From Wikipedia: On this day in history: 5.19.2026

1749 – King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River.

1828 – U.S. President John Quincy Adams signs the Tariff of 1828 into law, sparking outrage in the South and leading to the Nullification crisis.

1848 – Mexican–American War: Mexico ratifies the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thus ending the war and ceding California, Nevada, Utah and parts of four other modern-day U.S. states to the United States for US$15 million.

1921 – The United States Congress passes the Emergency Quota Act establishing national quotas on immigration.


I asked ChatGPT for additonal information about each. Here goes: 

- What relationship did King George II have with the American colonies?

- What was the Ohio Company? Who invested in it? What did it accomplish? Explain its history.

- Describe the early history of land speculation in the United States.

- Evaluate the presidency of John Quincy Adams.

- Outline the history of American Tariff policy since 1879.

- Describe tariffs within the broader context of American tax policy.

- Detail the controveries associated with the Tariff of 1828.

- What was the nullificaton crisis?

- Describe the causes and consequences of the Mexican American War.

- Describe the history of treaties in the United States.

- What was the Emergency Quota Act?

- Outline the history of American immigration policy.
 

The top political story the week of May 4 - 11, 2026: The Iran Crisis and the Strait of Hormuz Conflict

According to ChatGPT: 

The single biggest story was the continuing confrontation between the United States and Iran after weeks of military escalation in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

Major developments included:

-President Donald Trump threatening renewed bombing campaigns if Iran targeted U.S. naval forces.
-U.S. military strikes against Iranian targets after attacks on American destroyers in the Gulf.
-Fragile ceasefire negotiations involving a U.S. 14-point proposal to Iran.
-Rising oil and gasoline prices becoming a major domestic political issue.
-Debate inside the U.S. over whether the administration was drifting toward a larger regional war.

The conflict became both a foreign-policy and economic story because fuel prices surged nationwide, putting pressure on the White House and Congress.

Here are few questions that tie this into the material covered in this class. 

- What role does the president play in establishing foreign policy?
- What is the history of American involvement in Iran?
- What groups have the most influence on Trump Administration's policies regarding Iran? 

What other questions do you think are important?

The top political stories of May 4 - 11, 2026 - according to ChatGPT.

For my brand new GOVT 2305 mini mester students.

This should us understand how the material covered in class applies to current events. 

I asked "What were the top political stories of the week of May 4 - 11, 2026?"

- Here is the full response.

And here is the list it provided: 

1. The Iran Crisis and the Strait of Hormuz Conflict
2. Supreme Court Decisions Reshaping Redistricting and Voting Rights
3. Trump’s Expanding Effort to Influence Election Administration
4. Inflation, Gas Prices, and Trump’s Economic Dilemma
5. Abortion and the Mifepristone Fight Returned to Center Stage
6. Pentagon Budget Battles and Congressional Oversight
7. The 2026 Midterm Environment Began Taking Shape
8. Trump’s Personalization of the Presidency Continued

I'll start going over these one by one in subsequent posts. 

Credentials of Value

NCLS: Credentials of Value.

THEBD: Funding Student Success: Credentials of Value & Fundable Outcome Refinements. 

THECB: Credentials of Value:Community College Finance Model.

THECB: Credentials of Value Methodology.

Texas 2036: Credentials of value 101: What is the minimum value threshold?

TLO: 88(R) HB 8.

 

From Wikipedia: Accessory Transit Company

This builds on the entry below.

There was lots of money in getting people from one place to another in the 19th Century, still is. 

- Click here for the entry. 


The Accessory Transit Company was a company set up by Cornelius Vanderbilt and others during the California Gold Rush in the 1850s, to transport would-be prospectors from the east coast of the United States to the west coast.

At the time, an overland journey across the US was an arduous undertaking and could last many weeks. The Accessory Transit Company instead took passengers by steamer from New York to Grey Town in Mosquitia. From there, they travelled up the Rio San Juan to Lake Nicaragua, crossing the lake to the town of Rivas. A stagecoach then crossed the narrow isthmus to San Juan del Sur, where another steamer travelled to San Francisco.

The ATC provided the cheapest route to California from the east coast, and was soon carrying 2,000 passengers a month at a fare of $300 each (equivalent to about $11,600 in modern money), later reduced to $150. The wealth generated by the route attracted efforts to take it over, and in 1854 the US Navy bombarded San Juan del Norte in response to demands from the town authorities that the company vacate their premises immediately.

On this day in history (1855): American adventurer William Walker departs from San Francisco with about 60 men to conquer Nicaragua.

He was executed by Honduras instead, but many Americans wanted to annex lands around the gulf.

19th Century people were a different breed.

- Click here for the entry on William Walker.


William Walker (May 8, 1824 – September 12, 1860) was an American journalist and mercenary. In the era of the expansion of the United States, driven by the doctrine of manifest destiny, Walker organized unauthorized military expeditions into Mexico and Central America with the intention of establishing colonies. Such an enterprise was known at the time as "filibustering".

After settling in California, motivated by an earlier filibustering project of Gaston de Raousset-Boulbon, Walker attempted in 1853–54 to take Baja California and Sonora. He declared those territories to be an independent Republic of Sonora, but he was soon driven back to California by the Mexican forces. Walker then went to Nicaragua in 1855 as leader of a mercenary army employed by the Nicaraguan Democratic Party in its civil war against the Legitimists. He took control of the Nicaraguan government and in July 1856 set himself up as the country's president.

Walker's regime was recognized as the legitimate government of Nicaragua by US President Franklin Pierce, and it initially enjoyed the support of some important sectors within Nicaraguan society. As ruler of Nicaragua, Walker relegalized slavery, with the goal of creating a new society of dominant white people and subordinate Black and Indigenous laborers. However, he never succeeded in implementing slavery. He also threatened the independence of neighboring Central American republics. Walker antagonized the powerful Wall Street tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt by expropriating Vanderbilt's Accessory Transit Company, which operated one of the main routes for the transport of passengers going from New York City to San Francisco. The British Empire saw Walker as a threat to its interests in the possible construction of a Nicaragua Canal. A military coalition led by Costa Rica defeated Walker and forced him to resign the presidency of Nicaragua on May 1, 1857.

