Second Reading Podcast: A Conversation with Incoming Texas Tribune Politics Editor Jasper Scherer.

 James Henson talks with Jasper Scherer, reporter and incoming politics editor at The Texas Tribune about political maneuvering at the legislature as the pace of the session picks up, and about the evolution of the Tribune's position in the media ecosystem in Texas. The conversation touches on Scherer's scoop this week, with the Tribune's Kayla Guo, about Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's threat to trigger a special session if the legislature doesn't pass legislation banning THC products and enacting new limitations on bail. The conversation also includes an overall vibe check on the mood in the Capitol, and a discussion of where The Texas Tribune fits into the media environment in Texas Politics.

References and context

"Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he'll push for special session if THC ban, bail changes fail" by Jasper Scherer and Kayla Guo in The Texas Tribune.

Texas voters views of the importance of the Legislature placing more limits on the legal availability of cannabis-derived products, from the February 2025 University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll.

Texas voters views of the importance of the Legislature limiting the ability of judges to releas people accused of serious crimes on bail, from the February 2025 University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll.