February 20, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Tony Gonzales says he’s being 'blackmailed' over affair with staffer

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales said Thursday he is being “blackmailed” after reporting by the San Antonio Express-News found he had an affair with a staffer who later died by setting herself on fire. “I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED,” the San Antonio Republican wrote in a social media post Thursday morning. “Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death. The public should IMMEDIATELY have full access to the Uvalde Police report. I will keep fighting for #TX23.” In the post, Gonzales attached a partial screenshot of an email from a lawyer representing Adrian Aviles, the husband of the late staffer, Regina Ann “Regi” Santos-Aviles. The email is undated and the recipient is unclear. But in the message, the attorney, Robert “Bobby” Barrera, suggests he is weighing filing a lawsuit that could be damaging to the San Antonio congressman’s career and seems to propose a settlement that would include a nondisclosure provision.

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Barrera notes that statutory deadlines for the Congressional Accountability Act, which he refers to in the email as the CAA, mean “time is of the essence.” The act provides congressional staffers an avenue to sue if they face discrimination, harassment or labor violations at work. The email refers to a “maximum recoverable” amount of $300,000. In an interview with the Express-News, Barrera said he was “in shock” that Gonzales and his lawyer chose to publish part of what he described as a confidential settlement communication. He said he sent the email Feb. 10 to J.D. Paurstein, Gonzales’ San Antonio-based attorney, and received no response. “This is clearly a last act of a desperate man who is going to do anything but admit what he did,” Barrera said. He said the letter “clearly shows we did not want to go public, and we weren’t attempting to damage his career.” On social media, Aviles rejected the claim that he “blackmailed” Gonzales.

Is Crockett going to top Talarico?

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) may have waited until the last possible day to enter the Texas Senate race. But she’s still the favorite to win the Democratic nomination. The big question now: Can state Rep. James Talarico overtake Crockett with less than two weeks to go until the March 3 primary? It’s not over yet. Talarico, who entered therace in September, does have one key advantage — money. Talarico has significantly more resources than Crockett, and he’s outspent the congresswoman on advertising, $11.2 million to $2.7 million. Plus, a pro-Talarico super PAC has already dropped $5 million into the race. But Crockett has something that might be more valuable in a state as massive as Texas — a national following and extremely high name recognition.

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“We’re the underdogs against Congresswoman Crockett,” Talarico said while campaigning this week in Austin. “I’m the most unknown candidate in the race, probably in either party, so it’s incumbent upon me to introduce myself to voters.” Talarico did get a big publicity boost this week after late-night TV host Stephen Colbert accused CBS of blocking him from airing a Talarico interview out of fear of the FCC. Yet Crockett’s penchant for sparring with Republicans from her perch on the House Oversight Committee has made for several viral moments. One clash she had with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was immortalized in a Saturday Night Live skit. It’s that kind of exposure that gives the two-term House member such a huge edge in the primary. Crockett told reporters her most recent polling showed her with a close to 10-point lead over Talarico. “When there’s a spread like that, and we’re in a shorter amount of time, then it’s not a matter of you just catching up. You’ve got to bring me down,” Crockett declared.

Four men accused in Austin's yogurt shop murders have been exonerated

Four men who had been accused, two of them convicted, in one of Austin's most infamous murders have been declared officially innocent. Maurice Pierce, Robert Springsteen, Mike Scott and Forrest Welborn were the key suspects in the 1991 murder of four teen girls at a yogurt shop. Now, more than 34 years later, Travis County Judge Dayna Blazey has stated all are innocent, clearing their records and formally exonerating them after they were wrongfully accused in 1999. Last year, police announced they believed Robert Eugene Brashers was guilty of the killing of Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, and Jennifer and Sarah Harbison at an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt shop in December 1991. Brashers died in 1999, but police were able to tie him to the murders through forensic and DNA evidence after decades of searching for the real killer.

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Travis County District Attorney José Garza filed a motion to revisit the case and formally clear their names late last year. All four suspects were implicated, investigated and later arrested in the aftermath of the murders that drew national attention and haunted Austin for decades. Springsteen, who was sentenced to death and spent 10 years in prison, said in a written statement read by his attorney, Amber Farrelly, that his wrongful arrest turned his life into a cycle of “chaos and uncertainty." “I have been persecuted every day,” Springsteen said. “I have lived every single day …being seen as a monster for something I did not do.” Scott, the only exoneree who spoke in court, said the police who arrested him, and prosecutors who convinced a jury to give him life in prison, robbed him of his youth — of a full life. "For decades I have carried the burden of wrongful conviction. Every day, I have carried the weight of a crime that I did not commit," he said. "No court ruling can return the years and the love that were taken from me, but it can acknowledge the truth: I am not guilty."

The freshman lawmaker working to build Republicans’ bench makes a swing through Texas

Rep. Brian Jack has been in Congress for just a little over a year, but the freshman from Georgia has quickly become one of the lead recruiters for House Republicans — crisscrossing districts to meet with candidates who could help the GOP hang on to its slim majority. Republicans have grappled with messaging over the past year and have their backs up against the wall ahead of the upcoming midterms, when the party in power historically struggles, leading to members fleeing for the exits. Now, between retirements and Republicans’ mid-cycle redistricting in the state, Texas has a number of new and open districts. And it’s up to Jack — who takes his role as deputy chair of the campaign arm for the House GOP deeply seriously — to help find the best of the bunch. NOTUS joined Jack for part of a recent six-day swing through Texas, where he met with more than 10 candidates to learn who they are and determine whether they’re the right fit for their respective districts.

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He then takes the information he gathers to President Donald Trump and House Republican leadership to keep them informed and help them make endorsement decisions. As he’s in these meetings, Jack says he’s looking for three specific things. “First and foremost is electability,” Jack said. “Ultimately, this is a game where there are literally winners and losers. So you want to recruit people who can help support that.” Next: Is the candidate a good fit? “I’m big on ideological fits for the district,” he said. “Some districts, there’s a different ideological bent; other districts, there are other ideological fits. And I think it’s important to travel, frankly, to understand that. When you’re in a certain area, you could feel what that community wants and needs.” And the third is determination and drive, because “rarely will you have a scenario in which you’re the only game in town, and everyone’s paying attention to the race. So you’ve got to be very creative, crafty and innovative to get your message out.” Jack considers himself a student of politics. He studies the background of the candidates he meets with. Questions for them are often just a formality — he knows many of the answers already, but wants to get a sense for who the person is, their social skills and if he could envision them representing that district. “Have you ever read ‘The Ambition and The Power’?” Jack asked this reporter after the third candidate meeting of the day, as Nicki Minaj’s “Chun Swae” played over the car’s stereo. “It’s a great read.” The book, authored by journalist John Barry and published in 1989, chronicles the rise of former Speaker Jim Wright, his view of politics, how he built strong allies and his time as speaker. NOTUS spent four days with Jack in Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin and was able to watch him interview eight candidates: Abraham Enriquez, Tom Sell, John Lujan, Jace Yarbrough, Ryan Binkley, Chris Gober, Mark Teixeira and Carlos De La Cruz.

State Stories

Taylor Rehmet sworn into Texas Senate District 9 after runoff upset.

Taylor Rehmet — the Democrat who got national attention after successfully flipping a historically red district — is officially North Texas’ newest state senator. The union leader and mechanic was sworn into office on Thursday at the Texas Capitol in Austin. Rehmet won a Jan. 31 special election for Senate District 9 against Republican Leigh Wambsganss, who had the support of President Donald Trump and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Rehmet and Wambsganss’ are set for a rematch in the November midterm election. Rehmet will serve as senator for a little less than a year, as he finishes out the remainder of former Sen. Kelly Hancock’s term. The North Richland Hills Republican left the Capitol for the Texas Comptroller’s office in June. The winner of the November election takes office in January for a full, four year term representing the district that spans northern and western Tarrant County.

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Rehmet said he felt “deep gratitude” as he officially took office in Austin, surrounded by friends and family. “It’s something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” Rehmet said. Rehmet is the first Democrat since 1983 to represent the district, according to his office. At 33, he’s also the youngest member of the Texas Senate. “When the people of Texas sent me here, they asked for a chance at a future they can be proud of,” Rehmet said in a statement. “A future where a good job can build a good life. Where a child’s path is determined solely by their effort. Where communities are safe, schools are supported, and opportunity is close enough to touch. They sent me here believing tomorrow can be better than today. I accept that responsibility with humility and with absolute confidence in what we can accomplish together.” The Texas Legislature doesn’t convene until Jan. 12, which means the Senate will not be in session while Rehmet finishes out the year.

UT System votes to limit 'controversial topics' in class, raising concerns about academic freedom

The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved an initiative on Thursday that limits “controversial topics” in the classroom. The new policy states that faculty must “not attempt to coerce, indoctrinate, harass, or belittle students, especially in addressing controversial subjects and areas where people of good faith can hold differing convictions.” Faculty must also exclude “unrelated controversial or contested matters” from syllabi and only follow the contents of the syllabus for each course. The initiative states that it recognizes faculty’s freedom in the classroom, but says instructors must also adhere to principles of academic integrity.

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It says faculty members have the responsibility to foster a culture of trust where all students feel free to voice their beliefs; fairly present contrasted opinions with academic evidence; teach students to come to their own conclusions; and abstain from controversial topics that are not relevant to the course. The new policy has raised concerns among academic freedom advocates who worry it restricts faculty’s ability to respond to student questions on past and current events and challenge students to think about the future. They worry avoiding “controversial topics” could lead to censorship that will leave students ill-prepared to become field experts. Brian Evans, president of the Texas American Association of University Professors, said if students ask about current topics, instructors will have to decide whether to engage or not, since everything discussed in class will have to be pre-cleared. "A faculty member is not going to be able do talk about current events without risking being fired," he said. "What kind of education is this?" The policy says if a course includes “controversial topics,” faculty must approach it in a broad and balanced way that allows a discussion of ideas in the classroom. The guidelines do not define specific “controversial topics,” however, the change comes at a time when other Texas university systems have limited curricula related to sex and gender identity.

San Antonio City Council to discuss possible reprimand for Mayor Jones on Monday

The San Antonio City Council will hold a special meeting on Monday, Feb. 23, to discuss recent accusations of misconduct against Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones. The allegations are outlined in a five-signature memo filed on Feb. 9 that says Jones has demonstrated “repeated instances of unprofessional conduct” with fellow council members, city staff, and residents of San Antonio since she took office last June. The signatories were councilmembers Phyllis Viagran, Teri Castillo, Marina Alderete Gavito, Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, and Misty Spears. Under the city charter, at least three council members can request a special meeting on a subject though a direct request via memorandum to the city clerk.

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This memo process has been used in the past to force a discussion on an Israel-Palestine cease-fire in 2023 and last summer to oppose changes Mayor Jones requested to the city's council consideration request process. The request for Monday’s discussion comes after a formal code of conduct complaint filed by District 1 City Councilwoman Sukh Kaur detailing an incident between Jones and Kaur on Feb. 5, the full details of which have not been made public. The complaint and memo are the latest in a string of visible points of contention between the mayor and council members, ranging from the handling of Project Marvel, attempts to change policy making processes, and moving the city's elections from May to November of odd years. In a statement last week, Jones said she was disappointed that some of her colleagues felt this meeting request was a necessary step. "It is no secret that I have disagreed with my colleagues at times about what is best for our city. I have tirelessly advocated for the things that will advance San Antonio and help our people succeed," she said. "My style of leadership is grounded in my lived experience, and that approach does not always align with the traditional templates of female leaders or my colleagues' views. Still, I know we are all committed to engaging with dignity, respect, and compassion." The discussion is the only item on the agenda for Monday’s special meeting. It will begin at 10 a.m.

Texas Southern regents face intense scrutiny after state audit

The Texas Southern University Board of Regents approved about $2.7 million in contracts after some deliberation, careful not to violate Gov. Greg Abbott's order to pause non-essential state funding at the historically Black university. The board's caution shows how deeply a routine state audit has shaken the university since Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blasted TSU last fall in a surprise release of the findings that called out “significant weaknesses” in the school's financial processes. Every contract must now cross President James W. Crawford III’s desk before going to the board. The Texas Rangers are investigating potential fraud or waste. And the 2027 legislative session is looming for the university, which is the state's last remaining public university operating outside of a Texas university system.

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"I want the public to understand how important this is, and … when I say the public, I mean also the governor and lieutenant governor,” Regent Richard Johnson said during the board's first regular meeting of the year. “At the end of the day, we’re going to have to argue for our resources in the next legislative session, and I need to be extremely clear on new contracts and extension contracts if the moratorium has not been lifted.” The regents met in executive session after Johnson requested that they publicly disclose whether the contracts had any compliance issues with Abbott's order. That would have required the board to waive its attorney-client privilege, said Lisa McBride, whose law firm provides counsel to the university. After closed session, the regents approved spending on eight items on the consent agenda, including for police radio services, firewall upgrades and landscaping. It was not immediately clear how much of the contracts were paid with state appropriations exempted from Abbott's executive order and how much was funded by other means.

Why did Ron Nirenberg replace the logo on his Tesla?

Ever since he announced that he was running for Bexar County judge, Ron Nirenberg has been driving all around town. The former San Antonio mayor has zipped from debates to luncheons to fundraisers to neighborhood meetings to television and podcast appearances as he tries to convince voters to choose him over County Judge Peter Sakai in the Democratic primary. He's done that driving a dark grey Tesla Model Y. But Tesla's shiny signature "T" logo is nowhere on the car. Instead, just above the license plate, there's a Toyota emblem. The SUV "used to be a Tesla," Nirenberg jokes. "I'm no fan of Elon Musk," he adds.

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Nirenberg is one of millions of Americans who became outraged at Musk, Tesla's CEO and the world's richest person, when he turned into one of President Donald Trump's closest confidants. So Nirenberg bought a Toyota logo on eBay, used dental floss to remove the Tesla logo and then pasted on the Toyota emblem. Nirenberg also scrapped all the Tesla logos from the center caps of the four wheels. But for all of his ire against Musk, Nirenberg bought the electric car after the billionaire poured hundreds of millions of dollars to return Trump to the White House and then went to work for him. Musk joined the administration in January 2025 to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, an office tasked with overhauling the federal bureaucracy by firing hundreds of thousands of federal workers and dismantling government agencies.

