Bayliss Wagner

Texas schools are using AI to screen library books under new state law Supporters see ChatGPT as a way to help weed out inappropriate content, but critics say AI can include incorrect details and miss valuable context.

Tune into @TexasStandard now to hear about how Texas schools are using AI to screen library books for content banned under a new state law, SB 13.

Talked with them about my recent story: www.statesman.com/politics/art...

38,000 Bexar County parents risk deportation, per new report A new analysis of Census Bureau data finds that family and community ties run deep among unauthorized immigrants in Texas and in the San Antonio area.

New: Family ties run deep among unauthorized immigrants in the San Antonio area. Per recent estimates:

-nearly half of Bexar County's 101k unauthorized immigrants have lived there for 20+ years
-38,000 live with minor children
-24% are married to U.S. citizens

www.expressnews.com/politics/art...

Nebraska DHHS website blames Dems for federal government shutdown as SNAP shutoff looms • Nebraska Examiner State law prohibits public resources from being used for political purposes; DHHS says Gov. Jim Pillen can issue partisan statements.

The Nebraska DHHS website features a banner blaming Senate Democrats for the federal government shutdown.

The move by Gov. Jim Pillen follows the trend of gov websites being used in the messaging battle over the shutdown.

My latest @nebraskaexaminer.com

nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/10/30/n...

Thanks for sharing Gwen !!!!!

Texas freezes program boosting minority, women-owned businesses The program, signed into law by former Gov. George W. Bush, has become a Republican target amid the party's broader DEI crackdown.

The program, signed into law by former Gov. George W. Bush, has become a Republican target amid the party's broader DEI crackdown.

@houstonchronicle.com @expressnews.com

Some Texas schools are using AI to screen library books under new state law Supporters see ChatGPT as a way to help weed out inappropriate content, but critics say AI can include incorrect details and miss valuable context.

Gift link for readers in Austin: www.statesman.com/politics/art...

Some Texas schools are using AI to screen library books under new state law Supporters see ChatGPT as a way to help weed out inappropriate content, but critics say AI can include incorrect details and miss valuable context.

Gift link for readers in San Antonio: www.expressnews.com/politics/art...

Other districts that told me they're using AI include New Braunfels, Leander and Katy ISDs. Several hadn't previously disclosed they were using the technology.

Other trustees acknowledged they wouldn't otherwise be able to review all 1,400 books. They have spent several months discussing the 57 books that the chatbot flagged.

The board's president said librarians can make errors and that this gives them a layer of accountability.

In the red-leaning Houston suburb of Pearland, a superintendent fed a 1,400-book purchase list into ChatGPT and asked it to flag potential SB 13 violations.

The chatbot incorrectly said that a book about soccer contained "nudity" and "locker room talk," one trustee noted.

Supporters see AI as a way to help weed out inappropriate content & save time for staff.

Critics say the technology can "hallucinate" incorrect details and miss valuable context.

Some Texas schools are using AI to screen library books under new state law Supporters see ChatGPT as a way to help weed out inappropriate content, but critics say AI can include incorrect details and miss valuable context.

NEW FROM ME: Texas school boards are increasingly turning to ChatGPT & other AI programs to comply with SB 13, a new state law that requires them to vet school library purchase lists for "indecent" or "profane" content.

#txlege

www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/art...

‘Quiet as a whisper’: German firm launches campaign after lift was used in Louvre heist After watching the news about the Paris robbery, managers at Böcker decided to make the most of the publicity A family run German business unwittingly became wrapped up in the crown jewel heist at the Louvre museum in Paris and is turning the use of one of its furniture lifts into a publicity coup. “When you need to move fast” is the new tongue-in-cheek advertising tagline for the company Böcker, which is based in the town of Werne near Dortmund, in a campaign on Facebook and Instagram mounted within a day of the brazen thefts. Continue reading...

