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Category Archives: Congress

Democrats unveil procedures for Trump’s impeachment inquiry rebutting GOP attacks

Washington Post – “House Democrats unveiled new procedures for the impeachment inquiry of President Trump on Tuesday, responding to Republican demands for due process by setting out rules for future public hearings delving into whether Trump should be removed from office. The resolution backed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hands the lead role to… Continue Reading

Federal Workforce Statistics Sources: OPM and OMB

CRS Report via LC – Federal Workforce Statistics Sources: OPM and OMB, Updated October 24, 2019 – “According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the federal workforce is composed of an estimated 2.1 million civilian workers,1 and several federal agencies collect, compile, and publish statistics about this workforce. Sources may vary in their totals due… Continue Reading

The Law of Immigration Detention – A Brief Introduction

The Law of Immigration Detention: A Brief Introduction, October 24, 2019. “The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) authorizes— and in some cases requires—the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain non-U.S. nationals (aliens) who are subject to removal from the United States. This detention scheme is multifaceted, with rules that turn on several factors, such… Continue Reading

Congress Looking into Anticompetitive Behavior in the Digital Library Market

Publishers Weekly – “The American Library Association (ALA) has delivered a written report to the House Judiciary Committee telling lawmakers that “unfair behavior by digital market actors,” including Amazon and some major publishers, is “doing concrete harm to libraries.” The report, delivered last week to a House antitrust subcommittee investigating competition in the digital market,… Continue Reading

Congressional Access to Information in an Impeachment Investigation

CRS Report via LC – Congressional Access to Information in an Impeachment Investigation, October 25, 2019 – “Committee investigations in the House of Representatives can serve several objectives. Most often, an investigation seeks to gather information either to review past legislation or develop future legislation, or to enable a committee to conduct oversight of another branch… Continue Reading

Most of the political tweets you see are from a minority of users

National Politics on Twitter: Small Share of U.S. Adults Produce Majority of Tweets – “Those who strongly disapprove of Trump produce majority of tweets from U.S. adults that mention national politics – “The social media platform Twitter plays a prominent role in how politicians, media outlets and advocacy organizations promote their agendas and engage with… Continue Reading

Libra: A Facebook-led Cryptocurrency Initiative

EveryCRSReport.com – Libra: A Facebook-led Cryptocurrency Initiative October 21, 2019: “On June 18, 2019, Facebook announced that, with 28 other members, it had founded the Libra Association, which planned to launch a new cryptocurrency, called Libra. The association released a white paper that outlined the characteristics of Libra and described its goal of creating a… Continue Reading

BYU Law creates language database to help interpret Constitution

The Daily Universe: “The Constitution is America’s central legal document. However, it was written a long time ago, and language has since evolved. Changing language can make the law difficult for lawyers and judges to interpret.  What does it really mean to “bear arms?” How should readers understand the phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors?” BYU… Continue Reading

Executive Privilege and Individuals outside the Executive Branch

EveryCRSReport.com – Executive Privilege and Individuals outside the Executive Branch October 9, 2019 IN11177 – “White House assertions of executive privilege for presidential communications have historically been confined to individuals who were executive branch employees when those communications occurred. While the idea that executive privilege could extend to individuals outside the executive branch predates the… Continue Reading

The Endangered Species Act and Climate Change: Selected Legal Issues

EveryCRSReport – The Endangered Species Act and Climate Change: Selected Legal Issues . September 20, 2019 R45926:”For more than a decade, federal agencies have grappled with how to address climate change effects when implementing the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). The ESA aims to protect threatened and endangered fish, wildlife, and plants from extinction.… Continue Reading

U.K.-U.S. CLOUD Act Agreement Is Finally Here, Containing New Safeguards

Lawfare: “On Oct. 7, the United Kingdom and the United States released the text of the long-awaited data-sharing agreement—the first of the executive agreements envisioned by the CLOUD Act, enacted in May 2018 in order to better facilitate cross-border access to data in the investigation of serious crime. At the time of enactment, there was… Continue Reading

Senate Intel Cmte Releases Bipartisan Report on Russia’s Use of Social Media

“Today, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) and Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) released a new report titled, “Russia’s Use of Social Media.” It is the second volume released in the Committee’s bipartisan investigation into Russia’s attempts to interfere with the 2016 U.S. election. The new report examines Russia’s efforts to use… Continue Reading