The right-wingification of UT continues

Texas Republicans’ efforts to control what is taught at the University of Texas passed another milestone last week, as UT administrators announced that the school will consolidate its highly regarded gender and ethnic studies programs into one new department. UT-Austin President Jim Davis sent a notice to the school community on Feb. 12 that the independent departments of American Studies, African and African Diaspora Studies, Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies will soon cease to exist. Their areas of study – which Republicans have criticized as part of a woke agenda – will be folded into the newly created Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. Three more departments – Slavic and Eurasian Studies, French and Italian Studies, and Germanic Studies – will become the Department of European and Eurasian Studies. All seven affected departments are in UT’s College of Liberal Arts.

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The decision to consolidate them came with minimal input from faculty and none from students. The consolidations will lower funding and reduce the number of professors granted tenure in the study areas, sources told the Chronicle. The chairs of the seven departments learned about the consolidations in a 30-minute Zoom call with COLA Interim Dean David Sosa on Feb. 12. Cherise Smith, chair of African and African Diaspora Studies, said the meeting left her numb. UT has offered courses on African Studies since the late 1960s, and all top-tier universities have departments devoted to ethnic and gender studies in this day and age. Having helped lead the department in various capacities over the last 14 years, Smith said the programs bring prestige to the university. “I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this,” Smith said. “Multiple departments, multiple faculty, and many, many students are going to be affected. It’s a big change, and a change that is taking us off the course of being a top-ranked, global research institution.” Other faculty members echoed Smith’s dismay. “Our leaders are taking a giant leap backwards,” said Julie Minich, a professor of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies.

TEA clears Tarrant County school superintendent of wrongdoing

A Euless charter school superintendent has been cleared of wrongdoing following a months-long investigation by the Texas Education Agency. Last summer, a contingent of parents at Treetops School International accused James Whitfield, who joined the campus in 2023, of financial mismanagement and of failing to report an alleged incident of physical abuse by a teacher. At the time, the parents were vocal in their displeasure with Whitfield’s leadership, but there was little in the way of concrete evidence to support the claims against him. Much of the uproar came after Treetops administrators voted to adopt a four-day school week and eliminate seventh through 12 grades beginning with the 2025-26 school year.

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The school now operates as a kindergarten through sixth grade campus. Based on at least one parental complaint, the TEA opened a formal investigation into Whitfield in the summer of 2025. On Feb. 18, the agency notified Whitfield that the investigation had concluded, and the investigative warning had been removed from his TEA educator certificate. Whitfield shared a copy of the letter he received from the TEA informing him the case was closed. In that letter, a TEA investigator said the allegations against Whitfield were unfounded, and there was no evidence of rules violations that could have impacted Whitfield’s educator certification. In an email sent to Whitfield, the TEA investigator responsible for the case thanked Whitfield for his cooperation and wished him the best.

Galveston ISD becomes latest local school district to reject daily prayer periods, Bible readings

Galveston ISD on Wednesday became the latest local school district to reject school prayer periods, which are permitted by a new Texas law. Board members for Houston ISD, the largest district in Texas, also have voted against carving out prayer periods and Bible-reading sessions. So have several other Houston-area school districts, including Alief ISD, Conroe ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Humble ISD, Katy ISD and Spring ISD, according to Houston Chronicle reporting. Leaders of at least one Houston-area district, Magnolia ISD, have voted to adopt designated prayer periods, which are voluntary for students and staff under Senate Bill 11. The law requires all public school boards and charter school governing bodies in Texas to make a decision by March 1 about whether or not to implement the prayer sessions.

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Galveston ISD officials stated that even without adopting them, students and employees are not prohibited from participating in prayer or reading the Bible or other religious texts during a period of the day that isn't designated and does not interfere with instruction. Some supporters of the law have said carving out time for prayer at school is important, asserting that the opportunity for voluntary prayer or reading of the Bible or other religious texts has deteriorated, according to previous Houston Public Media reporting. Opponents say the new law risks violating First Amendment protections, erodes the separation of church and state and would be difficult to implement in schools. They also argue the bill was not necessary since students are already allowed to express their faiths in public schools. The Galveston ISD board meeting agenda item, in opposition of adopting prayer periods, was approved in a 6-0 vote without discussion on Wednesday night. School board vice president Johnny Smecca was absent for the vote, which was taken as part of a consent agenda that included multiple items.

Dallas delegation heading to New York City to try and lure business to 'Y’all Street'

Mayor Eric Johnson announced Thursday that he and City Manager Kimberly Tolbert will lead an official “Y’all Street” delegation to New York City next week in an effort to highlight Dallas as a business destination. Officials declined to take questions during the conference, so many details of where they’ll be in the city and who they plan to meet with are unknown. A cost estimate of the trip is also currently not known, but the city said in a press release members of the delegation will cover their own costs of travel and lodging. “During this visit, we're going to be highlighting Dallas as a premier destination for innovation and investment, especially in the financial services industry,” Johnson said at a press conference. “We're going to be working to strengthen our existing relationships with investors and executives and decision makers who help shape global markets.”

