Follow up to previous posting – Wyden Statement on Harlan Crow Stonewalling Committee Inquiry, May 17, 2023 – Wyden Responds to Harlan Crow, Restates Questions on Gifts to Clarence Thomas. “New Letter to Crow’s Attorney Outlines Committee Jurisdiction and Extensive Legislative and Investigative History on Gift and Estate Taxes and Billionaire Tax Compliance Senate Finance… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
Criminal Prohibitions on Leaks and Other Disclosures of Classified Defense Information
CRS Report – Criminal Prohibitions on Leaks and Other Disclosures of Classified Defense Information. Updated May 11, 2023 – “High-profile leaks and disclosures of protected government information have prompted frequent congressional interest in the criminal penalties for disclosing government secrets. In one recent case, a U.S. Air National Guardsman allegedly posted photographs on social media… Continue Reading
IRS submits Direct File report to Congress; Treasury Department directs pilot to evaluate key issues
“The Internal Revenue Service submitted a report today to Congress evaluating a Direct File option for taxpayers and is taking steps to begin a pilot project for the 2024 filing season following a directive from the Treasury Department. The report to Congress, required by the Inflation Reduction Act, evaluated the feasibility of providing taxpayers with… Continue Reading
S.1564 – AI Leadership Training Act
S. 1564 – To require the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to establish, or otherwise ensure the provision of, a training program on artificial intelligence for Federal management officials and supervisors, and for other purposes. May 11, 2023. “U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and… Continue Reading
Oversight of A.I.: Rules for Artificial Intelligence
Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing. May 15, 20223 – Oversight of A.I.: Rules for Artificial Intelligence – Hearing video Witnesses – Samuel Altman, CEO OpenAI San Francisco, CA – Download Testimony: “…OpenAI is a leading developer of large language models (LLMs) and other AI tools. Fundamentally, the current generation of AI models are large-scale statistical prediction… Continue Reading
Wyden Statement on Harlan Crow Stonewalling Committee Inquiry
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement in response to the letter he received from an attorney representing billionaire Republican activist Harlan Crow: “I was disappointed but unsurprised by billionaire Republican activist Harlan Crow’s refusal to respond to my questions about the gifts he’s lavished on Justice Clarence Thomas and his… Continue Reading
Threat of TikTok ban has creators scrambling to build followings on Instagram, YouTube
CNBC: “With U.S. officials threatening a nationwide TikTok ban, creators and small business owners who rely on the app are growing concerned. “They’ve captured the lightning in the bottle that other platforms just haven’t been able to do yet,” said Chad Spangler, who uses his large TikTok following to promote his art. Creators have been turning… Continue Reading
Appearances by Sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justices at Congressional Committee and Subcommittee Hearings (1960-2022)
CRS – Appearances by Sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justices at Congressional Committee and Subcommittee Hearings (1960-2022): “This Insight provides historical information and analysis related to appearances by sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justices at congressional committee and subcommittee hearings during the period 1960 through 2022 (confirmation hearings are excluded from the analysis). Congressional hearings are used,… Continue Reading
Yet Another Problem With Recycling: It Spews Microplastics
Wired – “Recycling was already a mess. Now a study finds that one facility may emit 3 million pounds of microplastics a year. The plastics industry has long hyped recycling, even though it is well aware that it’s been a failure. Worldwide, only 9 percent of plastic waste actually gets recycled. In the United States, the rate… Continue Reading
GAO Report on SVB, NY Fed Report on SVB
Bank Regulation – GAO-23-106736 – Preliminary Review of Agency Actions Related to March 2023 Bank Failures – Report to the Committee on Financial Services, House of Representatives, April 2023. Released April 28, 2023: “Risky business strategies along with weak liquidity and risk management contributed to the recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.… Continue Reading
Jane Roberts, who is married to Chief Justice John Roberts, made $10.3 million in commissions from elite law firms, whistleblower documents show
Business Insider: “Jane Sullivan Roberts, the spouse of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts made more than $10 million in commissions as a headhunter for top-tier law firms between 2007 and 2014, according to internal documents included with a whistleblower complaint. Jane Roberts was paid more than $10 million by a host of elite law… Continue Reading
The Fight for the American Public Library
Bloomberg/City Lab: ” Library boards, school boards and legislatures are becoming battlegrounds in a push to censor books. Communities are fighting back. National Library Week in the US comes amid a period of turmoil for libraries, as efforts to censor books intensify. Visual storyteller Ariel Aberg-Riger explores the threats libraries face, their historical context and… Continue Reading
