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Category Archives: Congress

Google to overhaul ad tracking on Android phones used by billions; French watchdog says Google Analytics poses data privacy risks

Washington Post: “Google announced it will begin the process of getting rid of long-standing ad trackers on its Android operating system, upending how advertising and data-collection work on phones and tablets used by more than 2.5 billion people around the world. Right now, Google assigns special IDs to each Android device, allowing advertisers to build… Continue Reading

Drought in the United States: Science, Policy, and Selected Federal Authorities

CRS Report – Drought in the United States: Science, Policy, and Selected Federal Authorities, Updated February 8, 2022: “Drought―a deficiency of moisture that results in adverse effects―occurs to some extent almost every year in areas of the United States. Droughts can simultaneously reduce available water supplies and increase demands for water. Drought has the potential… Continue Reading

Modernizing Congress U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer Applies Technology to Democracy

LegisPro: “Hudson Hollister  – We recently interviewed Rep. Derek Kilmer, Chair of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. This transcript has been edited for clarity.” Hudson Hollister – Representative Kilmer, Chairman of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, thank you so much for joining us. Hudson Hollister… Continue Reading

Can a Congressional Committee Subpoena Members of Congress?

LawFare: “As part of its investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, the Jan. 6 committee has requested information and testimony from several sitting members of the House of Representatives.  The committee has also requested that telecommunications companies preserve the phone records of… Continue Reading

We desperately need an antisemitism monitor

Forward: “Nearly 200 days after President Biden announced that he intended to nominate Dr. Deborah Lipstadt to serve as U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, she finally had a confirmation hearing before the Senate. The Feb. 8 hearing came months after leading Jewish organizations called on the Senate to consider this critical nomination… Continue Reading

Voting Laws Roundup: February 2022

Brennan Center for Justice: “As the 2022 state legislative sessions begin, lawmakers have already introduced more new restrictive voting legislation than at this time last year. They have also continued to introduce bills designed to undermine the electoral process. With the 2022 regular legislative sessions starting in all but 15 states as of January 14,… Continue Reading

Browse Committee Prints: Congress.gov February 2022 New, Tip, and Top

In Custodia Legis: “Last month, Robert shared that Congress.gov now has committee hearing transcripts going back to the 103rd Congress (1993-1994). We previously added Committee Prints to the website. With today’s release, you can now browse the House prints, Senate prints and Joint committee prints. They are listed by the print number, title, committee, and… Continue Reading

CRS – Central Bank Digital Currencies: Policy Issues

Central Bank Digital Currencies: Policy Issues, Updated February 7, 2022: “The recent proliferation of private digital currencies or cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, has led to questions of whether the Federal Reserve (Fed) should create a central bank digital currency (CBDC)—a digital dollar that would share some of the features of these private digital currencies. In… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 5, 2022

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 5, 2022 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading

‘He never stopped ripping things up’: Inside Trump’s relentless document destruction habits

Washington Post – “Trump’s shredding of paper in the White House was far more widespread and indiscriminate than previously known and — despite multiple admonishments — extended throughout his presidency. President Donald Trump tore up briefings and schedules, articles and letters, memos both sensitive and mundane. He ripped paper into quarters with two big, clean… Continue Reading

CRS – Financial Regulation: Systemic Risk

Financial Regulation: Systemic Risk, February 1, 2022: “The U.S. financial system has experienced two major episodes of financial instability in the 21stcentury (as well as a few minor incidents)—the 2007-2009 financial crisis and instability surrounding the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. In both cases, the federal government and the Federal… Continue Reading

Some records sent to Jan. 6 committee were torn up, taped back together mirroring a Trump habit

Washington Post: “When the National Archives and Records Administration handed over a trove of documents to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, some of the Trump White House records had been ripped up and then taped back together, according to three people familiar with the records. Former president Donald Trump was known… Continue Reading