PC World: “Since 2016, Microsoft Word users have had access to Smart Lookup, a nifty feature that lets you right-click on a word or phrase and bring up definitions, synonyms, and relevant links to sites like Wikipedia. Now, however, Windows Latest reports that Microsoft has decided to retire the Smart Lookup feature. If you check… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Find Your Members in the U.S. Congress
Find Your Members in the U.S. Congress | Congress.gov | Library of Congress – Search by your zipcode or address and the results will include the Members, name, website, address, telephone number, party affiliation, length of service, bio, contact information, and bill history associated with the member’s actions. Continue Reading
Watch: 14 Hours of Never-Before-Published Videos From Project 2025’s Presidential Administration Academy
ProPublica – “ProPublica and Documented obtained more than 14 hours of never-before-published videos from Project 2025’s Presidential Administration Academy, which are intended to train the next conservative administration’s political appointees “to be ready on day one.” Project 2025, the controversial playbook and policy agenda created by the Heritage Foundation and its allies for a future… Continue Reading
I Don’t Use iCloud On My iPhone—Here’s Why
MakeUseOf: “I’ve owned an iPhone since 2019, but there’s one Apple feature I still haven’t bought into: iCloud.Limited Free iCloud Storage Plenty of On-Device Storage I Use My Mac for Backups I Already Pay for Google One iCloud Locks You Into Apple’s Ecosystem Continue Reading
Trump fires heads of TSA, Coast Guard, guts key aviation safety advisory committee
AP News: “President Donald Trump moved quickly to remake the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday, firing the heads of the Transportation Security Administration and Coast Guard before their terms are up and eliminated all the members of a key aviation security advisory group.Trump’s immigration policy changes drew the most attention at DHS, but he is… Continue Reading
Career civil service across the government fired, programs suspended – list continues to grow
Via LLRX – Career civil service across the government fired, programs suspended – list continues to grow – Democracy, the Constitution, the Federal Government – All At Risk. Since his inauguration on January 20, 2025 Donald Trump has rapidly implemented key recommendations of Project 2025 using actions executed by non career government personnel as well conservative… Continue Reading
Deferred Resignation Email to Federal Employees, January 28, 2025
Note – This action us unprecedented and signals the intent to eliminate tens of thousands of federal civil servants through various actions outlined in the OPM document outlined below. This email was sent to most civilian civil servants with some exceptions (members of the military). OPM – Fork in the Road – Frequently Asked Questions… Continue Reading
Trump Freezes All Grant Funding to Libraries, Archives, and Museums
everylibrary – “While this “pause” will negatively impact millions of Americans, it will also considerably impact libraries. rump has demanded a freeze on all federal grants and for all agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligations or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance.” The memo also calls for each agency to perform a… Continue Reading
It’s pretty easy to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, actually
Pluralistic: “If Elon Musk wants to cut $2t from the US federal budget, there’s a pretty straightforward way to get there – just eliminate all the beltway bandits who overcharge Uncle Sucker for everything from pharmaceuticals to roadworks to (of course) rockets, and then make the rich pay their taxes. There is a ton of… Continue Reading
The Impoundment Crisis of 2025
One First: “The Trump administration’s Monday spending freeze is likely to provoke a crisis over the constitutionality of “impoundment”—one that the justices could well have to resolve *very* soon. The move was announced in a cryptic and thinly reasoned two-page memo that went out over the signature of Matthew J. Vaeth, the acting director of… Continue Reading
Impoundment Explainer
House Committee on the Budget – Impoundment Explainer, November 22, 2024 Fact Sheet Download Document Reports & Documents Budget Basics Focus on Function Letters Ranking Member Boyle’s Statement – “The legal theories being pushed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are as idiotic as they are dangerous,” said Ranking Member Boyle. “Unilaterally slashing funds that… Continue Reading
A Primer on the Impoundment Control Act
LawFare – “Refusals to undertake required spending are already a major theme of Trump’s second term, but the law limits such executive action. During his 2024 campaign, President Trump indicated that he planned to “restore executive branch impoundment authority to cut waste, stop inflation, and crush the Deep State.” Russell Vought, Trump’s pick to lead… Continue Reading
