Taking the Wheel What to know: Driverless semi-trucks are carrying cargo between Dallas and Houston. According to CNN, “During the four years of practice hauls, the self-driving technology was able to complete over 1,200 miles without a human in the truck.” The TPPF take: Just as with all other technology, self-driving vehicles are a tool that can...
May Day is for Freedom What to know: While communist countries still celebrate May 1 as May Day, a “workers’ holiday,” others are using the day the commemorate the victims of communism. The TPPF take: TPPF’s Austin Prochko’s family escaped from communist Czechoslovakia. “In Soviet-controlled countries, one of the biggest celebrations of the year was May Day, which...
Special Health Care Edition! What to know: About half of all U.S. hospitals are non-profit, which means they get tax-exempt status in exchange for providing some level of charity care in their areas. The TPPF take: Texas lawmakers should make more clear what that level of charity care should be. “Charity care, historically, is supposed to be...
Not How That Works What to know: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is suing to “nullify” President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The TPPF take: You know, South Carolina tried this once before, in 1832. It didn’t work out well for South Carolina. “Let’s be clear: States don’t have rights; they have powers, delegated by the Constitution. Only people have...
Green No Deal What to know: The Biden administration used bad science to rush through an offshore wind project, a new study finds. The TPPF take: Officials knew offshore wind projects came with risks — but they pushed ahead anyway, in pursuit of the Biden-Harris Green New Deal. “It’s another example of the left’s willful blindness...
The Monroe Doctrine Returns What to know: President Donald Trump is reviving the Monroe Doctrine. The TPPF take: Trump is right to protect vital U.S. national interests. “The Monroe Doctrine, America’s fundamental national security imperative, seeks to exclude outside powers from the Western Hemisphere,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “It is key to protecting the U.S. and our neighbors...
Special Earth Day Edition! What to know: It’s the 55th annual Earth Day, a holiday started in 1970, when many scientists were predicting a fast-approaching ice age. The theme this year is “Our Power, Our Planet.” The TPPF take: The flawed thinking of the environmentalists have led to some perverse outcomes. “One of the most baffling examples...
Going Rogue What to know: Fresh concerns are mounting over cities and counties ignoring state law. One recent report highlights that TPPF filed Public Information Act requests “with the state’s 20 largest cities and counties [revealing] that none of them had taken any action to comply with HB 2127,” also known as the Death Star law....
Superintendents’ Super Salaries What to know: The Texas Education Agency has updated its superintendent salary database, revealing that the highest-paid superintendent pulled in $565,047 per year, excluding benefits. The calculated full FTE pay for 15 superintendents now exceeds the president of the United States’ salary ($400,000) while 579 superintendents bring home more than the Texas governor...
Time for School Choice What to know: The Texas Legislature continues to debate empowering parents with school choice. The TPPF take: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appeared on TPPF’s The Arena with CEO Greg Sindelar on Wednesday to talk about school choice. “What this legislation does is to ensure that every parent, regardless of wealth, regardless of income, regardless of zip code,...
How Smartphones Hurt Our Children What to know: Smartphones “broke children’s brains,” studies show, and have resulted in a mental health crisis among adolescents. The TPPF take: Texas can limit the harm done to children by Big Tech. “The sad reality of the digital age is that moms and dads have been left on their own to...
Physician Shortage What to know: Texas has an opportunity to address the state’s doctor shortage by opening up alternatives to residency requirements. The TPPF take: Texas is projected to be short more than 10,300 doctors by the year 2032. “Rather than wait on Congress to provide more general medical education (GME) appropriations, at least eight...