Timcast IRL – August 21, 2025: Texas Republicans Win, House Passes Redistricting Map, GOP Looks To Gain 5 Seats w/ Theresa Payton

Podcast: Timcast IRL
Host(s): Tim Pool, Raymond Giusani Jr., Phil, Brett (from Pop Culture Crisis), Will, JJ Harris
Guest: Theresa Payton (CEO, former White House CIO, author)
Air Date: August 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Timcast IRL dives deep into current hot-button topics in politics and culture. The main focus is on the passage of a new redistricting map in Texas poised to bolster Republican control in the U.S. House. Other significant subjects include Bed Bath & Beyond's business decisions, the controversy over Cracker Barrel's rebranding, America’s shifting retail landscape, the latest on border security, Target’s ongoing boycotts, and a lengthy discussion on immigration, justice, and social order. Guest Theresa Payton brings expert insights, particularly around cybersecurity, manipulation campaigns, and technological shifts affecting America’s future.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Texas Redistricting: A Major GOP Win

[04:06–23:52]

• Republicans Secure 5 New Seats:
  The Texas House passed a new congressional map likely guaranteeing Republicans up to 30 of 38 seats, a significant increase. Democrats attempted to stall with a walkout but ultimately returned, vowing court challenges.

• Controversy & Demographic Shifts:

  • Democrats framed the map as racially discriminatory, alleging it weakens minority representation.
  • Tim counters: “Two of the five new districts would actually be majority black...has nothing to do with race, but…demographic shift and population shift, people leaving California, moving to Texas and all of the illegal immigration.” [05:04]
  • Theresa Payton: Offers a caution: “Be careful because one man or woman's favorite redistricting, the next party…can change it back. So just make sure it's something that will stand the test of time…” [06:31]
  • Phil: Notes a political sea change—Republicans are “finally...going on the offensive,” claiming Democrats have already maxed out their own gerrymandering options. [08:00]
  • Disagreement over whether accusations of racism still wield political or cultural power.

Notable Moment:

• Raymond: “God bless America if Jasmine Crockett loses her seat. That would be fantastic and amazing.” [08:31]
• Theresa Payton (on manipulation): “We all consciously or subconsciously have manipulation campaigns...it can also be things like, like the rhetoric and the language that people use that can be very divisive.” [15:06]

Takeaway:

Texas’ GOP is consolidating power via redistricting, sparking legal and rhetorical battles. Both sides accuse the other of operating out of cynical self-interest—political power over principle.

2. Algorithmic Manipulation & Social Media Influence

[17:03–19:29]

• Resetting Algorithms:
  • Phil asks how to avoid “doom feeds”—Theresa suggests seeking out neutral or happy content (e.g., “rolling pandas”).
  • She exposes the financial motives behind foreign (e.g., Macedonian) social media manipulation: “They just said, ‘We're pro capitalism.’...They figured out when they were pro Hillary, they didn't make as much money. But when they were pro Bernie, pro Trump, anti Hillary...they just made the most money.” [18:10]

Notable Quote:

• “The Internet gives you more of what you came for, especially with algorithms today on social media platforms and AI.” —Theresa Payton [16:11]

3. America’s Business Climate: Bed Bath & Beyond & California’s Exodus

[26:13–33:42]

• Bed Bath & Beyond Declines California:
  Executive Chairman Marcus Lemonis announces no plans to open stores in California due to “higher taxes, higher fees and higher wages, coupled with endless regulations that strangle growth.” [27:02]
  • Company pivots to online fulfillment for CA customers.
  • Tim: “California loves to talk about how they're the ninth biggest economy in the world...but...they've lost 500,000 people over the past few years…” [29:54]
  • Raymond details major corporations leaving California for Texas due to poor business climate.

Notable Quote:

• “When you’re going to lose a st. Like In N Out Burger...to Nashville or Tennessee, that's a big deal.” —Raymond [30:53]

4. Gen Z, Brick & Mortar, and America’s Data Future

[31:26–36:23]

• Gen Z’s Preferences:
  • Theresa Payton: Despite widespread digitization, "Gen Z loves brick and mortar, loves shopping in person," but wants convenience too. [31:26]
• Data Centers & Energy Concerns:
  • AI and crypto demand huge data infrastructure; Texas (Abilene) is highlighted as the next frontier.
  • Power demands may outstrip supply, leading to critical policy and energy allocation debates.
  • Tim: “If the United States doesn’t get their s together when it comes to power generation...they’re going to lose the AI race.” [35:47]

Notable Quote:

• Theresa: “Today’s data centers don’t match up to what we need for AI cryptocurrency. So the data centers...are going to need to be a 5 gigawatt campus. This is the equivalent to the power coming out of three nuclear plants.” [36:23]

5. Cracker Barrel’s Rebrand & Cultural ‘Modernia’

[44:49–56:52]

• Logo Change Backlash:
  • Cracker Barrel’s minimalist logo and interior redesign prompted customer outrage for abandoning rustic Americana.
  • CEO claims positive feedback, but hosts and Theresa are skeptical.
  • Phil: “This is radicalized me more than like anything we’ve talked about...as a fan of Cracker Bar.” [50:32]
  • Tim: “It’s like—I thought it looked like a hospital cafeteria.” [54:11]

Memorable Excerpt:

• Teresa: “If I were advising the new CEO...I would highly recommend she do like an undercover boss...to get some real customer focused feedback.” [51:03]

6. Border Security: Painting the Wall Black

[58:52–64:08]

• Border Wall Deterrence:
  • DHS orders border wall painted black to increase surface temperature and deter climbing.
  • Debate over effectiveness; consensus leans toward policy (not physical measures) mattering most.

