Politex with Trey Martinez Fischer

TMF talks to SAISD leaders and students about the Young Women's Leadership Academy's recent recognition as a Blue Ribbon School. 

TMF talks with the Texas Tribune's James Barragán about the 2022 elections and diversity on the Democratic statewide ticket.

Today's episode of Politex is a voting rights special. I talked to three experts on the frontlines of defending our democracy: Mike Sozan (CAP Action), Porsha White (End Citizens United), and Jana Morgan (Declaration for American Democracy). We broke down what's inside of the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and what we can do as citizens to make sure they get passed.   We're off next week for a much needed Thanksgiving break, but keep sending in your suggestions for future guests and episodes. Thanks for listening!

On today's episode of Politex, I had two great guests help me break down everything going on in Texas right now.   First, I spoke to San Antonio Express-News columnist Gilbert Garcia. We discussed the election results in Texas HD-118 and how recent contests in Virginia and New Jersey will shape the playing field for the midterm elections.   Next, I had a great discussion with my colleague and friend State Rep. Donna Howard. We talked about the brazen unconstitutionality of Senate Bill 8 and how anti-choice state legislatures across the country may use Texas as a model, if the Supreme Court refuses to overturn it.   Like and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, if you'd like to add Politex to your morning commute!

It's the day before a huge UTSA Football home game this weekend and we're dropping a special edition of the podcast to celebrate. My guest today is UTSA Head Football Coach Jeff Traylor. We had a great conversation about what the program's success means for our community, the importance of recruiting homegrown talent, and a quick preview of Saturday's game against Southern Mississippi.  If you're in town this weekend, buy a ticket to the game and go check out our Roadrunners in person. It's the best show in town!

On today's episode of Politex, we are kicking off the start of a new season. First, I was joined by one of our community's true spiritual leaders, Father David Garcia, who discussed his new book Pandemic Preaching: The Pulpit in a Year Like No Other. In the second segment, I interviewed Quorum Report's Scott Braddock, the journalist with all the insider sources at the Texas Capitol.   Check out Father David's book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3H40zCP  

On today's episode, I had a great conversation with my colleague and friend Rep. Gina Hinojosa. From a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the Senate Bill 7 quorum break to a sneak preview of this week's upcoming special session, we left no ground uncovered.

On today's episode, I spoke to my friend State Representative Jasmine Crockett. Our conversation goes inside the Texas Capitol and provides an exclusive look at last month's Senate Bill 7 quorum break. Later in the episode, we discussed the efforts of Texas Democrats to fight for nationwide voting rights standards.

On this episode of Politex, we republished an interview with Rep. Martinez Fischer and his colleague Rep. Gina Hinojosa that was produced originally for CAP Action's podcast, The Tent. The episode focused on the trip that Texas Democrats made to Washington D.C. to fight for federal voting rights legislation. Check out the link below for the original interview. Rep. Martinez Fischer will return to his usual hosting duties next week.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fight-for-voting-rights-in-texas-state-reps-martinez/id1477878444?i=1000525922088 

As the 87th session of the Texas Legislature enters its closing days, we are back with a special midweek episode of Politex.   First, I spoke to my colleague Ron Reynolds about George Floyd's legacy on the one-year anniversary of his death and about the Legislature's inaction on meaningful criminal justice reform. After that, my colleague, friend, and desk mate Eddie Rodriguez gave us his takeaways from the session.

We have an extra special guest on this week's episode of Politex! I sat down for a 1-on-1 interview with Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa to discuss missed opportunities from the 87th Texas Legislature and how Democrats can take back Texas in 2022.

We are back with an all-new episode of Politex. On today's episode, I break down everything that happened last week at the Capitol—it was a long week. Afterwards, we review some impassioned floor speeches from Rep. Donna Howard and myself against Republican-led bills: SB 8 and SB 7/HB 6.