From Community Impact: Pearland - Friendswood - Manvel

- The Orchard at Lower Kirby mixed-use development along Hwy. 288 in Pearland advances.

- H-GAC officials launch new transportation website ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

- Texas has some of the nation’s highest home insurance costs. What’s driving rates?

- Corporate Personhood.

- Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

- Delaware General Corporation Law.

From the Houston Chronicle: FIFA expects to make $11B from the World Cup. Host cities like Houston will be lucky to break even.

Houston is spending money to be a tourist destination. 

Is the investment wise? 

How we measure that?

- Click here for the article. 

Host cities and their local organizing committees will pay for security at the matches, cover the cost of retrofitting their stadiums to better accommodate soccer and operate fan festivals in addition to the main matches. Originally, they were supposed to pay to transport FIFA officials to all matches, as well, though that requirement has been waived, according to Houston organizers.

The cities get little tangible benefit in return. They do not see a slice of game-day revenues from ticket sales, concessions and merchandise, or parking. Even selling tickets or suites in exchange for corporate sponsorships — usually a key revenue generator for local organizers — was restricted by FIFA this year.

Cities had to agree to FIFA’s demands before the U.S., Mexico and Canada even submitted their bid in 2017 to host the World Cup, and many of those host city contracts remain secret. Now, as the event nears, some cities are questioning whether those agreements will leave them paying for more than they get in return.

“Everybody signed an agreement that was very, very one-sided,” said Alan Rothenberg, who is on the Los Angeles host committee for the 2026 World Cup and was the president of U.S. Soccer the last time the country hosted the tournament in 1994.

Then, some host cities would get a slice of game-day revenues, such as a share of the money made from selling food and drinks at the matches. U.S. Soccer also covered the bill for security at the games and other organizing expenses, Rothenberg said. That helped cities take in more money than they spent, making hosting a more attractive endeavor.

This time around, the agreement was so lopsided that at least one city, Chicago, withdrew during the bidding. And in some cities that moved forward, concerns have grown as the matches near. Officials in Foxborough, Massachusetts, threatened in February to withhold permits for the matches unless FIFA or the owner of the Patriots committed to paying $7.8 million in security costs ahead of time. Foxborough ultimately approved the permits after local World Cup organizers agreed to pay the bill in advance.

“At this point, I think a lot of people are looking at Chicago and thinking they were the smart ones,” Rothenberg said. “They looked at the terms of the agreement and said, ‘No, thanks.’ I don’t think anybody in the 11 host cities thought it would be as tough as it seems to be.”


- Houston was pushed to the brink with March's tourism stress test. Are we ready for the World Cup?

- Visit Houston.

- Houston tourism had a record-breaking 2024. Here's how many people visited last year.

- Why I have a hard time recommending Houston to tourists.

Why do lawsuits use the phrase "an individual?"

From AI Overview:


Lawsuits and legal documents use the phrase "an individual" to distinguish a specific human being from a business entity, corporation, or organization.

Here is how the phrase is commonly used:

- Distinguishing People from Entities: Civil litigation involves disputes between parties, which can be people ("individuals") or organizations. Using "an individual" specifies that the party is a person, not a company.

- Naming Defendants in Small Claims: When filing a lawsuit, you must accurately name the defendant. If you are suing a person, you are "[suing an individual]".

- Service of Process: Under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 4, special rules apply for serving papers on "an individual" compared to a corporation, partnership, or government agency.

- Civil Rights Claims: Under 42 U.S.C. §1983, a person can sue someone acting "under color of law" for violating their constitutional rights. This applies to individual actors (like police officers or state employees), rather than the state itself.

- Litigant Capacity: Legal rules often refer to "an individual who is not acting in a representative capacity" to define their capability to sue or be sued.

- Pro Se Parties: In court documents, an individual representing themselves without an attorney is known as a "[pro se litigant]".

Key Definition:

An individual must generally be at least 18 years old. If the person is under 18, they are considered a minor, which requires specific legal procedures, such as naming a parent or guardian.


For more: 

- Small Claims Cases.

- The Legal Process In The United States: A Civil Case.

- Class Action Lawsuits: An Introduction.

- Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

The complaints listed in ELON MUSK, an individual, Plaintiff, v. SAMUEL ALTMAN, an individual.

1. PROMISSORY FRAUD

2. CONSTRUCTIVE FRAUD

3. AIDING AND ABETTING FRAUD

4. VIOLATIONS OF FEDERAL CIVIL RICO, 18 U.S.C. § 1962(C)

5. CONSPIRACY TO VIOLATE FEDERAL CIVIL RICO, 18 U.S.C. § 1962(D)

6. BREACH OF EXPRESS CONTRACT

7. BREACH OF IMPLIED-IN-FACT CONTRACT

8. BREACH OF IMPLIED COVENANT OF GOOD FAITH AND FAIR DEALING

9. BREACH OF QUASI-CONTRACT/UNJUST ENRICHMENT

10. FALSE ADVERTISING UNDER THE LANHAM ACT, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(A)(1)(B)

11. UNFAIR COMPETITION UNDER CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §§ 17200 et seq.

12. FALSE ADVERTISING UNDER CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §§ 17500 et seq.

13. AIDING AND ABETTING BREACH OF FIDUCIARY DUTY

14. TORTIOUS INTERFERENCE WITH CONTRACT

15. DECLARATORY RELIEF DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California: ELON MUSK, an individual, Plaintiff, v. SAMUEL ALTMAN, an individual, et al

Here is the lawsuit filed by Musk against Altman.

- Click here for it.  

For more: 

- District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

- Elon Musk Sues OpenAI and Sam Altman for Violating the Company’s Principles.

- Et Tu, Brute? What Elon Musk’s Clash With Sam Altman Is Really About.

- Ego, Fear and Money: How the A.I. Fuse Was Lit.

- Takeaways from day 1 of the Elon Musk and Sam Altman trial.

