The New York Times: “…Earlier this year, a group of congressional Democrats launched an investigation into energy use at the country’s largest cryptomining companies. They asked seven cryptomining companies for data on their operations, and the group’s findings, issued Friday, are based on the companies’ responses. That data showed that the seven companies alone had… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NPR – “People experiencing a mental health crisis have a new way to reach out for help in the U.S. Starting Saturday, they can simply call or text the numbers 9-8-8. Modeled after 911, the new three-digit 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is designed to be a memorable and quick number that connects people who… Continue Reading
What Happens When Americans Don’t Trust Institutions?
FiveThirtyEight: “Americans are feeling uneasy, and it’s hard to blame them. The things they want to change — inflation, COVID-19 case numbers, rising violent crime in some cities — seem more and more intractable. There was one big, abrupt shift in American life at the end of June, when the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional… Continue Reading
In a Post-Roe World, the Future of Digital Privacy Looks Even Grimmer
The New York Times – “The sheer amount of tech tools and knowledge required to discreetly seek an abortion underlines how wide open we are to surveillance….In states that have banned abortion, some women seeking out-of-state options to terminate pregnancies may end up following a long list of steps to try to shirk surveillance —… Continue Reading
LC – Upcoming US Law Webinars – August 2022
In Custodia Legis: July 12, 2022 by Anna Price – “Each August, the House and Senate take a summer recess from Washington, D.C., during which they spend time in their respective legislative districts. While the legislators are working away from Capitol Hill, the Law Library of Congress will continue responding to reference inquiries and presenting… Continue Reading
Family Research Council Is Now a Church in Eyes of the IRS
ProPublica: “The Family Research Council’s multimillion-dollar headquarters sit on G Street in Washington, D.C., just steps from the U.S. Capitol and the White House, a spot ideally situated for its work as a right-wing policy think tank and political pressure group. From its perch at the heart of the nation’s capital, the FRC has pushed… Continue Reading
The Gun Violence Archives
“The Gun Violence Archive is an online archive of gun violence incidents collected from over 7,500 law enforcement, media, government and commercial sources daily in an effort to provide near-real time data about the results of gun violence. GVA is an independent data collection and research group with no affiliation with any advocacy organization” The… Continue Reading
Overview of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act
CRS Legal Sidebar, Overview of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act H.R. 8152, June 30, 2022: “On June 21, 2022, the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA), H.R. 8152,which would create a comprehensive federal consumer privacy framework. Some commentators have noted the bill’s novel compromises on… Continue Reading
Election Worker Safety and Privacy
CRS Insight – Election Worker Safety and Privacy Updated June 23, 2022: “Concerns about election workers’ safety and privacy have been reported following the 2020 election, in news reports and testimony before House and Senate committees. Some election workers have raised concerns about physical safety while performing official duties, as well as more general threats… Continue Reading
Our Precarious Democracy Extreme Polarization and Alienation in Our Politics
“As Independence Day approaches, more than one in four Americans are so alienated from their government that they believe it may “soon be necessary to take up arms” against it, according to a new poll released Thursday by the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics (IOP). That startling finding, which comes in the midst of… Continue Reading
The hidden legal abortion provider: USPS
Jarod Facundo – American Prospect: “Given the situation after the Dobbs ruling, where women in as many as 22 states already have or will soon have no access to abortion where they live, this means that the largest abortion provider in America, in effect, is the United States Postal Service, which can deliver abortion medications… Continue Reading
Where Is the U.S. Economy Headed: Soft Landing, Hard Landing, or Stagflation?
CRS Insight – Where Is the U.S. Economy Headed: Soft Landing, Hard Landing, or Stagflation?, June 28, 2022 : “The Economic Recovery So Far – The recovery from the 2020 recession was rapid through the first half of 2021, but the transition to moderate, sustainable economic growth has been choppy, with negative growth in the… Continue Reading
