Seeing Red: A Texas Politics Podcast

Seeing Red: A Texas Politics Podcast is where Texas politics gets the scrutiny it deserves. Hosted by strategist and writer Garrett Fulce, the show features in-depth conversations with lawmakers, activists, and insiders shaping policy in Austin and beyond. Each week, Garrett cuts through the noise with candid interviews and sharp commentary—bringing listeners beyond the talking points to the real mechanics of power in Texas.

Seeing Red: A Texas Politics Podcast is a news podcast hosted by Garrett Fulce, with 21 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Garrett Fulce hosts Seeing Red: A Texas Politics Podcast, a news show with 21 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #10

  AI Agents Are Already Escaping Labs — Now What?

  Aug 11, 202652 minS5

  Garrett Fulce sits down with Peyton Hornberger of the Alliance for Secure AI for a genuinely spirited debate on how (or whether) government should regulate artificial intelligence. Garrett and Peyton go back and forth on AI policy, data centers, age verification, and what it means that AI agents from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta have all recently "escaped" test environments and hacked into other companies. Then Garrett dives into the Paxton-Talarico Senate race and what shifting prediction markets actually tell us, two major Second Amendment rulings out of Texas courts, and a new legal fight over the state's Ten Commandments classroom law. **Topics discussed:** - Inside the Alliance for Secure AI's mission and policy priorities - Lessons from the "Wild West" of Internet 1.0 and 2.0 applied to AI - Age verification laws, app stores, and the fight over online anonymity - Whether AI is becoming a partisan wedge issue heading into 2026 - Data centers, the power grid, and fears the issue becomes "climate change 2.0" - AI agents going rogue: the OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta cybersecurity incidents - Betting markets (Kalshi, Polymarket) show a dead-even Paxton vs. Talarico race - A federal judge guts National Firearms Act registration for suppressors - Ken Paxton's latest courtroom loss over the State Fair of Texas gun ban - A new legal challenge to Texas' Ten Commandments classroom law **Guest:** Peyton Hornberger, Alliance for Secure AI (secureainow.org) — find her on X/Twitter at @peytonhb_ **Sources:** - *The Texas Tribune* — By Gabby Birenbaum — July 28, 2026 — [Talarico leads Paxton by 5 points in new Texas Senate poll](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/28/texas-senate-poll-james-talarico-ken-paxton-july-2026/) - *Houston Public Media* — By Andrew Schneider — August 4, 2026 — [Another poll shows James Talarico leading Ken Paxton in their race for the U.S. Senate](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/election-2026/2026/08/04/558614/talarico-paxton-poll-senate-texas-southern-university-black-voters/) - *Fox 7 Austin* — August 7, 2026 — [New Texas polls show a tight Senate race between Talarico and Paxton](https://www.fox7austin.com/news/talarico-paxton-senate-race-polling-august) - *Associated Press (via Washington Post)* — August 5, 2026 — [Texas judge rules that law regulating firearm suppressors and some guns can't be enforced](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2026/08/05/gun-law-firearms-rifle-silencer-texas-judge/61fecd62-9127-11f1-9fdc-0a725c989a7b_story.html) - *The Texas Tribune* — By Alex Nguyen — August 6, 2026 — [Appeals court rejects Attorney General Ken Paxton's effort to overturn Texas State Fair gun ban](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/06/texas-state-fair-dallas-gun-ban-paxton-appeals-court-ruling/) - *Click2Houston/KPRC* — By Christian Hudspeth — August 7, 2026 — [Houston moms lose first round in fight over Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms](https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/08/07/ten-commandments-classroom-mandate-lawsuit-heads-to-injunction-hearing-after-judge-denies-emergency-order/) - *CNN Business* — July 22, 2026 — [An OpenAI test model escaped and broke into a real company's servers](https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/22/tech/openai-hugging-face-ai-cybersecurity) - *Axios* — July 30, 2026 — [Anthropic says three Claude models reached real-world systems during cyber tests](https://www.axios.com/2026/07/30/anthropic-mythos-security-testing) - *CNN Business* — August 5, 2026 — [An AI model from Meta also hacked another company during testing](https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/05/tech/meta-ai-hacking) Chapters 0:00 Cold Open: This Week's Rundown 0:48 Guest: Peyton Hornberger Joins 2:44 AI vs. The Internet 1.0 Playbook 11:30 Age Verification & App Stores 14:27 How Peyton Actually Uses AI 17:29 Is AI Becoming a Voting Issue? 26:44 Data Centers: The Left's Next Cause? 32:40 AI Agents Going Rogue 37:47 Senate Race Betting Markets Flip 42:40 Gun Law Gutted + State Fair Fight 49:27 Ten Commandments Law Challenge Find us at seeingredpodcast.substack.com for full episodes. Follow us on all socials at @theseeingredpod and online at our website Seeing Red Podcast . x.com/gwfulce