On today's episode of Politex, I discussed how recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau will affect redistricting in Texas with two heavyweights of political geography: Our great Congressman here in San Antonio Joaquin Castro, and Michael Li, who serves as senior counsel for the Brennan Center's Democracy Program.

It's Monday morning and we are back with another episode of Politex. As mean-spirited anti-LGBTQ legislation targeting trans children continues to make its way around the State Capitol, I spoke to three of the people who are fighting back:   My colleague Rep. Celia Israel is a founding member of the Texas LGBTQ Caucus and one of the strongest fighters we have in the Texas House.   Amber Briggle has been a prominent voice in the fight against attacks on transgender rights in Texas since the 2017 legislative session when the so-called "bathroom bill" was first proposed. Her advocacy is inspired by her son, Max.   Jessica Shortall is a nationally recognized author and speaker. She is a founding director of Texas Competes, a national model of advocacy for LGBTQ communities in deep red states.   Nobody likes a bully and I hope you'll tune into to today's episode to see how folks are fighting back against transphobic policies at the Capitol.

This week on #Politex, I assembled an all-star panel to discuss the Texas budget. What's in it? What's not? How will the money be spent? We covered it all!   My guests this week are:    Texas State Rep. Ina Minjarez, who serves on the Appropriations Committee.    Ursula Parks, the former Director of the Texas Legislative Budget Board.

It's Monday and that means we are back with another all-new episode of Politex.   This week, I assembled a panel of voting rights experts to discuss recent voter suppression bills in Texas and Georgia, and how we fight back against them:    Rose Clouston is the Voter Protection Director for the Texas Democratic Party.    Saira Draper is the Voter Protection Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia. 

We are back with Episode #5 of #Politex! I was joined by two fantastic guests for this week's episode:   Father David Garcia, a retired priest who served 44 years in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, joined me to talk about "The Corona Homilies" he's been publishing every week since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.   My colleague Elizabeth 'Liz' Campos, a freshman state legislator who represents San Antonio's South Side in the Texas House, stopped by to talk about the 54 (!!!) bills she's already authored this session.   This week, Rep. Campos and I want to hear directly from you. What's the most important issue on your mind that you want to see us working on in Austin?

It's Politex Monday and we are back with Episode #4.   Last week was action-packed at the Capitol, and I am joined by two great guests to help us dig deeper into the headlines you may have read:   Chris Tomlinson, Business Columnist for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News, joined me to discuss the insufficient state response to last month's winter storm and how the Texas Legislature can ensure meaningful reform moving forward.   My colleague Jessica González, Vice Chair of the House Committee on Elections, talked to me about Texas Republicans' ham-fisted attempt to suppress democracy through House Bill 6 and how we can push back.

We are back with Episode #3 of Politex!   This week, I took a deep dive into the legislative response to last month's winter storm. Later in the program, I was joined by two great guests:   Freshman State Representative Claudia Ordaz Perez talks about her opening days in the Texas Legislature and what inspired her to run.   Grammy-winning Conjunto artist Max Baca of Los Texmaniacs discusses how his band has adapted to the COVID era.

This week, I'm joined by three excellent guests:   Dr. Juan Gutiérrez, Chair of the UTSA Math Department, joined me to discuss his accurate modeling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his concerns about Governor Abbott ending the mask mandate.   Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar stopped by to discuss how his deputies will handle mask-related complaints moving forward.   Freshman State Representative Jasmine Crockett rounded out the show by describing her experiences so far serving in the Texas House.

I'm excited to announce the debut of my new podcast, Politex—an insider's perspective of what's happening at your Texas Capitol in real time. Each week, we'll be discussing public policy, a lot of politics, and as a proud San Antonian I can promise you we won't forget about arts and culture. This week, I'm joined by Dr. Michael Webber, the go-to energy resources expert at the University of Texas at Austin and the Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE. Our focus is a topic that's on the mind of many Texans right now: How did our state's energy system fail so badly in the response to last month's winter storm? Like, subscribe, and reach out in the comments to let me know what you think of the first episode!