place that Built Our Science
⏱️ 9 min read | This Gratitude Day, March 23rd, we celebrate the extraordinary partnership between HD families, scientists, and caregivers, and reflect on the place that built the science on which we all stand.
Texas Primary Overdrive: Runoffs, Realignments, and Record Turnout
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
Running on faith: The message powering James Talarico’s Democratic win
Joseph Locke, author of "One State Under God: A History of Religion in Texas," discusses how politics and religion have long been intertwined in the Lone Star state, why Talarico's messaging was so effective in the primary, and how it could impact the general election in November.
Buc-ee’s receives F rating from Better Business Bureau over responsiveness to customer complaints
The convenience store chain, headquartered in the Houston suburb of Lake Jackson, has a reputation for having clean restrooms and an array of food options at its super-sized travel centers.
The week in politics (March 11, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And author Tayari Jones talks about her latest novel, "Kin."
Hardline House Freedom Caucus gains ground in Texas GOP primaries
If they win in November, Steve Toth and Brandon Herrera are poised to join the group known for its conservative absolutist approach and willingness to defy GOP leaders.
March Primary Madness: War Abroad and Wild Results in Texas
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
Texan James Talarico becomes a fresh face of Democrats’ midterm hopes after Senate primary win
The 36-year-old state lawmaker is now a front man for the left's opposition to President Donald Trump, not just in his own state but around the country.
James Talarico holds slim lead against Jasmine Crockett in Democratic primary for U.S. Senate
Talarico and Crockett, competing for a place on November ballots in Texas, are seeking to give Democrats their first win in a statewide election in more than 30 years.
The week in politics (Feb. 25, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We recap the State of the Union address and discuss other developments in politics in our weekly roundup.
🏥 Protecting Iowa’s Health Care
In rural Iowa, the nearest hospital isn’t just a building — it’s a lifeline. And in many towns, it’s the only one for miles. When that hospital struggles to hire nurses, absorb rising costs, and maintain key services, families feel it immediately — long before any announcement is made. Last week, I met with patients […]
Texas Primary Election Turmoil: Jesse Jackson’s Legacy, GOP Divisions, and Media Controversies
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
UH proposes professor checklist for courses to prevent advocacy of politics, ideology
The proposal comes after the University of Houston faced backlash for asking professors to sign an agreement not to indoctrinate students.
Senate candidate James Talarico raises $2.5 million after Stephen Colbert interview controversy, campaign says
Stephen Colbert accused CBS of blocking an interview with Talarico from airing during his late-night broadcast on Monday. The interview, shared on YouTube, has millions of views and has allegedly resulted in millions of dollars in campaign contributions for Talarico.
The week in politics (Feb. 18, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And we learn about a new initiative from the University of Houston-Downtown, which will guarantee admission for certain HISD graduates.
Lewis scores 30, Brown beats Dartmouth 79-76
HANOVER, N.H. (AP) Landon Lewis' 30 points led Brown over Dartmouth 79-76 on Saturday.
The week in politics (Feb. 11, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And we visit a new farmer-owned grocery store in Sunnyside.
Sen. John Cornyn battles for political life in GOP primary contest with AG Ken Paxton, U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt
Cornyn is seeking Texas Republicans’ nomination for a fifth term, in a contest that has seen bitter and expensive attacks on all sides. A new poll shows Paxton pulling away from Cornyn, but with no candidate leading by enough to avoid a runoff.
Runoffs, Rifts, and the Fight for Texas Power
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
The week in politics (Feb. 4, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And foodies discuss some of their favorite award-winning and award-nominated restaurants around town.
Christian Menefee sworn into Congress, giving Houston’s 18th District long-awaited representation
The former Harris County attorney defeated Amanda Edwards in a special election runoff on Saturday. Menefee's swearing in chips away at Republicans' majority in the U.S. House.
What a Democratic upset that sent ‘shockwaves’ through the Texas GOP could mean for November
Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a Texas Senate seat in deep-red Tarrant County over the weekend. Now, the surprising win is raising alarms for Republicans in Texas — and beyond — ahead of November's midterm elections.
President Trump endorses John E. Sununu in closely watched N.H. race for US Senate
John E. Sununu is competing with Scott Brown, a fellow former US senator, for the GOP nomination, while Chris Pappas leads in the Democratic primary to see who will succeed Jeanne Shaheen.
Texas Republicans shift messaging around ICE tactics amid election-year risks
With midterm elections approaching, Texas Republicans are publicly questioning ICE's tactics following deadly and controversial enforcement actions. Analysts say the rhetoric reflects growing political vulnerability rather than a true break from the party's tough stance on immigration.
Talarico says Crockett told him she was “looking at running in 2030” before entering 2026 Senate race
James Talarico said Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett had told him she was “focused on her work in the Congress and was looking at running in 2030” when asked if she had planned to run in the upcoming Senate primary.
