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Daily Archives: January 22, 2020

CRS – The Impeachment Process in the Senate

EveryCRSReport.com – The Impeachment Process in the Senate. January 21, 2020. R46185: “After the House impeaches a federal officer, the Senate conducts a trial to determine if the individual should be removed from office. The Senate has a set of rules specific to the conduct of an impeachment trial, most of which originated in the early 19th century. The impeachment rules lay out specific steps that the Senate takes to organize for a trial. House managers (Members of the House who present the case against the impeached officer in the Senate) read the articles of impeachment on the Senate floor. The Presiding Officer and Senators take an oath to do impartial justice, and the Senate issues a “summons” to the accused and requests that a written answer be filed. The House Managers are also invited to respond to the answer of the impeached officer.

Actions after these organizing steps, however, are not specified in the impeachment rules. The impeachment rules mention some actions that are common in judicial trials, such as opening and closing statements by the parties to the case and the examination of witnesses, but provide little specific guidance. Instead, the rules allow the Senate, when sitting for a trial, to set particular procedures through the approval of “orders.” Some orders of the Senate are unanimous consent agreements, but others are proposals adopted by the Senate. If such a proposal is considered while the Senate is sitting for the trial, then debate is limited by the impeachment rules. As a result, the support of three-fifths of the Senate to invoke cloture is not necessary to reach a vote to approve a procedural proposal. In previous trials, such proposals have been subject to amendment. Senate published precedents do not provide guidance on what can or cannot be included in such an order…”

Local news outlets can fill the media trust gap – but the public needs to pony up

Via LLRX – Local news outlets can fill the media trust gap – but the public needs to pony up – Recent surveys found that trust in local media is higher than for national media, yet many newsrooms are struggling financially. Damian Radcliffe, Caroline S. Chambers Professor in Journalism at the University of Oregon, suggests… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues January 18, 2020

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues January 18, 2020 – Privacy and security 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… Continue Reading

The IRS Decided to Get Tough Against Microsoft. Microsoft Got Tougher.

ProPublica co-published with Fortune – “For years, the company has moved billions in profits to Puerto Rico to avoid taxes. When the IRS pushed it to pay, Microsoft protested that the agency wasn’t being nice. Then it aggressively fought back in court, lobbied Congress and changed the law. Eight years ago, the IRS, tired of… Continue Reading

Find the WiFi Password For Almost Any Airport Lounge Using This Free Map

LifeHacker: “Fortunately, we’re at a point where most of the airports in the United States offer free WiFi in some form. Yes, sometimes you have to watch an ad to get there, but it’s there. That said, sometimes you end up an airport that doesn’t have WiFi, or one that has free WiFi that’s restricted… Continue Reading

Broken Rungs on the Career Ladder: A New Analysis of Problems Encountered by Women Lawyers in Private Practice

Cynthia L. Cooper, Broken Rungs on the Career Ladder: A New Analysis of Problems Encountered by Women Lawyers in Private Practice, Perspectives (Jan. 21, 2020) – “The statistics reveal a disheartening picture. In 2018, women comprised only 19.5 percent of equity partners and 30.5 percent of nonequity partners in the nation’s 200 largest firms, according… Continue Reading

Have you measured your Organizational Complexity?

Chandan Lal Patary Author – The Agilist’s Guidebook | The Scrum Master Guidebook | Agile Coach: “…How can to discover the complexity of the organization? We can compile useful information, structured interviews or focus groups are also useful for collecting quantitative data about the intensity of complexity and qualitative information on what drives the complexity. There… Continue Reading

Microsoft discloses security breach of customer support database

Is this the year that we finally admit we have no privacy? – Today’s news via ZDNet – Microsoft discloses security breach of customer support database – Microsoft disclosed today a security breach that took place last month in December 2019. In a blog post today, the OS maker said that an internal customer support… Continue Reading

What Americans Know and Do Not Know About the Holocaust

“Most U.S. adults know what the Holocaust was and approximately when it happened, but fewer than half can correctly answer multiple-choice questions about the number of Jews who were murdered or the way Adolf Hitler came to power, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. When asked to describe in their own words what… Continue Reading