Friday, May 29, 2026
Voters Think Congress Is Corrupt And Would Ban Them From Trading Stocks While In Office
The charts above reflect the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between May 22nd and 26th of a nationwide sample of 1,397 registered voters, with a 3.3 point margin of error.
The Dark Side Of Putting Police In Texas Schools
The following is part of an article by Clare Amari, Kristian Hernandez, and Asher Lehrer-Small in The New York Times:
SINCE THE MASSACRE at Robb Elementary in Uvalde in 2022, school districts across Texas have spent billions of dollars to station police officers on every campus in the state. The effort, the most ambitious in the nation, was intended to protect students from similar tragedies.
But the constant presence of officers has transformed the way many public schools manage discipline, subjecting students to heavy-handed police tactics for behavior that once would have landed them only in the principal’s office.
Officers in Texas displayed startling belligerence at times, grabbing or tackling students a fraction of their size over misconduct that often appeared to be minor. Children in elementary school, including one as young as 6, were handcuffed. Teenagers were arrested, charged with crimes and even jailed. In the most extreme cases, they wound up in hospitals, bruised or concussed, after being body-slammed or shocked by Tasers, which are prohibited in the state’s juvenile detention facilities but allowed in its public schools.
There is no comprehensive record of use-of-force incidents across the more than 1,000 public school districts in Texas. Many districts and police agencies declined to disclose their data to our journalists; others did not respond to public records requests. More than 200 provided some information, but in most cases, it was limited.
Still, by examining even that small share of records, our reporters identified more than 2,600 use-of-force incidents that occurred from January 2022 through December 2025. About 450 of those interactions were described in detailed reports, which we reviewed. We also watched video footage from over two dozen encounters.
The records provide a first-of-its-kind look at how Texas’ initiative around school policing has played out in districts large and small, urban and rural.
Many incidents began over misbehavior such as dress-code violations, vaping or schoolyard scraps. Officers, often summoned by principals or teachers, escalated some situations by shouting obscenities or insults. They used physical takedown tactics in about 60 situations when students ignored their commands, talked back or pulled away. . . .
In Texas, no state agency has the power to routinely review school officers’ actions and weigh in on possible overreach.
Lawmakers here have embraced school policing without establishing safeguards required for meaningful accountability, policing experts said. A 2019 law meant to keep officers out of “routine student discipline” does not define the term or detail repercussions for violations. Police departments in Texas are not required to report incidents of force in schools unless they shoot someone. . . .
A review of use-of-force policies from more than 200 school district police departments found that many were largely copied from those used by municipal police agencies. Some addressed how to handle livestock and animal control calls. Most provided no specific guidance on handling students. . . .
It was not until the 1980s and ’90s, amid concerns about drugs and violence, that the ranks of school officers began to swell. The 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado led to a larger rise.
Elsewhere in the country, school districts typically tapped the local sheriff’s office or police department for officers. Texas was unusual in that many districts formed their own departments instead.
As police presence in schools grew, some educators became wary of harsh punishment and practices that could push students into the criminal justice system. Even in law-and-order Texas, concerns seemed to break through. In 2019, the Legislature passed a law saying that school boards should not task officers with routine student discipline.
Then came Uvalde, the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, which claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers.
A year later, in 2023, lawmakers passed legislation to require at least one licensed police officer at each of the state’s public schools. While other states had taken steps to increase school security, few relied as heavily on the police. . . .
In the two years that followed, statewide annual spending on school security rose to more than $1.3 billion from about $900 million.
Today, Texas is home to nearly 400 school district police departments, more than all other states combined. Most of the remaining districts have contracts with outside police agencies. The number of officers trained to work in schools — about 11,000 — exceeds the total number of police officers in at least two dozen states.
Most of what school officers do is mundane. They secure external doors, usher students through metal detectors and monitor hallways for fights. Some mentor students and offer advice.
But routine interactions have been punctuated at times by physical encounters. Officers grabbed or tackled students hundreds of times, data and records show. They used pepper spray in dozens of cases and shocked students with Tasers in at least nine incidents. On four occasions, reporters found, officers held teenagers at gunpoint. . . .
Students were left with bruises, scrapes or other injuries in nearly a quarter of the 450 cases reviewed by reporters. Two teenagers suffered concussions, according to medical records and an interview with one family’s lawyer.
About two dozen of the overall cases involved children in elementary school. In the Northside school district, an officer handcuffed a 6-year-old boy who kicked a school employee during a tantrum.
State law prohibits using restraints on children in fifth grade or below in all but the most dangerous situations. In a statement, the district said that the officer had perceived an “immediate risk of harm.”. . .
Across the state, officers directed obscenities, insults and threats at students just before or after using physical force, records and video footage show. . . .
In Texas, the state-mandated training for school police officers includes instruction in child psychology, conflict resolution and managing students with behavioral issues. But at only 20 hours, the program is half the minimum recommended by the National Association of School Resource Officers. Kentucky, which also mandates officers at all public schools, requires 120 hours.
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Trump Job Approval Is Record Low 34% In New Economist/YouGov Poll
The chart above reflects the result of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between May 22nd and 26th of a nationwide sample of 1,520 adults (including 1,397 registered voters). The margin of error is 3.6 points for adults and 3.3 points for registered voters.
Public Wants Presidential Tax Returns Made Public (And Don't Think Trump Pays His Taxes)
The charts above reflect the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between May 22nd and 26th of a nationwide sample of 1,520 adults (including 1,397 registered voters). The margin of error is 3.6 points for adults and 3.3 points for registered voters.
Trump And Democrats Both Get What They Wanted - Paxton As GOP Senate Nominee
The primary run-off is over in Texas. And the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate is Ken Paxton, who ousted four-term Republican John Cornyn.
The election was not close. Paxton bested Cornyn by over 27 points.
The outcome made Donald Trump happy. Just a few days before the run-off, he had endorsed Paxton. Cornyn supported Trump and his policies about 90% of the time, but Paxton is a true Trump sycophant. He will support Trump 100% of the time, even if what Trump is doing is corrupt, illegal, or unconstitional.
The outcome also made Democrats happy. Instead of running against Cornyn (who likely would have won), they get an opponent with a lot of baggage - a man who has exhibited bot immoral and illegal behavior. And their candidate comes with almost no negative baggage at all (although Republicans will spend millions of corporate dark money dollars trying to paint him as some kind of radical).
It has been over 30 years since a Democrat won a statewide race in Texas. Texas is still a very red state, and it will not be easy for Democrat James Talarico to win the Senate race. But he has probably the best chance of any candidate in over 30 years.Talarico will be helped by the unpopularity of Donald Trump. His job approval is upside down even in bright red Texas - and most voters blame him for the poor economy, especially the rising prices on nearly everything. This could push Independents to vote for the Democratic candidate.
In my opinion, it's going to come down to turnout. The MAGA republicans will vote, and if turnout is sparse (like it usually is in a midterm election), Paxton will win. But if there is a massive turnout, then Talarico has a very good chance of winning.
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