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #8

  Inside the Center-Right Influencer Pipeline with Young Voices' Sam Raus

  Jul 28, 202645 minS5

  Want to know how a 20-something op-ed writer ends up on Fox News and in your local paper? Garrett sits down with Sam Raus, the David Boaz Resident Writing Fellow at Young Voices, to break down exactly how young center-right writers turn one op-ed into TV hits, radio spots, and a media career — plus a wild pitch to let Gen Z opt out of Social Security entirely. Then Garrett runs down the week in Texas politics: the razor-close Paxton-Talarico Senate race, big Hill Country flood relief for Corpus Christi's water crisis, a court loss (and a Discord win) for Ken Paxton's AG office, and another data center fight brewing in East Texas. Topics discussed: - What Young Voices is and how the fellowship/contributor pipeline works - How to pitch op-eds differently in red states vs. blue states - Sam's viral pitch: let Gen Z opt out of Social Security - Intergenerational "economic injustice" — boomers vs. Gen Z/millennials on taxes and benefits - Preview of 2027 Texas legislative fights: data centers, kratom/marijuana regulation, property taxes - How to apply to Young Voices (joinyv.org) - Paxton vs. Talarico Senate race: ad spending, polling, and turnout strategy - The Sherman "Red River Roll Call" GOP rally and statewide turnout push - Hill Country floodwaters easing Corpus Christi's water crisis - A Texas appeals court ruling against Paxton's office in an abortion-clinic case - Paxton's win forcing Discord to add child-safety protections for Texas users - A rejected East Texas data center project and the corporate welfare debate Guest: Sam Raus, David Boaz Resident Writing Fellow, Young Voices (Twitter/X: @samraus1). Young Voices: joinyv.org, @JoinYoungVoices. Chapters: 0:00 Welcome & episode preview 0:34 Meet Sam Raus, Young Voices 2:52 Center-right media's big tent 6:02 Pitching red states vs. blue states 8:42 Let Gen Z opt out of Social Security 16:07 2027 legislative preview: data centers, THC, taxes 23:56 How to join Young Voices 27:18 Paxton vs. Talarico: money & polls 35:42 Flood update: Corpus Christi's water win 37:25 Paxton's court loss on abortion clinic case 40:28 Discord forced into child-safety fix Sources: - Texas Tribune — By Alejandra Martinez — July 27, 2026, 10:49 a.m. Central — Floods delay Corpus Christi's water emergency until 2028 — https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/27/corpus-christi-water-texas-floodwater-emergency/ - KLIF 570 — July 21, 2026 — Fort Worth: Paxton Surrounded By Law Enforcement, Blasts Talarico Over Defund Police Ties — https://www.klif.com/2026/07/21/fort-worth-paxton-surrounded-by-law-enforcement-blasts-talarico-over-defund-police-ties/ - Houston Public Media — July 23, 2026 — Appeals court overturns order closing Houston-area midwife clinics accused of illegal abortions — https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/court/2026/07/23/557809/texas-midwife-ken-paxton-appeals-court-ruling/ - Office of the Texas Attorney General — July 24, 2026 — Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Historic Legal Victory Forcing Discord to Protect Texas Children — https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-secures-historic-legal-victory-forcing-discord-protect-texas-children - Texas Tribune — June 30, 2026 — Abbott calls for ban on data center development in rural Texas — https://www.texastribune.org/2026/06/30/texas-abbott-data-center-development-ban-rural-communities/ - KTEN — Texas politicians meet one-on-one with Grayson County taxpayers for Republican rally — https://www.kten.com/news/kten_news/texas-politicians-meet-one-on-one-with-grayson-county-taxpayers-for-republican-rally/article_a83a0e8f-5ed5-480a-acb9-2a4dfbbcfce7.html - ProPublica (co-published with The Texas Tribune) — July 7, 2026 — Ken Paxton's Voter Registration May Violate Texas Election Law — https://www.propublica.org/article/ken-paxton-voter-registration-election-law Find us at seeingredpodcast.substack.com for full episodes. Follow us on all socials at @theseeingredpod and online at our website Seeing Red Podcast . x.com/gwfulce

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #7

  "You Can't Trust ICE," Says Houston's Opinion Editor. Do Voters Buy It?

