In the News

The former leader of a nonprofit organization that shelters migrant children for the U.S. government resigned this year after it was publicly disclosed that he earned nearly $1.5 million in 2016. New tax records obtained by The Washington Post indicate he earned more than double that — $3.6 million — in total compensation in 2017.

Juan Sanchez, founder of Southwest Key Programs, the Texas-based nonprofit that houses thousands of children and teens for the Department of Health and Human Services, left his job on April 1 amid outrage over his compensation and business dealings. Members of Congress fumed about individuals profiting off migrant detention just as the Trump administration was separating migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border, prosecuting adults for illegal entry and shuttling their children to Southwest Key and other shelters.

The House on Friday approved its defense authorization bill after adopting a slew of progressive amendments that helped Democrats earn votes from the party's more dovish members in the face of Republican opposition.

The final vote on the fiscal 2020 bill was 220-197. No Republicans supported the typically bipartisan measure that traditionally has earned more than 300 of the 435 available House votes.

Just before passing the bill, the House defeated, 204-212, a Republican motion to recommit that would have increased the military pay raise and poured additional funds into military maintenance accounts.

The House soldiered on through hundreds of amendments to the annual defense policy bill Thursday, but major issues — including authorization to use force and military involvement on the southern border — remain unresolved, as does the ultimate fate of the bill.

Lawmakers plan to vote on some of the most controversial amendments, as well as final passage of the measure Friday morning. Republicans and progressives alike voiced deep reservations this week about the typically bipartisan measure, and it is unclear that the last two days of debate assuaged their concerns.

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be playing into stereotypes that adversely affect women and minorities in financial decisions, according to two experts.

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing entitled: "Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence: Where We Are and the Next Frontier in Financial Services."

Among the witnesses who testified were Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee, a fellow of Governance Studies at the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, a think tank; and Dr. Douglas Merrill, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zest Finance, a company which uses machine learning (ML) for the loan approval process.

"Lenders use our software to increase loan approval rates, lower defaults, and make their lending fairer," Dr. Merrill said.

Tuesday is the last day for public comment on a proposal that could evict or even separate thousands of families with mixed-citizenship status who receive housing assistance in Texas.

A year after heavy rains flooded Harris County and forced the cancellation of many events, including Houston's Freedom Over Texas, the area's Fourth of July celebrations stayed dry Thursday.

More than a thousand people lined S. Rice Boulevard in Bellaire for the city's parade, which included the usual smorgasbord of fire trucks, elected officials, antique cars, civic groups, political parties and a marching band.

Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen stood precariously on top of a high water rescue vehicle and wished the crowd a happy Independence Day. State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-Houston, waved from a Jeep while state District Judge Mike Engelhart, who ditched his robes for a red T-shirt, walked along the route.

A group of lawmakers visited two border facilities in Clint and El Paso, Texas, on Monday, and they made sure everyone knew about the poor living conditions they saw by sharing graphic details of their trip via Twitter.

The visit was organized by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus after reports about the Clint border facility indicated that migrant children were being neglected. According to the Associated Press, children were separated from their families, sat in soiled diapers, and ate meals with little nutritional value.