The week in politics (Jan. 28, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: From special election runoffs to the fallout from shootings in Minneapolis, we discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.
Texans are tightening their budgets to pay for health insurance after subsidies expired
Many who enrolled in Affordable Care Act health plans are paying steeper premiums this year. That means cutting back in other areas.
Politics of the weather (Jan. 27, 2026)
On Tuesday's show: With the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society happening this week in Houston, we discuss how the current political climate is affecting how meteorologists do their jobs and the ramifications for our region.
Crockett, Talarico take on affordability, ICE and Trump during Texas primary debate
The Democratic U.S. Senate candidates weighed in on everything from foreign policy and the recent U.S. military actions in Venezuela to healthcare costs and whether they'd support raising taxes on billionaires.
New Hampshire defeats Binghamton 88-82 in triple OT
DURHAM, N.H. (AP) Tyler Bike scored 19 points as New Hampshire beat Binghamton 88-82 in triple overtime on Thursday.
Oswego YMCA to hold comedy night Feb. 27
OSWEGO — The Oswego YMCA invites the community to enjoy an evening of laughter and entertainment at “Live from Oswego, New York — It’s Comedy Night,” taking place Feb. 27 at the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center.Doors open at 6 p.m. for cocktails, appetizers, auctions, and live music by Joe Cortini and the Jazz Mafia. The comedy show begins at 7 p.m. and is presented by Compass Federal Credit Union. × This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. kAm%96 6G6?:?8 H:== 36 9@DE65 3J 6>466 v6@C86 qC@25H6==[ 2 =@?8E:>6 7C:6?5 2?5 DFAA@CE6C @7 E96 ~DH68@ *|rp] qC@25H6== 92D D64C6E=J H2?E65 E@ ECJ DE2?5\FA 4@>65J 7@C J62CD[ 2?5 9@DE:?8 E96 *’D 4@>65J 6G6?E >2C65J] (96E96C 96 DFCG:G6D :E @C ?@E C6>2:?D E@ 36 D66?]k^Am #placement_726068_0_i{width:100%;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid726068 = window.pid726068 || rnd;var plc726068 = window.plc726068 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=726068;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid726068+';place='+(plc726068++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');kAm$9@H @A6?6C v=6?? “v@>6K” p52>D :D 2 46?EC2= }6H *@C< C25:@ =686?5 2?5 4@>65:2?[ 3C:?8:?8 564256D @7 6IA6C:6?46 E@ E96 DE286[ D92C:?8 D92CA 4@>65J 2?5 >6>@C23=6 DE@C:6D 7C@> 9:D =:76 2?5 42C66C] p 72>:=:2C 7246 2E $JC24FD6\2C62 4@>65J ?:89ED 2?5 6G6?ED[ p52>D :D 2 ECF6 46?EC2= }6H *@C< @C:8:?2=]k^AmkAmp52>D 92D 366? 2 7:IEFC6 :? =@42= >65:2 D:?46 `hg`] x? E96 DF>>6C @7 `hgb[ 96 9@DE65 E96 @G6C?:89E D9@H @? H92E H2D E96? |28:4 `_c]f[ =2E6C 364@>:?8 4@F?ECJ DE2E:@? q`_c]f] w6 ;@:?65 *hcu| :? `hgc[ H96C6 96 9@DE65 r=F3 v@>6K 2E ?:89E 367@C6 >@G:?8 E@ E96 >@C?:?8 D9@H H:E9 “q:8 |:D ;@:?65 E96 >@C?:?8 D9@H @? r=2DD:4 #@4< %zhh[ H9:49 =2E6C 3642>6 E96 7=28D9:A C25:@ DE2E:@? 7@C $JC24FD6 &?:G6CD:EJ DA@CED]k^AmkAmp52>D 9@DE65 E96 2H2C5\H:??:?8 r@249 y:> q@696:> 42==\:? D9@H 7@C ad J62CD 2?5 4@?E:?F6D E@ 9@DE E96 D9@H H:E9 $JC24FD6 32D2:?D 24E:G6 A6C7@C>:?8 2?5 AC@>@E:?8 4@>65J E9C@F89@FE E96 C68:@?]k^AmkAm%96 6G6?:?8 9625=:?6C[ qC6?52 #6:?92C5E[ H:== 56=:G6C D92CA[ C6=2E23=6 4@>65J C:77:?8 @? 28:?8[ 2 DFCAC:D:?8 s}p E6DE C6G6=2E:@?[ 2?5 DA@E\@? :>A6CD@?2E:@?D] “$>2CE[ D2DDJ[ 2?5 F?7@C86EE23=6[ D96 :D 2 >FDE\D66 :? E96 =:?6FA[” 2? 6G6?E DA@6C E@ DE2?5\FA 4@>65J[ #6:?92C5E 3682? 96C 42C66C 27E6C >6?@A2FD6 2?5 96C D64@?5 5:G@C46[ 3C:?8:?8 2 C67C6D9:?8=J 9@?6DE 2?5 F?4@?G6?E:@?2= A6CDA64E:G6 E@ E96 DE286] w6C 5:G6CD6 =:76 6IA6C:6?46D :?4=F56 H@CFD:4[ 6DA64:2==J 92:C 32?5D 2?5 962GJ >6E2=[ #6:?92C5E DE2CE65 5CF>>:?8 :? 96C d_D 2?5 9@A6D E@ :?4@CA@C2E6 96C >FD:42= E2=6?ED :?E@ 7FEFC6 DE2?5\FA A6C7@C>2?46D]k^AmkAm“p 4@>65J ?:89E 8:G6D FD E96 @AA@CEF?:EJ E@ 46=63C2E6 @FC 4@>>F?:EJ H9:=6 DFAA@CE:?8 2? :>A@CE2?E >:DD:@?[” D2:5 %C:?2 |:==D[ G:46 AC6D:56?E @7 E96 ~DH68@ *|rp 3@2C5 2?5 6G6?E 4@>>:EE66 >6>36C] “(96? A6@A=6 4@>6 E@86E96C E@ =2F89[ E96J’C6 2=D@ 96=A:?8 6?DFC6 E96 *|rp 42? 4@?E:?F6 D6CG:?8 @FC 4@>>F?:EJ E9C@F89 AC@8C2>D E92E AC@>@E6 H6==?6DD[ 4@??64E:@?[ 2?5 @AA@CEF?:EJ]”k^AmkAm!C@4665D 7C@> E96 6G6?E DFAA@CE E96 ~DH68@ *|rpUCDBF@jD >:DD:@? 2?5 AC@8C2>D] vC@FA 2?5 3FD:?6DD E23=6 A24k^2m]k^Am googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-2978731'); });
