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Category Archives: Congress

GW Program on Extremism – Capitol Hill Siege

“In keeping with our tradition of providing primary source documents to the research community and the public at large, The Program on Extremism has launched a project to create a central database of court records related to the events of January 6, 2021. This page will be updated as additional individuals are charged with criminal… Continue Reading

Tracking COVID-19 Vaccines: U.S. Data Systems and Related Issues

CRS Insight – Tracking COVID-19 Vaccines: U.S. Data Systems and Related Issues, January 28, 2021: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for two Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, sponsored by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and millions of vaccine doses are being distributed nationwide. Both vaccines require two doses,which are… Continue Reading

Social Media: Misinformation and Content Moderation Issues for Congress

CRS Report. Social Media: Misinformation and Content Moderation Issues for Congress, January 27, 2021: “Social media platforms disseminate information quickly to billions of global users. The Pew Research Center estimates that in 2019, 72% of U.S. adults used at least one social media site and that the majority of users visited the site at least… Continue Reading

Cable-bill transparency laws haven’t killed sneaky fees

Tech Hive: “Back in 2019, a notoriously gridlocked Congress managed to agree on at least one thing: Hidden cable TV fees had gotten out of control. They passed a law, called the Television Viewer Protection Act, that requires pay TV services to disclose all of their extra fees before you finish signing up. The law… Continue Reading

Lawmakers are scrambling to figure out how to rein in social media platforms

Fast Company – “In the days after the insurrection at the Capitol building, security was tighter than usual. On the phone with Senator Mark Warner, I could hear his driver trying to explain to a guard that he had the senator with him. Yeah, tell him he’s good, the guard told the driver as he… Continue Reading

Democracy cannot be defended by force; it is enforced through accountability

The Center for Systemic Peace: “The USA has dropped below the “democracy threshold” (+6) on the POLITY scale in 2020 and and is now considered an anocracy (+5). It has also lost its designation as the world’s oldest, continuous democracy; that designation now belongs to Switzerland (171 years), followed by New Zealand (142) and the… Continue Reading

Trust in federal government increases following President Biden’s inauguration

Axios-Ipsos poll: Nearly half of Americans intend to get the vaccine as soon as it’s available to them: “In the latest installment of the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index 61% percent of Americans report they are likely to get the first generation COVID-19 vaccine, up 1 point from last week. This week, more Americans say they plan… Continue Reading

Report – Capitol Storming: Neo-Nazi, QAnon and Antisemitic Online Chatter

“The American Jewish Congress released a special report entitled “Capitol Storming: Neo-Nazi, QAnon and Antisemitic Online Chatter.” This report is part of an American Jewish Congress initiative to combat domestic terrorism, especially that which stems from white supremacist activity and Antisemitic extremism. This report provides in-depth analysis of the online chatter that took place in… Continue Reading

Capitol Unrest, Legislative Response, and the Bill of Attainder Clause

CRS Legal Sidebar – Capitol Unrest, Legislative Response, and the Bill of Attainder Clause, January  22, 2021: “On January 6, 2021, a crowd gathered on the U.S. Capitol grounds, breached police barriers, entered and occupied portions of the Capitol building, and clashed with law enforcement.The incident resulted in at least five deaths, dozens of injuries,… Continue Reading

National Archives Launches Trump Presidential Library Website

On January 20, 2021 – “The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) …launched the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library website, which provides information on archived White House websites and social media accounts, as well as information on access to the records of the Trump Administration. Under the Presidential Records Act, the National Archives receives all… Continue Reading