Texas Talks

Texas has experienced extraordinary economic growth over the past 25 years, but are Texans actually feeling the benefits?
John Hryhorchuk, Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Texas 2036, returns to Texas Talks with Brad Swail to discuss the organization's latest statewide polling, the issues motivating Texas voters, and the policy challenges facing lawmakers ahead of the 2027 legislative session.
Despite decades of economic expansion, Texas 2036's polling reveals a growing disconnect between the state's economic success and how residents feel about their own lives. Only 52% of surveyed voters believe they have personally benefited from Texas's growth, while 67.7% say they are extremely or very concerned about the future.
John explains what these findings reveal about affordability, economic opportunity, and voters' confidence in their ability to control their own futures. He also examines the surprising areas of agreement between Republicans and Democrats, particularly on education, health care, and infrastructure.
Education emerges as one of the strongest priorities in the polling, with voters emphasizing the importance of children reading and performing math at grade level. The conversation explores why education has risen in importance, how attitudes toward border security have shifted, and what these changes could mean for the next legislative session.
Health care affordability is another major concern. John discusses widespread dissatisfaction with the current system, growing support for price transparency and oversight of health care consolidation, and the rising insurance costs facing Texas teachers.
The discussion then turns to water, electricity, and the rapid expansion of data centers across Texas. While data centers receive significant public attention, Texas 2036's polling suggests voters are more strongly motivated by broader concerns about affordable electricity, reliable water infrastructure, and everyday quality of life.
Brad and John also explore how Texas government agencies can better coordinate their data to improve services, evaluate education and workforce outcomes, and help policymakers respond more quickly to changing economic conditions.
Finally, they examine the growing influence of artificial intelligence in classrooms and the workforce, the importance of career and technical education, and the challenges of preparing students for jobs that may look very different in the years ahead.
As Texas approaches its bicentennial in 2036, the conversation raises a fundamental question: Can the state translate its remarkable economic growth into a better quality of life for all Texans?
Join Brad Swail and John Hryhorchuk on Texas Talks for a data-driven discussion about the future of Texas and the decisions facing its elected leaders.
00:00 - Opening: What Texas Voters Think About Data Centers
00:26 - Introducing John Hryhorchuk and Texas 2036
03:27 - The Texas Miracle: Are Texans Benefiting From Growth?
06:46 - Political Divisions, Economic Confidence and Voter Priorities
11:23 - Education Becomes a Top Priority for Texas Voters
14:57 - Why 67.7% of Texans Are Concerned About the Future
20:10 - Healthcare Affordability and Growing Support for Reform
25:39 - Rising Health Insurance Costs for Texas Teachers
27:07 - Data Centers, Water Infrastructure and Electricity Costs
33:09 - Government Accountability and Connecting State Agency Data
39:18 - Artificial Intelligence, Education and Workforce Readiness
44:59 - Texas 2036's Priorities for the 2027 Legislative Session

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Can Texas produce enough electricity to power the artificial intelligence revolution, or are the state's massive data center projections creating an infrastructure bubble?
Dr. Joshua Rhodes, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, nonresident fellow at Columbia University, founding partner of IdeaSmiths LLC, and host of the Energy Capital podcast, joins Brad Swail on Texas Talks to examine the future of Texas' electricity grid, the explosive growth of AI data centers, and the challenges facing ERCOT.
Rhodes discusses the current state of the Texas power grid, including improvements made since Winter Storm Uri and remaining concerns about natural gas supply during extreme weather. He explains how new solar generation and battery storage helped Texas manage record electricity demand without the dramatic price spikes that have accompanied previous summer peaks.
The conversation then turns to projections suggesting Texas could need approximately 400 gigawatts of electricity capacity to accommodate future demand. Rhodes argues that reaching those levels within the proposed timeframe would require an unprecedented expansion of power generation, transmission infrastructure, manufacturing capacity, and construction resources.
Brad and Joshua explore whether the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure and data centers resembles an economic bubble, what happens if proposed projects never materialize, and whether excess power generation could ultimately benefit ordinary Texans through lower electricity prices.
They also discuss the potential of small modular nuclear reactors and geothermal energy, the rising cost of natural gas turbines and transformers, and the question of who should pay for the infrastructure required by large technology companies.
Beyond electricity demand, the discussion examines community concerns surrounding data center water consumption, cooling systems, noise pollution, local tax incentives, and the economic benefits these facilities can provide.
Finally, Rhodes explains ERCOT's Batch Zero process, recent efforts to bring greater accountability to large-load connection requests, and what he hopes the 90th Texas Legislature will prioritize when developing future energy policies.
From nuclear power and grid reliability to artificial intelligence, data centers, and electricity costs, this episode explores how Texas can balance economic growth, technological innovation, and affordable, reliable energy without placing unnecessary burdens on everyday Texans.
Watch Texas Talks with Brad Swail for an in-depth conversation about the future of energy in the Lone Star State.
00:00 — Can Texas Meet 400GW of Electricity Demand?
00:19 — Introduction to Dr. Joshua Rhodes
01:51 — Why Rhodes Studies the Texas Power Grid
03:44 — ERCOT and Lessons from Winter Storm Uri
06:16 — Texas' Record Electricity Demand
08:53 — Data Centers and the 400GW Forecast
11:54 — Why ERCOT's Demand Projections Are So High
14:15 — How Much Electricity Demand Is Realistic?
16:07 — Is the AI Data Center Boom a Bubble?
19:10 — Small Modular Nuclear Reactors and Geothermal Energy
21:14 — Could Overbuilding Power Plants Lower Electricity Prices?
25:55 — Rising Infrastructure Costs and Electric Bills
29:02 — Data Center Water Consumption and Noise
32:54 — Data Center Tax Breaks and Local Economic Benefits
36:00 — ERCOT's Batch Zero Process and SB 6
37:42 — Governor Abbott's Data Center Audit
40:40 — What Should the 90th Texas Legislature Do?
43:51 — Energy Subsidies and Market Competition
44:40 — Future Energy Policy and Closing Thoughts