From the Houston CHronicle: Here are the PACs spending big on Texas statewide and legislative elections

 - Click here for the article. 

It lists the top 42 PACs involved in the campaign so far.

Hearst Newspapers analyzed Texas Ethics Commission data from this cycle to find out which general-purpose PACs spent the most on statewide and legislative races.

Our analysis shows a relatively small circle of political action committees pouring tens of millions of dollars into state races, from the state House in Austin to the governor's mansion. Their donations shape primaries, propping up incumbents or trying to remake the ideological makeup of the Capitol. In the fall, they'll have significant influence on the partisan balance of the state Legislature.

The data reflects political spending so far this election cycle, from Jan. 1, 2025 and April 20, 2026. To get the best idea of how the money is shaping individual races, we excluded dollars that committees spent on overhead and investments, which can total as much as $15 million for groups like Texans for Lawsuit Reform. We included spending on political activities like advertising, consulting, events and campaign contributions.

Biometric Identifiers

- DHS: Biometrics.

- What is a biometric identifier?

- How can biometric identifiers be abused?

- What biometric privacy statutes exists in Texas?

From ScotusBlog: Digital location data heads back to the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday on "geofence warranting." 

- Click here for the article.

On Monday, April 27, the Supreme Court will hear Chatrie v. United States, a case about police access to geofence data, a digital record of a person’s location. This case could serve as a landmark intervention in Fourth Amendment doctrine in the digital age – or a more limited adjustment of those rules. The court could also greenlight or restrain “reverse” searches, a key investigative tactic of the digital age. Either way, this is the most important case on digital privacy the court has heard in years.

The Supreme Court last weighed in on the digital Fourth Amendment in 2017. In Carpenter v. United States, the court addressed whether the police had to get a warrant before accessing a certain kind of digital location data, cell-site location information. Cell phones generate CSLI anytime they are on by scanning for the nearest cell tower with strong service. When a cell phone connects to a tower, that tower then records that connection in CSLI logs. A phone’s location can be tracked across time and space by reviewing those logs.

Writing for a 5-4 majority, Chief Justice John Roberts’ Carpenter opinion held that the police must get a warrant before reviewing seven or more days of CSLI for a person’s phone. According to the court, reviewing that amount of location data without a warrant violates a person’s “reasonable expectation of privacy,” which is the legal threshold the court uses to determine whether constitutional protections kick in. The court also enumerated several factors that can be used to measure one’s reasonable expectations of privacy, such as how much the data reveals about a person, the amount of data gathered, and whether the user voluntarily generated the data.

Although Carpenter expanded Fourth Amendment protections for digital location, lower courts have spent the last decade contending with its boundaries.

Among these unsettled questions is whether police need a warrant to access geofence data, another kind of digital location data. Geofence data generally refers to location information collected by cellphone apps. If you have encountered a prompt on your phone that asks you whether you’d like to allow an app to use your location, you’re likely generating the kind of data at issue in Chatrie. Chatrie specifically involved data generated by a Google service called Location History. In Google’s case, this location information was created by combining information from cell towers but also on GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth signals.

In Carpenter, police sought location information about a particular suspect. But the geofence data in Chatrie is useful in a different situation – when the police have no suspect identified. Police can request information from a private company holding app location data for a list of users at a certain location during a certain timeframe to generate leads.

For more: 

- What is a geofence?

- What is a geofence warrant?

- Oyez: Chatrie v. United States.

- ScotusBlog: Chatrie v. United States.

From the Texas Legislature Online: HB 149 Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act

- Click here for it.  

How to Get to Texas State Rep Jeffrey Barry's Pearland office from Robert Turner High School

 

- Provide a timeline of the development of artificial intelligence. 

- Provide a timeline of the controversies associated with artificial intelligence.

- What U.S. government agencies have funded or otherwise promoted the evolution of artificial intelligence?

- What impact has the judiciary had on artificial intelligence?

From the Houston Chronicle: Exclusive: The Texas agency meant to protect the bereaved imploded spectacularly. This is the autopsy.

- Click here for the article. 

Just about as long as people have been dying, regulators have been chasing the hustlers who profit off grief.

One of the first laws regulating the death care industry was passed before the American colonies declared independence, attempting to cap exorbitant funeral costs that impoverished families in Massachusetts. Embalming took off a century later, when Civil War soldiers died far from home and families wanted to bury them close. Embalmers advertised their services in the camps, sometimes even displaying bodies as a testament to their skills. The War Department, fed up with the price gouging and the grisly sales pitches, eventually demanded embalmers get a license to work on dead soldiers and ushered in the modern era of death care regulation in this country.

Texas established its own State Board of Embalmers in 1903. Decades later, that board evolved into the Texas Funeral Service Commission, mandated to license practitioners and facilities, inspect establishments and protect consumers from death care industry abuses like unlicensed funeral practitioners and price gouging and improper handling of bodies. The current version of the funeral commission has seven members, all appointed by the governor, a mix of industry insiders and people with jobs unrelated to death.

The governor’s office did not respond to a list of specific questions for this story. Andrew Mahaleris, the governor’s press secretary, provided an emailed statement: "The Texas Funeral Service Commission exists to protect consumers and uphold high standards in the funeral industry. The Governor expects all state agencies to operate with the highest standards and focus on their core mission of safeguarding Texans."

The commissioners handle high-level tasks, decided by a majority vote in public meetings. They set priorities, conduct agency performance reviews, deal with litigation, and hire and fire the executive director — who runs day-to-day operations. (The commissioners did not respond to a list of written questions or follow-up phone calls. One commissioner, Eric Opiela, when reached by phone, said the commissioners had been instructed not to comment due to pending litigation.)

Nearly a century after the commission’s creation, state auditors were already documenting serious failures. A 1995 report from the Texas auditor’s office slammed it for inadequate licensing procedures, shoddy inspections and failing to monitor repeat offenders; a follow-up two years later noted the same “significant weaknesses” as a result of “inadequate agency management and lack of oversight by the Commissioners.”

Legislators weighed abolishing the funeral commission entirely. In 2003, after a two-year probationary period, legislators allowed it to live on with the expectation that it would continue to improve.

