Hello Houston (September 2, 2025)

On today’s Hello Houston, Frank and Celeste weigh in on today’s top headlines at the top of the first hour, including the “Make Texas Healthy Again” law, Harris County commissioners voting to sponsor the 2025 Gay Softball World Series, and more.

Also, in the first hour, we’re joined by Lexi Churchill, a research reporter for the ProPublica–Texas Tribune investigative unit, who discusses a report that found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing, and outright conflicts of interest at 27 Texas private schools – practices that would break the law in public schools.

Then, we’re joined by Terry Gosliner, Senior Curator of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology at the California Academy of Sciences, who tells us about a species of coral that was recently rediscovered after 24 years since it was last officially documented.

In the show’s second hour, we hear from Laura McGorman, Director of AI and Data for Good at Meta, who discusses how digital tools are being used by state officials, first responders, and everyday Texans to stay informed and stay connected when it comes to weather emergencies.

Plus, University of Houston political science professor and Party Politics co-host Brandon Rottinghaus helps us break down the more than 800 new Texas laws that went into effect on September 1, 2025. And finally, Rice University’s Kirsten Ostherr and Baylor College of Medicine’s Vasiliki Rahimzadeh tell us about a new initiative that will use humanities-based research to help develop reliable AI technologies for health care.