There are a lot of rumors flying around about a big iOS and macOS redesign coming this year, perhaps as a distraction to the continued issues around Apple Intelligence. And while I’m game for a fresh coat of paint across the software I use every single day, I have one plea while Apple’s at it: Please, for the love of god, make the Notes app render the letter “a” properly.
I’ve been meaning to rant about this ever since Vesper went under and I switched to Apple Notes. I absolutely despise the alternate single-story a glyph that Apple Notes uses. I use Notes every single day and this a bothers me every single day. It hurts me. It’s a childish silly look, but Notes, for me, is one of the most serious, most important apps I use. And yet it renders the third-most common letter in English (after e and t) like you’re reading a first-grade primer.
To me, the core problem isn’t Apple’s decision to use the single-story alternate a glyph in Notes by default. It’s modern Apple’s aversion to preferences. (Or, as they call them now, settings.) If you want to make an unusual opinionated design decision, fine, but unusual opinionated design decisions should be preferences. Let us turn off this silly a, please.
Starbase, home to SpaceX’s private launch site, has voted to become an official Texas city. The Onion shares the perfect two-day itinerary for Starbase tourists.
Day One
9:30 a.m.Get started at the visitor center
From the airport, head straight to the Starbase Visitor Center, where you can book tours, buy souvenirs, and pick up a handy map showing which facilities your race is allowed to use.
11 a.m. Check out Build-a-Son Workshop at Starbase Mall
Get in touch with your creative side by combining sperm and eggs to make your very own Elon Musk male progeny.
2 p.m. Stroll through the farmers market
Pick up a meal-replacement shake for lunch, or help yourself to one of the many free samples of artisanal monkey jerky.
5:30 p.m. Rocket launch
Watch that big fucker blow up.
8 p.m. Movie night
Head to the drive-in theater to catch the night’s programming, a video of Elon Musk walking into Twitter HQ carrying a sink, set to a loop for three and a half hours.
1 a.m. The Feeding
The feeding begins.
Day Two
8 a.m. Rise and shine
Start your day as the locals do by heading to the employee cafeteria, grabbing breakfast, and forcing a laugh at whatever Elon Musk does with a banana.
12 p.m. Take an Aryan child sled ride
Enjoy a relaxing ride through town on a sled pulled by six energetic 9-year-olds of pure Caucasian heritage.
3 p.m. Pick up a souvenir
Stop by town hall to purchase a copy of one of the many surveillance photos taken of you and your family during your visit.
7 p.m. Cut loose with Rick And Morty quote karaoke
Head to the local bar and participate in the time-honored tradition of shouting quotes from the animated series at the top of your lungs.
2:30 a.m. Awaken to screaming. Across the way, a waifish woman holding a baby hangs out a window yelling for help. Is that…Grimes?
Yes! Good spot.
4 a.m. Come to bound and gagged inside a SpaceX test rocket
The last thing you may remember is something hard hitting the back of your head. It’s Starbase fun for the whole family.
Robert Francis Prevost, known now as Leo XIV, will be the 267th occupant of the throne of St. Peter, the first American to fill the role of Pope. What do you think?
“Now all 340 million of us have somewhere to crash in Rome.”
Duncan Knight, Systems Analyst
“If he can speak more than one language, he’s not American.”
Seamus O’Connor, Juice Bottler
“I thought walking out to Springsteen was a bit much.”
It’s the sort of day where you can tell that the state Capitol is bustling with civic activity well before you pass through the security checkpoints. Even by 10 o’clock this sunny March morning, the main parking garage is full. Charter buses, which carried Texans to their capital city from destinations hundreds of miles away, are parked all along the streets.
On almost every one of the 140 days that the Texas Legislature meets for its biennial session, citizens make the pilgrimage to the pink granite-domed Capitol to engage in activism, persuasion, and admonition. Sometimes they are there of their own individual democratic volition; more often they mobilize on behalf of an organized advocacy group.
Demonstrators march and gather near the Capitol following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
The marquee event is the Texas House Public Education Committee’s hearing on House Bill 3, the lower chamber’s proposed school voucher program. It’s a historic day as a school voucher bill is on track to pass through the House for the first time ever. For the hundreds of pro-“school choice” Texans who’ve traveled there to provide a show of mass popular support, it’s a joyous occasion. For the hundreds of opponents—public school teachers, parents, and other activists who’ve shown up to voice their urgent rebukes—it’s an ominous one.
The Capitol Extension, an underground complex that sits below the north grounds, first opened back in 1993, nearly doubling the building’s square footage. Here there are 16 committee hearing rooms, conference rooms, an auditorium, a gift shop, and, of course, the popular Capitol Grill cafeteria, which this day is serving frito pies, loaded baked potatoes, and other standard fare.
