Listen: O'Rourke and Castro clash in first Democratic debate

As the Democratic presidential debates got underway this week, the Texans in the race clashed before a national audience, creating fresh buzz for former HUD Secretary Julián Castro. He laid into former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who barely cast a shadow in the first debate. But of course, there's a long way to go. Meantime, Gov. Greg Abbott deployed National Guard troops to the border amid a growing humanitarian crisis. Then Abbott immediately used the troop deployment to raise campaign cash.

Go behind the headlines for a look at what's really going on at the Texas Capitol and in Washington with the state's #1 political podcast: The Texas Take. Join the conversation featuring Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, Texas Public Radio Capitol reporter Ryan Poppe, and Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace.