- High schooler pulled from musical over Texas’ anti-DEI law sues, alleging discrimination.

- Harris County, Texas AG’s office reach agreement on removal of get-out-the-vote ad tags.

- Texas elections aren’t official until they get certified. Here’s how it works.

- Panhandle Republican group wants all Texas ballots hand counted in the Nov. 3 election.

- Group behind trans mailers must answer questions under oath, Travis County judge rules.

- A conservative senator reshaped Texas colleges. He wants the rest of the country to follow.

- Carney Commits Canada to Becoming European Union’s First ‘Associate Member’.

- 

What is a Broker? What types exist? What rules govern them?

These questions stem from the following article: 


- Your phone knows you’re at the doctor, and data brokers are profiting from it.

More than 92 percent of patients in a 2022 American Medical Association survey said they thought their health data should not be available for purchase. But many people might not realize that when they are sitting in a hospital, an abortion clinic, or an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in a church basement, the location data emitted from their mobile phones isn’t covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects patient privacy.

That worries Eric Ellsworth, director of health policy and innovation at the Center for the Study of Services, a nonprofit focused on delivering consumers reliable information on local medical services and health care professionals.

“Data brokers typically are just hoovering up data from the open web and then buying it from anybody,” he said.

The U.S. government has begun to penalize some companies that track Americans when they visit health facilities and places of worship. But privacy and legal experts don’t think actions against a few companies will stop an entire industry built on scooping up Americans’ private data. They’re calling on more states or Congress to ban advertisers from tracking Americans’ locations via their phones.

But progress has been fitful. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, on Sept. 27 vetoed a bill that would have blocked the sale and sharing of location and other sensitive personal data, saying it went “a step too far.” And a recent study from Stanford University showed that only 9 percent of data brokers are adhering to an existing California privacy law that gives consumers the right to delete their data, correct personal information and learn what personal records the business is selling.

In January, Consumer Reports released model legislation giving state lawmakers a framework to ban or limit the sale of geolocation data, which uses GPS to identify a person’s movements in real time. Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon and Virginia have already banned the sale of precise geolocation data. But digital advertisers have also lobbied states to block such proposed limits.


Related Questions: 

- What is a data broker?

- What is a broker? What types exist?

- Outline the development of brokers as a profession.

- What laws govern how brokers operate? Provide a timeline for how these evolved. 

- Breakdown the laws covering brokers into national, state, and local.

- What licenses are necessary in order to work as a broker? What groups over see them?

A question asked in class: What is Presidential Immunity and does it violate the checks and balances?

- What is immunity? 

- What is presidential immunity? Describe recent controversies.

- What impact did Trump v United States 2024 have on presidential immunity?

- Outline and contrast the opinions written in Trump v United States 2024.

- Does presidential immunity violate the checks and balances?

From the New York Times: Third-Party Spoilers, Long Fueled by Both Parties, Could Matter This Year

There is a long history of this strategy being used to pull votes away from competing candidates.


- Click here for the article.   

With modern elections often decided by extremely thin margins and billions of dollars sloshing through campaigns, both parties have ample incentives and opportunities to gain an edge through mischief involving third parties.

The jockeying around spoiler candidates is widely considered a legal yet shadowy part of political campaigning that has gone on for decades. The Sullivan episode in Alaska is far from the first time that multiple candidates with the same name have run for the same office, with the lesser-known one often deliberately trying to confuse voters. There was even an Eddie Murphy movie in 1992 based on the concept of his character’s winning a seat in Congress previously held by a deceased politician with the same name.

Usually the actors propping up spoiler candidates are careful enough about wiping away their fingerprints that they do not get caught in the kind of uproar that Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign now faces in Alaska. After a New York Times report detailing how allies of Ms. Peltola, a Democrat, had recruited little-known candidates to try to stack the ballot, Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska ordered an investigation into whether the Peltola campaign should face criminal charges or civil penalties, and President Trump demanded that she be removed from the ballot. Neither suggested a specific law that had been violated.

“Ghost voters are a bad phenomenon, but it’s a phenomenon that’s been in American politics for decades,” said Benjamin Ginsberg, a prominent Republican election lawyer. “At this point there’s no legal violation. Coming when it does, it’s purely up to Alaska voters, who, after all, put both Dan Sullivans on the ballot with their votes.”


Related: 

- Provide a timeline of the use of minor parties to split the votes of major parties. How often is this strategy successful?

- Does the Libertarian Party in Texas pull votes away from the Republican Party?

- Has a Libertarian Party candidate helped swing an election towards the Democratic Party candidate in any election across the United States?

- Does the Green Party in Texas pull votes away from the Democratic Party?

- Has a Green Party candidate helped swing an election towards the Republican Party candidate in any election across the United States?

For 10.30.2026:

- What does political psychology research tell us about how people process political information? 

- What does research tell us about how much people know about politica and government? What do people generally not know?

- How much does political party identification impact a person's opinions about politics and government?

What is an Immigration Court? Does the president have too much control over it?

From the Washington Post: - Democrats demand reform after judge says DOJ ordered her to reverse rulings.

Congressional Democrats have again demanded urgent reforms to the country’s immigration court system after The Washington Post revealed a veteran judge’s allegations that she was ordered to reverse rulings and urged to conduct sham bond hearings.

Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Dick Durbin of Illinois, both longtime critics of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, renewed calls this week to pass a bill that would remove immigration judges from the authority of the executive branch.

They spoke out in response to the story of Karen Donoso Stevens, a former Homeland Security prosecutor who joined the bench in 2016. After persistent interference by Justice Department officials, Donoso Stevens alleged, she was pulled from court mid-hearing, demoted and eventually fired.


Related questions: 

- What is an immigration court?

- What is a federal administrative tribunal?

- What is a administrative adjudication?

- Outline the development of immigration courts in the United States.

- What current controversies involve immigration courts?

- What jurisdiction does Congress have over immigration courts?

- What legislation has been introduced recently to change immigration courts?

- Are state and local governments ever litigants in proceedings before immigration courts?

- Provide a timeline for the development of the federal courts.