This is the hive. The cavernous hallways, with terrazzo floors that mirror those in the Capitol proper, and the four-story inverted rotunda are filled with a constant stream of people wandering in large groups, or beelining for a destination—like a shopping mall of democracy.
Pro-immigrant protesters outside the Texas Capitol in 2017 (Sam DeGrave)
The professionals are easy to pick out from the unwashed masses, who are often all wearing the same colored t-shirts with matching slogans. The lawmakers, dressed in sharp suits or fitted dresses, are often walking briskly with a small entourage of staffers. The lobbyists, typically wearing far more expensive attire, are often the ones sitting on the benches that line the hallways—glued to their phones. On this day, Governor Greg Abbott’s former top aide, now one of the most sought-after lobbyists in Austin, is in an alcove wearing earbuds.
In the auditorium, about 100 home-schooling families are listening to the Texas Home School Coalition go through a legislative primer on their top priority this session: House Joint Resolution 155, a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to homeschool in the Texas Constitution. “Freedom is fragile,” Jeremy Newman, the coalition’s vice president of policy, tells the crowd. “We know this because home schooling was illegal in the ’70s and ’80s. We know people now who were in jail because of this.”
The group has to wrap up its briefing early, apparently so as not to interfere with the governor’s own pro-voucher press event, which is being held at the swanky downtown office of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. With that, the crowd takes their packet of information flyers, streams out of the auditorium, and into the maze of hallways that contain legislators’ offices.
Pro-Palestine demonstrators ride horses just south of the Capitol in February 2024 (Gus Bova)
Around this time, the Texas Freedom Network is leading an anti-voucher rally on the south steps of the Capitol—the designated area for sanctioned rallies, protests, and press conferences. The granite stairs include a natural “riser” that makes for a perfect stage. For an hourly electricity fee of $35, organizers can plug in their microphones and speakers. For a $50 fee, the State Preservation Board—which is responsible for maintaining all activities on the grounds—can provide a lectern or chairs.
Shortly after the anti-voucher rally, the gun nuts gather around the south side for a rally to push back against the tyranny of so-called red flag laws in Texas and across the nation. A few dozen members of the Gun Owners of America are in attendance, many donning little red flags attached to their caps. Among the VIP attendees there to help rally the troops are tea party firebrand and Dallas County GOP Chair Allen West, plus Kyle Rittenhouse, who moved to Texas a few years ago after becoming a celebrity in the gun rights movement. The event is sponsored by Patriot Mobile, the premier cell-phone carrier for conservatives and an ardent booster of Christian nationalist politics in Texas.
Alas, much of what may appear to be grassroots advocacy is in reality heavily engineered. But there is plenty of more organic citizen engagement too. When encountered, it can serve as a much needed salve for the cynicism that comes from closely following the Texas Legislature.
Family members of those killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting carry a Day of the Dead altar from the Capitol to the Governor’s Mansion in November 2022. (Gus Bova)
Consider Nicholas Gresham, the operator of a small hemp business in East Texas. It’s also a lobby day for the Texas Cannabis Collective. He’s here today to push lawmakers to vote against one of the Senate’s top priorities—Senate Bill 3—that would outright ban any THC products in the state.
When he heard that the Senate was holding a public hearing on the bill a couple weeks earlier, he felt compelled to leave his wife and newborn in the NICU at a Dallas hospital to drive to Austin to testify. Before the committee, he chastised lawmakers for trying to pull the rug out from under a burgeoning legal hemp industry.
He came back again on Tuesday to drop off pro-hemp leaflets at legislators’ offices. For him, it’s a matter of protecting his livelihood. (The baby, by the way, is home and healthy now.)
Gresham may not be a high-powered lobbyist who can easily text with or wine-and-dine legislators. And much of his literature may likely end up in the recycling bin at the end of the day. But everyday Texans like him, who have something personal on the line, are essential to each and every legislative session. And you can count on them to keep showing up.
VICTORIA, BC – Following Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s continued threats about separating from the rest of Canada, local climate change scientist Debra Grimmlet is having a hard time not expressing her joy at the idea. “No, Premier Smith! Don’t take away Alberta and its oil sands, greenhouse gases, and constantly melting glaciers,” Grimmlet said in […]
I just completed the fourth and final interview for a newly created role at my company. It’s within my current division but with a different team. The process has dragged on for about three months, but up until now it’s been entirely positive.
My first three interviews couldn’t have gone better. The hiring manager was supportive and communicative during a two-month lag, proactively informing me on where things stood in the process, and even sharing that I was on the shortlist of candidates. The hiring manager’s boss was also encouraging — instead of grilling me, he spent our interview helping me prep for my next interview. I have a strong sense that I’m the preferred candidate.