Insightful Quote:

• Teresa Payton: “We should do a better job of making it easier for people who are desperate to have a better life to have an appointment to do the paperwork and to be here.” [62:34]

7. Immigration: Illegal Hiring & Policy Impacts

[74:48–85:30]

• Tragedy & Accountability:
  • A trucking company’s illegal hiring leads to a fatal accident; Trump admin revokes company license.
  • Tim: “There’s something that needs to be done about the companies that are actually hiring illegals because they’re the draw.” [75:33]
  • Suggestion: Confiscate businesses/property of violators to force compliance.
• Theresa: Questions why basic employment checks (I-9) failed; discussion reveals widespread neglect/fraud.

Notable Quote:

• “If you hire people that are illegal, you should lose your...business...because that's the only way you're going to make it not worth hiring illegals.” —Tim [76:32]

8. Target, Boycotts, and the Shifting Retail Landscape

[89:32–99:40]

• Target’s CEO Resigns Amid Declining Sales:
  • Boycotts from left (rolling back DEI policies) and right (LGBT pride items, tuck swimsuits), compounded by rising competition from Amazon and shifts in consumer habit post-pandemic.
  • Phil doubts most boycotts’ real-world effect: “Outside of Bud Light, it feels like every boycott falls very, very flat most of the time.” [94:14]
  • Theresa notes in-store sales everywhere are down as Americans turn to online.

9. Justice, Consequences, and America’s Social Contract

[102:41–116:41]

• Space Force Sergeant Sentenced for Vigilante Shooting:
  • Detailed breakdown of a case where an off-duty Space Force sergeant fatally shot a 14-year-old suspected car thief after a pursuit.
  • Universal agreement: Sgt. went too far by chasing and shooting, but broader blame on collapsing faith in police and criminal justice, leading civilians to take law into their own hands.
  • Phil: “Once you have a felony on your record, it's very, very hard to get out from under that. . . 54 years...awful.” [106:02]
  • Tim: “If you don't have proper law enforcement...you're going to have a population that feels like they're not going to be protected by the State and they'll want to take the law into their own hands.” [113:55]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Accusations of Racism in Politics:
  “They just call everything racist. And that has...worked to frighten people...People don't want to consider them...think of themselves as a bad person.” —Tim Pool [10:13]

• On Social Media Manipulation:
  “People actually make loads of money in the process. So Meta makes loads of money... Macedonians...said, ‘we're pro-capitalism.’” —Theresa Payton [18:10]

• On Redistricting: “Texas’ GOP is consolidating power via redistricting, sparking legal and rhetorical battles...accusations of racism less compelling nowadays.” [14:03]

• On Retail Change:
  “Modernia is basically doing terrible things for culture, I believe.” —Phil [54:29]

• On America’s Energy Race:
  “If the United States doesn't get their s together when it comes to power generation, they're going to lose the AI race.” —Tim Pool [35:47]

• On Border Policy:
  “We have to find out who do we want to be as a nation and then figure out... how are we going to from a policy allow people to be here legally or deter them from trying to be here illegally...” —Theresa Payton [65:18]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Texas Redistricting Deep Dive: 04:06–23:52
• Algorithm Manipulation & Social Media: 17:03–19:29
• Bed Bath & Beyond, California Business Exodus: 26:13–33:42
• Gen Z, In-person Retail, Energy Demands: 31:26–36:23
• Cracker Barrel Rebrand Controversy: 44:49–56:52
• Painting the Border Wall: 58:52–64:08
• Immigration: Illegal Hiring & Consequences: 74:48–85:30
• Target CEO Resignation & Retail Disruption: 89:32–99:40
• Space Force “Vigilante” Shooting Case: 102:41–116:41

Conclusion

This episode provides a sprawling, multi-faceted look at politics and culture in 2025, anchored by Texas’ redistricting battle. Through current events, policy debates, and cultural battles, Theresa Payton and the Timcast panel grapple with what it means to be American in a changing technological and demographic landscape—and what risks and responsibilities that entails for both citizens and institutions.

Panel Final Thoughts:

• Theresa Payton plugs her book Manipulated: Inside the Cyber War to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth (about global manipulation campaigns, not just elections) [129:59].
• The cast continues to urge for more engagement, independent thought, and a vigilant citizenry in confronting manipulation and institutional decay.

For more sharp, independent commentary, join the after-show at Rumble.com and connect with the hosts and panel.