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Category Archives: Congress

New Bill Would Increase Transparency of Presidential Records

Government Executive – Legislation was introduced to kick off National Sunshine Week. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, will introduce the ‘‘Presidential Records Preservation Act,” which would update the “1978 Presidential Records Act” by requiring the president, vice president, and other senior White House officials to “make and preserve… Continue Reading

Small group plays big role in pushing vaccine skepticism, Facebook study finds

Washington Post: “Facebook is conducting a vast behind-the-scenes study of doubts expressed by U.S. users about vaccines, a major project that attempts to probe and teach software to identify the medical attitudes of millions of Americans, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. The research is a large-scale attempt to understand the spread of… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, March 14, 2021

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, March 14, 2021 – 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 increasingly… Continue Reading

The Digital Divide: What Is It, Where Is It, and Federal Assistance Programs

CRS – The Digital Divide: What Is It, Where Is It, and Federal Assistance Programs, March 09, 2021: “As the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began to unfold, many federal, local, and state governments, in addition to large and small businesses, implemented remote working or distance learning options to help abate the spread of the… Continue Reading

Everything to know about the third stimulus check: Timeline, IRS calculations and more

CNET – “A third stimulus check for up to $1,400 per person could become real this week, as Congress works to finish up the final COVID-19 relief package and get to the President Joe Biden to sign in the coming days. While there’s an outside chance details on the new stimulus payment could change before the… Continue Reading

How Did Absentee Voting Affect the 2020 U.S.Election?

How Did Absentee Voting Affect the 2020 U.S.Election? Jesse Yoder, Cassandra Handan-Nader, Andrew Myers,Tobias Nowacki, Daniel M. Thompson, Jennifer A. Wu,Chenoa Yorgason, and Andrew B. Hall, Democracy & Polarization Lab, Stanford University, March 5, 2021. “The 2020 U.S. election saw high turnout, a huge increase in absentee voting, and brought unified Democratic control at the… Continue Reading

Joe Biden has picked 58 nominees to fill key roles in his administration so far

Washington Post – We are tracking 791 government positions among about 1,250 that require Senate confirmation. Presidents are required to fill roughly 4,000 politically appointed positions in the executive branch and independent agencies, including more than 1,250 that require Senate confirmation. The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service are tracking nominees for roughly… Continue Reading

This is Our House!” A Preliminary Assessment of the Capitol Hill Siege Participant

George Washington University Program on Extremism / Top Level Findings – “We released a new report coauthored jointly by our staff, titled “This is Our House!” A Preliminary Assessment of the Capitol Hill Siege Participants.” The report offers new details about the individuals alleged to have stormed the nation’s Capitol, as well as a number… Continue Reading

Levin, Senator Jack Reed Introduce Legislation to Modernize Library Infrastructure

Rep. Andy Levin: “[On March 3, 2021], Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI) teamed up with Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) to introduce the House companion of S.127, the Build America’s Libraries Act, which provides long-term improvements to library facilities and updates library infrastructure, prioritizing libraries in predominantly low-income and underserved communities. The Build America’s Libraries Act authorizes… Continue Reading

The Capitol Riot: Documents You Should Read

The National Security Archive – “The January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol is now the subject of systematic National Security Archive Freedom of Information Act campaign. The First installment and The Second Installment of new Document Sourcebook features a Pentagon timeline, State Department dissent, Homeland Security warning, FBI alert, and first court indictment… The January… Continue Reading

New Duke paper calls Washington to increase transparency around online political ads

Washington Post – “Major social platforms put new limits on political ads in the run-up to the controversial 2020 election due to concerns they amplify misinformation. But a new Duke University paper published today [J. Scott Babwah Brennen & Matt Perault, March 2, 2021 Breaking Blackout Black Boxes: Roadblocks to Analyzing Platform Political Ads] says a… Continue Reading