This role would be a stretch for me. I don’t possess every skill listed, but I’ve proven myself to be very capable, a fast learner, and have a very strong track record at my company. My first three interviewers seemed to recognize that and said they had no reservations about me as a candidate (a question I always ask at the end of each interview).
But my final interview — with the president/head of my division — really threw me off. The president emphasized how critical the role is and said that because I don’t yet have the full skillset, I’d likely need to work significantly extra hours for a couple years while learning the ropes. Then they said, “You may be expected to work 50, 60, or even 70- or 80-hour weeks at first. Do you see that being a problem?” I was shocked by the question and just said something to the effect of, “I believe in being a team player, I wouldn’t leave important work undone at the end of the day just because it was 5 pm and I’m willing to put in extra work as needed by the role and by the team, especially as I’m getting up to speed.”
This was the first time in the interview process that anyone had mentioned anything close to those kinds of hours. The hiring manager (who’s currently doing this work) is indeed overloaded, which is why the new position was created. But the broader culture at my company (a bank) is very balanced — people generally don’t work extended hours unless it’s end-of-quarter, and I never thought to ask about it based on my experience at the company and the hours I see my would-be colleagues putting in. The job description states the role’s schedule as 40 hours/week.
This final interview left a sour taste in my mouth, to the point where I’m questioning whether this is the right job for me. The president oversees a division of 120 people but doesn’t directly oversee this team and could be a bit removed from the day-to-day. So now I’m wondering: Was this a genuine heads-up? A test of my commitment? A scare tactic? Or just an out-of-touch leader mischaracterizing the role?
This is a mid-level management job, not investment banking or private equity. Of course I’d expect to put in extra hours and effort while I’m learning, but being told by the president that I could expect to put in as many as 70–80 hours a week for the first couple years feels extreme. I would not accept an offer if that was truly the expectation.
Any insights? Or thoughts on how I can best raise this with the hiring manager, should I receive an offer?
What the hell?!! Just casually tossing out of 80-hour weeks, which no one else had thought relevant to mention? And expecting you to work those hours for several years?
I do think there’s a very strong chance that the president is just wrong about this, if the job description lists it as a 40 hour/week job, no one else mentioned anything to the contrary, and you’ve seen with your own eyes that the rest of that team doesn’t work those hours. He might just be wildly out of touch with what the work entails and with what will be needed for you to get up to speed.
But you definitely can’t take the job without finding out for sure.
If you get an offer, talk to the hiring manager and say this: “I’m very interested in the job, but I wanted to check with you about something Ron said when I met with him. He said that he’d expect I’d need to work long hours for the first couple of years while learning the ropes, and specifically said I’d be expected to work 50-80-hour weeks at first. That was the first I’d heard of that and it wasn’t the sense I’d gotten previously, so I wanted to ask if that would indeed be the expectation.”
If she says that that’s not correct, you should say, “That was my sense as well! But I’m nervous about accepting if that’s what he’s envisioning. Is there a way to formally clarify the hours with him to ensure it won’t pop up later as an issue, before I accept?”
CHICAGO—Evaluating whether top college talent like Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, and Kasparas Jakučionis can actually clean up on a professional level, the NBA Draft Combine started this week by testing how well prospects direct-message models on Instagram. “Sometimes these players’ messages look good on paper, or they’re showing off on Instagram Reels, but then you see them in person and realize they don’t have what it takes to DM at an NBA level,” said Charlotte Hornets scout Cam Twiss, who explained that prospects are assessed on their timing, emoji form, shot selection, and a host of other essential DMing skills. “Some of them are volume players firing off 30 or 40 DMs a night, while others guys are going to mix it up in the chat and fight for every reply, and the combine gives us a chance to see how they measure up. These aren’t some local college girls they are dealing with. These are elite women with careers and skills and a professional-level block game. You need a lot more speed and finesse than just texting ‘What’s up?’ with an eggplant. These models are getting hit up by DM legends like LeBron James and Paul George, and we need to predict how these kids will compete with that.” At press time, top NBA prospect Cooper Flagg was plummeting down draft boards after reportedly getting blocked by three Chicago-area models in a row.
WASHINGTON—Citing an urgent need to combat dangerous and highly contagious ideas that might lead people to oppose the president, the Trump administration began offering free at-home loyalty tests Tuesday.
The tests, which are distributed through the government website www.LoyaltyTestKits.com and mailed to the homes of U.S. residents, have been described by the White House as a quick and painless way for Americans to prove they support the agenda of President Donald Trump. In a post on Truth Social, the president described the kits as critical to determining who was a dedicated foot soldier of the MAGA movement and who was a traitor to their country.
