This is the first episode in a two-part conversation on the challenges facing Mexico domestically and in its relationship with the United States.

Mexico held its first judicial elections on June 1 following last year’s sweeping overhaul of the judiciary. Center for the U.S. and Mexico director Tony Payan joins “Baker Briefing” to explore the potential consequences of the judicial reforms and other domestic policy challenges President Claudia Sheinbaum is navigating as the successor to the political project begun by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — including Mexico’s complex public safety landscape and mounting public debt.

Featured:

Tony Payan, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan

Follow Tony on X: https://x.com/PayanTony

Follow Tony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-payan-373bb870/

This conversation was recorded on May 14, 2025. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/445QmTK

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Introducing “Texas Briefing,” a new podcast that brings expert insights into the challenges shaping life in the Lone Star State. Institute scholars and their guests will untangle issues in health, the economy, climate resilience, and more to understand how policy matters are impacting communities, from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast.

In our first series, senior health policy fellow Elena Marks explores issues in reproductive health — including new abortion legislation, teen access to contraception, and the impact of the abortion ban on the state’s OB-GYN workforce pipeline — with guests Eleanor Klibanoff of The Texas Tribune, Kari White of Resound Research for Reproductive Health, and Manatt Health’s Alex Morin.

Listen to the first two episodes in the series now, wherever you get your podcasts.

Learn more on our website: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/texas-briefing

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Drs. Sandra McKay and Eric Fleegler, both experts in the Baker Institute Firearm Injury Prevention and Safety Program, joined “Baker Briefing” to discuss the worsening gun injury epidemic ahead of our fourth annual firearm injury prevention conference on June 6.

They discussed areas of consensus among firearm-owners and non-owners alike, including child access prevention laws and age purchasing regulations, and prospects for commonsense gun legislation at the Texas and national levels.

Featured guests:

• Sandra McKay, M.D., FAAP, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/sandra-mckay

• Eric Fleegler, M.D., MPH, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/eric-fleegler

Mentioned in this episode:

• Christopher F. Kulesza et al., “The State of Student Mental Health in Houston Schools,” Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, May 13, 2025, https://doi.org/10.25613/6823-6W19.

This conversation was recorded on May 20, 2025.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/3SnjEXs

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.