News release: “Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 204,000 in October, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in leisure and hospitality, retail trade, professional and technical services, manufacturing, and health care. Household Survey Data Both the number of unemployed persons, at… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: November 2013
The challenges in obtaining non public IG reports via FOIA
WaPo – Looking for needles in a federal haystack – By Al Kamen, Published: November 7 “And now, a journey into the sometimes surreal world of the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. The law can be a powerful tool for the public and the news media to discover all manner of mal- , mis- and nonfeasance… Continue Reading
FDA takes step to further reduce trans fats in processed foods
News release: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are not “generally recognized as safe” for use in food. The FDA’s preliminary determination is based on available scientific evidence and the findings of expert scientific panels. … Continue Reading
2013 Survey of Americans on U.S. Role in Global Health
“The Kaiser Family Foundation 2013 Survey of Americans on the U.S. Role in Global Health is the fifth in a series of surveys designed, conducted, and analyzed by the Kaiser Family Foundation in order to shed light on the American public’s perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes about the role of the United States in efforts to… Continue Reading
Senate Intelligence Committee Approves FISA Improvements Act
Increases privacy protections, oversight, transparency of critical intelligence programs: The Senate Intelligence Committee [October 31, 2013] approved the FISA Improvements Act by a vote of 11-4. The bipartisan legislation increases privacy protections and public transparency of the National Security Agency call-records program in several ways, while preserving the operational effectiveness and flexibility of this vital… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Sequestration, Corporate Tax Expenditures, Defense Health Care Reform, GPS Disruptions, Info Tech, Transportation Disadvantaged Populations, Private Pensions
SEQUESTRATION – Observations on the Department of Defense’s Approach in Fiscal Year 2013, GAO-14-177R, Nov 7, 2013 CORPORATE TAX EXPENDITURES – Evaluations of Tax Deferrals and Graduated Tax Rates, GAO-13-789, Sep 16, 2013 DEFENSE HEALTH CARE REFORM – Additional Implementation Details Would Increase Transparency of DOD’s Plans and Enhance Accountability, GAO-14-49, Nov 6, 2013 GPS DISRUPTIONS – Efforts to Assess Risks to… Continue Reading
IRS Case Processing Delays and Tax Account Errors Increased Hardship for Victims of ID Theft
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration: Case Processing Delays and Tax Account Errors Increased Hardship for Victims of Identity Theft – September 26, 2013, Reference Number: 2013-40-129. “It took the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) an average of 312 days to resolve tax-related identity theft cases, according to a new report released by the Treasury Inspector… Continue Reading
Commentary explores the historical roots of regional gun violence in America
The Battle Lines of Today’s Debates Over Gun Control, Stand-Your-Ground Laws, and Other Violence-Related Issues Were Drawn Centuries Ago by America’s Early Settlers, by Colin Woodard, Tufts Magazine Fall 2013. “…Our death rate from assault is many times higher than that of most other countries, whether highly urbanized or sparsely populated. State-sponsored violence, too—in the… Continue Reading
NY Fed Chair – Ending Too Big to Fail
William C. Dudley, President and Chief Executive Officer – Remarks at the Global Economic Policy Forum, New York City, November 8, 2013 “..My remarks are going to focus on what is called the “too big to fail” problem. As you are aware, this problem arises when the failure of a large, complex financial institution threatens to… Continue Reading
Report – Impacts and Costs of the Government Shutdown
“As the President has said, the shutdown that occurred last month inflicted completely unnecessary damage on our economy and took a toll on families and businesses across the country. Today, OMB is releasing a report that catalogs the breadth and depth of this damage, and details the various impacts and costs of the October 2013… Continue Reading
National Security Archive Posts Able Archer 83 Sourcebook
The Able Archer 83 Sourcebook: “Today marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of Able Archer 83, a NATO exercise that utilized “new nuclear weapons release procedures” to simulate the transition from conventional to nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Although US officials saw Able Archer 83 as a routine exercise, it resulted in an “unprecedented Soviet… Continue Reading
CRS – Promoting Global Internet Freedom: Policy and Technology
Promoting Global Internet Freedom: Policy and Technology – Patricia Moloney Figliola, Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy – October 22, 2013 “Modern communication tools such as the Internet provide a relatively inexpensive, accessible, easy-entry means of sharing ideas, information, and pictures around the world. In a political and human rights context, in closed societies when the more established, formal… Continue Reading
