From the Washington Post: The quiet technocrat who steered Biden’s effort to tighten the border

We touch on power in this class and try to figure out where it is located. 

One possibility is that it is embedded within the decisions made by the members of the bureaucracy - that part of the executive branch that actually makes the law.

Relevant Terms: 
 - technocracy.

- Click here for the article.

The lead architect of President Joe Biden’s border strategy is not Vice President Kamala Harris, despite persistent Republican claims to the contrary. That role belongs to a bookish, little-known policy adviser named Blas Nuñez-Neto.

A data-driven technocrat, Nuñez-Neto has helped engineer Biden’s pivot toward tougher border enforcement and sweeping restrictions on asylum — moves that contributed to a nearly 80 percent drop in illegal crossings since December.

The transformation is shoring up one of Democrats’ biggest vulnerabilities ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election and potentially defusing a top-polling issue for Republican nominee Donald Trump. After three years of record crossings, the U.S.-Mexico border is quieter and more controlled today than at any point since late 2020, before Trump left office.

Nuñez-Neto pulled that off by steering the administration back to a border policy framework Democrats used to embrace more easily, according to current and former administration officials. The formula: Be generous and welcoming to immigrants seeking to come lawfully, but stingy and firm with those who don’t.

The White House declined to make Nuñez-Neto available for an interview. Biden officials said the administration’s border policy moves have been shaped by senior White House officials and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whom Nuñez-Neto worked for before being promoted to the White House in June.

In a statement, White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said Biden “believes it is a false choice to say we have to walk away from being an America that embraces immigration in order to secure our border.”

Seen on the wall at my local veterinarian office: Licenses

Seen after I picked up my cat after having him neutered (sorry bud).

- I took him(?) here.

You have to earn one of these from the state of Texas in order to ply your trade.

For more info: 

- Website: Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.

- Meet the members of the board.

- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

For our look at the political differences between the two major parties:

There are many ways to measure it. This is just one of them.

 https://youtu.be/LxiHj-ETMq4?si=93ko_qkCs-ehyoNA

Items for 8/29/24

- Congress.gov.

- Telegram’s Pavel Durov built a haven for free speech — and child predators.

- How California Became a New Center of Political Corruption.

- FAA grounds SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket after Wednesday booster landing ends in flames.

From The Washington Post: She was accused of a crime for taking a ballot selfie. Now she’s suing.

For out look at the Bill of Rights and Free Speech and Press.

- Click here for the story.

Like many North Carolina residents, Susan Hogarth visited her local school in March to vote in the primary election.

After filling in the ovals next to the names of two Libertarian Party candidates, Hogarth held the ballot under her chin and took a photo of herself with her phone. She posted the selfie from the voting booth on X.

The next week, Hogarth received a letter from the North Carolina State Board of Elections that accused her of committing a misdemeanor, according to a new lawsuit.

North Carolina is one of several states that prohibit taking photos or videos of filled-in ballots. The state’s board of elections said ballot photos “could be used as proof of a vote for a candidate in a vote-buying scheme.”

The state board asked Hogarth to remove her selfie from X, according to a copy of a letter shared by Hogarth’s attorneys. Hogarth refused, and on Thursday she filed a lawsuit arguing that the state’s ban on ballot photos violates voters’ First Amendment rights.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, named members of North Carolina’s and Wake County’s boards of elections as defendants. Spokespeople for both boards declined to comment.

Hogarth voted on March 5 at Yates Mill Elementary School in Raleigh, where she entered a booth that was sectioned off on a table by a privacy screen. She filled in her votes for Libertarian Party presidential candidate Chase Oliver and Libertarian Mike Ross for the state’s governor.

Her selfie showed her ballot and a sign in the background that said photos were prohibited. She posted the selfie after leaving the polling place that morning, writing that she disagreed with the ban.

. . . Hogarth found that she wasn’t the only person to disagree with the regulations. Many states restrict what ballot photos are allowed and where they can be taken — an issue that came into the national spotlight in 2016 when singer Justin Timberlake removed a selfie of his Tennessee ballot from Instagram.

New Hampshire passed a law prohibiting ballot selfies in 2014, but two courts struck down the ban after calling it unconstitutional. California and Colorado began allowing ballot selfies in 2017 after reversing long-standing laws.