‘Quiet as a whisper’: German firm launches campaign after lift was used in Louvre heist

JUST IN: 11 9th Circuit judges dissent* as appeals court declines en banc rehearing of ruling letting Trump use National Guard in L.A. Some judges may keep powder dry for Oregon case w/weaker facts for Trump admin. Doc: cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op... Earlier: www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

Keep in mind that Texas still restricts "sexually explicit" books. In December 2023, the State Board of Education required schools to purge "sexually explicit" books from library shelves, citing HB 900. Those standards remain in effect.

Federal judge blocks Texas ban on ‘sexually explicit’ books in schools A Trump-appointed federal judge wrote that a 2023 Texas law's requirements for library book ratings are "subjective, confusing and unworkable."

STORY: A Trump-appointed federal judge wrote that a 2023 Texas law's requirements for library book ratings are "subjective, confusing and unworkable" in an order permanently blocking the key provision of HB 900/the READER Act. #txlege @expressnews.com www.expressnews.com/politics/art...

legendary

BREAKING: A Waco federal judge has ruled Texas’ HB 900/READER Act unconstitutional & blocked the state from enforcing its requirement that schools remove books labeled “sexually explicit” by vendors.

This makes permanent a temp block that the 5th Circuit upheld. #txlege

An en banc appeal is likely coming, which would mean that the full court would rule on the Trump administration’s request. This order is just from a 3-judge panel. The dissenting judge called for the full court to vacate the ruling.

I did note this in a reply :)

This ruling comes as the Trump administration waits for SCOTUS to rule on its appeal of the order blocking the deployment of the Texas and Illinois National Guards in Chicago.

Chicago + Illinois' reply to that appeal is due at 5pm today, so a SCOTUS order could land this week

Two Trump-appointed judges ruled in Trump's favor, while a Clinton appointee wrote a dissent. Read them here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

BREAKING: Trump can deploy the Oregon National Guard to protect an ICE facility in Portland while a lawsuit plays out, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals just ruled.

The Texas National Guard wasn't part of the appeal, so they remain blocked from going to OR.

Musk-backed group spent $5 million to fight California redistricting plan The Texas billionaire gave $5 million to the the group in June, making him its largest individual donor this year.

But Democrats are far outraising the GOP on the CA ballot initiative: they’ve raised $100 mil to Republicans' $40 mil.

Statesman version of the story link: www.statesman.com/politics/art...

In late June, Musk gave $5 mil to a super PAC supporting GOP U.S. House candidates.

2 months later, the group donated $5 mil to Kevin McCarthy's PAC opposing the CA ballot initiative that could add 5 Dem seats.

Musk-backed group spent $5 million to fight California redistricting plan The Texas billionaire gave $5 million to the the group in June, making him its largest individual donor this year.

NEW: A national Republican group whose biggest individual donor is Elon Musk is spending millions to counter California's redistricting ballot initiative.

If passed, CA's Prop 50 would neutralize TX's addition of 5 U.S. House seats favoring the GOP. #txlege
www.expressnews.com/politics/art...

Texas National Guard scrambling to find trained soldiers for protests The state will pull 2,500 soldiers from Abbott's Operation Lone Star to send to protests, according to internal memos obtained by the American-Statesman.

In June, Texas ordered 2,500 National Guard troops to switch from Operation Lone Star to a "No Kings" protest deployment amid a struggle to find volunteers on short notice, I reported. Two Guard members said they were concerned about politicization:
www.statesman.com/story/news/p...

Gov. Greg Abbott will again deploy state troopers and the National Guard to Austin ahead of an anti-Trump "No Kings" protest, claiming the demonstration is linked to antifa #txlege

New Braunfels ISD closes some school libraries to review books The district said the temporary closure is to "ensure compliance" with a new state law banning content deemed to be indecent or profane.

Central Texas' New Braunfels ISD temporarily closes high school libraries to "ensure compliance" with SB 13, a new state law banning content deemed to be indecent or profane. via @expressnews.com #txlege www.expressnews.com/hill-country...