“America can ONLY be great again when EVERYONE is loyal to me,” wrote Trump, who went on to blame the previous administration for failing to identify and isolate several virulent strains of anti-Trump sentiment. “Unlike CROOKED JOE BIDEN, the American people LOVE their favorite president of all time! Me! GO ONLINE NOW to order up to 4 test kits so you can ensure the whole family is LOYAL to the commander-in-chief.”
“With your help we are one step closer to being the most obedient country IN THE WORLD,” he added. “Prepare yourselves, radical left haters!!!”
At LoyaltyTestKits.com, U.S. residents can sign up to receive a device that detects whether they have been infected with strains of thought that could make them “a very sick person.”
According to the White House’s current disloyalty guidelines, Americans who test positive for treason are required to report their results to the federal government, wear protective MAGA gear, and quarantine indefinitely until they can prove their penance is paid and undying fealty to President Trump has been achieved.
In a press conference, Trump praised the brave men and women on the front lines of the fight against disloyalty, who he said had worked tirelessly to enforce his “beautiful vision” and ensure that dissenters were crushed, never to oppose his ultimate authority again.
While several users reported glitches with the tests, including false positives that incorrectly labeled them a “high security risk and enemy of the state,” many expressed gratitude, saying they would have never known they were disloyal if their test hadn’t alerted them.
“I took a test last week, and ever since, I’ve been in lockdown,” said 39-year-old Arizona resident Jason Stambaugh, adding that he had been forced to stay inside, isolate, and watch hours of Fox News clips praising Trump. “I used to oppose his policies, but after a few days of state-mandated quarantine, I feel so much better. No matter what he does—whether he takes my money, cuts my benefits, or imprisons my family—I support him.”
“If President Trump wants to lock me up, there must be a reason,” Stambaugh added. “Maybe I was the enemy from within all along.”
At press time, reports confirmed several members of the Trump administration had been pronounced dead after testing positive for a terminal strain of disloyalty.
MEXICO CITY—In what is being hailed as a groundbreaking linguistic survey of resorts, beaches, and other tourist hotspots, a new report published Wednesday by a consortium of language experts across Mexico found that vacationing sources habla un poquito de español. “According to the data we collected, American-born subjects were eager to tell researchers that they no habla español bien, pero—no se la palabra—they wanted to try,” read the report, which went on to state that 85% of those surveyed in flip-flops, sunglasses, and festive linen shirts knew phrases like “hola, me llamo Steve,” “dónde está el baño,” y “muchas gracias, señor” because they took español en la escuela. “Over the course of our research, we discovered that the sample population was eager to approach locals and strike up conversations about la comida, la playa, y las chicas bonitas. Out of 200 tourist participants, over half were also excited to self-report that they parle un peu de français aussi.” In addition, the study found that when addressed in English, 99% of blushing sources shyly admitted that they habla como un gringo y that ay caramba, tu inglés es muy bien.
LOS ANGELES—Appearing nervous as he acknowledged that he had concealed the truth from his fiancée for far too long, actor Tom Holland confided to reporters Thursday that he was working up the courage to tell Zendaya he was only 17. “Oh man, I think I’m in over my head—when we go to get our marriage license, they’re bound to ask for some form of ID with my date of birth on it,” said Holland, who admitted that while there had been a number of opportunities to come clean over the many years of their relationship, he had always found an excuse to put off telling the award-winning actress that he was legally underage. “I know it’s scary, but I’ve got to do it. If she really loves me, she’ll accept me for who I am no matter what my age. And maybe she already knows! She has to have some kind of idea considering I haven’t even gone through my growth spurt yet.” Holland later added that he hoped Zendaya would be okay with a long-distance relationship once he started college next fall.
Sort of a perk, right? Okay, sure, you and Jeff aren’t that close these days, but in theory it might be nice to see him more often. He could, like, come over for beers in the garage sometimes.
There’s no question that artificial intelligence has come a long way in the last few years. And it’s true that many jobs are likely to be replaced by these tools. But I know for a fact that the job I do as CEO can never be done by AI, regardless of how advanced it becomes. The things I do, the heart and soul I pour into my work each and every day—even on weekends—a computer would never match.
Could a machine decide to lay off an entire department based on a vague intuition it forms about the market while it half-listens to an Economist podcast during its morning Peloton ride? I don’t think so. Through years of stress and anxiety, I have built up my sensitivity to the market. This isn’t something that can be captured and replicated by a machine.
Now, I’m not saying AI won’t be able to pick up some of the smaller parts of the job. Maybe one day it will be able to misread my emails for me and send vague, inarticulate responses at two o’clock in the morning when I wake up from my stress-induced night terrors. But don’t be naive; that’s still a far cry from being able to raise another round of funding at a higher valuation by overstating the product’s capabilities to a roomful of VCs.