A federal judge in New York, meanwhile, refused to authorize ballot selfies in 2017, saying the absence of photos in polling places protects against fraud and prevents delays at the polls. Texas prohibits photographs within 100 feet of a polling station.

The U.S. Constitution: Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8

We had a brief talk in class about this section in the U.S. Constitution because one student expressed an interest in becoming a patent lawyer (I think that was the goal). 

The U.S. Constitution contains a clause concerning intellectual property rights. 

Here it is: 

Clause 8 Intellectual Property

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.

Here are a few readings related to that right: 

- ArtI.S8.C8.1 Overview of Congress's Power Over Intellectual Property

- ArtI.S8.C8.2 Historical Background

- ArtI.S8.C8.2.1 English Origins of Intellectual Property Law

- ArtI.S8.C8.2.2 Framing and Ratification of Intellectual Property Clause

- ArtI.S8.C8.3 Copyrights

- ArtI.S8.C8.3.1 Authorship, Writings, and Originality

- ArtI.S8.C8.3.2 Limited Times for Copyrights and the Progress of Science

- ArtI.S8.C8.3.3 Copyright and the First AmendmentArtI.S8.C8.4 Patents

- ArtI.S8.C8.4.1 Inventorship and Utility

- ArtI.S8.C8.4.2 Patent-Eligible Subject Matter

- ArtI.S8.C8.4.3 Constitutional Constraints on Congress's Power Over Granted Patents

- ArtI.S8.C8.5 Federal Power Over Trademarks

- ArtI.S8.C8.6 State Regulation of Intellectual Property

From NPR: Australia is the latest country to give workers the 'right to disconnect' after hours

We will discuss the unenumerated rights.

Might this be one? 

Would this be recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court?

- Click here for the article.


Millions of Australians just got official permission to ignore their bosses outside of working hours, thanks to a new law enshrining their "right to disconnect."

The law doesn't strictly prohibit employers from calling or messaging their workers after hours. But it does protect employees who "refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact or attempted contact outside their working hours, unless their refusal is unreasonable," according to the Fair Work Commission, Australia's workplace relations tribunal.

That includes outreach from their employer, as well as other people "if the contact or attempted contact is work-related."

The law, which passed in February, took effect on Monday for most workers and will apply to small businesses of fewer than 15 people starting in August 2025. It adds Australia to a growing list of countries aiming to protect workers' free time.

"It's really about trying to bring back some work-life balance and make sure that people aren't racking up hours of unpaid overtime for checking emails and responding to things at a time when they're not being paid," said Sen. Murray Watt, Australia's minister for employment and workplace relations.

The law doesn't give employees a complete pass, however.

The law says a person's refusal to respond will be considered unreasonable under certain conditions, taking into account the seniority of the employee, their personal circumstances (including caregiving responsibilities), the reason for the contact, and how much disruption it causes them.

For more: 

- Right to disconnect.

- Human Rights.

From NPR: RFK is unable to withdraw his name from ballots in some swing states

An independent presidential candidate has withdrawn from the race, but the ballots in some states have been set and can no longer be changed.

- Click here for the article.

After spending several months and millions of dollars overcoming onerous requirements to try to get on the ballot in all 50 states, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now facing new barriers to get off the ballot in some states.

Last Friday, Kennedy announced he was effectively ending his independent presidential campaign, encouraging his supporters to vote for him in noncompetitive states, but to support Republican Donald Trump in others.

“In about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler, I'm going to remove my name, and I've already started that process and urge voters not to vote for me,” Kennedy said.

But an NPR review finds it may not be possible for Kennedy to remove his name from ballots in the three of seven key swing states: Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

“Every state has different procedures and deadlines with regard to ballot access and withdrawal, but the later a withdrawal happens, the harder it is for a state to remove a name from a ballot,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research. “Some states have deadlines that have passed, and many states have already begun the process of printing ballots.”

Before his announcement, Kennedy's campaign said it had gathered enough signatures to appear on 47 ballots and officially gained access in 22 states.

From the New York Tines: Special Counsel Revises Trump Election Indictment to Address Immunity Ruling

This article illustrates a current conflict between the executive branch and the judicial branch.