But 20 years later, reports show almost identical problems plaguing the commission’s current operations. Staff turnover is still high; several documents requesting more funding from lawmakers note that salaries aren’t competitive enough to attract people to live in the increasingly expensive state capital. A March 2023 state audit found the agency miscoded its accounting and left cash and checks unsecured. Four former employees — including one who was fired — were able to access the agency’s internal network after leaving, and it was impossible to determine whether they’d downloaded, edited or deleted any files.

The audit confirmed documentation was missing or incomplete. The agency stopped tracking complaints entirely for three months beginning in August 2022 and, after its entire enforcement staff left, did not conduct investigations until a new person was hired that November. (Auditors found 39 unreviewed complaints but noted that there was no way of knowing how many more had been lost.) By the time the agency prepared its performance measure report for the 2023 fiscal year, complaint resolution time had climbed to nearly eight months.

The same month the audit was published, Texas legislators mulled whether to give the agency the additional, massive task of regulating the donation of body parts for research or educational purposes. Several former funeral commission staffers were so dismayed at the prospect of the beleaguered agency taking on more high-stakes work that they submitted comments to lawmakers.

“It is my experience that TFSC is woefully understaffed, overwhelmed, and inefficient,” the agency’s former attorney wrote. “It cannot handle its current duties, much less any additional ones.”

A former executive director noted that, at the time, the funeral commission had a single inspector overseeing all 1,500-plus licensed funeral homes in Texas. They were meant to have an average of 26 open consumer complaints per quarter; they actually averaged 150.

In sum, he said: “They are not protecting the citizens of Texas from deceptive funeral practitioners.”

Another former staffer wrote that the agency “lacks the staffing, the training and the funds to perform even the most rudimentary of duties and responsibilities with regard to … deceased persons.”

The legislators voted to give the agency oversight of the body donation program anyway.


- Texas Funeral Service Commission.

- FAQ about the Texas Funeral Service Commission and Defending Your Funeral Director License.

- Texas Funeral Directors Association.

- Texas Sunset Advisory Commission: Texas Funeral Service Commission.

 

Dear ChatGPT: What are the biggest conflicts between the Texas government and local governments in Texas?

 - Click here for the answer.

The biggest conflicts between the Texas state government and its local governments (cities, counties, school districts, and special districts) usually revolve around who has ultimate authority—a tension between Texas’ tradition of local control and the Legislature’s increasing use of state preemption.

Below is a structured breakdown of the major conflict areas (roughly 2015–2026, with emphasis on recent fights) and how they play out in Texas.

1) State Preemption vs. Local Control (“Death Star” law and beyond)

2) Immigration & Border Enforcement

3) Policing & “Defunding” Restrictions

4) Property Taxes & Local Revenue Limits

5) Election Administration

6) Pandemic & Public Health Authority

7) Energy & Environmental Regulation

8) School Governance & State Intervention

9) Local Prosecutors vs. State Authority

10) Transportation & Infrastructure Control (Houston-specific angle)

Dear ChatGPT: What are the biggest conflicts between the national and state governments?

- What are the biggest conflicts between the national and state governments?

Conflicts between national (federal) and state governments are built into the structure of U.S. federalism. They tend to flare up whenever states push against federal authority—or when the federal government expands into areas states see as their domain. Here are the major, recurring conflict zones, with key doctrines and examples.

1. Federal Supremacy vs. State Sovereignty

2. Commerce Power vs. State Regulation

3. Civil Rights Enforcement

4. Spending Power & Conditional Funding

5. Anti-Commandeering Doctrine

6. Immigration Enforcement

7. Public Health & Emergency Powers

8. Environmental & Energy Policy

9. Criminal Law & Drug Policy

10. Elections & Voting Regulation

Big Picture: Three Structural Patterns

Across all these areas, the same three types of conflict recur:

1. Preemption Conflicts
- Federal law overrides state law

2. Commandeering Conflicts
- Federal government tries to use states to implement policy

3. Coercion via Spending
- Federal government pressures states with funding

Questions from the 2305 essay assignment

For review in class

What is regulatory policy?

What are the arguments for and against regulations?

How are regulations created and enforced? What authorizes them?

What are examples of regulations?

Whose interests are served by regulations?

What issues have been raised regarding the impact of artificial intelligence?

What debates exist regarding how artificial intelligence should be regulated? Should it be regulated at all?

From CRS: Regulating Artificial Intelligence: U.S. and International Approaches and Considerations for Congress

- Click here for the paper. 

Summary:

Artificial intelligence (AI) presents many potential benefits and challenges in the private and public sectors. No federal legislation establishing broad regulatory authorities for the development or use of AI or prohibitions on AI has been enacted. Recent Congresses have passed primarily more targeted AI provisions. Different Administrations have focused their attention on federal engagement in AI, albeit with somewhat different emphases on specific topics. The focus on AI safety under the Biden Administration appears to be shifting toward security concerns during the second Trump Administration. Stakeholders in the United States have debated how to approach AI innovation and regulation in order to harness the opportunities of AI technologies, such as enhanced government operations and worker efficiency, while minimizing potential problems, such as bias and inaccuracies in AI-generated output.

- ChatGPT: Provide a history of the regulation of artificial intelligence.

I. Foundations: Pre-AI Regulation (1940s–1970s)

II. Algorithmic Awareness & Soft Law (1980s–2000s)

III. Big Data & Early AI Governance (2010–2016)

IV. Ethical AI & Principles Era (2016–2020)

V. Hard Law Emerges (2020–2023)

VI. Generative AI Shock & Rapid Regulation (2023–Present)

VII. Emerging Regulatory Themes (2025– )

AI regulation did not emerge as a single legal field. Instead, it is a convergence of:

- Privacy law
- Administrative law
- Consumer protection
- Civil rights law
- National security law
- Competition policy

What’s new is that governments are now treating AI as infrastructure-level power—similar to electricity, finance, or telecommunications.

- Fully describe the function and organization of the Texas Bond Review Board.

- Website: The Texas Bond Review Board.