I mean, how could it ever perform such a high-level function? AI cannot ingest a highly tuned cocktail of barbiturates and hallucinogens before attending these high-stakes meetings. Not to mention, it lacks the chemically induced creative spark to turn around a tense board meeting about poor quarterly revenue and get everyone excited about projected future revenue by having an intern throw together some last-minute slides with colorful speculative graphs. It lacks the inspiration to frantically google terms like “total available market” and “flywheel.” Sure, AI can respond to my prompt “make bad revenue sound good in context, genius CEO writing style,” but could it ever think of how to turn a hopeless situation into an opportunity? I have serious doubts.
Artificial intelligence is not and will not be a threat to me or my livelihood because AI could never pay someone to pilot his yacht to a non-extradition country while he and his closest business partners fall down a K-hole and hallucinate that they are in hell as volunteers responsible for flaying the SEC commissioners alive. (Not the cool ones, just the annoying ones.) Do you even know the kind of mental fortitude, the sheer willpower, that it takes to pull yourself up out of that hole? That’s not something you can automate.
Look, I get it, I know that all of these changes are scary. They’re all happening so fast. Many hardworking people’s jobs are going to become obsolete. And yes, we will undertake the challenging task of determining which ones are obsolete and which ones are not. And yes, of course, we’ll be expected to tear up when we call into those uncomfortable Zoom meetings where we lay off those people. We’ll have to watch awkwardly as the chat fills up with angry comments about our new luxury watches and our summer homes’ lush gardens that we’re calling from because our new intern doesn’t understand how to disable comments in Zoom yet.
So, rest assured, fellow CEOs, we are special men with irreplaceable minds. We will continue to do the hard work of boldly leading the world into the future. Yes, computers are becoming increasingly advanced. Every day, they prove capable of accomplishing tasks we never thought possible. But will they ever be able to space out in a meeting while they become preoccupied with a great new idea they had when they misread the marketing copy of a competitor? Not a chance.
Who knows, maybe AI will come close in a few years. But I don’t believe they’ll ever be able to talk over their subordinates with increasing belligerence until everyone has agreed to their bold new vision. That’s a skill that just can’t be taught.
In brief: The calendar reads May 12, but although June remains several weeks away today is the final day of spring for this year. Beginning tomorrow summer arrives in Houston and it does not appear likely to relinquish its grip. The region faces hot and sunny weather for awhile.
Monday morning temperatures in Texas: It is almost certainly the last time the state will be this cool until at least September. (Weather Bell)
The end of spring
Looking back with hindsight, we might say that spring began on February 26 in Houston this year, a day when the high temperature reached 82 degrees. From that point forward, the city would not have any more daily highs below 69 degrees. And all things considered, it has been a rather warm spring, with both March and April recording average temperatures more than 4 degrees above normal. However, May so far has been temperate with near normal highs and lows, and a pair of pretty spectacular spring-like weekends. For those dreading the onset of summer it has been mighty fine. Sunday evening, with sporadic sunshine and dry air, was just an incredibly fine time to be outside.
But all good things must come to an end. And we can say with high confidence that spring will end today. Consider this morning the final hurrah. It sure may not feel like it outside right now, with much of the area dropping into the upper 50s. Indeed, it feels almost chilly outside. But believe me, this is it. The high today will be fine, in the mid-80s for most locations. But tonight will be warmer and more humid, and then by Tuesday we’re off to the races with a high temperature likely reaching the lower 90s. Maybe we will get a final, weak front 8-10 days from now, but it’s not something I’d bet on.
Monday
Much of the Houston region has fallen into the upper 50s or lower 60s this morning, and it feels positively spring like. Winds are generally calm this morning, and may yet come from the northwest for a few more hours today. This will help hold dewpoints in the 50s for much of today, helping keep humidity levels low through this afternoon and early evening. With clear skies high temperatures will likely reach the mid-80s. By tonight we will fall into a much more southeasterly flow, allowing for humidity levels to rise. Lows tonight will only drop into the upper 60s.
Tuesday
Southerly winds will become much more noticeable on Tuesday, with gusts up to 25 mph or perhaps even a bit higher. With this southerly flow skies will be mostly sunny, and high temperatures will reach at least the lower 90s. Tuesday night will be warm, with lows dropping only into the mid-70s.
Wednesday should be the hottest day of the week. (Weather Bell)
Wednesday through Sunday
High pressure takes control, and we are going to see a hot week. Look for partly to mostly sunny days with high temperatures in the mid-90s, and mostly cloudy nights with lows in the upper 70s. Some inland locations will get into the upper 90s, with Wednesday likely to be the hottest day of the week. Rain chances will be virtually non-existent. With dewpoints around 70 degrees, the humidity will feel summer-like. From day to day there will be very little change in the weather, but there might be a very slight downturn in temperatures by the weekend.