- Click here for it.

Let's define a few terms in the title first: 

- Special Counsel.
- Indictment.
- Immunity.
- Trump Election Indictment.
- Immunity Ruling.   

From the article: 


Federal prosecutors on Tuesday issued a pared-down version of an indictment accusing former President Donald J. Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, stripping out some charges and tweaking others to help the case survive the Supreme Court’s recent ruling granting former presidents broad immunity.

The revised indictment, issued in Federal District Court in Washington, represented an attempt by prosecutors in the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, to preserve the bulk of their case against the former president while bringing the allegations into line with the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that former presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for many official acts taken while in office.

It kept the basic structure of the first indictment, issued nearly 13 months ago, which accused Mr. Trump of intersecting plots to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The thrust of the changes was to remove any discussion from the indictment of any allegations that might be construed as related to Mr. Trump’s official acts as president while also contending that others acts should be interpreted as the conduct of a private candidate for office.

The tone of the new charges was apparent from the first paragraph of Mr. Smith’s filing, which described Mr. Trump as “a candidate for president of the United States in 2020.” The original indictment had referred to him as “the 45th President of the United States and a candidate for re-election in 2020.”

From the Washington Post: Cellphone bans spread in schools amid growing mental health worries

A lot of public state level policies start small, and then spread quickly. 

This just might be the latest. 

Notice that this is framed as a mental health issue. This is meant to make these proposals seem more urgent.

- Click here for the story.

Students returning to school in a growing number of states and districts are facing tight restrictions and outright bans on cellphone use as evidence mounts of the damaging impact persistent connection to the internet has on teenagers.

In Los Angeles, the second-largest district in the country, the school board voted in June to ban cellphone use. In Clark County, Nev., the district will require students in middle and high schools to store phones in pouches during the day, starting this fall. Several states — including Indiana, Louisiana, South Carolina and Florida — have enacted legislation limiting cellphone access during the school year. And governors in at least three other states, including Virginia, have called on schools to restrict or ban the devices. Other states have provided funding to support restrictive policies.

Of the nation’s 20 largest school districts, at least seven forbid use of cellphones during the school day or plan to do so, while at least another seven impose significant restrictions, such as barring use during class time but permitting phones during lunch or when students are between classes, according to a Washington Post review.

From the Houston Chronicle: Fort Bend ISD approves library book policy criticized as 'most restrictive' in Texas

Pearland and Turner High Schools are both in the Pearland Independent School District. I'm not sure what its policy is, might be worth a look.

Some of the language below is drawn from Supreme Court cases regarding the legality of obscenity. 


- Click here for the article.

The Fort Bend ISD board voted to approve a library book policy on Monday that critics have called the “most restrictive in the state of Texas.”

The board voted 5-2 to approve the policy that allows the superintendent to have sole authority to remove content from library shelves, meaning that the mandated library materials review committee will be optional going forward.

Critics, who turned out to oppose the vote, said this library policy could result in hundreds of books being taken off Fort Bend ISD library shelves.

. . . Most trustees said the policy was not meant to ban books but to remove explicit content from library shelves.

. . . the policy edited to address some of the community’s concerns, such as banning books that “stimulate sexual desire” among minors, a vague statement without directions as to how that would be decided.

The updated policy mandates that content must not “promote sexual activity among minors or contain graphic images or explicit descriptions of sex acts or simulations of such acts,” and does not describe what “simulations of sex acts” means.

The policy also stipulates that library books “foster growth in … aesthetic values and societal standards,” two terms that are not defined.

It also mandates that content not promote “unlawful” activity, such as illegal use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs by minors. The original policy proposed that content in elementary schools must not depict or describe nudity in a way that “appeals to prurient interest,” but it was amended to remove that sentence and then add a new sentence that read instead that no depictions of sexual activity promoted the touching of genitals among minors.

Prurient, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is defined as “arousing, or appealing to sexual desire.”