  Jul 21, 20261h 4mS5

  Houston Chronicle opinion editor Evan Mintz joins Garrett Fulce to break down the fatal ICE shooting rocking Houston — and why the paper's own editorial board said flatly you can't trust the federal government's story. This is a rare inside look at how a major Texas newsroom decides what to publish when a story turns into a national flashpoint. Evan explains why he leads with "biased for Houston" instead of left vs. right, walks through the shifting federal accounts of the Lorenzo Salgado Araujo shooting, and makes the business case Houston's business community has made for decades on immigration reform. Garrett and Evan also dig into why data centers have become a bizarre partisan football, and Evan makes his 15-year case for building the "Ike Dike." Topics discussed: - Evan Mintz's return to the Houston Chronicle and what "biased for Houston" really means - How the Chronicle's editorial board decides which op-eds to run — left, right, and everywhere between - The Houston ICE shooting: what changed between ICE's first statement and U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz's account - Comparing the ICE shooting to a separate HPD officer-involved shooting the same morning - Why Houston's business community, not progressives, historically led the push for immigration reform - Trump, Tom Homan, Susan Collins, John Whitmire, and Greg Abbott's competing reactions to the ICE vehicle-stop pause - Why political "absolutists" end up driving policy on immigration - Being "biased" for a city vs. being partisan — and why John Whitmire hates the word "politicize" - Data centers as a new, oddly bipartisan flashpoint - Evan's 15-year campaign for the "Ike Dike" coastal barrier Guest: Evan Mintz, Opinion Editor, Houston Chronicle. Contact/social handle: Not stated in transcript — producer to fill in. Chapters: 0:00 Welcome & Episode Preview 0:46 Meet Evan Mintz, Houston Chronicle 8:24 Inside the ICE Shooting Ed Board Debate 16:53 Enforcement's Political Trap for the GOP 21:44 Why Absolutists Drive the Immigration Fight 24:04 Biased for Houston vs. Being Partisan 28:21 Data Centers Become a Partisan Football 31:17 The Ike Dike, Explained Sources: - Houston Public Media — By Michael Adkison, Andrew Schneider — July 15, 2026 — Texas Rangers will investigate ICE shooting in Houston. Here's what that means — https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/texas/2026/07/15/557147/ice-shooting-houston-texas-rangers-investigation-request/ - Click2Houston (KPRC) — July 16, 2026 — US Attorney Aaron Reitz speaks publicly for first time on fatal ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado in Houston — https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/07/16/us-attorney-aaron-reitz-speaks-publicly-for-first-time-on-fatal-ice-shooting-of-lorenzo-salgado-in-houston/ - The Texas Tribune — By Eleanor Klibanoff — July 9, 2026 — Aaron Reitz, former Texas AG candidate, picked as U.S. attorney — https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/09/texas-aaron-reitz-us-attorney-southern-district/ - CBS News — July 14, 2026 — ICE halts most vehicle stops after Maine, Texas shootings, sources say — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-agents-halt-vehicle-stops-after-shootings-maine-texas/ - KHOU 11 — By Jaime E. Galvan — Houston mayor calls for 90-day ICE moratorium after Trump backs traffic stops — https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/deadly-ice-shooting/trump-ice-traffic-stops-policy-pause/285-e8f9fa4b-ea64-4f54-9694-356ccb53fdd6 - Click2Houston (KPRC) — July 15, 2026 — Gov. Greg Abbott confirms Texas Rangers investigation into ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo — https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/07/15/gov-greg-abbott-confirms-texas-rangers-investigation-into-ice-shooting-of-lorenzo-salgado-araujo/ - Office of the Texas Governor — July 17, 2026 — Governor Abbott Appoints Howden As Texas Secretary Of State — https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-appoints-howden-as-texas-secretary-of-state - FOX 26 Houston — Officer-involved shooting in Highland Village, suspect taken to hospital — https://www.fox26houston.com/news/highland-village-shooting-officer-involved-shooting-reported-westheimer-road Find us at seeingredpodcast.substack.com for full episodes. Follow us on all socials at @theseeingredpod and online at our website Seeing Red Podcast . x.com/gwfulce