Next week
The uncharacteristically hot pattern will persist into next week before some kind of front slides into the state. Whether it makes it all the way to Houston remains to be seen. But that will bring our best chance of rain for the next 10 days.
Texas’ newest Republican megadonor Alex Fairly got a look under the hood of Texas’ far-right political machine, and didn’t like what he saw. Here are six takeaways from his exclusive interview with The Texas Tribune.
by Eileen Grench, Adriana Rezal and Anna-Catherine Brigida
U.S. citizens were more than twice as likely to be charged with a crime in Harris County in 2023 than adults who don’t hold U.S. citizenship, according to an exclusive data analysis by the Houston Landing.
The analysis, based on the most recent data on the county’s adult population and criminal charges, shows that U.S. citizens have been more likely to be charged with a crime in Harris County since at least 2015, the earliest data collected by the Landing through public records law.
Compared to county population totals, U.S. citizens were also more likely to be charged with violent crimes related to murder, homicide and manslaughter.
“The data does not surprise me, that data is consistent,” said former Houston Police Department chief Charles McClelland, who led the Houston Police Department from 2010 to 2016.
The data echoes many past studies nationwide and in Texas that show immigrants do not commit crimes at higher rates than U.S. citizens, running counter to the rhetoric of the Trump administration and some state and local politicians who support ramping up deportations under the guise of public safety. Statewide, native-born citizens are also nearly twice as likely to be charged with a crime, according to research by the Cato Institute.
Meanwhile, both immigration and law enforcement experts have expressed concern that individual cases, such as the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston in June 2024, are being used to justify punitive immigration policies.
When immigrants are conflated with criminals, all immigrants in the community are impacted, according to Katy Murdza, a Houston-based Texas regional organizer for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, a national organization supporting immigrant rights.
“It is making many of our family members, our friends, our neighbors, afraid to go to work, afraid to go to school, or even run errands, and that does create a ripple effect through the community,” said Murdza.
Tracking citizenship
According to crime data obtained by the Houston Landing earlier this year, U.S. citizens made up 76% of all people over the age of 18 who were charged with a crime in Harris County since 2015. Non-citizens, meanwhile, have made up less than 10% of all defendants during this time.
In 2023, 1,766 adult U.S. citizens were charged with a crime out of every 100,000 adult citizens in Harris County, more than double the rate of those without U.S. citizenship.
Citizenship information is collected as part of the jail intake process, where every person booked in Harris County Jail is asked by the arresting officer whether they are a citizen of the United States, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Self-reported yes or no answers are entered at registration. If the defendant is unresponsive or refuses to answer the question, that person’s citizenship will be marked as unknown, according to Jason Spencer, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.
Over 14% of all people charged since 2015 did not have their citizenship listed at the time of the public records request in January of this year and are not included in this analysis. The Landing consulted with five experts in criminal justice data and analysis, who said that assumptions can’t be made about the citizenship status of the unknown category.
How we did this
The Houston Landing received this publicly available data through a public information records request through the Harris County District Clerk’s Office. It includes all criminal charges filed in Harris County from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2024. The dataset includes a category for citizenship of each person. It is updated as of January of this year to reflect the current citizenship or charge of each person as of January 2025.
Charge rates were calculated using 5-year American Community Survey adult population estimates collected by the U.S. Census Bureau broken down by sex, age, nativity, and citizenship status. The database was filtered to include individuals who were 18 years or older at the time of charge.
The Landing shared its methodology with 5 experts, including data journalism and criminal justice researchers from the Marshall Project, Cato Institute, Kinder Institute of Urban Research, Rice University. They reviewed the findings and provided feedback on the analysis. All agreed that the Landing’s methodology is consistent with standards for criminal justice data analysis.
The data analyzed by the Landing is of pre-trial charges, meaning documentation of the accusation of a crime, not the outcome of a case. The data collected does not include immigration status, so non-citizens can include both documented and undocumented immigrants.
Both HPD and the Sheriff’s Office, the two largest law enforcement agencies in the county, declined to comment on the findings of the analysis.
“HPD encourages everyone who has been a crime victim or a witness to report,” said HPD spokesperson Jodi Silva. “Our focus is on criminals who are harming Houstonians and ensuring everyone remains safe.”
But overall, the Landing’s finding that citizens are charged with crimes at higher rates than noncitizens is consistent with past studies on immigration and crime. In Texas, the arrest rate for immigrants is between 44 and 53 percent lower than for native-born citizens depending on immigration status, according to the Cato Institute.