- Fully describe the function and organization of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

- Website: The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

- Fully describe the function and organization of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

- Website: the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

- Is there a relationship between the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and the Texas Workforce Commission?

- What political forces suppported the creation of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas?

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/04/23/gas-prices-lowest-highest-by-state/

 

Regarding Energy Policy

- What is energy policy?

- What are the controversies over energy policy?

- Describe the energy policy of the United States.

- Describe the energy policy of Texas.

- Describe the energy policy of the Houston area.

From dezeen: Five Texas cities "catalyzing" urban development with convention centres

A look at one aspect of economic development in Texas' largest cities.

- Click here for the article. 

Nearly $9 billion of convention centre design and construction is currently underway in Texas's five biggest cities. Local writer Kate Mazade asks experts about the phenomenon and dives into the plans for each city.

From tactical renovations and expansions to complete demolitions and rebuilds, the Lone Star State is exploring how once-hermetic buildings that disrupt the urban environment can look outward to create connections through it.

Michael Lockwood, senior principal at Populous, who is overseeing convention centre projects in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, called the resurgence of convention centre construction in Texas a "perfect storm of conditions" driven by changing state laws and a comeback for in-person business meetings.

Modifications of state legislation have allowed municipalities to tap into additional funding for renovations, expansions and rebuilds for convention centres.

In 2023, Texas Senate Bill 1057 paved the way for municipalities to allocate hotel occupancy tax revenue from a three-mile radius surrounding convention centres for maintenance and new building projects on those sites.

Teeming with business once again, Texas cities are looking for updated convention centre facilities that cater to programmatic flexibility and urban porosity.

- History for 88(R) SB 1057 by Whitmire.

- Houston First Corporation.

- What is Houston First Corporation?

Dear ChatGPT:

- What is Orbanism?

- Has Orbanism been a model for political movement in the United States?

Dear ChatGPT:

- What is the Port of Houston Authority? 

The Port of Houston Authority—formally known today as the Port of Houston Authority (often branded simply as “Port Houston”)—is a local government entity that owns, operates, and manages public port facilities along the Houston Ship Channel in and around Houston. It is not the entire port itself, but rather the public authority that runs major terminals and infrastructure within the broader Port of Houston complex (which also includes many private terminals).


- What is the Harris County Sports Authority?

The Harris County–Houston Sports Authority (HCHSA) is a government-created agency that manages major sports facilities and promotes the Houston area as a destination for big sporting events.


- What is a Seperate Government Authority?

A “separate government authority” (often called a public authority, special district, or quasi-governmental entity) is an organization created by law to carry out a specific public function outside the regular structure of state or local government—but still exercising government-like powers.

From the New York Times: Supreme Court Appears to Back F.C.C. Fines Against Cellphone Carriers

The 7th Amendment is in the news.

- Click here for the article. 

The Supreme Court on Tuesday grappled with a challenge to one of the primary ways the Federal Communications Commission enforces rules that protect consumer privacy, combat robocalls and regulate broadcasting.

In recent years, the agency has imposed millions of dollars in penalties against two major cellphone carriers, Verizon and AT&T, to punish the companies for what it says is their failure to protect customer data. The companies contend that those fines have violated their rights because they were assessed without the companies facing a trial in front of a jury.

After more than an hour of arguments on Tuesday, a majority of justices seemed inclined to side with the Trump administration in finding that the companies’ Seventh Amendment rights were not violated because while the F.C.C. imposed the fines, the companies had an ability to challenge them by refusing to pay and then proceeding to a jury trial in federal court.

If a company refuses to pay, the Justice Department can then file a lawsuit against it, which would then be considered by a jury.

From the New York Times: Federal Appeals Court Upholds Texas Ten Commandments Law

- Click here for the article. 

A federal appeals court on Tuesday narrowly upheld a Texas law that requires public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

By 9-to-8, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the law does not violate the separation of church and state, reversing two lower court decisions. The court also ruled the measure does not restrict parents’ right to direct their children’s religious upbringing.

“Students are neither catechized on the Commandments nor taught to adopt them,” the ruling said. “Nor are teachers commanded to proselytize students who ask about the displays or contradict students who disagree with them.”

Since Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a law in 2025 mandating the religious displays, families of various faith backgrounds have challenged it, arguing that the law amounted to state endorsement of religion. The law was passed amid a broader conservative push to infuse Christianity into public schools, and several other Republican-led states have passed similar laws.

The organizations representing the 15 Texas families who filed the lawsuit said in a statement that they were disappointed in the decision and planned to ask the Supreme Court to reverse it.

The Texas law mandates the displays in a “conspicuous” location in each classroom on a typeface visible from anywhere in the room. The posters must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall and must include the text of a particular version of the Ten Commandments. Schools are not required to purchase the posters, but they must accept donations of them.

In separate rulings last year, two federal judges in the state sided with the challengers, saying the law likely violated the First Amendment. Those rulings effectively blocked the law’s enforcement across 24 Texas school districts, including in Houston and Austin.

But the attorney general, Ken Paxton, had encouraged school districts that had not been blocked to hang the Ten Commandments posters, threatening legal action against those that did not comply.

- Click here for the case.

- Fifth Circuit OKs Texas Ten Commandments Classroom Law.

- The Ten Commandments return to federal court.

- From the TLO: History for 89(R) SB 10 by King.

- What religions were developed in the United States?

Regarding Natural Resources Policy in Texas

 

- Fiscal Size-Up.

- Outlne the history of the Texas General Land Office.

- Outline the history of the Texas Veterans Land Board.

- What are the major debates regarding natural resources policy on Texas?

- What interest groups are most actively involved in influencing natural resources policy in Texas?

From the New York Times: Fed Chair Nominee Asserts at Hearing He Won’t Do Trump’s Bidding

- Click here for the article.

Kevin M. Warsh, President Trump’s nominee for Federal Reserve chair, told senators at his confirmation hearing that the president had not asked him for any commitments. Democrats pressed him on his independence and details of his financial assets.

