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Category Archives: Congress

The Social Consequences of Political Anger

The Social Consequences of Political Anger. Steven W. Webster. Elizabeth C. Connors. Betsy Sinclair. December 8, 2021. “Abstract – A functioning democracy relies on social interactions between people who disagree—including listening to others’ viewpoints, having political discussions, and finding political compromise.Yet, social life in the contemporary United States is characterized by a relative lack of… Continue Reading

Intellectual Property in the New Technological Age: 2021 – Chapters 1 and 2

Menell, Peter S. and Lemley, Mark A. and Merges, Robert P. and Balganesh, Shyamkrishna, Intellectual Property in the New Technological Age: 2021 – Chapters 1 and 2 (July 11, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3884159 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3884159 “Rapid advances in digital and life sciences technology continue to spur the evolution of intellectual property law. As professors… Continue Reading

Bruce Mehlman’s Top 2022 Risks Deck

Bruce Mehlman of Mehlman Castagnetti – his 29 slide deck is titled Living in Limbo – Anticipating the Top 2022 Risks in Politics & Policy “Uncertainty, volatility & disruption are the new normal. 2022 will neither be the best of times nor worst of times. COVID won’t magically go away nor kill us all. The… Continue Reading

January 6 Clearinghouse

“Welcome to this all-source, repository of information for analysts, researchers, investigators, journalists, educators, and the public at large. Launched on June 29, and updated as of Dec. 3, 2021. If you think the January 6 Clearinghouse is missing something, please send recommendations for additional content by email to [email protected]. Sign up for the January 6… Continue Reading

Harvard Youth Poll 42nd Edition Fall 2021

Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics: “A national poll of America’s 18- to 29-year-olds released today by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School indicates that a majority of young Americans believe that our democracy is “in trouble” or “failing.” While most young Biden voters are satisfied with their vote, President Biden’s job approval… Continue Reading

The Future of Digital Spaces and Their Role in Democracy

Pew Report – “Many experts say public online spaces will significantly improve by 2035 if reformers, big technology firms, governments and activists tackle the problems created by misinformation, disinformation and toxic discourse. Others expect continuing troubles as digital tools and forums are used to exploit people’s frailties, stoke their rage and drive them apart.. Those… Continue Reading

Jewish Holidays: Fact Sheet

CRS – Jewish Holidays: Fact Sheet Updated November 24, 2021: “Judaism is one of the three major Abrahamic faiths, alongside Islam and Christianity. Many traditions and variations of Judaism are practiced in the United States, including cultural and religious variations. According to the Pew Research Center, about 2.4% of Americans (7.5 million people) self-identify as… Continue Reading

We’re Making the Facebook Papers Public

Gizmodo – Here’s Why and How – “Independent experts from NYU, UMass Amherst, Columbia, Marquette, and the ACLU are partnering with Gizmodo to responsibly publish this historic leak. In one of Silicon Valley’s largest leaks, a former Facebook product manager slipped financial regulators stacks of documents containing thousands of confidential memos, chat logs, and a… Continue Reading

Statement in Support of the Freedom to Vote Act

Democracy Letter November 2021: “We, the undersigned, are scholars of democracy writing in support of the Freedom to Vote Act, the most important piece of legislation to defend and strengthen American democracy since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This bill would protect our elections from interference, partisan gerrymandering, dark money, and voter suppression. We… Continue Reading

After COVID boom, ebook aggregators face licensing questions from Congress

Verge: “A Democratic senator launched an investigation into how publishers license ebooks to libraries on Thursday, calling on nine major ebook aggregators to provide details on the licensing agreements they make with libraries. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), sent letters demanding that aggregators like Overdrive and EBSCO provide them with… Continue Reading

DoD IG Report – A Review of DoD’s Response to Jan 6 2021 Insurrection

Review of the Department of Defense’s Role, Responsibilities, and Actions to Prepare for and Respond to the Protest and Its Aftermath at the U.S. Capital Campus on January 2021 [Redacted]. November 16, 2021: “…To conduct the review, we assembled a multidisciplinary team of DoD OIG administrative and criminal investigators, evaluators, auditors, and attorneys. We examined… Continue Reading