In Custodia Legis: “In June, Margaret shared that we had added district maps to member profile pages on Congress.gov. Each map on a member profile can be expanded to show a larger size version of the map. With today’s update to Congress.gov, we build upon the district maps by adding a new search box to help you… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
Confederate Symbols: Relation to Federal Lands and Programs
CRS report via LC: Confederate Symbols: Relation to Federal Lands and Programs. Updated July 28, 2020. “Congress is considering the relationship of Confederate symbols to federal lands and programs. A number of federal agencies administer assets or fund activities in which references to the Civil War Confederacy, Confederate flags and artifacts, and commemorations of Confederate… Continue Reading
KFF Health Tracking Poll – July 2020
Coronavirus: Reopening, Schools, And The Government Response – Key Findings – July 27, 2020: Amid a surging coronavirus pandemic and record numbers of new cases in many states, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds most U.S. adults feel the worst effects of the pandemic are yet to come, and seven in ten (including four… Continue Reading
Lift Every Voice: The Urgency of Universal Civic Duty Voting
Brookings – The following is the preamble to “Lift Every Voice: The Urgency of Universal Civic Duty Voting,” a report from the Working Group on Universal Voting convened by The Brookings Institution and The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. Download the full PDF report here. “Imagine an American democracy… Continue Reading
A Vaccine Reality Check
The Atlantic – So much hope is riding on a breakthrough, but a vaccine is only the beginning of the end: “Nearly five months into the pandemic, all hopes of extinguishing COVID-19 are riding on a still-hypothetical vaccine. And so a refrain has caught on: We might have to stay home—until we have a vaccine.… Continue Reading
Congress Soars to New Heights on Social Media
Democratic lawmakers post more content on Twitter, while the median Republican member now averages more audience engagement than the median Democrat across platforms – “As social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have become ingrained in political and popular culture, a new Pew Research Center analysis of every tweet and Facebook post from members of Congress… Continue Reading
Majority of Public Favors Giving Civilians the Power to Sue Police Officers for Misconduct
Pew – Little public support for cuts in spending on local policing – “With legislation to address racism and the use of excessive force by law enforcement stalled in Congress, there is broad public support in the United States for permitting citizens to sue police officers in order to hold them accountable for misconduct or… Continue Reading
America Should Prepare for a Double Pandemic
The Atlantic – COVID-19 has steamrolled the country. What happens if another pandemic starts before this one is over? – Ed Yong – “…Certain traits increase a pathogen’s pandemic potential. Those that spread via bodily fluids (Ebola), contaminated food and water (norovirus), or insect bites (Zika) are slower to spread around the world. By contrast,… Continue Reading
Presidential Succession: Perspectives and Contemporary Issues for Congress
CRS report via LC – Presidential Succession: Perspectives and Contemporary Issues for Congress, July 14, 2020: “Succession to the office of President of the United States is provided for by the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Title 3, Section 19 of the U.S. Code (3 U.S.C. §19). The Twenty-Fifth Amendment states in Section… Continue Reading
The CDC has always been an apolitical island
Statnews – That’s left it defenseless against Trump: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country’s top public health agency, is being kicked around by the White House. And it doesn’t have much power to kick back. As President Trump spars with nearly all of the federal agencies that have a hand in his… Continue Reading
House Judiciary Committee Releases Transcript of Interview with Former SDNY Prosecutor Geoffrey Berman
“Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) released a transcript of the Committee’s July 9th interview with Geoffrey Berman, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). Chairman Nadler issued the following statement on the release of the transcript: “While Mr. Berman was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New… Continue Reading
Facing Eviction In The Time Of Coronavirus
Law360: “By the end of this week, courts in at least 39 states will be accepting eviction lawsuits — often heard remotely due to the pandemic — against tenants behind on their rent. People of color, and especially Black women, have historically faced these suits at twice the rate of other renters; they are also… Continue Reading