A nationwide study of incarceration rates published by the National Bureau of Economic Research showed that immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated. Over the 150 years of the study, immigrants were never incarcerated at a higher rate than the U.S.-born population.
“Despite the rhetoric coming out of the White House and from other politicians,immigrants have been shown to commit crimes at similar or lower rates than U.S.-born people,” said Julia Gelatt, associate director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the DC-based Migration Policy Institute. “That finding has held over many different studies of many different methodologies and held over multiple years of research.”
Perception vs. reality
The most common charges in recent years among both citizens and non-citizens alike were for drunk driving and family violence. But crime data related to homicide is often the most accurate because these crimes are more likely to be reported, said Alex Nowrasteh, who has researched immigration and crime for conservative think tank the Cato Institute.
Out of 602 homicide-related charges in 2023, 3% were filed against non-citizens. The most recent population data shows that non-citizens were nearly six times less likely to be charged with an offense related to murder, homicide or manslaughter than citizens. Non-citizens have been less likely to be charged with such crimes since 2015.
Regardless of citizenship, these types of charges are not common. In Harris County, an estimated 16 adults out of every 100,000 county residents were charged with these crimes, according to 2023 population data.
Still, these cases often get the most media attention. Among the most high-profile cases was the June 2024 murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. After two Venezuelan immigrants were accused in her murder, her mother Alexis became a major part of the Trump campaign as she blamed border policy for her daughter’s death. The case also stirred a debate in Harris County about whether stricter immigration policy would deter local crime in a county that is nearly one-third foreign-born.
The overall statistics showing that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates don’t always offer solace to victims, said multiple experts interviewed by the Landing, adding that the hyper-focus on these shocking cases often distorts people’s perception of overall public safety.
“It is certainly easier to politicize the point and gain traction and momentum for certain policies when it comes to immigration, when you can cherry-pick a celebrated case,” said former Houston Police Department chief Charles McClelland.
“I wish that the issue would not be politicized as much as it has been by either major party,” he later said.
Linking immigrants to crime has been a common political tactic throughout U.S. history to justify limiting immigration, such as during the 1920s when a law was passed to limit immigrants allowed in the U.S., according to Gelatt of MPI. President Trump has used these arguments throughout both his administrations to justify tough immigration policies and, now, mass deportations, whether or not those arrested are actually criminals.
“We know that ICE is under tremendous pressure to increase their daily arrest numbers,” Gelatt said. “They’re trying to find the people who are easiest to arrest. Some of those people may have criminal convictions and some of them may not.”
An ICE spokesperson said in a statement that the agency could not comment on crime rates in Harris County, but said that 90% of ICE arrests in the Houston area last fiscal year were of immigrants charged with or convicted of a crime.
“The positive impact of ICE immigration enforcement efforts have bolstered public safety, national security and border security in our communities,” an ICE spokesperson said.
Boots on the ground
For those who have policed the streets of Houston and researched immigrant crime trends, it was not shocking to hear that noncitizens were less likely to have criminal charges.
While the data reviewed by the Houston Landing doesn’t specify the immigration status of noncitizens, McClelland stressed that during his time as chief, he reviewed data that showed that undocumented immigrants were also less likely to be charged with a crime. He stressed that being undocumented in the U.S. is not a criminal act.
“It’s a civil penalty, and local law enforcement don’t enforce civil penalties,” said McClelland. “Most people in the public believe that these are criminal penalties.”
Moreover, rhetoric focusing on immigration status can detract from law enforcement’s main mission and from community members’ willingness to come forward about a crime.
“Most law enforcement officers, boots on the ground, they’re chasing bad guys…they want to do something about anybody that’s committed violent crimes,” McClelland said.
Douglas Griffith, the president of the Houston Police Officers Union, agreed that “most noncitizens are hardworking individuals,” and that the citizenship status of those they interact with doesn’t factor into how HPD officers operate.
“We arrest for crimes and warrants, and we put people in jail,” he said.
The focus on immigration as a public safety issue distracts from other social problems in Houston, such as access to healthcare, food security, and disaster prevention, Murdza of ILRC said.
“There is a lot on the news and from elected officials who say that there’s some set number of people who are the dangerous people, and if we can detain them, then you will be safe,” Murdza said. “It’s just not that simple.”
1. Is a credit for child care expenses fair to employees without kids?
Recently a viral video and announcement has gone around of a company offering credits up to $3,000 a month for child care expenses. This is fantastic! However, as a child-free person I’m concerned about a benefit worth tens of thousands of dollars a year only being offered to a segment of employees who have young children. When point this out, am I the bad guy? How can a workplace support all their employees?