The policy was edited to add the term “or superintendent’s designee” in some areas to allow the superintendent to delegate the library materials tasks to someone else, which trustee David Hamilton said came in response to community feedback. Still, the policy as written does leave the authority with the superintendent to either make decisions himself or to choose whom to delegate those decisions to.

https://www.theleadernews.com/community/greater-heights-super-neighborhood-council-discusses-trees-boutique-hotel/article_afe0b0c0-63e5-11ef-9c0a-6bdbbdff37d7.html?

 https://www.axios.com/2024/08/23/kamala-harris-unrealized-capital-gains-tax

Comments?

 https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6889&context=faculty_scholarship

 

In the News - 8/25/24

Worth perusing: 


- Head of Latino Democratic group among those targeted by AG Ken Paxton's voter fraud raids.

Longtime Bexar County political consultant Manuel Medina was among a group of Latino Democrats whose homes were raided Tuesday as part of a voter fraud investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.


- Dozens of Sugar Land residents ask city leaders how proposed power plant would benefit them.

Sugar Land residents lined up last week demand more information from their mayor and other leaders on the city's plans to construct a natural gas power plant. Dozens of people who appeared at the New Territory Homeowners Association Wednesday raised concerns about the proposed plant's proximity to residential areas and its potential health impacts. Many of those in attendance said the decision to build a power plant should have been subject to a vote, giving them the opportunity to weigh in.


- Judge Blocks E.P.A. From Using Civil Rights Law in Pollution Case.

A federal court in Louisiana has dealt a serious blow to the Biden administration’s effort to protect communities heavily affected by toxic industrial pollution.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana ruled on Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency is barred from using the federal civil rights law to prevent Louisiana from granting permits for numerous polluting facilities in minority and low-income communities.

Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act allows the E.P.A. to investigate whether state programs that receive federal money are discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin.

But the judge’s ruling effectively means that the federal government is limited to taking action against specific agency decisions that are intentionally discriminatory. The E.P.A. cannot, however, consider cumulative or “disparate” environmental harms. That means the state cannot be held liable for actions like allowing several chemical plants, refineries and other industrial operations in minority communities.

Fall 2024: For GOVT 2305 - Are the Major Parties Realigning?

As you are probably aware, the United States has a two party system. Since the 1850s the two major parties have been the Democrats and the Republicans. Later in the semester we will discuss the factors that have led to - and maintain - a two party system.

Each is a coalition composed of various factions, which are groups that are driven by single issues, or a small amount of related issues. They can include labor, racial groups, business people, religious organizations, and many more. 

Scholars have noted that these factions sometimes shifts alliances. For a while one might align - for example - with the Democrats and then shift over to the Republicans. Shifts in the competitiveness of the two parties are generally the result of these shifts. When they occur significantly they can lead to a partisan realignment. 

Scholars tell us that there have been 6 such realignments over American history, they have also been on the lookout for a seventh. Indications exist that we have been witnessing such a shift since 2016. 

I want you to determine whether that is true, and whether the results of the 2024 elections are further evidence that this is happening. I'll need data to back up your argument.

Aside from reading the chapters on parties and elections early, you should get familiar with the following: 

- winner take all elections
- party coalitions
- party eras
- critical elections

That's just a start. I'll add more. 

Nuts and Bolts: 

- The 1000 word requirement is a minimum, not a maximum. You may write as much as you wish.
- Please use at least three references.
- You may use whatever format you wish.
- I don't use rubrics, so you are free to approach this as you wish, nut be professional.
- If you want an A, be excellent.     

Fall 2024: For GOVT 2306 - Is Texas Becoming a Swing State?

Since the 1990s Texas has been a reliably Republican state. While this isn't the case for local elections in the major metropolitan areas, it is very true for state-wide elections. No Democrat has won a statewide race since 1994. 

Demographic changes have made Texas more competitive however, at least on paper. Democrats have been hoping to take advantage of these shifts in order to turn Texas from being a red (Republican dominated) state to a purple state (where Republicans and Democrats are equally competitive), if not a blue state (where Democrats dominate).

However, other factors make this more difficult. Chief among them is the fact that Republican participation rates are higher than those of Democrats.

The Democrat's new presidential candidate is polling well in the state, which had led some to wonder if Texas will become a swing state - like Arizona among others. While we wont know until the 2024 election is over, we can look at data in order to see whether this is a possibility.

That's what I want you do find out in this exercise.

You might want to take an early look at some of the material in your textbook on parties and election in order to get a handle on the question. 