Kevin M. Warsh, President Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve, asserted repeatedly at a combative confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he would not cut interest rates simply because President Trump wanted him to, pledging to be “strictly independent” if confirmed for one of the world’s most powerful economic positions.

In sometimes testy exchanges before the Senate Banking Committee, Mr. Warsh, 56, sought to dispel doubts around his credibility, saying Mr. Trump had “never asked me to predetermine, commit, fix, decide on any interest rate decision in any of our discussions, nor would I ever agree to do so.”

For Warsh, the next immediate step is a set of written questions from lawmakers, for which responses appear to be due by Thursday. The quick turnaround suggests that the Senate Banking Committee is trying to move quickly to hold a vote on his nomination. If the committee approves his nomination, he will then need to be considered by the full Senate.

Regardless of the timeline, the road ahead has not changed much for Warsh. At least one Republican on the committee, Mr. Tillis, wants to see the Justice Department investigation into Powell closed before he supports any Fed nominee. And the Trump administration, so far, has shown no sign of backing down.

For more: 

- What is a central bank?

- History of the Federal Reserve.

- Describe the backgrounds of the people who have been Chair of the Federal Reserve.

- Monetary policy of the United States.

- Describe the monetary policy of the United States.

- Should the Federal Reserve be independent of the president? If so, how independent?

- What influence does the Senate Banking Committee have over the Federal Reserve?

From Esri: From California to Florida, Maps Help I-10 Cities Solve Common Problems

- Click here for the article.

 

This is a small, authentic post about something I enjoy

 

On this Day in History - 4.20.1653: Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament.

An example of the military preventing members from attending a legislative session.

It helped lead to Charles II's execution.

 From Wikipedia: Rump Parliament.

Random Items - 4.20.2026

- The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court.

- TXDOT 99 Grand Parkway Project.

- SH 99 Grand Parkway Segment B-1 Design-Build - request for qualifications (RFQ).

- Map.

- Does Pearland, Texas have a bus system?

- Low-producing oil wells linger for years, causing headaches for Texas landowners.

- Cryptocurrency industry is on track to surpass 2024 spending on Texas midterm races.

- Stand With Crypto.

- Computer numerical control.

Regarding Transportation Policy

- What are the controversies over transportation policy in the United States?

- What different functions are served by the national, state, and local governments regarding transportation policy?

- Outline statewide transportation policy in Texas.

- Detail the transportation funding stream between the national, state, and local governments?

Regarding Business and Economic Development Policy in Texas

- What controversies surround Business and Economic policy in Texas?

- What are the major agencies involved in business and economic developement in Texas?

- Describe the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

- Describe the Texas Workforce Commission.

- Describe the relationship between Alvin Community College and the Texas Workforce Commission.

From the Washington Post: Students are speeding through their online degrees in weeks, alarming educators

 - Click here for the article.

It takes most college students at least four years to earn a bachelor’s degree. Christie Williams finished in three months.

The North Carolina human resources executive spent two months racking up credits through web tutorials after work in 2024, then raced through 11 online classes at the University of Maine at Presque Isle in four weeks. Later that year, she went back to earn her master’s — in just five weeks. The two degrees cost a total of just over $4,000.

Since then, she has coached a thousand other students on how to speed through the state college, shaving off years and thousands of dollars from the usual cost of a degree.

“Why wouldn’t you do that?” Williams asked. “It’s kind of a no-brainer if you know about it.”

Many U.S. schools have been experimenting with ways to speed up traditional college programs to reduce the burgeoning cost and help students move into the workforce faster. Some offer three-year bachelor’s programs, reducing the number of credits needed for a diploma by one quarter. Many more allow students to enroll in college classes while still in high school.

But the breakneck pace of the fastest online programs concerns some academics, who say there is a big difference in what students can learn in weeks or months compared with three or more years.

Ask ChatGPT: Which lobbyists write the most legislation?

- Click here for the full response.

Short answer: no lobbyist literally “writes the most legislation” in a formal sense—only legislators introduce bills—but in practice, a relatively small set of large organizations, trade associations, and elite law/lobbying firms are responsible for drafting a significant share of bill language that lawmakers use.

Here’s how it actually works and who tends to dominate:

1) The biggest de facto bill drafters: model-legislation networks

These groups don’t pass laws—but they write templates that get reused across states.
- American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
- Council of State Governments

These organizations matter because: One draft → copied into dozens of states
This creates the highest-volume “legislation writing” effect

2) Industry trade associations (major hidden drafters)

These groups often provide fully written bill text to legislators.
- American Petroleum Institute (energy regulation, environmental rules)
- Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (drug pricing, liability, patents)
- National Association of Realtors (property tax, zoning, mortgage policy)
- National Rifle Association (firearms law)

What they do:Draft bill language aligned with industry goals
Provide it directly to friendly legislators
Supply talking points + amendments + regulatory text

In Texas specifically:
Energy firms (especially tied to the Texas Railroad Commission orbit)
Real estate and development groups
Business associations like
Texas Association of Business are frequent drafters or co-drafters of legislation

3) Large law firms and contract lobbyists

These actors often do the technical drafting work.

Typical players:
- Major DC firms (e.g., Akin Gump, Brownstein Hyatt)
- State-level power firms (in Texas: firms connected to Austin lobbying networks)

What they contribute:
- Highly detailed statutory language
- Regulatory compliance frameworks

Amendments tailored to survive legal scrutiny

These are often the closest thing to “professional bill writers”

4) Corporations (especially in tech, finance, and energy)

Large firms increasingly draft legislation directly, especially in complex areas.

Examples:
Tech companies → privacy, AI, platform regulation
Banks → financial regulation language
Energy firms → grid, environmental, and tax provisions

They often: Draft internally
Route text through trade associations or lobbyists
Provide it to legislators nearly “ready to file”

5) Advocacy and nonprofit groups

Not just corporations—advocacy groups also draft heavily:American Civil Liberties Union (civil liberties, voting rights)
- Heritage Foundation (policy templates)
- Center for American Progress (progressive policy drafting)

These groups:
- Write ideological model legislation
- Feed it to aligned lawmakers

For UH Test 3

A few suggestions: 

- Presidential Removal Powers.

