Explanation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program

During the campaign President-elect Trump made statements about possibly repealing the administrative order establishing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). For those unfamiliar with all the provisions of DACA, on Sept. 30, 2014 the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a summary of DACA provisions in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): Frequently Asked Questions .

Win $10,000 to improve education in Texas

The Rather Prize, started by journalist Dan Rather and his grandson Martin, provides funding for a great idea to improve education in Texas. A student, teacher or administrator can submit an idea to compete for the $10,000 prize and an additional $10,000 from Rice University. Last year's prize went to Dr. Sanford Jeames from Eastside Memorial High in Austin who devised a student training/mentorship program for students who had been in a low-functioning school until he took over.

Vote for your favorite project in January 2017 when a shortlist of the top ten projects will be available. The winner will be announced at SXSWedu 2017.

How Does the Electoral College Work

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is charged with writing concise background reports to keep Congress informed about issues under consideration. As such, they are also great tools for the public. On April 13, 2016 CRS published a 17 page report about how the Electoral College works by Thomas H. Neale, Specialist in American National Government. The report covers the origin of the system and how it works today. For more information see The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections.

Conflicts of Interest and the Presidency - CRS Report

On 10/14/2016 the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a brief Legal Sidebar report addressing whether or not the federal law requires the President to relinquish his or her business interests. Conflicts of Interest and the Presidency reveals what the law is and how it is being applied. It covers conflicts of interests, divestiture of assets to avoid conflicts, disclosure requirements, the history of presidential practices, and issues in the 2016 election.

Bay of Pigs History Vol. 5 Released

The George Washington University's National Security Archive posted a notice on Oct. 31, 2016 that Volume 5 of the Official History of the Bay of Pigs Operation is now available after years of litigation. See the history of that litigation and a link to Volume 5 (CIA's Internal Investigation of the Bay of Pigs) at http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB564-CIA-Releases-Controversial-Bay-of-Pigs-History/. The National Security Archive also provides links to the other four volumes:
Vol. 1 Air Operations, March 1960-April 1961
Pt.1, pages 1-302
Pt.2, pages 303-506
Pt.3, pages 507-541
Vol. 2 Participation in the Conduct of Foreign Policy
Pt.1, pages 1-167
Pt. 2, pages 168-255
Vol. 3 Evolution of the Bay of Pigs Operation, and
Vol. 4 The Taylor Committee Investigation of the Bay of Pigs.