In addition, try to become more familiar with the following: 

- party identification
- voter turnout
- voter mobilization
- political culture

I'll add more a we proceed, but get going on this early.

The basics:

- The 1000 word requirement is a minimum, not a maximum. You may write as much as you wish.
- Please use at least three references.
- You may use whatever format you wish.
- I don't use rubrics, so you are free to approach this as you wish, nut be professional.
- If you want an A, be excellent.   

For our ongoing look at the judiciary, a few topical court cases

- Federal judge strikes down FTC rule banning noncompete agreements.

A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday struck down the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on noncompete agreements, finding that the agency exceeded its authority with a rule that would have voided contracts that bar workers from moving to rival employers.

In a 27-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown found that the FTC lacked the statutory authority to issue the rule, which would have taken effect Sept. 4. In reaching her decision, Brown wrote that the “FTC’s promulgation of the Rule is an unlawful agency action.”

- NFL scores huge victory in 'Sunday Ticket' case after judge overturns $4.7 billion verdict against league.

The NFL scored a huge victory in court on Thursday when U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez decided to overturn the $4.7 billion verdict against the league that was handed out back in June.

During a hearing on Wednesday in Los Angeles, the league asked the court to throw out the verdict, and after thinking things over for 24 hours, Gutierrez granted the league's wishes.

In his judgement that came out on Thursday, Gutierrez said that two expert witnesses who talked about the financial ramifications of 'Sunday Ticket' used "flawed methodologies."

"The court agrees that Dr. Rascher's and Dr. Zona's testimonies based on their flawed methodologies should be excluded," Gutierrez wrote. "And because there was no other support for the class-wide injury and damages elements of the plaintiffs' claims, judgement as a matter of law for the defendants is appropriate."

- Former staffer of Congressman Troy Nehls sues office, alleging homophobic work environment.

A gay former staffer of Houston area U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls has sued the congressman's office, alleging a homophobic workplace.

Alex Chadwell worked at Republican congressman's office from 2021-2023 as a legislative correspondent and field representative. Chadwell also worked on Nehls’ campaign in 2019, according to the lawsuit.

While Chadwell worked at the office, he alleges that he was subjected to offensive comments about being gay and gay people in general from Nehls, his chief of staff and special adviser, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Friday. Chadwell said he was told that the office would never support LGBTQ+ issues and that gay people shouldn’t be let into the military. Those colleagues also made offensive remarks, such as “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” and that gay people would all go to hell, according to the lawsuit.

- Supreme Court’s ‘shadow docket’ returns with a vengeance.

In coming days, the high court is expected to tackle short-fuse challenges to President Joe Biden’s latest effort to reduce student debt and to cut planet-warming pollution by limiting power plant emissions. And the court must decide whether Arizona, a presidential battleground, may require thousands of people to prove their US citizenship before voting this year. Also pending is a fight over Biden’s requirement that family planning clinics that receive federal public health funding provide referrals for abortions for patients who request it.

The court’s emergency docket – the “shadow docket,” to critics – is where the justices deal with questions that need resolution faster than the months it can take to submit briefs, hear oral arguments and draft formal opinions on its regular docket. The cases usually deal with the narrow question of what will happen as that underlying legal process plays out. But the orders can have significant and immediate real-world consequences.

For our look at judicial conflict between the governments of the states and the United States

- Interactive: Texas vs. the Federal Government.

- Multistate lawsuits against the federal government during the Biden administration.

- ArtIII.S2.C1.13.4 Suits Against the United States and Sovereign Immunity.

- STATE LITIGATION AND AG ACTIVITY DATABASE.

- When Can a State Sue the United States?

From the White House: Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event in Raleigh, NC

Vice President Kamala Harris laid out her economic proposals in a speech on August 16 given at a community college in North Carolina.

Let's walk through it and see what she says: 

- Click here for the transcript.

Here are some parts that we can analyze in class: 

- As attorney general in California, I went after companies that illegally increased prices, including wholesalers that inflated the price of prescription medication and companies that conspired with competitors to keep prices of electronics high. I won more than $1 billion for consumers. So, believe me, as president, I will go after the bad actors. And I will work to pass the first-ever federal ban on prou- — price gauging [gouging] on food. My plan will include new penalties for opportunistic companies that exploit crises and break the rules, and we will support smaller food businesses that are trying to play by the rules and get ahead.

