Bloomberg [unpaywalled]: “In this year’s US presidential campaign, few issues figure as prominently as immigration. Voters from coast to coast have seen their communities mired in fierce debates about how to handle an influx of migrants fueled by a record number of border crossings in 2023. Republican Donald Trump has long put cracking down on… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
How Republican or Democratic is your name?
Washington Post: “…The Post’s voter file is compiled by L2, a data firm founded by its two eponymous L’s, Lourene and Lindy Criddle, in the mid-1970s. Within L2, dozens of engineers hammer away on secure servers to update, clean and standardize public voter records bought from the states. Such voter rolls, constructed under the auspices… Continue Reading
Rising Threats to U.S. Democracy – Roots and Responses
Theda Skocpol (Harvard University; A..D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell), Rising Threats to U.S. Democracy — Roots and Responses Abstract: Why is US democracy facing an existential crisis this year? While some focus on the persona and rhetoric of Donald Trump, or stress underlying institutional distortions and polarizing social divisions, Skocpol highlights and explains the recent… Continue Reading
How to Register to Vote Online in Every State
Gizmodo: “Election Day is November 5 and the deadline to register to vote is coming up inmany states across the U.S. The vast majority of states let you register online, but voting rules in this country vary by location in a way that can sometimes be confusing. That’s why it’s so important to check that… Continue Reading
Your tax dollars are funding a $64 billion scam
Raw Story: “…Medicare Advantage is not Medicare. These plans are private health insurance provided by private corporations, who are then fully reimbursed by the Medicare trust fund regardless of how much their customers use their insurance. Thus, the more they can screw their customers and us taxpayers by withholding healthcare, the more money they make.… Continue Reading
How A.I., QAnon and Falsehoods Are Reshaping the Presidential Race
The New York Times [unpaywalled]: “This year’s presidential election has been polluted with rumors, conspiracy theories and a wave of artificial intelligence imagery. Former President Donald J. Trump has continued to sow doubts about election integrity as his allies across the country have taken steps to make election denial a fixture of the balloting process.… Continue Reading
Why a ruling against the Internet Archive threatens the future of America’s libraries
MIT Technology Review – “The decision locks libraries into an ecosystem that is not in readers’ interests. Congress must act. I was raised in the 1980s and ’90s, and for my generation and generations before us, the public library was an equalizing force in every town, helping anyone move toward the American dream. In Chantilly,… Continue Reading
In Tied Presidential Race, Harris and Trump Have Contrasting Strengths, Weaknesses
“Ahead of the scheduled Sept. 10 presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the presidential race is deadlocked. About half of registered voters (49%) say if the election were held today, they would vote for Harris, while an identical share say they would back Trump. With less than two months… Continue Reading
History of abortion ballot measures
BallotPedia: “As of September 9, 2024, 11 statewide ballot measures related to abortion were certified in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Nevada, and South Dakota for the general election ballot in 2024. This is the most on record for a single year. Since the 1970s, abortion-related policies have been a topic… Continue Reading
Armed and Underground: Inside the Turbulent, Secret World of an American Militia
ProPublica: “Last February, some 20 men and their wives gathered for dinner at an upscale restaurant in Spokane, Washington, for their annual Valentine’s Day celebration. The men weren’t just friends; they did community service work together. They had been featured on local television, in khakis and baseball caps, delivering 1,200 pounds of food to an… Continue Reading
What Happens If Election Officials Refuse to Certify Results?
Democracy Docket on YouTube: “With reports of pro-Trump election officials gearing up to refuse to certify results should Trump lose, the certification process has become a major concern among voters as we heard toward the upcoming election. Sophie Feldman explains how the certification process works and what happens if election officials refuse to certify.” Continue Reading
Survey of Americans’ Online Security Top Concerns & Problematic Habits
US News – Data Privacy Paradox: “Americans are increasingly aware of the dangers lurking online and worry about the risks of data breaches, cyber attacks, ransomware, and more. The fears are well-founded. Already in the first months of 2024, a rash of data breaches has exposed potentially sensitive information of millions of people. One report… Continue Reading
