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Daily Archives: January 22, 2017

NYT – Trump’s Health Plan Would Convert Medicaid to Block Grants

Robert Pear – Trump’s Health Plan Would Convert Medicaid to Block Grants, Aide Says – “President Trump’s plan to replace the Affordable Care Act will propose giving each state a fixed amount of federal money in the form of a block grant to provide health care to low-income people on Medicaid, a top adviser to Mr. Trump said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. The adviser, Kellyanne Conway, who is Mr. Trump’s White House counselor, said that converting Medicaid to a block grant would ensure that “those who are closest to the people in need will be administering” the program. A block grant would be a radical change. Since its creation in 1965, Medicaid has been an open-ended entitlement. If more people become eligible because of a recession, or if costs go up because of the use of expensive new medicines, states receive more federal money.”

Justice Department blesses White House post for Kushner

“Justice Department blesses White House post for Kushner,” by Josh Gerstein, Politico: “In a reversal of legal advice given to prior presidents, the Justice Department has concluded that it is lawful for President Donald Trump to appoint his son-in-law Jared Kushner to a White House post. A 14-page opinion dated Friday from Justice’s Office of… Continue Reading

Application of the Anti-Nepotism Statute to a Presidential Appointment in the White House Office

Opinion of the Office of Legal Counsel January 20, 2017 – “Section 105(a) of title 3, U.S. Code, which authorizes the President to appoint employees in the White House Office “without regard to any other provision of law regulating the employment or compensation of persons in the Government service,” exempts positions in the White House… Continue Reading

Science Librarian Focuses on Projects to Archive Gov Docs Post Obama

Around the Web: Saving Government Data from the Trumpocalypse by John Dupuis: “While I’m working on a major update to my Documenting the Donald Trump War on Science: Pre-Inauguration Edition and preparing for the first of the post-inauguration posts, I thought I’d whet everyone’s appetite with a post celebrating all the various efforts to save… Continue Reading

UK research project documents decline of statistics and rise of big data

“How statistics lost their power – and why we should fear what comes next,” by William Davies, The Guardian: “The ability of statistics to accurately represent the world is declining. In its wake, a new age of big data controlled by private companies is taking over – and putting democracy in peril…In theory, statistics should… Continue Reading

Touring some of our nation’s presidential libraries

Via CBSNews: “As a new president is about to start making history, the legacies of our former leaders are enshrined in presidential libraries. There are now 13 libraries across the country, and President Obama’s in Chicago will be the 14th. CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg joins “CBS This Morning: Saturday” to share some of… Continue Reading

Advocacy group sues Trump over emoluments

Follow-up to to previous posting – Brookings Paper – The Emoluments Clause: Its Text, Meaning, and Application to Donald J. Trump – this news release dated 1/2//2017: “Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is bringing a federal lawsuit to stop President Trump from violating the Constitution by illegally receiving payments from foreign governments.… Continue Reading

Study harnesses big data to analyze 150 years of UK newspapers

Content analysis of 150 years of British periodicals – Published online before print January 9, 2017, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1606380114. PNAS January 9, 2017 “The use of large datasets has revolutionized the natural sciences and is widely believed to have the potential to do so with the social and human sciences. Many digitization efforts are underway, but… Continue Reading