Bloomberg Opinion – Noah Smith: Without fixes for infrastructure, education, health care and government, the U.S. will resemble a developing nation in a few decades. “The U.S.’s decline started with little things that people got used to. Americans drove past empty construction sites and didn’t even think about why the workers weren’t working, then wondered… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
How the Pandemic Defeated America
The Atlantic – A virus has brought the world’s most powerful country to its knees. “…Despite ample warning, the U.S. squandered every possible opportunity to control the coronavirus. And despite its considerable advantages—immense resources, biomedical might, scientific expertise—it floundered. While countries as different as South Korea, Thailand, Iceland, Slovakia, and Australia acted decisively to bend… Continue Reading
Why Congress should look at Twitter and Facebook
MIT Technology Review: “If America’s politicians really care about the damage online platforms can do, they should look at online conspiracy theories—and how they’re made worse by the design of social media sites…Platforms have too much power to sway public opinion and influence behavior—and that directly affects our capacity to engage in deliberative debate and… Continue Reading
Employment Effects of Unemployment Insurance Generosity During the Pandemic
Employment Effects of Unemployment Insurance Generosity During the Pandemic. Joseph Altonji, Zara Contractor, Lucas Finamor, Ryan Haygood, Ilse Lindenlaub, Costas Meghir, Cormac O’Dea, Dana Scott, Liana Wang, and Ebonya Washington, Tobin Center for Economic Policy Yale University. July 14, 2020. Abstract: “The CARES Act expanded unemployment insurance (UI) benefits by providing a $600 weekly payment… Continue Reading
Report highlights shell company loophole that could be abused by foreigners who want to interfere in U.S. elections
Issue One: “Shell companies that give money to super PACs could be conduits for foreign money in the 2020 election, warns a new report published today by Issue One. Under current law, super PACs are permitted to collect contributions of unlimited amounts, but must disclose their donors. In some cases, their campaign finance disclosures list… Continue Reading
John Lewis – Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation
John Lewis asked the New York Times to publish his last essay on the day of his funeral – please take a few minutes to read – to share – to reference – to heed – and always – to continue to travel the distance that lies ahead – together. “The brief essay that Representative… Continue Reading
How to watch John Lewis’s funeral and Barack Obama’s reported eulogy live online
FastCompany – “The private burial service for civil rights icon John Lewis takes place today in Atlanta. Lewis passed away earlier this month at the age of 80 from pancreatic cancer. Lewis was one of the most prominent civil rights icons from the 1960s onwards, and since then he has served in public office in… Continue Reading
‘Instagram can hurt us’: Mark Zuckerberg emails outline plan to neutralize competitors
The Verge – Antitrust panel says the messages show Zuckerberg trying to buy out his competition: “…The emails between Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and chief financial officer David Ebersman were revealed today during the House antitrust subcommittee’s hearing on antitrust issues in tech, as Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) questioned Zuckerberg about the Instagram acquisition. The… Continue Reading
Online Platforms and Market Power Part 6: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google
House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law – July 29 2020: Support Documents – Hearing Notice [PDF] Hearing Notice – Revision 1 [PDF] Added 07/24/2020 at 03:48 PM Witnesses: Mr. Jeff Bezos Chief Executive Officer, Amazon.com, Inc. Jeff Bezos Statement [PDF]; Mr. Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer, Apple Inc. Tim Cook Statement… Continue Reading
Find a Member of Congress by Address on Congress.gov
In Custodia Legis: “In June, Margaret shared that we had added district maps to member profile pages on Congress.gov. Each map on a member profile can be expanded to show a larger size version of the map. With today’s update to Congress.gov, we build upon the district maps by adding a new search box to help you… Continue Reading
Confederate Symbols: Relation to Federal Lands and Programs
CRS report via LC: Confederate Symbols: Relation to Federal Lands and Programs. Updated July 28, 2020. “Congress is considering the relationship of Confederate symbols to federal lands and programs. A number of federal agencies administer assets or fund activities in which references to the Civil War Confederacy, Confederate flags and artifacts, and commemorations of Confederate… Continue Reading
KFF Health Tracking Poll – July 2020
Coronavirus: Reopening, Schools, And The Government Response – Key Findings – July 27, 2020: Amid a surging coronavirus pandemic and record numbers of new cases in many states, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds most U.S. adults feel the worst effects of the pandemic are yet to come, and seven in ten (including four… Continue Reading