- Myers v. United States.

- The Major Questions Doctrine.

- Humphrey's Executor v. United States.

- Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

- Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act

- Federal Reserve Act

- Administrative Procedure Act

- Regulating financial markets

From the Houston Chronicle: Texas school takeover tracker

- Click here for the article.  

A 2015 law expanded the Texas Education Agency’s authority, and since then, the agency has taken over multiple school districts for poor academic performance.

The TEA announced it would take over four more this year, doubling the number of districts currently under a state takeover to eight. School districts face potential state intervention if one of their schools receives five straight failing ratings in the state’s annual A-F system.

In a state takeover, as with Houston ISD, the TEA appoints a new superintendent and a board of managers, who often implement reforms to curriculum, teaching and programs to improve student performance. Here’s which school districts are currently under state-appointed leadership or at risk of a takeover in the future.

Dear ChatGPT: What 2015 law expanded the Texas Education Agency’s authority over ISDs?

- HB 1842 (84R)

From the Texas Tribune: Texas to launch a statewide food truck permit on July 1

- Click here for the article. 

Eloisa Schessler and her husband started Eloisa’s Kitchen Food Truck in Dallas to help their daughter. Their daughter had suffered a head injury, and had become a shell of her former self. They worked diligently to create a small business where their daughter not only serves as the sous chef, but she also is responsible for the entire creative design of the truck. Slowly, they started to see their daughter revert back to her former self.

But government red-tape is preventing her food truck and others from growing. The family wants to travel to other cities to serve their food, but each city requires them to apply for a permit, which is not only very costly, but requires the family to take the day off of work to do another city’s inspection.

. . . But House Bill 2844, which passed last year and goes into effect July 1, could relieve the Schessler family and the statewide food truck industry from some of the financial pressure.

The new state law outlines that the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) will create a statewide operating permit that will apply to any food truck in Texas. Currently, food truck owners must pay each city’s permitting fees to operate there, which can cost several hundreds of dollars per jurisdiction, even though inspection requirements are largely the same across cities and counties. Consequently, food truck owners have said they feel discouraged from traveling to other places to sell their food, suppressing their business growth.

. . . Some cities oppose the new statewide license because without their authority, both cities and counties fear they may lose control of how their mobile food trucks operate in their locations. Local governmental entities control where and when the food trucks operate in their jurisdiction, but they won’t be able to collect permit and inspection fees anymore.

- House Bill 2844

Regarding U.S. Defense Policy

- Describe the defense policy of the United States.

- Describe the range of agencies involved in U.S. defense policy.

- Describe the stages in the development of U.S. defense policy and in the institutions that implement it.

- Describe the process for funding U.S. defense.

- Describe the growth in spending on defense in the U.S.

HHS Financing

 

Regarding State Health and Human Services Policy in Texas

- What controversies surround Health and Human Services policy in Texas?

- Describe the administrative structure of HHS in Texas.

- Describe the administrative structure of all health and welfare services in Texas.

- Detail how health and human services in Texas are funded. Include intergovernmental tranfers.

- How does the public and private sector interact in health and human services policy?

 

Regarding State Education Policy

- What controversies surround K-12 education in Texas?

- Describe the content of Senate Bill 2 (SB 2) passed inthe 89th session of the Texas Legislature.

- Outline the strategy used to pass private school vouchers in Texas.

- Detail how public schools in Texas are funded. Include intergovernmental tranfers.

- What impact does the U.S. Department of Education play in state education policy?

New Items - 4.15.2026

- Texas’ GOP attorney general candidates want to challenge decades-old Supreme Court rulings.

- Judge rules to temporarily block Texas’ smokeable hemp ban.

- Texas Tech law student sues to block discipline related to Charlie Kirk comments.

- Judge temporarily reinstates women, minority-owned businesses into Texas HUB program.

- Houston to consider repealing ordinance limiting its ICE cooperation amid state funding threat, investigation.

- Tesla’s Gigafactory water use surges in Austin as new chip plant looms.

Regarding National Policy on Commerce, Justice, and Science

House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

- Outline the key disputes over commerce policy on the national level.

- Outline the key disputes over justice policy on the national level.

- Outline the key disputes over science policy on the national level.

Regarding National Agriculture Policy

House Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies.

Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies.

- Outline the key disputes over agriculture policy on the national level. 

Random Items - 4.13.26

 - Cognitive Warfare.

- What percentage of homeowners in Pearland live in a HOA?

- What is six degree of freedom control?

- What is the constitutional authority for NASA?

- Detail upcoming highway projected in Texas.

Introducing RealManage

In case you need help running a Home Owners Association.

- Click here for it.

Maximize The Value of Your Community With Our Top-rated HOA Management Services

RealManage is a tech-enabled service delivery company that partners with community association boards to enhance the value of their community by improving communications with the board and residents, providing transparency in financials and community management, and driving operational efficiencies, so that board members can focus on realizing their full vision for the community.

By leveraging our comprehensive software platform, paired with our industry-best community managers and service delivery support teams, we increase community value and improve the resident experience. In essence, we help community association boards to run their communities like a business while acting like a neighbor.

__________

RealManage, founded in 2004, has grown over the past two decades into one of the nation’s leading community association management companies. The company’s journey is marked by strategic acquisitions, technological innovation, and a steadfast commitment to enhancing community value.

Timeline of Key Milestones:

2002: The concept for RealManage was developed, aiming to transform the community association management industry.

2004: RealManage officially launched with the acquisition of a successful property management company in Austin, Texas, establishing its initial presence in the industry.

2015: The company introduced GrandManors, a division dedicated to serving highly amenitized and lifestyle-focused communities, offering on-site staff and exclusive lifestyle services.

2017: RealManage expanded into Illinois by acquiring Rowell, Inc., a company with a rich history in managing condo and homeowner associations since 1973.

2019: The company entered the Southeast Florida market, marking its continued strategic investment in the region.

2022: RealManage made significant acquisitions, including Premier Community Management and Vision Community Management in Arizona, and Hammersmith® in Colorado, enhancing its national footprint and service capabilities.