- Provide a timeline for the development of the courts in Texas.

- Provide a timeline for the development of local and municipal courts in Texas and Harris County.

From the Washington Post:

- We studied 180 voter-fraud cases. Many charged cite honest mistakes.

- Your phone knows you’re at the doctor, and data brokers are profiting from it.

- - What is a data broker?

- Democrats demand reform after judge says DOJ ordered her to reverse rulings.

- - Provide a timeline for the development of immigration courts in the United States.  

- Why headlights seem more blinding than ever.

 

For 10.28.2026

- Provide a timeline of voter turnout for midterm elections.

- What factors explain why some people turnout to vote while others do not?

- What efforts are being made to impact voter turnout in the 2026? Are any efforts being made to discourage people to vote?

Does the "Right to Information" exist within a loose readings of the U.S. Constitution?

- Is there a right to information contained in the Bill of Rights?

A few random articles regarding current elections.

- Trump’s Attacks on Voting Raise Fears He Will Try to Challenge Midterm Results.

- On Trump’s Order, Justice Dept. Seeks to Block Alaska Vote if Republican Loses.

- The New Worst-Case Scenario for Election Officials: Federal Interference.

- Israel’s High-Stakes Election: What to Know.

 

From Harris County: Election Manual 2026 - 2027.

- Click here for it.  

- Election Workers. 

From the New York Times: How a Legal Backlash Against Big Tech Is Forcing Big Changes

Public policy can be shaped by the courts as much as it can be shaped by the legislature - maybe more so.

- Click here for the article.  

From ScotusBlog

The previous term of the Supreme Court included a large amount of cases involving President Trump's expansive use of executive power. This one looks to be the same.

- The Trump Term?

- Another Trump Term? 

- What are the principal ways the campaigns seek to influence and manipulate public opinion?

- What current attempts are being made to influence public opinion during the 2026 campaign?

- What impact are social media influencers having on the 2026 campaign so far?

- American Influencer Association.

- The American Influencer Council.  

- List the dominant influencers paid to promote the Republican Party and/or Republican candidates.

- List the dominant influencers paid to promote the Democratic Party and/or Democratic candidates.

- How are social influencers recruited and compensated for working for political campaigns?

- Do any influencers work solely for either major party in Texas?

- What are the powers of the Texas Governor? How has its power increased over recent decades?

- Compare the powers of the Texas Governor with the President of the United States.

Greg Abbott

- What is the political background of Greg Abbott? 

- How has Greg Abbott used the power of the governor?

- What are the principal sources of funds for Greg Abbott?

- Describe Greg Abbott's campaign organization.

Gina Hinojosa

- What is the political background of Gina Hinojosa?

- How might Gina Hinojosa use the power of the governor?

- What are the principal sources of funds for Gina Hinojosa?

- Describe Gina Hinojosa's campaign organization.

From the New York Times - 10.26.2026

- Lula Wins Brazil’s Presidency, in Stunning Blow to Latin America’s Right.

- Israeli Jews Across the Spectrum Face an Election of Fears.

- Anthropic Reveals 14-Fold Increase in Growth as It Prepares for Blockbuster I.P.O..

- Who’s winning the race for Congress?

- On Trump’s Order, Justice Dept. Seeks to Block Alaska Vote if Republican Loses.

A few questions regarding polling . . .

- Explain how election polls work. How reliable are they? What problems do pollsters encounter?

- What are polls telling us about the races for political office in Texas?

- What are polls telling us about the race to control the 120th U.S. Congress? How about the 90th Texas Legislature?

- What do polls in Texas tell us about the possible results of races for the Texas Judiciary?

- United States Courts. 

- Court Website Links.

In the New York Times - 10.20.2026

- Trump’s Super PAC Unleashes Deluge of Ads on Facebook and Instagram.

- - What is MAGA Inc.?

- - What laws govern SuperPACs?

- - How has the rise of social media impacted campaigns? How is it being used in the 2026 campaign?

- Trump Pushes to Evict the Press From the White House.

- - Do journalists have a constitional right to access to elected officials? to the President?

- - Has Congress ever passed laws related to journalists of journalism?

- Trump’s Attacks on Voting Raise Fears He Will Try to Challenge Midterm Results.

- - How often are election results challenged in the United States? How often are they successful?

- - What are the most common types of election fraud?

From the Texas Tribune: Federal judge to weigh Texas bid to dismiss 15-year-old suit seeking foster care system reform

- Click here for the article.  

For 10.20.2026

- Outline the process by which states eliminated property requirements for voting. Do any still exist?

- Discuss the struggle over the implementation of the 15th Amendment.

- Outline efforts to undermine the intent of the 15th Amendment.

- Discuss conflicts in Texas over the placement of voting centers on college campuses.

- From the Texas Legislature Online: Registration and Suffrage Bills introduced in 89R. 

- Ad Fontes Media.

From the New York Times: I Teach at a Business School. It’s Time to Shut Them Down.

- Click here for the article.  

For GOVT 2305 UH - 10.19.2026

- The Fiscal Size-Up. 

- What relationship exists between campaign contributions and government contracts?

What is the public mood?

To kick of our discussion of the political institutions. 

- What is the public mood?

- What factors help determine the public mood?

- What factors are helping determine the public mood prior to the election of 2026?

From the New York Times: 3 Charts That Explain the Economy as Voters Head to the Polls.

From The Washington Post: Power struggle erupts in Trump’s White House as midterm losses loom

- Click here for the article.  

- Describe the power structure in President Trump's first White House.

- Describe the power structure in President Trump's second White House.

- Describe the evolution of the White House Chief of Staff.

- Who is Susie Wiles? How did she become President Trump's Chief of Staff?

For GOVT 2306 UH - 10/15/2026

- What political interests have dominated the 2026 campaign?

- What issues were on the agenda during the 2024 election that are not on the agenda now?

- List the mega donors involved in the current campaign. What do they stand to gain or lose in the upcoming election?

- What interests support the expansion of data centers? What interests oppose it? Describe their respective strategies.

- What interests support crypto currency? What interests oppose it? Describe their respective strategies.

- What is crypto currency?

Brazoria County Elections Department

- Click here for it.  

- Precinct Maps. 

- Sample Ballots.

From Renu Khator: 2026 State of the University

- Click here for it. 

- Describe recent campaign efforts by the Republican Party to maintain control of Congress following the 2026 election. 

- Describe recent campaign efforts by the Democratic Party to win control of Congress following the 2026 election.

For GOVT 2305 10.13.2026

- What is the federal bureaucracy?

- What is the civil service? Provide a timeline of its development. 

- Describe how patronage worked prior to the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act.

- Wikipedia: Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act.

- Outline the extent of the civil service across all agencies of the federal government.

 

- Click here for the source.

For UH GOVT 2306 - 10/12/2026

- What major factions or interest groups dominated politics in the United States from 1607 to now.

- Describe how factions and interests were organized into political parties over the history of the United States from 1607 - now.

- Who were the earliest influential families in colonial America? What was the source of their influence?

- Describe the evolution of commerce in the United States America from 1609 to now.

- How has social media impacted the organization of political parties in the United States?

- How has the rise of SuperPACs impacted the strength of political parties?

- How has the rise of Artificial Intelligence impacted the strength and organization of political parties?

For UH GOVT 2305 - 10/12/2026

- What is the White House Staff? Outline its evolution over time. 

- What are the most effective tools the president has to efficiently govern? How have these evolved over time?

- Outline the evolution of the relationship between the legislative and executive branches over time.

- How do political parties impact the relationship between the legislative and executive branches on the national level?

You Tube: The election of George Washington was weirder than you think

- Click here for it.

- The Military Explodes Bombs on This Beach. Is It Following the Law?

- Trump Officials Ramp Up Investigations Into Voter Registration Groups.

- Guam.

- Democrats Look Strong in Polls. They Have These Groups to Thank.

- History for 89(R) HB 431 by Cortez.

- Snapshots of Federal Judicial History, 1790-1990.

- Sample Ballot - Harris County 2026. 

- Texas Tribune: Here's your 2026 Texas ballot for the November election.

- 89th Regular Session - General Subject Index: Artificial Intelligence.

- James Madison: Vices of the Political System of the United States.

- Treaty of Paris 1783.

- Describe the major laws passed by the 119th Congress so far.

- What is the one Big Beautiful Bill?

- What is Budget Reconciliation?

- What federal policies have no impact on the federal budget?

- Describe the federal budget making process.

- Describe the federal budget appropriations process.

- Trump’s opponents are planning efforts to reverse his changes to presidency.

- 6 things to watch in the Supreme Court’s new term.

- Court declines to hear cases on “Let’s Go Brandon” sweatshirts, felons’ Second Amendment rights, COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and other notable issues.

- Half a billion dollars in GOP spending does little to move polls.

For 10.7.2026

- Provide a timeline of the key political disputes during the American colonial period.

- How did factions organize during the American colonial period?

- How soon did political parties emerge in the United States? Were parties active during the colonial period?

- Who were the principle political figures during the colonial period? Provide a timeline of them. What were their principle accomplishments?

The first three cases argued before the U.S. Supreme Court this term.

From Oyez: 

- Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County.

- Johnson v. United States Congress.

- Anderson v. Intel Corporation Investment Policy Committee.

H.R.9497 - Water Resources Development Act of 2026

An example of internal improvements.

- Click here.  

This bill authorizes and modifies certain water resource infrastructure projects and programs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and makes related requirements. For example, the bill authorizes and modifies various water resources feasibility studies and projects of the Corps of Engineers, such as studies or projects to:

- maintain ports and harbors,
- make certain waterways more navigable,
- reduce flood and storm damage,
- restore aquatic ecosystems and protect fish and wildlife,
- protect shorelines,
- address harmful algal blooms,
- rehabilitate dams,
- manage recreational sites and facilities,
- support water supply and storage projects, and
- support other water resources infrastructure.

The bill also directs the Corps of Engineers to establish an Office on Alternative Delivery Methods in order to accelerate project delivery of infrastructure.

In addition, the bill directs the Corps of Engineers to issue a rule that establishes categorical permissions for certain harbor or river improvements that will cause only minimal adverse environmental effects.

- What subgovernment surrounds the financial industry?

- How, in a practical sense, does one become a federal judge?

- How much 2026 campaign money is being spent on bot farms? How about troll farms?

The Activities of the First Congress

A good look at how the early governing institutions were developed.

- ChatGPT: Describe what happened between the ratification of the U.S. Constitution and the convening of the First Congress.

- ChatGPT: Describe the election to the first Congress of the United States.

- ChatGPT: Describe the campaigns for offices in the first Congress.

- ChatGPT: Describe the rules regarding suffrage in each of the original states at the time of the election to the First Congress.

- Wikipedia: 1788–89 United States House of Representatives elections.

- Wikipedia: 1788–89 United States Senate elections.

- Wikipedia: 1788–89 United States presidential election.

- Wikipedia: First United States Congress. 

- What are the top institutional contributors to the local economy?

- What percentage of the greater Houston economy stems from the energy sector? How much oil and gas? How much renewables?

- What is the value of the University of Houston to the local economy?

- What lobbying strategies are used by the Port of Houston?

- Is organized criminal behavior more likely to develop at the local level than either the state or national level?

- What activities in Congress are related to the establishment and maintenance of supply chains?

- What is a supply chain? Describe one in depth.

- Who had access to capital during the American colonial period?

- 

Dear ChatGPT: What happened to the property of loyalists following the revolutionary war?

Despite Madison's call for the protection of property rights, this did not seem to exptent to loyalists. 

He would likely respond that property was conficated by state governments, not the national government - which did not effectively exist at that time. 

- Click here for the answer. 

- Also: Provide a timeline for when the property of loyalists was confiscated. Also state what entity did the conficating. Provide references and additional readings.

For background; 

- Who were the loyalists? 

- How were their interests served by maintaining a relationship with Britain? 

What Texas law mandates lockdown drills in public schools?

From AI overview:

Texas public schools are mandated to conduct lockdown drills under Texas Education Code § 37.114 and administrative rules established through 19 Texas Administrative Code § 103.1209, which implement statewide safety standards. [1]

Key Mandate Details

- Frequency: Schools must conduct at least two lockdown drills per school year (one per semester) as outlined by the Texas School Safety Center. [1, 2]
- Requirements: Per TEC § 37.114 and state rules, total emergency safety drills are capped (maximum of 16 drills per year), and active aggressor roleplaying with live simulations involving students is strictly prohibited. [1, 2]
- Accommodations: Recent updates (such as SB 57) also require that these mandatory drills provide proper accommodations for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans. [1, 2]


Additional Readings:

- 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 103.1209 - Mandatory School Drills.

- Texas School Safety Center. 

- - 3.0 Lockdown Drills.

- REQUIREMENTS FOR MANDATORY SCHOOL DRILLS.

- History for 87(R) HB 1016 by Ordaz.

From the Financial Times: Is the world really drowning in debt?

- Click here for the article.  

Updates on the Paxton / Talarico race.

Dear ChatGPT: 


- How has the Talarico campaign been adjusted over the past two weeks? Provide references and additional readings. 

- - What PACs and SuperPACs support Talarico? Provide references and additional readings.

- How has the Paxton campaign been adjusted over the past two weeks? Provide references and additional readings.

- - What is the Texas PAC? Outline its history. Who created it? Who funds it? What are its goals? How does it implements them? What activites is it involved in during the 2026 election cycle? Provide references and additional readings.

From the Washington Post: Jack Smith clashes with senators over Trump probes, says he will not be silenced

An extra constitutional check and balance. 

- Click here for the article. 

From U.S. Senate: Hearings & Meetings.

From the New York Times: Senate Resoundingly Approves Sweeping College Sports Measure

Regarding last week's written assignment.

- Click here for the article.  

The Senate on Monday approved a sweeping remake of collegiate sports regulations in an effort to restore stability to an athletic landscape that has been upended by constant transfers, frequent shifts in conference membership and an infusion of money from wealthy boosters eager to lure top talent.

Known as the Protect College Sports Act, the bill passed by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 77 to 22, making it one of the last major pieces of business to be tackled by lawmakers before the midterm elections. It was a bid by Congress to lay out significant new rules and standards governing popular college sports that are a mainstay of American life as well as a path to an education for student athletes.

Authors of the legislation, which faces an uncertain future in the House, said aggressive congressional intervention was necessary because a series of legal rulings had sowed chaos in college sports. They warned that the current financial path of colleges and universities was unsustainable, would decrease competition and could cause schools to jettison less popular sports that were not as lucrative as football.

“It would be nice if college sports could somehow magically fix itself, but this is a matter of law, federal law, and it is only Congress that can fix it,” said Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, a chief proponent of the bill.

Dear ChatGPT: List the interests that either support or oppose the Protect College Sports Act. Detail their reasoning.

- What’s actually in the Senate bill that’s supposed to stop the madness in college sports?.

- Protect College Sports Act passes Senate: Historic bill takes first step, but uncertainty awaits in House.

Fro Space Daily: The United States is replacing every official latitude, longitude and height it publishes, existing coordinates will move by as much as four meters, and the million survey marks in the ground will no longer be what the system is measured from

- Click here for it.

Every official latitude, longitude and height published in the United States is going to change, by as much as four meters. The ground being described will not have moved at all. What is being replaced is the reference system those numbers are counted from.

The National Geodetic Survey is retiring the North American Datum of 1983 and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. Those are the horizontal and vertical reference systems that currently underpin surveying, flood mapping, construction and aviation across the country. In their place will come four new terrestrial reference frames and one new geopotential datum. The agency has kept the national reference system since its predecessor, the Survey of the Coast, was founded in 1807.

. . . NGS gives several reasons for the change, among them alignment with international standards and with satellite systems that orbit the Earth’s center. Two of the reasons are systematic errors built into systems that were defined before satellite positioning was routine.

The first is horizontal. NAD 83 was fixed when the center of the Earth could not be located with the precision satellites later supplied, and its origin does not sit where the center of the Earth is now understood to be. The agency’s summary puts the misalignment at about 2.2 meters.

- Wikipedia: U.S. National Geodetic Survey.

- US Constitution: Article 1.

- US Constitution: Article 2.

- US Constitution: Article 3.

Also

- - U.S. Code.

- - Rules of the House of Representatives.

- - RULES OFTHE SENATE.

- Texas Constitution: Article 3.

- Texas Constitution: Article 4.

- Texas Constitution: Article 5.

Also: Texas Government Code.

- Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

- The Federalist Papers : No. 51.

- Dear ChatGPT: Who developed the concept of the iron triangle?

- Dear ChatGPT: Detail the history of the Uniform Fire Code. Provide references and additional readings.

- Dear ChatGPT: Detail the history of the Uniform Building Code. Provide references and additional readings.

Catching up with The Texas Tribune:

- Corpus Christi’s water crisis serves as a warning and a roadmap for others.
- - Texas 2036, Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy.
- - Center for Water Supply Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
- - . . . local elected officials “need to get out of the water business,”
- - . . . groundwater reform and seawater desalination as key issues for the next legislative session . . .

- Catholic Charities leader says feds have lifted a ban on funding for the nonprofit.
- - Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley
- - now allowed to bid and receive grants from the federal government.
- - U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- - U.S. Customs and Border Protection

- Cattle associations say ICE operations are disrupting Texas agriculture industry, will cause higher beef prices.
- - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- - Texas Cattle Feeders Association
- - Kansas Livestock Association
- - Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association
- - supply chain
- - stable workforce
- - “We urge federal officials to conduct enforcement actions in a lawful, orderly, and transparent manner; respect due process; and communicate clearly with affected employers and communities,” the organizations said in their statement.
- - Dear ChatGPT: Detail the beef industry in the United States and Texas. Provide references and additional readings.
- - Dear ChatGPT: What assistance does the government of the United States and the government of Texas provide for the beef industry? Provide references and additional readings.

From Wikipedia: List of United States federal judges by longevity of service

For look at checks and balances.

Lifetime ternure for federal judges is intended to ensure they can no longer by influenced by the president who has appointed them to office.

- Click here for the entry. 

Dear ChatGPT: Why should the judiciary be insulated from the executive department?

Welcom to the 1950s

 

- Wikipedia: Rabbit Ears.

Dear ChatGPT: What were James Madison's financial interests around the time of the writing or the US Constitution? Provide references and additional readings.

- Click here for the response. 

Additional Prompts: 

- In Federalist 10 James Madison mentions "wicked projects" including "A rage for paper money." What was he refering to specifically? Provide references and additional readings.

- - Additional readings: 

- - - the postwar debt crisis.

- - - debtor-relief laws.

- - - Rhode Island’s paper-money policy

- - - Article I, Section 10 forbids states to “emit Bills of Credit.

- - Protesters in Shays’s Rebellion sought relief from taxes, debts, and foreclosures and shut courts to prevent collections.

- In Federalist 10 James Madison mentions "wicked projects" including "A rage for . . . an abolition of debts." What was he refering to specifically? Provide references and additional readings.

- - Additional readings: 

- - - Debtor relief took several forms:

- - - - delaying collection through installment laws,

- - - - accepting property instead of money as payment,

- - - - issuing paper money that creditors had to accept, or

- - - - preventing courts from hearing collection cases.

- In Federalist 10 James Madison mentions "wicked projects" including "A rage for . . . an equal division of property." What was he refering to specifically? Provide references and additional readings.

- - Additonal readings: 

- - - agrarian law

- - - leveling scheme

- - - The leveling spirit

- - - In 1787 John Adams described a possible sequence in which a propertyless voting majority would first abolish debts and ultimately vote to divide property equally.

From 9.23.2026

- Wikipedia: Debtors' prison.

- Wikipedia: Salem witch trials.

- Wikipedia: Lynching in the United States.

- Wikipedia: Red Summer.

From the Washington Post: ‘I am the code’: Trump clashed with ballroom architect over safety issues

Worth a look. 

- Click here for the article. 

Since Washington DC is the only city chartered by the national government, it's not a great example of local government's relationship with the national government overall, but it helps us understand what local governments do. 

- ChatGPT: What is the legal status of Washington DC? Provide references and additional material.

- ChatGPT: What court cases have impacted the relationship between Washington DC and the national government.

- Wikipedia: District of C.olumbia Home Rule Act.

Dear ChatGPT: What is a sports agent? What are their responsibilities? What state and federal laws impact the profession?

This applies to a couple of your weekly written assignments.

- Click here for the answer. 

Bottom line

Sports agents operate under four overlapping systems:

1 - Agency and fiduciary law governs the agent’s loyalty and care toward the athlete.
2 - State athlete-agent statutes govern registration, recruiting, contract disclosures, and penalties.
3 - Federal law, especially SPARTA, regulates dealings with student-athletes and related deceptive practices.
4 - Union, league, conference, school, and governing-body rules determine whether an agent can participate in a particular sport and what the agent may do.

The most important practical distinction is that registration as an athlete agent does not automatically authorize the person to practice law, manage investments, sell insurance, or negotiate in a unionized league without union certification.

Additional readings

- Federal SPARTA statute, 15 U.S.C. Chapter 104
- FTC SPARTA materials
- Uniform Law Commission—Athlete Agents Act
- Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 2051
- Texas Secretary of State—Athlete Agents
- NFLPA—Becoming a Certified Agent

From the New York Times: Judge Appears Skeptical of Trump’s Ban on 3 Media Outlets

I think a timeline would be a useful way to see how the checks and balances are working themselves out in this conflict. 

- Click here for the article.  

- Judge Blocks Trump’s White House Ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

A federal judge on Thursday said that President Trump’s order barring CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House was likely unconstitutional and ordered the administration to restore access to the three news outlets.

Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court in Washington granted a 14-day restraining order and told the White House to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” the press credentials held by employees of the three outlets.

The news organizations were likely to succeed in their claim that the White House had violated their constitutional due process rights by revoking their press credentials without advance notice or an opportunity to respond, Judge Kelly wrote in the order issued in the early hours of Thursday.

He also rejected, for now, the administration’s argument that revoking the outlets’ press credentials was necessary to protect national security.

- Read the Court Order Blocking Trump’s White House Ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order and told the White House to immediately restore press credentials for the three news outlets.

From the New York Times: White House Says Access Is a ‘Privilege’ in Court Filing Defending Media Ban

- What is a privilege? 

- What is the differnce between a privilege and a right?

- Click here for the article. 

White House officials said in a court filing Tuesday that President Trump had determined that CNN, MS NOW and Politico had breached standards of conduct, leading to their expulsion from the White House grounds.

The alleged violations, said the filing, include “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information.”

“Access to the White House is a privilege — not a right,” reads the filing, which argues that Mr. Trump’s action against the three news outlets does not violate the First Amendment and aligns with a long history of presidents favoring some journalists over others.

The filing, furthermore, claims that the White House’s denial of access is a preliminary matter and that the outlets have until Friday to contest the decision.

Passions and Interests in the U.S. Senate race in Texas

- Fed 10.

By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.

- ChatGPT: What interests are aligned with Ken Paxton? 

- ChatGPT: What interests are aligned with James Talarico? 

- ChatGPT: What passions are aligned with Ken Paxton?

- ChatGPT: What passions are aligned with James Talarico?  

The White House Press Pool

What is it and why has it been suspended? 

- Wikipedia: Press Pool. 

- White House Correspondents Assoviation.

- ChatGPT: Explain the development of the White House Press Pool.

- Politico: Major TV networks decline White House pool duties.

- New York Times: Networks Suspend Pool Coverage of Trump After White House Bars CNN.

- New York Times: 3 News Outlets Sue Trump in Widening Fight Over Press Freedom.

