Good morning,

Numerous armed conflicts are occurring around the world. Today's One Click Survey asks which of those, if any, you think justify American military intervention.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Lottery Scandal Widens: Ticket Resellers Enter Pleas in Fraud Case

• A long-running federal investigation into a Texas-based lottery ticket reseller has resulted in two guilty pleas by former executives. Daniel Greer reports that the pleas follow the February indictment of a Russian businessman.
      
• Ryan Dickinson and Matthew Clemenson pled guilty to their part in a complex securities fraud scheme that included fabricated revenues and regulatory deception. The two of them, as well as Lottery.com’s former CEO, have been directly linked to high-ranking Texas Lottery officials, including the former Texas Lottery Commission Executive Director, Gary Grief.
      
• According to federal indictments unsealed earlier this year, Russian national Vadim Komissarov—known as “Vlad”—orchestrated the fraud. Facing a deadline to complete the merger or return investor funds, Komissarov allegedly conspired with Lottery.com executives Ryan Dickinson and Matthew Clemenson to artificially inflate the company’s revenues through a series of sham transactions.
      
• Not mentioned in the filing is the men's involvement in the rigged $95 million jackpot in April 2023, which was done with the aid of Gary Grief.

House Greenlights $1.5 Billion in Film Subsidies

• Controversial legislation to provide hundreds of millions in taxpayer-funded incentives to the film industry was passed out of the Texas House yesterday, despite opposition from some conservative lawmakers who called it a “Hollywood handout.” Brandon Waltens has the details.
      

• Supporters are framing it as a way to boost economic development and bring high-profile productions to Texas. The House sponsor, State Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi), described the measure as a “guardrail program.” The legislation gives broad discretion to the governor's office to approve or deny applications based on content.
       

• For example, the program expressly bars support for projects that portray Texas or Texans negatively, or that contain obscene or politically charged content. Reimbursements to filmmakers are not made until after the project is released, ostensibly giving the state more control over the productions.

         
• Senate Bill 22 has been a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Originally, SB 22 was slated to spend up to $500 million per biennium for ten years. An amendment was added in the House, though, to cap the program’s cost at $300 million per biennium. The legislation now returns to the Senate, where lawmakers must approve the House changes before the session ends.

OTHER HOUSE NEWS

‘Jocelyn’s Law’ Stalled in Texas House as Democrats Withhold Support

• The legislation is known as "Jocelyn's Law," in honor of Jocelyn Nungaray, the young girl who was brutally murdered in Houston last year by two illegal aliens. It received support yesterday from a majority of House members but failed to reach the two-thirds vote required to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot because Democrats refused to back it.

Entities at UT-Austin Promote Abortion

• Numerous academic entities operating under the auspices of the University of Texas at Austin are engaged in pro-abortion activities. Adam Cahn has the results of a Texas Scorecard investigation.
      
• For example, the Reproductive Justice Defense Project at UT Law describes itself “as a hub for state, national, and international academic research and advocacy” for a variety of pro-abortion causes.
     
• Meanwhile, the Population Research Center in the College of Liberal Arts recently published an article that claimed the drug misoprostol “has a high rate of effectiveness and a low rate of serious adverse events” when used to induce abortions. That claim has been refuted even by abortion proponents.
      
• Also at UT is the Texas Policy Evaluation Project, which has argued that pro-life laws passed by Texas forebode a “dangerous future.” 

Texas Faces Educator Sexual Misconduct ‘Crisis’

• Even as state lawmakers consider measures to combat a “crisis” of sexual abuse by school staff, Erin Anderson reports the number of Texas teachers charged with sex crimes continues to grow. Charges have ranged from sexually abusing students to grooming them through social media.
      

• In 2025, the epidemic of abuse has not only continued but appears to be escalating, with multiple suspects arrested each week as others are allowed to quietly resign. While the “bad apples” represent a tiny fraction of Texas educators, critics say the system is still failing to protect children from predators inside Texas' schools.

RELATED EDUCATION NEWS

• Among other things, the measure requires parental access to school libraries, library catalogs, and their children’s library checkout records, and allows parents to submit a list of materials their children cannot check out.

Houston ISD Faces Investigations Over Electioneering Allegations

• Last November, Houston Independent School District proposed the largest bond debt measure in Texas history. Now, reports Michael Wilson, the district is facing investigations by the offices of the Attorney General of Texas and the Harris County District Attorney over the use of tax dollars to fund electioneering.
       
• At the center of a growing controversy is a $2 million budget line item in HISD’s 2024–2025 budget, labeled “Key Action 2.” This allocation was designated for developing and promoting the bond proposal, including hiring a consulting firm. As part of that effort, the district’s media kit used branded language like “RENEW HISD” for social media campaigns.
       
• Last week, a parent in the district revealed to a Houston TV station that she was paid to participate in a secret "focus group" seven months before the election centered on the bond campaign itself.
       
• Despite multiple media requests, HISD has declined to comment on the allegations of tax-funded electioneering.

Today In History

On May 27, 1961, John Tower became the first Republican elected to the United States Senate from Texas since Reconstruction. He was elected in a special election to fill the unexpired term of Lyndon B. Johnson, who had resigned to assume the vice presidency. Tower remained in the Senate until he resigned in 1985.

Quote-Unquote

"Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries."

– Douglas Casey​

One Click Survey

Several major conflicts are taking place around the world. Which, if any, do you believe require intervention by U.S. armed forces?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!