In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin about the polls showing a tight race for U.S. Senate. Are they reliable? Is Talarico really in the lead?
Matthew Watkins
Matthew Watkins began serving as editor in chief of the Tribune in September 2024. He is a Texas native, born in Houston and raised in Austin. He attended Texas A&M University and has spent his entire professional career in Texas journalism, including stints at The Eagle in Bryan-College Station and The Dallas Morning News. Matthew joined The Texas Tribune in 2015 has held various roles, including higher education reporter, breaking news editor and politics editor. He has helped guide the Tribune's award-winning journalism that has included coverage of six legislative sessions, multiple election cycles, natural disasters and political scandals. He lives in Austin with his wife, Susan, and their two children.
The Texas Tribune is investing in coverage of education and Houston
One of the stateโs most important topics and one of its most important regions will get more attention.
TribCast: Could rural rage really swing a statewide election?
In this week’s episode, the TribCast crew is joined by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and economy reporter Paul Cobler. They discuss the anger in rural Texas over data centers and power lines, and ask Miller why he thinks it means Democrats could win a statewide race in November.
TribCast: Should we be worried about Dallas?
The Dallas-Fort Worth region is growing as fast as anywhere in the country. But the city of Dallas itself lost residents last year. The TribCast crew speaks with urban affairs reporter Joshua Fechter about the challenges and opportunities for the city.
TribCast: An ICE shooting roils Houston
In this week’s episode, our hosts speak with Texas Tribune reporters Uriel J. Garcรญa and Colleen DeGuzman about the unanswered questions and investigations in response to the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
TribCast: Can Ted Cruz save college sports?
Texas politics have become deeply engaged in the fight over the future of college football. We discuss the saga of Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, the influence of megadonor Cody Campbell and U.S. Ted Cruz’s proposed fix.
TribCast: How big of a threat is screwworm?
In this weekโs episode, the TribCast team talks to Phillip Kaufman, head of Texas A&Mโs entomology department, and Josh Winegarner from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association about the arrival of screwworm in Texas.
TribCast: Previewing the primary runoffs as early voting approaches
From U.S. Senate to Railroad Commission, the TribCast dives into the most contentious races we’ll be watching on May 26
TribCast: Greg Abbott battles cities over working with ICE
TribCast takes a deeper look at Gov. Greg Abbottโs battle with Houston, Dallas and Austin over the citiesโ relationship with federal immigration enforcement.
TribCast: Assessing the rollout of Texas school vouchers
In this weekโs episode, hosts Matthew and Eleanor talk with Tribune K-12 education reporter Jaden Edison about who in Texas applied for school vouchers and why Muslim schools were shut out of the program.