__________

Related Questions: 

- ChatGPT: Does the exclusion of CNN, MSNow, and Politico from the White House Press Corp violate constitutional rights to a free press? Provide arguments fro and against. Provide references and additional material.

Dear ChatGPT: What written communications skills are best suited to a government class?

ACC's government department had been asked to focus on "communication" as a core objective in the class. Written communication specifically. I thought AI could give me a good start, thought I'd share.

- Click here for the full response.

The written communication skills best suited to a government class are those that teach students to explain institutions, evaluate evidence, construct arguments, and communicate with public officials and citizens.

- Clear explanatory writing: Describe a law, institution, political process, or court decision accurately in plain language.

-  Thesis development: State a specific, defensible answer to a political or constitutional question.

-  Evidence-based argumentation: Support claims with constitutional provisions, statutes, court opinions, government data, and credible scholarship.

-  Source evaluation: Distinguish primary sources from secondary commentary and assess authority, bias, methodology, currency, and corroboration.

- Constitutional and statutory interpretation: Analyze the text, structure, historical context, precedent, and practical consequences of legal provisions.

-  Policy analysis: Define a public problem, identify stakeholders, compare policy alternatives, and evaluate costs, benefits, feasibility, and unintended consequences.

-  Comparative analysis: Explain meaningful similarities and differences—for example, between federal and Texas institutions or between competing policy proposals.

-  Research and citation: Locate authoritative information, integrate it responsibly, distinguish quotation from paraphrase, and cite sources consistently.

- Concise professional writing: Communicate complicated information efficiently through executive summaries, briefing memos, issue briefs, and legislative summaries.

-  Audience awareness: Adjust language, detail, tone, and organization for classmates, voters, elected officials, agency personnel, or a general public audience.

-  Civic correspondence: Write effective letters or emails to public officials that clearly state the issue, position, evidence, and requested action.

-  Revision and editing: Improve organization, clarity, accuracy, grammar, transitions, and evidentiary support after receiving feedback.

From the New York Times:

- Takeaways From the Fed’s Decision to Raise Interest Rates.

- The Subtle Sign That A.I. Is Not Yet a National Political Issue.

From last semester's written assignments:

Little v. Hecox
- Oyez.
- ScotusBlog.

Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services.
- Oyez.
- ScotusBlog.

Dear ChatGPT: What local public services and utilities are used by the University of Houston? Provide references and additional readings.

- Click here for the response. 

1. City of Houston water
2. Wastewater and sanitary sewer
3. Electricity
4. Natural gas
5. UH's own heating and cooling utility
6. Public transportation
7. Police and public safety
8. Fire protection and emergency response
9. Solid waste and recycling
10. Stormwater, drainage, streets and surrounding infrastructure

For more: 

- What is the value of the University of Houston to the local economy?

- What are the top institutional contributors to the local economy?

From the Pew Research Center: Changing Face Of America

 

This helps explain current political disputes. 

- Dear ChatGPT: What campaigns are focused on the changing demographic trends in the United States and Texas? How? Provide references an additional readings.

- You Tube: The Melian Dialogue.

- Wikipedia: Siege of Melos.

- Thucydides: The Melian Dialogue, from Peloponnesian War 5, 84-116.

- US Senate: About the Senate & the U.S. Constitution | Senate Classes.

- What was the vote for ratification of the U.S. constitution in each of the states?

- What were the main arguments from the Federalists and Anti-Federalists for each state convention?

- Wikipedia: Realpolitik.

- Community Impact: Studying Mobility: Greater Heights TIRZ outlines 29 projects based on resident feedback.

- Houston approves anti-annexation deal with The Woodlands.

- What Is An ETJ?

- City of Houston: Planning & Development - Annexation.

- 

- Supreme Court denies Trump administration’s request to implement parts of rule on mail-in voting.

- Supreme Court dismisses immigration case that was scheduled for argument in October.

- ArtI.S1.3.1 Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances.

- Arbitrary-or-capricious test.

- Understanding Arbitrary And Capricious: A Legal Overview.

- capricious.

- City of Pearland Departments. 

- Brazoria County Departments.

- Indigent.

- Single Purpose Local Government.

Dear ChatGPT:

- Describe James Talarico's campaign organization. Provide references and additional readings. 

- Describe Ken Paxton's campaign organization. Provide references and additional readings.

- What do we know so far about James Talarico's campaign strategy? How does he intend to win the election? Provide references and additional readings. 

- What do we know so far about Ken Paxton's campaign strategy? How does he intend to win the election? Provide references and additional readings.

From Houston Public Media: What’s on my 2026 primary election ballot in Harris County and Texas?

Interested in who competed for the nominations of their parties the past March?

- Click here to get countywide info.  

From the National Governors Association: 2025-2026 U.S. Supreme Court Term: Summary of Key Decisions and Implications for States

A good look at the process by which the powers of the national and state governments are haggled over.

- Click here for the article.

The Invention of the Baromoter

I went down a rabbit hole after discussing the constitutionality of the National Weather Service. 

An indirect benefit the enumerated powers provides businesses is that it provides incentives to invent things - check out the patents clause. 

The barometer was invented to help predict the weather. A number of patents have been issued for improvements to the device, as well as other things related to monitoring the weather. 

For more: 

- Wikipedia: Barometer.  

- ChatGPT: Why are barometers important? What functions do they serve?

- ChatGPT: What patents have been issued improving barometers?

- ChatGPT: What types of patents have been issued related to monitoring and predicting the weather?

- ChatGPT: What business interests have benefitted the most from weather related patents?

From the U.S. Census Bureau: From Municipalities to Special Districts, Official Count of Every Type of Local Government in 2017 Census of Governments

- Government Organization Summary Report: 2022 and 2025.

- Individual State Descriptions: 2022 Census of Governments.

- 2022 Census of Governments, State and Local Government Finance Tables.

Dear ChatGPT: Detail the history of the U.S. Census Bureau. Explain any disputes about its constitutionality and its constitutional functions. Provide citations, references, and additional readings.

 

From 9.9.2026

- About Texas Nurses Association.