I don’t think you’re the bad guy. I do think, though, that child care expenses are in a different category than nearly anything else — this country does a terrible job of supporting parents with young children, there is very little safety net available, and daycare costs are exorbitant. There’s little else a company could offer that would meet a pressing need on the same scale … and it’s a need that, if it’s not met, is far more likely to drive women out of the workforce than men.
You could definitely argue that if they’re going to offer it, they should also offer a similar dependent care reimbursement for employees caring for sick or elderly family members … but I can’t fault them for seeing a very pressing and significant need and responding specifically to that.
That said, I’d hope that any company that’s doing this for parents has also ensured they’re offering really good health insurance to everyone and is flexible when people need time off for reasons other than young kids.
2. Interview question: “what does ChatGPT know about you?”
I just saw something post that a “great” interview question a potential employer should ask is this (paraphrased): “Go to ChatGPT or another AI you’ve interacted with and ask it to summarize what it knows about you from your conversations.”
Bananapants, right? I don’t have work-related conversations with AI, so I don’t see how that would be relevant. This smacks of an interviewer trying to trick a potential hire into disclosing information like their sexuality, family status, religion, and the like. No decent company should endorse this technique, and I’d run like my tampon string was on fire if anyone asked me this, whether or not I even chat with AI!
Agreed. Moreover, lots of people don’t have conversations with ChatGPT or similar AI’s, or don’t log in when they do (so nothing is saved). This is just bad thinking.
3. How to tell our director she’s not invited to a meeting
I work on a team with five other coworkers, and we all work remotely and in a global capacity (some in the U.S. and some in Europe). We have a weekly team meeting that has recently gotten out of hand attendance-wise. Our department director, who manages several teams (including ours) has forwarded the invite so many times the meeting now has 15+ people on it. A few of my colleagues expressed a desire to have a very informal, small group meeting every week with just our team so we can catch up on our weekends, ask questions in a casual way, and just generally team build together. Our director found out about this meeting and now not only demanded we forward the invite to her, but is asking us to move the time to fit her schedule. Is there a way to nicely say her seniority changes the vibe of the meeting?
“We’d planned this just for X staff — the idea was to serve a different purpose than a larger meeting or one with senior managers.”
If she asks what that different purpose is, you could say, “It’s part connection-building, part informal updates and mutual help. We wanted to keep it very casual so we could maintain that vibe.”
If she insists on being there anyway, you may need to let the meeting die off and then reconstitute it in a different, more casual (and perhaps more impromptu) form.
4. Why is it taking so long to get rejections?
This morning I learned that, after careful consideration and with utmost respect for my impressive credentials, a potential employer would not be moving forward with my application.
I submitted that application on January 5. I am writing this four months and two days after I submitted that application. And this is not totally out of the ballpark for response times since I started trying to transition from freelance to full-time a whole damn year ago.
I’m not sure how to phrase this question except: “What the actual fuuuuungible tokens is going on here?”
It can’t possibly be taking this long for all hiring decisions to be made, can it? Is this the “new normal”? And if so, how are employers okay with leaving roles empty for so long?! And if not…WHAT is WRONG with me?
This doesn’t strike me as that weird (or new)! A lot of employers don’t send out rejections until they’ve made a hire for the job (as opposed to rejecting people on a rolling basis as they go), and four month from advertising to hire is pretty solidly within the range of normal.
Sometimes you hear about someone getting a rejection a year or more after applying for a job, and that is ridiculous, but four months isn’t. It accounts for time for applications to come in, time reviewing those applications, deciding who to move forward, doing initial screens, doing a couple of rounds of interviews, checking references, extending and negotiating an offer, and waiting for the offer be accepted. Four months is actually pretty decent for a lot of professional jobs.
I work in the hospitality industry. My official title is general assistance. My main work is supposed to be in the kitchens. It’s mainly to help assist the chefs. However, lately we are being made to spend less and less time doing that and we are being required to spend more time collecting coffee cups from other parts of the building, on top of our normal jobs of assisting the chefs. It’s not something I enjoy doing. Do I have the right to refuse a job that’s not really have anything to do my official role?
Legally? No. They can add new duties to your job, and can make doing those new duties a condition of remaining employed with them. That said, you and your coworkers might be able to push back if you can show that it’s negatively affecting your primary duties (like if you’re not available for your main job when needed). Or if you have a lot of capital and know they don’t want to lose you over it, sometimes you can simply explain that it’s not work you’re interested in doing. But when it’s something like collecting cups from other parts of the building and your job is “general assistance,” you probably don’t have a lot of leverage, I’m sorry to say.
Beate is deeply confused about her relationship with Claire. But we can all agree, with no room for confusion, that the Alpine Des Fishman doll is very choice.
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