2023: The company further expanded by acquiring Brown Community Management in Arizona and Walters Management in Southern California, reinforcing its position as a leading community management firm.

From the Institute for the Study of War: Iran Update Special Report, April 11, 2026

- Click here for the report.

Key Takeaways

1 - Iran and the United States have fundamentally different interpretations of the ongoing negotiations, which will generate friction. Iran seeks an all-encompassing agreement that will end the threat of war with the United States, while the United States seeks a much narrower agreement centered on the current war. The US delegation, led by US Vice President JD Vance and including US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, appears to be pursuing a narrow, issue-specific negotiation focused on de-escalatory mechanisms around the Strait of Hormuz, and reportedly secondary matters like detainees.

2 - Iran is using the existence of an unknown number of naval mines it laid in the Strait of Hormuz to force ships to use Iranian territorial waters to traverse the Strait, which enables Iran to shakedown these ships for fees while the ships are in Iranian territorial waters. This protection racket is illegal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Iran likely designed its threatening behavior and its shakedowns to disrupt the global economy, which Iran calculates will enable it to extract concessions from the United States. Iran warned merchant ships that mines could exist in a “hazardous area” that covers 1,394 sq km of the Strait, including the normal traffic separation scheme (shipping lanes) that ships use to transit the Strait.

3 - The current ceasefire will provide Iran an opportunity to reorganize its missile force and recover from the temporary disruption wrought to the missile force during constant US and Israeli operations. Consistent US and Israeli operations over Iran had suppressed Iran’s missile force by preventing Iran from digging out launchers, disrupting command-and-control, and creating pervasive fear in military units that made them unwilling or unable to conduct attacks, as ISW-CTP has previously assessed.

4 - Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei continues to recover from severe facial and leg injuries that he sustained in the February 28 strike on the supreme leader’s compound in Tehran Province. Three unspecified individuals close to Mojtaba’s inner circle told Reuters on April 11 that the strike disfigured Mojtaba’s face and injured one or both of his legs.

5 - The People’s Republic of China (PRC) may be helping Iran to reconstitute some of its degraded air defense capabilities during the current ceasefire. The PRC is preparing to deliver man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) to Iran within the coming weeks, according to three sources familiar with recent US intelligence assessments.

From YouTube: Boeing Starliner crew mission declared Type A mishap, most serious kind

An example of oversight.

And evaluation.

- Click here for it.

- Wikipedia: Commercial Crew Program.

- Wikipedia: NASA Authorization Act of 2005.

Random questions related to some tests

- What is a party line vote?

- What was the constitutional basis for the Homestead Act?

- What is the Public Purpose Doctrine?

From the New York Times: Orban, Beacon to the Right, Concedes Defeat in Hungary’s Election

 - Click here for the article.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, a lodestar for MAGA culture warriors and right-wing populists in Europe, conceded defeat on Sunday in a general election, breaking the momentum of a global nationalist revival promoted by President Trump.

In a surprisingly early and gracious concession speech in Budapest, Mr. Orban congratulated the opposition saying, “The responsibility and opportunity to govern were not given to us.” But, he also made a vow: “We are not giving up. Never, never, never.”

His defeat paves the way for Peter Magyar, a former Orban loyalist and the leader of the main opposition party, to take over as Hungary’s prime minister once the newly elected Parliament meets.

- Wikipedia: Parliamentary system.

- Wikipedia: Proportional representation.

- Wikipedia: 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election.

- Wikipedia: Authoritarianism.

- What is a MAGA culture warrior?

- What is a right-wing populist?

- What is liberal democracy?

In the news (4/9/2026) . . .

- Title 31 of the United States Code.

- Democratic vs. Republican Farm Bill Proposals: a Comparison.

- Ad hoc.

- 1970s energy crisis.

- Market (economics).

- How Iran’s Information War Machine Operates Online.

- Supreme Court remade by Trump ushers in historic defeats for civil rights.

- Inside the unbuilding of Trump's border wall.

- Cops vs. crypto clash looms in the Senate.

- Dan Patrick says Republicans will “have a tough time” holding Texas House majority in November.

U.S. Tax Code: Title 26 - Internal Revenue Code.

Texas Tax Code.

Regarding Tax Breaks

- Texas is giving data centers more than $1 billion in tax breaks each year.

Texas will lose out on at least $3.1 billion in sales tax revenue over the next two years thanks to an exemption for the state’s booming data center industry, according to the comptroller’s office.

That figure is likely a vast underestimate given the explosion of new facilities being built, but already makes the tax break one of the state’s costliest incentive programs and soon to be the most expensive of its kind in the nation.

Lawmakers, who will meet in January for the next legislative session, say they are considering proposals to either limit the scope of the tax break or get rid of it altogether.

. . . Lawmakers approved the tax break more than a decade ago, when data centers were smaller and required fewer resources. From 2014 to 2022, the exemption amounted to between $5 million and $30 million in lost state revenue per year. By 2023, that skyrocketed to more than $150 million, and this year Texas is forgoing at least $1.3 billion — a number that is rapidly increasing every year, based on state projections.

From ChatGPT: 

- What is a tax break? What types exist in Texas?

- What is the evidence that tax breaks actually create incentives for business development?

- What is the history of tax breaks in Texas? 

- What are the most significant tax breaks given to businesses in Texas by the state and local governments?

- What is the Texas Economic Development Act?

- Provide a history of the Texas Economic Development Act.

In the news 4/8/2026 . . .

- Turnout in Houston City Council's District C special election falls short of 6%.

- Grand jury declines to indict Harris County Treasurer Carla Wyatt in vehicle burglary case.

- Harris County treasurer’s criminal case heads to grand jury — behind closed doors.

- Inside Orlando Sanchez and Warren Howell's prep for the Harris County judge GOP runoff.

- Race for Houston's District C council seat headed to runoff between Panzarella, Hellyar.

- What are the downsides to the data center boom? The Texas Legislature aims to find out.

- Inside Annise Parker and Letitia Plummer's preparation for the Harris County judge runoff.