- Alvin College Receives Approval for Nursing Bachelor's Degree.

- OCCUPATIONS CODE CHAPTER 303: NURSING PEER REVIEW.

- PISD: Required Postings.

- HHS: Health Information Privacy. 

From the Houston CHronicle: These Houston jobs have the most AI exposure. How does your profession stack up?

- Click here for it. 

So you want to be a financial analyst?

A lot of you do. I asked ChatGPT a few questions to determine what laws impact the profession. 

Click on them if you want to learn more. 

- What national laws impact the financial analysis industry? What laws in Texas do the same? Is there conflict between the two? 

- List the most significant national laws related to the finance industry over American history.

Heres a quick list of those laws.

All are based on powers granted in the U.S. Constitution.

1. First Bank of the United States Act — 1791
2. Second Bank of the United States Act — 1816
3. Legal Tender Act — 1862
4. National Banking Acts — 1863 and 1864
5. Federal Reserve Act — 1913
6. Emergency Banking Act — 1933
7. Banking Act of 1933 — Glass-Steagall Act
8. Securities Act of 1933
9. Securities Exchange Act — 1934
10. Banking Act of 1935
11. Investment Company Act — 1940
12. Investment Advisers Act — 1940
13. Federal Deposit Insurance Act — 1950
14. Bank Holding Company Act — 1956
15. Truth in Lending Act — 1968
16. Bank Secrecy Act — 1970
17. Fair Credit Reporting Act — 1970
18. Equal Credit Opportunity Act — 1974
19. Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act — 1974
20. Home Mortgage Disclosure Act — 1975
21. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act — 1977
22. Right to Financial Privacy Act — 1978
23. Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act — 1980
24. Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act — 1982
25. Money Laundering Control Act — 1986
26. Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act — 1989
27. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act — 1991
28. Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act — 1994
29. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act — 1999
30. USA PATRIOT Act — 2001, especially Title III
31. Sarbanes-Oxley Act — 2002
32. Emergency Economic Stabilization Act — 2008
33. Housing and Economic Recovery Act — 2008
34. Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act — 2010
35. Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act — 2012
36. Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act — 2018

From Wikipedia: Party divisions of United States Congresses

 - Click here for the entry.

From the Texas Tribune - 9.7.2026

- State education board finalizes anti-Islamic rewrite of Texas social studies lessons.

- MAGA Inc. cavalry arrives for Paxton in Texas Senate as Trump’s PAC places $10 million ad buy.

- Elon Musk’s super PAC starts spending to boost Ken Paxton in Texas.

- Texas A&M System removes courses on LGBTQ, ethnic studies and climate change from core offerings.

- Comptroller requests doubling Texas school voucher program to $2 billion.

Tracking Hurricanes etc . . .

I meant to post this last week when Tropical Storm Edouard paid us a visit. 

The info we obtained to track it came from the National Weather Service, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which itself is part of the Department of Commerce. 

- Click here for the flowchart of the Department of Commerce.
- Click here for the flowchart of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Click here for the flowchart of the National Weather Service.

As with any function of the national government, its authority has to flow from a grant directly or indirectly in the U.S. Constitution. Since it contains no "weather" clause, this grant must be indirect.

- Dear ChatGPT: What is the constitutional justification for the National Weather Service?

A related question:

- Dear ChatGPT: Has the constitutionality of the National Weather Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ever been challenged in the courts? If so which case? What was the decision?

For the history of each of the above agencies, click here: 

- Department of Commerce.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- National Weather Service.
   

Texas' Congressional Delegation Over Time

For review in class:

- Wikipedia: Texas's congressional delegations.

- Ballotpedia: United States congressional delegations from Texas.

Dear ChatGPT: What are the current civil liberties concerns regarding the use of Flock cameras? What are Flock cameras? Provide references and additional readings.

As with cheating ;), advances in technology makes surveillance easier. Flock is just the latest advancement in that technology, bit with significant differences.  

It's also become a sudden political issue - a bipartisan one at that.

We will discuss this further.

- Click here for the response. 

Also: 

- Have any court cases been initiated regarding flock cameras?

- Provide a list of major supreme court cases regarding surveillance. 

- Chatrie v. United States.

For our look at elections: Texas Redistricting

The best place to get detailed info about district in the state - congressional, legislative, judicial, and the State Board of Education.

- Click here for it.  

Dear ChatGPT: How did the city of Houston lure two major pharmaceutical manufacturers to the Houston area? Provide references and additional readings.

A look at the public and private forces that made the Houston area more attractive to an industry that had passed it over before. 

- Click here for the answer. 

Still needs fact-checking.

A list of what some of you want to be when you grow up . . .

Which require certification and licensing? Why? 

Lots of other questions to ask.

- sports business management
- electrical engineering
- graphic designer
- travel nurse
- pediatrician
- art teacher
- financial advisor
- operate my own construction company
- Mechanical Engineer
- lawyer
- Physicians Assistant
- pediatric cardiovascular ultrasound technician
- Divisional Project manager for a construction company
- start a business selling curriculum to high school Agricultural education teachers
- registered nurse
- cardiothoracic surgeon
- construction management
- dental hygenists
- own my own couture brand
- own an LLC
- pharmacist
- Coach baseball
- radiologist technician
- Aerospace Engineer at NASA
- child life specialist
- elementary school PE teacher
- environmental scientist
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
- commercial pilot

Regarding Sales and Marketing in Texas

- What Texas laws are related to sales and marketing? Provide references and additional readings.

- What politcal conflicts exist over Texas laws that are related to sales and marketing? Which groups are most involved? Provide references and additional readings.

Regarding Influencers

An increasing influence on campaigns in the US.

- Pentagon secretly installs military influencers in civilian roles.

- Influencers Have a Lot to Say About Politics. Many Are Quietly Paid for It.

- Political Influencers and Content Creators: What Campaigns, PACs and Advocacy Groups Need To Know.

- Congress pushes to require social media influencers to disclose some payments.

- - Congress.gov:  H.R.5956 - Defending Against Foreign Propaganda Act.