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Texas State Representative Carl Tepper joins Brad Swail on Texas Talks to discuss some of the major issues being examined by the House Select Committee on Governmental Oversight.
Tepper discusses the committee’s examination of district attorneys and criminal prosecution, including the scrutiny surrounding the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and possible approaches lawmakers could consider during the 90th Texas Legislature.
The conversation then turns west to a highly unusual question: Could counties currently in New Mexico eventually become part of Texas? Tepper discusses interest from communities along the Texas-New Mexico border, the economic and cultural ties between those counties and West Texas, and what would have to happen for a boundary change to move forward.
Finally, Tepper and Brad discuss oversight of taxpayer-funded contracts, nonprofits and local government programs, including questions surrounding homelessness spending in Austin and how governments should respond when publicly funded programs fail to meet their goals.
00:00 — Introducing Rep. Carl Tepper
01:08 — Texas' Governmental Oversight Hearings
02:53 — Crime & Repeat Offenders
04:39 — Scrutiny of District Attorneys
05:12 — What Could the Legislature Do?
07:22 — Could Texas Expand Into New Mexico?
08:32 — Why New Mexico Counties Are Looking at Texas
11:05 — How a Texas-New Mexico Boundary Change Could Work
11:57 — Rural & Frontier Texas
14:38 — Safeguarding Taxpayer Funds
15:09 — Austin's Homelessness Spending
16:51 — Accountability for Government Contracts
19:10 — Closing

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In Part 2 of our special Texas Talks series recorded live at the Texas Hospital Association Annual Conference in Fort Worth, host Brad Swail sits down with Chris Bryan, Vice President of Clarity Child Guidance Center in San Antonio, to examine the state of children’s mental healthcare in Texas.
Bryan shares the personal experience that led her from a career in technology to becoming an advocate for children’s mental health and explains how technology and social media have changed the environment in which children grow up.
The conversation explores gaps in the mental health system, including the lack of a consistent continuum of care, difficulties sharing health information, insurance and reimbursement challenges, workforce shortages and the difference between having mental health coverage and actually being able to access treatment.
Bryan also reflects on nearly two decades of advocacy at the Texas Capitol, how the conversation surrounding children’s mental health has changed and what she hopes lawmakers will address during the 90th Texas Legislature.
This is Part 2 of our two-part Texas Hospital Association special. Be sure to watch Part 1 with Allen Harrison on the economics and financial pressures facing Texas hospitals.
00:00 — Introducing Chris Bryan
01:56 — A Personal Journey Into Mental Health Advocacy
04:20 — Technology Meets Healthcare
06:05 — Behavioral Health vs. Mental Health
07:13 — How Technology Is Changing Childhood
10:21 — Gaps in the Mental Health System
11:47 — The Missing Continuum of Care
12:40 — Health Data & Funding Challenges
15:26 — Why Mental Health Coverage Falls Short
17:53 — Coverage Doesn't Mean Access
20:13 — 20 Years of Mental Health Advocacy
22:14 — How the Texas Conversation Has Changed
23:42 — Priorities for the 90th Legislature
24:22 — Closing

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In Part 1 of a special two-part Texas Talks series recorded live at the Texas Hospital Association Annual Conference in Fort Worth, host Brad Swail sits down with Allen Harrison, President of Medical City Healthcare, HCA Healthcare’s North Texas Division, and Chair-Elect of the Texas Hospital Association Board of Trustees.
Harrison shares the personal story that led him to a career in healthcare before turning to the financial pressures facing Texas hospitals and the growing debate over healthcare affordability.
The conversation examines Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, uninsured patients, the role of commercial insurance, hospital pricing and the growing financial burden placed directly on patients. Harrison also discusses what Texas hospitals are watching ahead of the 90th Texas Legislature and why protecting existing Medicaid funding is a major priority.
Brad and Harrison also explore Texas’ healthcare workforce, including improvements in the nursing shortage, continued demand for specialized healthcare workers and how the patient experience can be complicated by an increasingly difficult-to-understand billing system.
This is Part 1 of our two-part Texas Hospital Association special. Part 2 continues tomorrow with another conversation from the THA Annual Conference.
00:00 — Introducing Allen Harrison
01:47 — A Personal Connection to Healthcare
04:11 — How Healthcare Has Changed
06:29 — Preparing to Lead the Texas Hospital Association
07:45 — Healthcare Affordability & the 90th Legislature
09:22 — Medicare, Medicaid & Hospital Finances
12:09 — Protecting Texas Medicaid Funding
13:25 — What Really Drives Healthcare Costs?
14:53 — How Hospital Pricing Actually Works
16:25 — Managing Financial Uncertainty
18:00 — Insurance & Rising Patient Costs
20:52 — Texas' Healthcare Workforce
23:00 — Shortages in Specialized Healthcare Jobs
24:22 — What Patients Want From Healthcare
26:22 — Closing

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