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Tolbert said the delegation will be in New York next week for two days on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27. Y’all Street is a phrase used by officials to describe the rapidly growing financial sector in Dallas. Johnson said the delegation will invite New York-based businesses to come to Dallas. Tolbert said the delegation will be “on the ground promoting Y'all street and pitching Dallas as America's premier destination for financial services, investment and innovation.” Dallas’ growth recently caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who in January posted on Truth Social that building a New York Stock Exchange in Dallas would be bad for New York. “I can’t believe they would let this happen,” Trump wrote. Just a few years ago, Texas had no stock exchanges. Now it has three, all located in Dallas. Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange — the heads of the national stock exchange duopoly — set up in the city soon after the announcement of the Texas Stock Exchange, a home-grown effort.

Katy ISD board considers banning 2 more books. Here's which titles.

Katy ISD trustees were split this week over two challenged library books, the latest for a district that has removed 57 titles from shelves over the past five years. The board will vote next week on whether to retain, modify or remove “Cat Kid Comic Club” and “Fake News Phenomenon.” In January, trustees voted to remove three books. “Read Me Like a Book,” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” and “Rumble” were all pulled from district libraries. Those decisions came under the board’s updated reading materials policy, which gives trustees final authority over formal reconsideration requests.

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The first book, “Cat Kid Comic Club” by Dav Pilkey, was challenged over concerns that it is too violent, said trustee Mary Ellen Cuzela. A review in The New York Times described “Cat Kid Comic Club” as containing “elements of cartoon violence, bathroom humor, and chaotic action.” The review noted the book includes scenes of “intense, albeit silly, action,” such as a parodied “Frogzilla” creating massive destruction. Several trustees pushed back immediately, describing the graphic novel as harmless humor written in a comic-strip style for children. “I own multiple copies of the book because I have multiple children who all love Dav Pilkey’s writings,” said board member Morgan Calhoun. “I’m going to disagree on this.” “This is a comic book that’s a little silly,” she added. “We should put it back into circulation.” Another trustee said they also read the book and found nothing harmful. "It’s just a goofy book,” said Dawn Champagne. "There's a little bit of violence even in fairy tales and things like that.” Discussion of “Fake News Phenomenon” was more divided. The book was challenged over concerns that it is politically biased and tied heavily to the 2016 presidential election, Cuzela said. Champagne defended the book’s broader historical context, contending that the election was one of many references.

Democrats testing in Houston plan to recruit popular content creators in new strategy to win back Latino voters

An evening rally to boost Democratic turnout for Texas’ rapidly approaching primary featured plenty of the state party’s political star power, but it was someone who won’t be on a ballot who drew the most attention. Carlos Eduardo Espina, a progressive political influencer who boasts more than 14 million followers on TikTok, mingled with lawmakers and took selfies with attendees who eagerly posted them online. The Tuesday night gathering at a Houston Mexican restaurant was more than just a pre-primary rally. It also was a curtain-raiser of sorts for a campaign strategy Democrats hope will help them in this year’s midterms and beyond. Espina and nine other Houston influencers invited to the event are at the center of that strategy, which seeks to build a network of online content creators to better engage Latino voters after many of them gravitated toward Republicans two years ago.

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The strategy, developed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ political arm, is being rolled out in the Houston area as early voting begins for Texas’ statewide primary on March 3. The idea is to capitalize on the popularity of local influencers and social media superstars such as Espina to more effectively spread Democrats’ messaging to Latino voters. Strategists hope to expand the effort, called “ RUIDO ” — Spanish for noise — which consists of a network of online content creators, into other competitive primary and general election races where Latino candidates and voters could prove decisive. However, leaders of the Hispanic Caucus PAC have yet to decide when or where to invest next. “The Trump campaign reached out to those nontraditional voices to amplify their message,” Rep. Linda Sanchez, a California Democrat and chair of the caucus’ political action committee, said of the Republican’s engagement with social media influencers and podcasters two years ago. “We didn’t anticipate that was going to be a way by which politics was disseminated. We’ve seen the contrary, that we do need to be in those spaces, as well.” The program’s launch comes as Democrats continue to grapple with broad dissatisfaction with the party and questions about how to effectively engage voters, particularly younger ones, voters of color and those without college degrees who shifted away from the party during the 2024 presidential election. President Donald Trump made inroads with Latino voters that year with a strategy that heavily leaned on engaging streamers, podcasters and other online content creators.

UH proposes professor checklist for courses to prevent advocacy of politics, ideology

The University of Houston administration is circulating proposed revisions to its faculty guidelines, which would require professors to self-evaluate their curriculum to "not require students to adopt, affirm, or comply with specific political, ideological or belief-based viewpoints,” according to an association of teaching professionals. The proposal comes less than two weeks after UH faced backlash for asking professors to sign an agreement not to indoctrinate students. The self-evaluation plan is being reviewed by the UH faculty council's curriculum committee. The faculty council was created after the UH faculty senate was dissolved last year to comply with Senate Bill 37, which limited faculty influence over academic decisions at public universities in Texas.