- As president, I’ll attack and take on the issue of the cost of health care. As attorney general, I took on insurance companies and Big Pharma and got them to lower their prices. And together with President Biden, we’ve gone even further. We capped the price of insulin at $35 a month and the total cost — (applause) — and the total cost of prescription drugs at $2,000 a year for seniors. We let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices for seniors. And just yesterday — and just yesterday, we announced that we are lowering the price by up to 80 percent for 10 more lifesaving drugs. And I pledge to continue this progress. I’ll lower the cost of insulin and prescription drugs for everyone with your support, not only our seniors — (applause) — and demand transparency from the middlemen who operate between Big Pharma and the insurance companies, who use opaque practices to raise your drug prices and profit off your need for medicine. Two months ago, I announced that medical debt will no longer be used against your credit score. (Applause.) And I will work, as president, with states like here in North Carolina — Roy Cooper, thank you again — to cancel medical debt for more and more — millions more Americans.

- So, now, the housing market can be complicated, but, look, I’m not new to this issue. As state attorney general, I drafted and helped pass a homeowner bill of rights, one of the first in America. And during the foreclosure crisis, I took on the big banks for predatory lending with many of my colleagues, including Roy Cooper, and won $20 billion for California families when I was attorney general.

. . . As president, I will work in partnership with industry to build the housing we need, both to rent and to buy. We will take down barriers and cut red tape, including at the state and local levels. And by the end of my first term, we will end America’s housing shortage by building 3 million new homes and rentals that are affordable for the middle class, and we will do that together. We will do that together. And — and we will make sure those homes actually go to working- and middle-class Americans not just investors.

. . . Some corporate landlords collude with each other to set artificially high rental prices, often using algorithms and price-fixing software to do it. It’s anticompetitive, and it drives up costs. I will fight for a law that cracks down on these practices. We also know that as the price of housing has gone up, the size of down payments have gone up as well. Even if aspiring homeowners save for years, it often still is not enough. So, in addition, while we work on the housing shortage, my administration will provide first-time homebuyers with $25,000 to help with the down payment on a new home.

- Under my plan, more than 100 million Americans will get a tax cut, and we will do this by restoring two tax cuts designed to help middle-class and working Americans: the Earned Income Tax Credit — (applause) — and the Child Tax Credit — (applause) — through which millions of Americans with children got to keep more of their hard-earned income. We know this works and has a direct impact on so many issues, including child poverty. We know it works. So, as president, I’ll not only restore that tax cut but expand it. We will provide $6,000 in tax relief to families during the first year of a child’s life.

Here are the basics:

- Food Price Gouging
- Health Care Costs
- Housing Costs
- Tax Cuts

 

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/08/19/artificial-intelligence-mayor-cheyenne-vic/

Can the 2024 Presidential Election be stolen?

Critics of Donald Trump argue that this is a possibility. 

How might they do this? 

The thinking is that elections results will be challenged, and the results will not be certified by local officials. 

Here are thoughts on that possibility: 

- From The Guardian: ‘A different level than 2020’: Trump’s plan to steal election is taking shape.

- WBRU: How the 2024 U.S. presidential election could be stolen.

- New York Times: Here Is One Way to Steal the Presidential Election.

- Brennan Center for Justice: How States Can Prevent Election Subversion in 2024 and Beyond.

Rolling Stone: Biden Is Building a ‘Superstructure’ to Stop Trump From Stealing the Election.

From Ballotpedia: Donald Trump presidential campaign staff, 2024

For our look at the people managing the presidential campaigns this year.

- Click here for it. 

Chris LaCivita - Co-campaign manager

Susie Wiles - Co-campaign manager

Brian Jack - Senior advisor

Jason Miller - Senior advisor

Steven Cheung - Communications director

Karoline Leavitt - National press secretary

From Ballotpedia: Kamala Harris presidential campaign staff, 2024

For our look at the people managing the presidential campaigns this year.

- Click here for it. 