- - The bill would specifically amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to include social media influencers under the definition of "publicity agent." The century-old law requires people who lobby or collaborate with foreign governments to register with the federal government to identify outside influence.

The term influencer would be defined as anyone with a monetized account on a social media platform.

- - ChatGPT: Outline the rise of social media influencers on American politics. Provide references and additional readings.

The Texas Food Handler Certification

Many of you have jobs in the restaurant indistry have to have oe of these. Why?

Some sources: 

ChatGPT: When did restaurant workers in Texas begin to have to have food handlers permits in order to work? What was the process? What political forces favored and opposed it? Provide references and additional readings.

For specifics: 

- Texas Restaurant Association: Texas Food Handler Mandate.

- Texas Health and Human Services: Licensing of Food Handler Training Programs.

- Houston Health Department: Food Manager and Food Handler Certification.

Introducing: The Legislative Reference Library of Texas

A great source of info. 

- Click here for it. 

I'll pull artciles from Today's Clips often this semester. 

From the Washington Post: More states pilot 3-year college degrees, seeking to address rising tuition

When we cover public policy, we'll mention how policies evolve. 

Here's one that seem to be evolving as we speak. 

- Click here for the article. 

A growing number of colleges are offering three-year bachelor’s degree programs, providing students a faster and less expensive path toward graduation, but worrying critics who say the trend could devalue college education.

Instead of the typical 120 credits earned in four years, some programs now require students to complete around 90 credits. Proponents say that helps students get into — or back into — the workforce more quickly and with less debt. But some question whether the shortened degrees will be fully accepted by graduate schools, employers and accreditors.

At least 70 U.S. schools are either already offering three-year degrees or are actively considering them, according to a report this year by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and multiple states have required or encouraged public universities to add them.

On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) took steps to join that group, directing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create a statewide framework for three-year-degree pathways.

“Every semester adds tuition, fees, housing, food, transportation, and other living expenses and delays students’ ability to begin their careers,” Abbott said in a news release. “Texas students deserve the option to receive a degree in a high-demand, high-wage field in less time.”

The trend is spreading in both red and blue states, as well as across many types of institutions, public and private, large and small. This summer, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education approved applications from two schools to pilot three-year-degree programs.

What can a President Name? What can a President not Name? Why and why not? How?

Questions based on the following article from the Washington Post:  

- Trump signs order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America, escalating Canada feud.

Key detail: 


In the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump signed an order requiring that the U.S. Interior Department update geographic information systems to change the name of the lake, located between New York and Canada. Canadian government officials playing hardball on trade, he said, are “nasty people.”

“We filed all the necessary papers, documents, everything else,” Trump said. “We notified all the various people that we have to notify. So we’ve done everything that you have to do. And this is official, effective immediately.”

But there are limits: 

"While Trump can change the lake’s name for U.S. government purposes, states and private companies — including those responsible for consumer maps — can decide whether to follow suit."

Some companies are going along with the renaming. Some are not.

"Soon after Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico name change, Google Maps announced that users in the United States would see the body of water’s name rendered as the Gulf of America while users in Mexico would still see it rendered the Gulf of Mexico. In the rest of the world, people see both: “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”

That name change also set off a legal fight between the White House and the Associated Press, which announced it would continue to use the term Gulf of Mexico in coverage. The White House then banned the wire service’s reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One, prompting the AP to file suit.
Part of the inherent powers of the chief executive - the head of the executive department - is the power to determing how executive agencies refer to things like lakes and gulfs."
  

Terms contained in the article include: 

- U.S. Interior Department
- geographic information systems
- tariffs

The Right to an Attorney

The last part of the 6th Amendment relates to the right to have a lawyer. 

Here's a related story related to how that is implemented: 

- Some Harris County court-appointed lawyers handle hundreds of felony cases while earning millions.

 

The Extradition Clause - Article 4, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution

This is the constitutional clause at the root of the dispute in the conflict in the story below: 

- ICE agent at center of extradition fight released from Texas jail.

For more: 

- From the Constitution Annotated.

- Dear ChatGPT: What is the extradition clause? 

Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code

Where you can find the rules related to public education in Texas including a list of what you were to know about government beginning in kindergarden. 

- Try to find it, start here.   

From the Washington Post: Are public schools unconstitutional? A Nebraska court will decide.

An opinion piece written by a person affiliated with the Heritage Foundation. 

- Click here for it.  

In 2021, Columbia University law professor Philip Hamburger argued that the U.S. public school system violates the First Amendment. “Education,” he wrote, “consists mostly in speech, and parents have a right under the First Amendment to exercise authority over what their children hear.” Forcing families to accept government messaging — or pay a steep price to escape it — amounts to unconstitutional pressure.

A lawsuit filed in Nebraska on Aug. 13 brings that argument into court — and could open a path toward universal school choice.

Justin Jacobsen and Timothy and Joanna Menter, parents in the Lincoln Public Schools district, are suing state and local officials in Lancaster County District Court. Represented by the New Civil Liberties Alliance, they are challenging Nebraska’s combination of compulsory education and public-school-only funding.

. . . Nebraska law requires parents to enroll children in a “public, private, denominational or parochial school” or to home-school them. Noncompliance is a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail and a $500 fine.

. . . Both families withdrew most of their children because remaining in public schools meant adopting educational speech they reject. The Menters’ elementary school displayed a classroom door sticker promoting alternative sexuality and transgender ideologies and pressed climate-change views the parents found fear-based. The Jacobsens’ school taught transgender ideology; the children were also exposed to divisive narratives suggesting certain races were victims and others were oppressors because of their skin color.

The parents’ complaint rests on three theories. First, the combination of a criminal education mandate and funding limited to government viewpoints directly abridges parents’ free-speech rights under the First Amendment. Education is inherently speech, and parents hold the primary right to speak or to choose who speaks on their behalf. Second, the same facts violate the Nebraska Constitution’s free speech clause, which state courts treat as mirroring the federal guarantee. Third, the arrangement creates an unconstitutional condition: that is, the state may not condition a valuable public benefit on the surrender of a constitutional right.