The week in politics (Jan. 21, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And NPR reporter Frank Langfitt talks about recent reporting he's been doing in Houston, interviewing Venezuelans living here.
Science of human connection (Jan. 20, 2026)
On Tuesday's show: Houston journalist Kate Murphy discusses her latest book, "Why We Click," which explores the science behind human connection.
Texas’ party primaries shape the state’s politics. So why do so few voters participate?
Historically, Texans mostly skip voting in primary elections. That fact changes everything about who ends up being elected – from their ideology to possibly even their party.
New Texas poll finds Talarico leading Crockett by 9 points in Senate Democratic primary
Texas’ Senate Republican primary, meanwhile, looks headed for a runoff. The survey found U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in a dead heat against Attorney General Ken Paxton, with neither eclipsing 30%.
‘Segregated schools’ comment sparks uproar; N.H. lawmaker says leaked message referred to politics not race
The chairperson for an education policy committee allegedly wrote “imagine the scores though if we had schools for them and some for us.”
Congressional redistricting effort in N.H. effectively dead, as sympathetic GOP lawmaker cites lack of ‘political will’
A key Republican state lawmaker in New Hampshire came out against a mid-decade redistricting proposal Wednesday, all but guaranteeing an end to the push to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 election.
The week in politics (Jan. 14, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And a series of upcoming performances explores how creativity works in the human brain.
The week in politics (Jan. 7, 2026)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the political ramifications of the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
One Last Look at 2025, With Help From Ticket Stubs
Our resident culture conversationalist Ryan Patrick Cooper reflects on a year of highs, one ticket stub at a time.
Political Roundup: Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy
A new poll shows just 36 percent of Americans approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy. Houston Matters discusses that story and the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.
The week in politics (Dec. 17, 2025)
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. And soprano Sarah Brightman discusses her career and previews an upcoming holiday concert in Sugar Land.
Harris County Democratic Party reprimands Houston Mayor John Whitmire, withholds future endorsement
A progressive group pushed through a measure to bar Whitmire from receiving the party’s endorsement. It came nearly eight months after he attended a fundraiser for a Republican congressman.
Redistricting Rush, Crockett’s Climb, and Cuellar’s Comeback
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
Serato Debuts 'SLAB' – Its First Standalone Beatmaking Device
Created in partnership with AlphaTheta, it features a 7-inch OLED touch display, 16 RGB pads, stems control – and it's small enough to fit in your backpack.
Chan Discusses China’s Politics of Inequality
Associate Professor of Government Alexsia Chan recently discussed the research that went into her book Beyond Coercion: The Politics of Inequality in China, in a talk sponsored by the Asian Studies Program and the Political Science Department at Clark Uni