You should break up with your boyfriend. Not your real, human boyfriend—your AI boyfriend. Recent media coverage and cultural moments have brought renewed attention to how people are forming relationships with artificial intelligence, and how we ought to think about these rapidly developing technologies. A recent Prime Video series, “Scarpetta,” offers a striking fictional example....
The entire Iran war debate can really boil down to one question: What are we doing there? Our elected officials have offered scattered opinions while leaks to the mainstream and alternative media continue to paint contradictory assumptions regarding the how—and who encouraged America to jump into yet another maelstrom in the Middle East. The picture...
When teachers inflate grades — giving higher marks than students’ actual performance warrants — the effects ripple far beyond the classroom. Increasingly widespread high school grade inflation can cost students more than $200,000 in lost earning potential per teacher per year, finds a groundbreaking new study. Authored by Jeffrey T. Denning, Rachel Nesbit, Nolan Pope,...
When I was in college, I passed the César Chávez statue every day on my walk to class at the University of Texas. Now, César Chávez is the name of the road I take to work. For years, Chávez was presented as the figurehead for Mexican Americans, a symbol we were expected to revere. But...
Every Friday morning I join the Cardle & Woolley Show on Talk1370 Radio in Austin to announce the week’s Winners & Losers. In a weekend with long lines at every airport and record heat predicted, here’s who made the list. WINNER: 7 Countries Unite for Strait of Hormuz Coalition Seven nations have signed a letter...
The Certificates of Obligation Act of 1971 allows certain governmental entities—like cities, counties, and select special districts—to go into debt without voter approval for the purpose of funding public projects, including “the construction, demolition, or restoration of structures; purchase materials, supplies, equipment, machinery, buildings, land and rights of way; and pay for related professional services.” This type of debt is usually payable from property taxes. While certificates of...
Local governments today are utilizing certificates of obligation (COs) to a much greater extent than in the past. As a result, taxes and debt are growing without voter approval and Texans are being denied the right to decide. For those unfamiliar with the CO concept, these nonvoter-approved debt instruments provide a way for cities, counties, and some special districts to borrow money and obligate property taxpayers for broad purposes, including “to fund the construction, demolition or restoration...
Americans tend to ignore foreign policy. Living in a continent-sized nation bounded by two vast oceans allows for that dangerous self-deception. But when we’re attacked or the price of gas spikes, we’re rudely reminded that while we may not care about the world, the world cares for us. Why did President Donald Trump order an...
The politics of the Iranian war feature an observable gap between interest and action for nearly all parties. The Americans possessed overwhelming casus belli versus Iran for nearly half a century, and did not act upon it until three weeks past. The Iranians possessed none against America for just as long, but exerted themselves with religious...
Alpha School’s “AI education shakeup” is really a warning to employers: the fastest way to outperform isn’t smarter tech—it’s removing the soul-crushing compliance load that keeps humans from owning the mission. Alpha School was founded in 2014, and it’s recently become a national talking point because its students do core academics in roughly two hours...
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) recently updated its superintendent salary database, revealing some intriguing new information about the take-home pay for public education elites. According to TEA’s 2025-26 dataset, there were 1,220 full- and part-time superintendent positions filled this year at 187 open-enrollment charter schools and 1,033 traditional school districts. For each of these positions, TEA provides select details, including ‘base pay’ and ‘total pay.’ Base pay is defined as “total payroll amount where payroll activity code is 80. (Does not include supplemental pay),”while...
DEL RIO—Reggie’s life has revolved around opportunity—seeking it all over America, and eventually creating it for himself, in response to the needs of his neighbors. He’s back in Del Rio now—where he belongs, he says. He runs a medical transport company (staffed by licensed EMTS and paramedics), something many of the elderly South Texas depend...