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  Episode #6

  He Built a Honey Empire. Now He Wants to Rebrand Texas Ag — Interview with Nate Sheets

  Jul 14, 20261h 1mS5

  e built the #1 honey brand in America — then knocked off a three-term, Trump-endorsed incumbent without ever holding office. Nate Sheets, the Republican nominee for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, joins Garrett to break down the fight over data centers eating up rural Texas land, and why Texas farmers are going broke. Garrett and Nate go deep on the data center wars — dueling newspaper op-eds, who should pay for water and power infrastructure, and whether counties should get zoning power over these projects. Plus: Nate's path from the Navy to 12 years in Christian ministry to running Nature Nate's Honey, and a preview of what's coming later in the show — the Paxton-Talarico Senate race, the fallout from the Houston ICE shooting, Camp Mystic's bankruptcy filing, and the looming deadline for Texas school choice families. *Topics discussed:* How Nate Sheets built Nature Nate's into the top-selling honey brand in America His path from the Navy to 12 years in Christian ministry to the CEO's chair Beating three-term, Trump-endorsed incumbent Sid Miller without ever holding office The conversation with Rick Santorum that convinced him to run for Ag Commissioner Dueling Houston Chronicle op-eds on data centers — Garrett's take vs. his opponent's Why Texas farms are going under, and how that's fueling the rural land rush for data centers The GoTexan program and other tools Sheets says he'd use to help farmers and ranchers Google's $40 billion bet on Stamford, Texas, and what it means for rural communities Preview: the Paxton-Talarico Senate race, the Houston ICE shooting, Camp Mystic's bankruptcy, and the school choice (TEFA) deadline *Guest:* Nate Sheets, Republican nominee for Texas Agriculture Commissioner; founder of Nature Nate's Honey, where he served as CEO until November 2024. (Social handle not stated in transcript — producer to fill in.) *Sources:* The Texas Tribune — By Kate McGee and Jess Huff — March 4, 2026 — [Nate Sheets defeats Sid Miller in Texas ag commissioner race]( https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/... ) Houston Chronicle — [Opinion: Clayton Tucker, the Democratic candidate for agriculture commissioner, calls on Texas to put a moratorium on building new data centers]( / 1436698931807574 ) The Texas Tribune — November 14, 2025 — [Google data centers totaling $40 billion coming to Texas]( https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/... ) The Texas Tribune — July 8, 2026 — [Houston mayor questions city's authority to probe ICE shooting amid calls for independent investigation]( https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/... ) CBS Texas — [Camp Mystic files for bankruptcy nearly a year after deadly Texas floods]( https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/ca... ) The Texas Tribune — By Kayla Guo — July 8, 2026 — [Talarico more than triples Paxton's Q2 haul in Texas Senate race]( https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/... ) Community Impact — [More than 100K students have been awarded Texas Education Freedom Accounts. Here are the next steps.]( https://communityimpact.com/austin/ce... ) Find us at seeingredpodcast.substack.com for full episodes. Follow us on all socials at @theseeingredpod and online at our website Seeing Red Podcast . x.com/gwfulce

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  Episode #5

  Texas Curriculum Wars: Bible, Islam and the SBOE

  Jul 7, 202646 minS5

  Texas schools made international news after the State Board of Education approved a statewide literary works list that includes Bible passages. So what actually happened? This week, Garrett Fulce sits down with Brandon Hall, State Board of Education member for District 11, to talk through the SBOE’s new literary canon, why the Bible made the list, how the fight over Islam showed up in the social studies TEKS debate and what the board actually controls. They also get into the Revolutionary War almost getting stripped from the draft standards, local school board authority, convention strategy, campaign bracketing, Dan Patrick’s new podcast and the fight over closed primaries in Texas. Find us at seeingredpodcast.substack.com for full episodes. Follow us on all socials at @theseeingredpod and online at our website Seeing Red Podcast . x.com/gwfulce

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