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Holley Love, a UH mechanical engineering professor and member of the UH chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), said if the proposal were implemented in its current form, it would amount to a never-before-seen level of academic oversight. "UH's handling of this political moment has been better than others like [Texas] A&M and Texas Tech, but this is unprecedented for us," Love said. "It should be unprecedented for any university." The self-evaluation guidelines are unnecessary, because faculty are already equipped with the skills to refine their own syllabi and course materials, Love said. "I really don't see a need for a university-level checklist, and I think a lot of faculty will use that checklist as ways to censor themselves, and that would have a deleterious effect on students," she said. "Students are not going to get the real, detailed, in-depth discussions that they might otherwise be able to engage in if faculty are always worried about whether somebody is going to come back and say that they've violated an item on this largely arbitrary checklist." The proposal includes a "curriculum review self-assessment checklist" broken down into seven sections. The checklist includes requirements such as: "Materials do not require students to adopt or affirm political, ideological, or belief-based viewpoints." "Podcasts, TED Talks, YouTube, journalism, or websites, are intentionally paired with contrasting or varied perspectives where appropriate." "Assignments encourage development of critical thinking skills rather than viewpoint agreement." "Grading criteria assess students' academic performance and mastery of course content, not their alignment with any particular viewpoint." "Participation expectations do not penalize students for differing perspectives."

National Stories

MAGA architects hire gay porn star for education role

The conservative machine behind Project 2025 hired an adult film star to work on education policy. The Heritage Foundation announced Thursday that Corey DeAngelis, a prominent school choice advocate who opposes LGBTQ inclusion in education, is joining the think tank as a fellow at its Center for Education Policy. It is a standard conservative policy hire, with the exception of DeAngelis’s history as a gay porn performer. The group proudly celebrated the appointment in a post on X, linking to an announcement article highlighting his work on education reform. Acting center director Jonathan Butcher praised DeAngelis’ “high-quality research” on education reform and said the team was “very pleased to add him.”

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Butcher also emphasized DeAngelis’s alignment with the team’s values, noting that DeAngelis has been working toward the same education goals as Heritage staff for years. What went unmentioned in the official communications: DeAngelis’ past appearances on gay adult site GayHoopla under the alias “Seth Rose,” in which he participated in both group and solo porn scenes. That history is not new. DeAngelis’ time as an adult performer originally resurfaced in 2024, triggering backlash that led to his exit from the conservative nonprofit American Federation for Children, where he had served as a senior fellow. DeAngelis has since acknowledged the material, describing it as something he regrets. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, he said the videos—filmed over a decade ago—were “embarrassing” and did not reflect who he is today. “There are images and videos circulating of me from my college days that I’m not proud of,” he said. DeAngelis framed the fallout as politically motivated, arguing critics were attempting to “cancel” him because of his conservative views. “Cancellation requires consent,” he said, insisting he would not participate in efforts to derail his career. Instead, he has recast his past as fuel for his current advocacy—particularly his push to limit LGBTQ-related content in schools.

Labor Secretary’s husband barred from department premises after reports of sexual assaults

The husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has been barred from the department’s headquarters after at least two female staff members told officials that he had sexually assaulted them, according to people familiar with the decision and a police report obtained by The New York Times. The women said Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, had touched them inappropriately at the Labor Department’s building on Constitution Avenue. One of the incidents, during working hours on the morning of Dec. 18, was recorded on office security cameras, the people said. The video showed Dr. DeRemer giving one of the women an extended embrace, and was reviewed as part of a criminal investigation, one of the people said. In January, the women’s concerns about Dr. DeRemer, 57, were raised as part of an internal investigation by the department’s inspector general into alleged misconduct by Ms. Chavez-DeRemer and her senior staff, one of the people said.

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On Jan. 24, Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department filed a report about forced sexual contact in December at the Labor Department, according to their report, which was viewed by The Times. The police report is the only one from the last three months associated with the Labor Department’s address, a police spokesman said, adding that the Police Department’s sexual assault unit is investigating. After the women described the incidents to investigators, Dr. DeRemer was barred from entering the Labor Department’s premises, according to people familiar with the decision, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the allegations and ongoing investigations surrounding the department. “If Mr. DeRemer attempts to enter, he is to be asked to leave,” a building restriction notice viewed by The Times said. Dr. DeRemer, an anesthesiologist in Portland, Ore., who frequently visited his wife’s Washington offices, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for the Department of Labor did not provide a comment. A lawyer representing Ms. Chavez-DeRemer in the inspector general investigation declined to comment.

US CDC cancels February vaccine adviser meeting; no new one set yet

A U.S. vaccine advisory committee meeting scheduled for later this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not be held, with no new dates announced, according to a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stepped up efforts to rewrite national vaccination policy, including dropping broad recommendations for six childhood shots including COVID and hepatitis B, deepening federal support for states' vaccine exemptions, and cutting funding for mRNA-based vaccine research. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which makes recommendations for who should get which vaccines, had been scheduled to meet from February 25-27, according to the CDC's website. But no Federal Register notice had been made to announce the meeting, nor had the CDC posted an agenda.

