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Category Archives: Congress

Legal Issues in COVID-19 Vaccine Development

CRS report via LC – Legal Issues in COVID-19 Vaccine Development, June 8, 2020: “Private companies, universities, and governmental entities are working to develop a vaccine for corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccines are biological products regulated under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). New… Continue Reading

Congress and Police Reform: Current Law and Recent Proposals

CRS report via LC – Congress and Police Reform: Current Law and Recent Proposals, Updated June 9, 2020: “In May and June 2020, protests erupted nationwide after the publication of video footage of a Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd, leading to his death. That incident and its aftermath… Continue Reading

Senate Report – FCC failed to monitor Chinese telecoms for almost 20 years

ars technica: “The Federal Communications Commission and other US agencies have failed to properly oversee Chinese telecom companies that operate in the United States, according to a bipartisan Senate report released today. After a year-long investigation, the staff report by the US Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations “found that the FCC and ‘Team Telecom’—an informal… Continue Reading

Poll – Large majority of Americans back protests and say police need to change

Washington Post: “Americans overwhelmingly support the nationwide protests that have taken place since the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, and they say police forces have not done enough to ensure that blacks are treated equally to whites, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll. President Trump receives negative marks… Continue Reading

How to Track the Tech That’s Tracking You Every Day

Gizmodo: “It’s easy to feel helpless right now. Cities across the country are seeing unarmed protesters maimed by police officers who enjoy both the full support of the current presidential administration and of the American legal system itself. Congress is, in 2020, debating whether to make lynching a federal hate crime. And there’s still a… Continue Reading

Congress and Law Enforcement Reform: Constitutional Authority

CRS report via LC – Congress and Law Enforcement Reform: Constitutional Authority, June 4, 2020: “In May and June 2020, protests erupted nationwide after the publication of video footage of a Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd, leading to his death. That incident and its aftermath have sparked heightened… Continue Reading

In Changing U.S. Electorate Race and Education Remain Stark Dividing Lines

“Republicans hold wide advantages in party identification among several groups of voters, including white men without a college degree, people living in rural communities in the South and those who frequently attend religious services. Democrats hold formidable advantages among a contrasting set of voters, such as black women, residents of urban communities in the Northeast… Continue Reading

Supreme Court to Consider Whether Web Addresses Using Generic Terms May Be Trademarked

CRS Legal Sidebar via LC – Isn’t It Generic: Supreme Court to Consider Whether Web Addresses Using Generic Terms May Be Trademarked – June 2, 2020: “What can be trademarked? On May 4, 2020, in its first telephonic oral argument ever, the Supreme Court heard arguments addressing this question. Generally, trademarks protect the goodwill that… Continue Reading

How to Preserve Civil Liberties in a Pandemic

POGO – “As the coronavirus pandemic continues, our country faces numerous challenges that will require not only extraordinary responses, but extraordinary vigilance to prevent the abuse of power during this crisis. And as unprecedented as many of these challenges are, the fear the virus provokes is not entirely novel. Accordingly, responses to past crises—most notably,… Continue Reading

COVID Money Tracker

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget – “The novel coronavirus (COVID) pandemic and resulting economic crisis has been met with an unprecedented policy response. Through legislative, administrative, and Federal Reserve actions, policymakers are currently working to pour trillions of dollars into the economy. COVID Money Tracker is a new initiative of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget… Continue Reading

Trump escalates war on Twitter, social media protections

AP: “President Donald Trump escalated his war on social media companies Thursday, signing an executive order challenging the liability protections that have served as a bedrock for unfettered speech on the internet. Still, the move appears to be more about politics than substance, as the president aims to rally supporters after he lashed out at… Continue Reading