DALLAS — It was a historic week in national politics, and the upcoming week is sure to be headline-grabbing as well. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, stopped by to discuss the president's impeachment trial. And it's not just national politics making a splash-- Gov. Greg Abbott's stance on refugees has been quite the newsmaker in its own right.
NEWSMAKER
A Texas Democrat is playing a prominent role in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, is one of the so-called “impeachment managers.” She is helping to present the case against the president. Rep. Marc Veasey, her Democratic colleague from Fort Worth, came on Inside Texas Politics to talk about the impeachment. Veasey joined host Jason Whitely and Bud Kennedy from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
STATEWIDE
A federal judge temporarily halted Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to ban refugees from resettling in Texas. Gov. Abbott blocked the refugees after President Trump signed an executive order letting states decide how to handle them. Matthew Watkins, the managing editor for the Texas Tribune, joined host Jason Whitely to discuss what’s behind Abbott’s decision. They also talked about the local candidates’ new fundraising totals released last week.
MY VOICE, MY OPINION
Monday marks the federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King is known for many things. However, with My Voice, My Opinion, Ed Gray said that there is one lesson of his that Dallas should particularly take note of this year. Gray is from the Commish Radio Show.
NEWSMAKER 2 & 3
Special Advisor to President Trump Pam Bondi
Editor’s Note: When the following interview with Ms. Bondi took place, she was a special advisor to the president on impeachment. On Friday, she was added to President Trump’s defense team for his Senate trial.
President Donald Trump's impeachment trial resumes this week. It is a rare exercise for our Democracy and still some pertinent questions remain. Among them is whether Trump will testify in his own defense. Host Jason Whitely spoke exclusively with Pam Bondi, a special advisor to President Trump, about whether he will do that. She is also a former Florida Attorney General.
Civil Rights Activist Deanna Moton
Black people did not vote in the 2016 presidential election the way they did in the 2008 and 2012 elections. That was the case in Texas and in several swing states across the country. Now, Deanna Moton is leading an effort to get more black voters to the polls this November. She is a civil and voter rights activist. And one of the original civil rights marchers back in the 1960s. Moton joined host Jason Whitely to discuss how she plans to get more black people to the polls.
ROUNDTABLE
Matthew Watkin, Bud Kennedy, and Berna Dean Steptoe, WFAA's political producer, joined host Jason Whitely to talk about the increased interest in Texas from the Democratic presidential candidates. Early voting in Texas starts in less than a month. There was also a discussion about the push by some Republicans to change the way Texas elects judges. Currently, judges are elected by political parties.