Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

You Are Here: Home » Archives: March 2009

Daily Archives: March 2, 2009

Department of Justice Releases Nine Office of Legal Counsel Memoranda and Opinions

by on

News release: “The Department of Justice today released two previously undisclosed Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memoranda and seven previously undisclosed opinions…The two memoranda memorialized that certain legal propositions in ten OLC opinions issued between 2001 and 2003 no longer reflected the views of OLC and “should not be treated as authoritative for any purpose.” They further explained that some of the underlying opinions had been withdrawn or superseded and that “caution should be exercised” by the executive branch “before relying in other respects” on the other opinions that had not been superseded or withdrawn…the Department has released the six of those underlying opinions from 2001-2003 that are not classified and that had not previously been disclosed.”

House Committees Take the Lead on Using Social Media to Ensure Transparency

by on

News release: “House Committees on Science and Technology, Education and Labor, Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming are the first four Congressional Committees to join Twitter. These Committees use Twitter as a new tool to reach their audience and ensure transparency between the government and the public.” House… Continue Reading

GAO Issues First-of-Its-Kind Cost Estimating Guide

by on

“How Much Will This Program Really Cost?” GAO Issues First-of-Its-Kind Cost Estimating Guide to Answer Such Questions, March 2, 2009 “Developed with input from industry experts as well as federal officials, the 436-page Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide lays out a multi-step process for developing high-quality, trustworthy cost estimates; explains how to manage program costs… Continue Reading

CIA Documents to Court Destruction of 92 Interrogation Tapes

by on

News release: “According to a letter filed by the government in court today, the CIA acknowledged it destroyed 92 tapes of interrogations. The admission comes in an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit seeking records of the treatment of prisoners in U.S. custody abroad. In December 2007, the ACLU filed a motion to hold the CIA… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports: NASA Large-Scale Projects, GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide, Nuclear Detection, Dietary Supplements

by on

NASA: Assessments of Selected Large-Scale Projects, GAO-09-306SP, March 02, 2009 GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Developing and Managing Capital Program Costs, GAO-09-3SP, March 02, 2009 Nuclear Detection: Domestic Nuclear Detection Office Should Improve Planning to Better Address Gaps and Vulnerabilities, GAO-09-257, January 29, 2009 Dietary Supplements: FDA Should Take Further Actions… Continue Reading

U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve Board Announce Participation in AIG Restructuring Plan

by on

News release: “The U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board today announced a restructuring of the government’s assistance to AIG in order to stabilize this systemically important company in a manner that best protects the US taxpayer. Specifically, the government’s restructuring is designed to enhance the company’s capital and liquidity in order to facilitate… Continue Reading

DHS Releases New Audit Reports on Immigration Statistics

by on

Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2008 (PDF, 7 pages): “This report provides estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population residing in the United States as of January 2008 for periods of entry and leading countries of birth and states of residence. The Foreign-born Component of the Uninsured Population (PDF,… Continue Reading

Economic Stimulus Provides New Funds For GAO Oversight

by on

USA Today: “For three years, the investigative arm of Congress has seen its staff dwindle in size. Now, the agency is getting a $25 million infusion of cash from the stimulus bill signed by President Obama last month to hire investigators, auditors and others to track hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending to… Continue Reading

Final Report of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission

by on

“On February 26, 2009, the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission released its Final Report, Paying Our Way: A New Framework for Transportation Finance. See also the Executive Summary. The Financing Commission offers a roadmap for sweeping reform of the nation’s transportation infrastructure funding and finance framework. The Commission offers specific recommendations for increasing investment… Continue Reading