Julie Chávez Rodríguez - Campaign manager

Jennifer O'Malley Dillon - Campaign chairwoman

Quentin Fulks - Principal deputy campaign manager

Becca Siegel - Senior advisor

Michael Tyler - Communications director

Mia Ehrenberg -  National spokesperson

Charles Lutvak - National spokesperson

Kevin Muñoz - Media relations

Roohi Rustum - National organizing director

 Harris County Dems pick Turner to replace Jackson Lee

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/precinct-chairs-select-sylvester-turner-replace-19607835.php

 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/08/02/climate/electricity-generation-us-states.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Build_Back_Better_Plan?wprov=sfti1

 https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-project-2025-secret-training-videos-trump-election

From Ballotpedia: Presidential election key staffers, 2024

Who is running the campaign for the people running for president?

- Click here for the link.

For Kamala Harris: Click here.
For Donald Trump: Click here.

From Ballotpedia: What is a campaign staff?

Campaign staff plays an important role in presidential elections. The makeup of a candidate's staff can signal the strength of their support from influential party activists and whether they are aligning with a particular faction or group within the party. Eric Appleman of Democracy in Action describes candidates' efforts to hire staffers as a "race for talent, both nationally and in key early states." He adds, "The goal is to assemble a team of top talent that can work together effectively to mobilize resources, boost the candidate and his or her message, and ultimately secure the party's nomination."

Presidential candidates will typically have a national staff, which is overseen by a
- campaign manager and assisted by
- political consultants,
- senior advisors,
- professional polling firms, and
- key stakeholders such as
- - interest group leaders and
- - major financial supporters.

They also build organizations in individual states that are overseen by state directors and staffed by - party activists and
- political professionals well-versed in the particular politics of the area. Candidates often appoint elected officials and other important figures in their party's coalition as chairs of their national campaign and state-level campaigns.

Dear ChatGPT: What is a campaign staffer?

A campaign staffer is someone who works on a political campaign, helping to manage various aspects of the campaign's operation. Their roles can vary widely, depending on the size and scope of the campaign, but generally include tasks like
- organizing events
- managing communications
- conducting outreach to voters
- handling social media
- coordinating logistics.

In larger campaigns, staffers might have specific titles and responsibilities, such as
- field organizers who work on voter outreach,
- communications directors who handle media relations, or
- finance directors who manage fundraising efforts.

In smaller campaigns, staffers might wear multiple hats and take on a variety of tasks. Essentially, their goal is to support the candidate and help ensure the campaign runs smoothly and effectively. 

Notes From the 1875 Texas Constitution

- Click here for a transcript. 

9/6/1875

- Proclamation by Richard Coke
- - Richard Coke.
- - Charles S. West.
- - John Wilkins Whitfield.
- - 81 delegates "answered their names"
- - Edward Bradford Pickett.
- - Leigh Chalmers
- - Joe Owens (AA?)

9/7/1875


- - John Reagan.
- - 

21 Committees established
- Federal Relations
- State Affairs
- Bill of Rights
- Legislative Department
- Judicial Department
- Executive Department
- General Provisions
- Suffrage
- Education
- Agriculture and Stock-raising
- Publie Lands and Land Office
- Immigration
- Crime and Punishment
- Counties and County Lands
- Municipal Corporations
- Railroad Corporations
- Private Corporations
- Revenue and Taxation
- Printing and Contingent Expenses
- Engrossed and Enrolled Ordinances
- Style and Arrangement
Committee structure and assignments made by: 
- E L Dorothy, Chairman
- L. W. Moore
- Geo. McCormick
- N H Darnell
- John Henry Brown
- Jno L Henry

9/8/1875
- discussions of the proper per diem.
- high per diem argued to lead to more legislation
- not interested in talent
- "retrenchment"

9/9/1875
- resolutions sent to committees

9/10/1875
- discussion of contracting a printer

9/11/1875
- 

9/13/1875
- 

9/14/1875
- 

9/15/1875
- a member resigned - how to replace him?
- 

9/16/1875
- 

 https://www.dallasnews.com/news/elections/2024/08/05/texas-voter-suspense-list-tops-21-million-heres-what-to-do-if-youre-on-it/

 https://kinder.rice.edu/research/texas-school-district-funding-gaps