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"We will not hold the ACIP meeting later this month. Further information will be shared as available," HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said. Later on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice notified a federal judge in Boston of the postponement, which occurred days after medical groups opposed to Kennedy's vaccine agenda had gone to court asking him to block the panel from meeting. The committee's recommendations historically have been used to guide U.S. health insurance coverage, state policies on vaccines needed for schools and how physicians advise parents and patients. The panel faced multiple revamps last year, after Kennedy fired all 17 of its members in June. One source familiar with the matter said the CDC is considering rescheduling the meeting for March. The committee generally meets at least three times a year. When the committee last met in December, it voted to remove the recommendation that all newborns in the U.S. receive a hepatitis B vaccine. The CDC followed that vote in January with its own broad changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, removing the recommendation for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A. The ACIP did not vote on these changes. Several state and medical groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have issued their own vaccine recommendations as an alternative to those issued by the CDC. Leadership at the CDC is shifting. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya will step in as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a Trump administration official said on Wednesday, replacing current acting director Jim O'Neill.

After leaving WHO, Trump officials propose more expensive replacement to duplicate it

After pulling out of the World Health Organization, the Trump administration is proposing spending $2 billion a year to replicate the global disease surveillance and outbreak functions the United States oncehelped build and accessed at a fraction of the cost, according to three administration officials briefed on the proposal. The effort to build a U.S.-run alternative would re-create systems such as laboratories, data-sharing networks and rapid-response systems the U.S. abandoned when it announced itswithdrawal from the WHO last year and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal deliberations. While President Donald Trump accused the WHO ofdemanding “unfairly onerous payments,” the alternative his administration is considering carries a price tag about three times what the U.S. contributed annually to the U.N. health agency. The U.S. would build on bilateral agreements with countries and expand the presence of its health agencies to dozens of additional nations, the officials said.

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“This $2 billion in funding to HHS is to build the systems and capacities to do what the WHO did for us,” one official said. The Department of Health and Human Services has been leading the efforts and requested the funding from the Office of Management and Budget in recent weeks as part of a broader push to construct a U.S.-led rival to the WHO, officials said. Before withdrawing from the agency, the U.S. provided roughly $680 million a year in assessed dues and voluntary contributions to the WHO, often exceeding the combined contributions of other member states, according to HHS. Citing figures in the proposal, officials said the U.S. contributions represented about 15 to 18 percent of the WHO’s total annual funding of about $3.7 billion. HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon did not answer detailed questions about the proposed WHO replacement but said the agency “is working with the White House in a deliberative, interagency process on the path forward for global health and foreign assistance that first and foremost protects Americans.” A spokeswoman for OMB declined to comment. Public health experts said the effort would be costly and unlikely to match the WHO’s reach. “Spending two to three times the cost to create what we already had access to makes absolutely no sense in terms of fiscal stewardship,” said Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who served as a senior covid-19 adviser during the Biden administration. “We’re not going to get the same quality or breadth of information we would have by being in the WHO, or have anywhere the influence we had.”

ICE explores outsourcing some of its efforts to deputize local police

The Trump administration is looking for private companies that can train, recruit and provide liability protection for local police carrying out immigration enforcement as it expands its deportation apparatus. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which oversees the local partnerships known as 287(g) agreements, requested information until Feb. 10 from companies interested in managing the booming partnerships, which can include deputizing police and other officers to arrest people they suspect are living in the U.S. without authorization. Over the past year, 287(g) agreements have skyrocketed, allowing sheriffs’ and police departments to get involved in President Donald Trump’s push for mass deportations. Nearly 800 agencies across 32 states have signed up to deputize their officers to act as immigration agents as part of a previously dormant model of the 287(g) agreements, according to the federal government’s list of participants. Florida has the most agreements.

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Potential contractors had to tell the agency by Feb. 10 about their existing relationships with all the sheriffs’ departments in the country, how they could train sheriffs to participate in the 287(g) program and whether they could provide liability protection to officers acting as immigration agents. The request for information ICE posted to the federal government’s contracting database in January is a preliminary step and does not guarantee there will be a contract offer. Bianca Tylek, executive director of Worth Rises, a nonprofit group advocating against privatization of the criminal legal system, told NOTUS the outsourcing of training could mean that companies profiting from immigration detention might end up training local police on detaining immigrants. “It’s not surprising because this administration has been privatizing everything,” she said. Although it’s unclear which companies expressed interest in managing the 287(g) partnerships, a Q&A document posted in early February shed more light on the kind of services ICE is interested in, such as an outreach effort rolled out across the country simultaneously and marketing campaigns.

