United States: Federal and State Executive Responses to COVID-19. Anna Price, Legal Reference Specialist; Louis Myers, Librarian-in-Residence. September 2020. “The executive branches of federal and state governments in the United States have authority to enact rules and regulations designed to implement, enforce, and carry out laws passed by Congress. The executive branch generally relies on… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
OpenSecrets unveils new online ads database
“With the digital-dominated 2020 election shifting into high gear, OpenSecrets is releasing a new searchable, sortable online ads database that provides comprehensive details about political ad spending on Google and Facebook. OpenSecrets is tracking over 80,000 online political advertisers, more than four times the number of committees registered with the Federal Election Commission. Each advertiser has its… Continue Reading
A Low-Yield, Submarine-Launched Nuclear Warhead: Overview of the Expert Debate
CRS – A Low-Yield, Submarine-Launched Nuclear Warhead: Overview of the Expert Debate Updated September 9, 2020 – “The Trump Administration has developed a new low-yield version of the W-76 warhead for existing submarine-launched Trident II (D-5) missiles. Unclassified sources state that the current W76-1 warhead has an explosive yield of around 100 kilotons. The National… Continue Reading
House Intel Cmte Releases Whistleblower Reprisal Complaint Alleging Serious Misconduct By Senior Trump Administration Officials
News release: “Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, announced that, as part of its ongoing investigation into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), the Committee received a whistleblower reprisal complaint alleging serious wrongdoing by officials at the Department… Continue Reading
CBO – US budget deficit hits record $3 trillion
Congressional Budget Office, September 8, 2020: “The federal budget deficit in August 2020 was $198 billion, CBO estimates, $3 billion less than the deficit in August of last year. However, that comparison is distorted by shifts in the timing of certain payments in both years that had opposite effects on the August deficit in their… Continue Reading
For decades vote-by-mail business was a sleepy industry that stayed out of the spotlight
The California Sunday Magazine – Then came 2020. “…Since the early 1990s,the portion of votes cast by mail has nosed upward in every presidential-election cycle, hitting an all-time high in 2016: 24 percent, or about 33 million ballots. But the national numbers mask a state-by-state variance. As a rule, voting by mail dominates the western states,… Continue Reading
Election Integrity and Technology: Vulnerabilities and Solutions
Election Integrity and Technology: Vulnerabilities and Solutions, Matt Blaze, 4 Geo. L. Tech. Rev. 505 (2020) “…In this Paper, I will give an overview of the technical security risks facing elections in the United States today, with an emphasis on vulnerabilities inherent in electronic voting machines as well as the exposure of our election infrastructure… Continue Reading
FDA’s Role in the Medical Product Supply Chain and Considerations During COVID-19
CRS report via LC – FDA’s Role in the Medical Product Supply Chain and Considerations During COVID-19, September 1, 2020: “The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the medical product supply chain globally and domestically. Although concerns about the U.S. medical product supply chain predate the emergence of COVID-19, the ongoing pandemic has underscored… Continue Reading
Help staff your local polling place
Power The Polls: “America is facing a record shortage of poll workers this year due to the coronavirus. Our democracy depends on ordinary people who make sure elections run smoothly and everyone’s vote is counted. You can make sure we have a safe, fair, efficient election for all. Poll workers get: PPE, Training and are… Continue Reading
Barr’s removal of career national security official, weeks before election, raises concerns
ABC News: “Current and former national security officials are raising concerns over Attorney General William Barr’s recent decision to remove the head of a Justice Department office that helps ensure federal counterterrorism and counterintelligence activities are legal – and replace him with a political appointee with relatively limited experience. “It’s very alarming,” said Katrina Mulligan,… Continue Reading
Why Steve Bannon faces fraud charges: 4 questions answered
Via LLRX – Why Steve Bannon faces fraud charges: 4 questions answered – Federal prosecutors in New York have arrested former senior Trump adviser Steve Bannon and three other men, and charged them with allegedly defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors to an online fundraising campaign to build portions of wall along the U.S. border with… Continue Reading
The Freedom of Information Act – A Legal Overview Updated
CRS report via LC – The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): A Legal Overview, Updated August 24, 2020: “Originally enacted in 1966, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) establishes a three-part system that requires federal agencies to disclose a large swath of government information to the public. First, FOIA directs agencies to publish substantive and… Continue Reading