Former Prince Andrew’s arrest upends royal family’s effort to move past his scandal

For decades, Sandringham Estate has been a place for the House of Windsor to escape from it all. Three hours northeast of London, the palatial country house, its 20,000 sprawling acres and residences are where King Charles III and his family celebrate Christmas, waving to admirers as they parade to church services in their holiday best. Early Thursday morning, the idyllic estate was swarmed by unmarked police cars as officers arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the king’s brother, amid allegations that he shared confidential government information with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender. Later in the night, he would return to Sandringham, slinking low in the back seat of a black sport utility vehicle, with news cameras craning to capture his release.

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The scenes of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, already stripped of his title and kicked out of his longtime home, could be seen as an unmistakable message about the end of an era. Not since King Charles I was arrested and tried for treason nearly four centuries ago, in January 1649, has a British royal been detained. The king’s family, long rocked by scandalous infighting and grievous losses, is now facing what could be the gravest threat in more than a generation to its moral authority and the central role it plays, culturally and symbolically, in the country. The arrest represents the ultimate collision of police and pageantry, upending fierce efforts by Buckingham Palace to distance itself from the accusations against the former prince. The investigation into the former prince, which might continue for weeks or months, could rival royal weddings and coronations as one of the biggest public spectacles in modern British history. If charges are filed, by law and tradition, they will be formally brought in the king’s name: King Charles III v. his brother. The arrest follows years in which the king, and before him his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, stayed silent on separate accusations that Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor forced Virginia Giuffre to have sex with him after she was trafficked by Mr. Epstein when she was 17 years old. The former prince has denied those allegations and wrongdoing related to Mr. Epstein.

DHS admits its website showcasing the ‘worst of the worst’ immigrants was rife with errors

The Department of Homeland Security admitted that its website featuring what it calls the “worst of the worst” arrested immigrants was rife with errors and changed the site this week after receiving questions from CNN about it. DHS created the website in December and the agency, its secretary Kristi Noem and the White House have all heavily promoted it on social media as the Trump administration has sought to justify its aggressive and heavily scrutinized immigration enforcement operations. The website currently lists about 25,000 people, along with the crimes the agency says they were arrested for or convicted of — including many who were initially linked only to relatively minor offenses.

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But DHS this week conceded its website was filled with inaccuracies. After receiving questions about a CNN analysis of the website, a DHS spokesperson admitted on Tuesday that the charges against hundreds of immigrants listed on the website were described incorrectly by the agency. The spokesperson attributed the inaccuracies to a “glitch” that they said DHS worked to remedy. The spokesperson said on Wednesday that the glitch had been “resolved.” A CNN review of the website found that thousands of the people listed on the website were described by the agency as being convicted of or arrested for serious charges — including sex crimes or different forms of homicide. But hundreds more who DHS considered the “worst of the worst” were described as being arrested for or convicted of far less serious crimes, including single charges of traffic offenses, marijuana possession or illegal reentry, a federal felony that involves someone reentering the United States after having been previously deported. CNN could not independently verify the descriptions of each of the thousands of people listed on the website.

People are leaving Congress because the job sucks

There’s been a lot of buzz in Washington lately about the “exodus” of members of Congress in the 2026 midterm-election cycle. So far, 51 U.S. House members (30 Republicans and 21 Democrats), and nine U.S. senators (five Republicans and four Democrats) out of 35 up for reelection, are not running this year. Another three House members are running against one another after mid-decade redistricting measures. According to ABC, it’s the most combined House and Senate retirements in the 21st century and well over average generally. And the numbers for the House could go higher still, given pending partisan gerrymanders in Florida and Virginia. From 40,000 feet, you might think the retirements are concentrated among members of Congress who are in danger of losing their seats in November. And there are some retirees that fit this description: Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Gary Peters of Michigan, and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire were theoretically vulnerable, and according to Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, eight of the 54 open House seats are in very competitive districts.

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But that leaves 46 that aren’t. The single-largest factor in House retirements is the number of people who are running for other offices: 15 House members (eight Republicans, seven Democrats) are running for the Senate, and another 11 (ten Republicans and one Democrat) are running for governor. One more Republican (Chip Roy of Texas) is running for attorney general. Of the other retirees, the most inscrutable are among Republicans in safe seats who aren’t too old to serve and would seem to be reaching the peak of their careers. Those include two of the most recently announced retirements: Nevada congressman Mark Amodei and Georgia congressman Barry Loudermilk. Amodei’s stated rationale for leaving Congress was that “15 years seems like a pretty good run.” Loudermilk was even more opaque, retreating behind the standard “more time with my family” excuse. Anyone actually familiar with the daily grind of congressional service, especially in the House, can tell you that in some cases members hang it up because the job sucks. Many, perhaps most, Americans believe people go into politics to get rich. Maybe congressional service is a milepost on the road to riches, but nobody’s getting rich while serving in the House unless they are breaking the law, given restrictions on outside income and conflict-of-interest rules. But you do have to maintain two residences (unless you are one of the dozens of members who sleep on cots or sofas in their offices) and struggle with balancing the need for a pristine House attendance record (absences go right into the oppo-research files of your enemies) and being very visible back home (not doing so will get you a primary- or general-election opponent quicker than anything else).

Copyright February 20, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved