CRS Insight. The Biden Administration’s Initial Presidential Directives in Context, Updated May 10, 2021: ” In its first 100 days,the Biden Administration issued a number of presidential directives that have drawn significant public attention for their speed and range of purposes. A review of the pace with which recent presidential Administrations issued executive orders shows… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Government Documents
Amazon blocks 10 billion—yes, billion—listings in massive counterfeit crackdown
AP via Fortune – “Amazon, which has been under pressure from shoppers, brands and lawmakers to crack down on counterfeits on its site, said [in its 2020 Brand Protection Report] Monday that it blocked more than 10 billion suspected phony listings last year before any of their offerings could be sold. The numbers were released… Continue Reading
Fake Comments: How U.S. Companies & Partisans Hack Democracy to Undermine Your Voice
New York State Office of the Attorney General Latitia James released the report on May 10, 2021. “On June 19, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received a comment from Kenneth Langsam of Nassau, New York. Mr. Langsam had written to express support for the proposed repeal of regulations that require internet service providers to… Continue Reading
The Lex-Atlas: Covid-19 (LAC19) project
Via Lyonette Louis-Jacques – “The Lex-Atlas: Covid-19 (LAC19) project provides a scholarly report and analysis of national legal responses to Covid-19 around the world. There are nearly 200 jurists participating in the LAC19 network and who have contributed to writing national country reports. The Oxford Compendium of National Legal Responses to Covid-19 launched on… Continue Reading
Who is “Public” Data Really For?
LitHub: “…Both words—“public” and “open”—invite a question: For whom? Despite the efforts of Mae and Gareth, and Tom Grundner and many others, the internet as it exists is hardly a public space. Many people still find themselves excluded from full participation. Access to anything posted on a city web page or on a .gov domain… Continue Reading
Science and Technology Issues in the 117th Congress
CRS Report – Science and Technology Issues in the 117th Congress. May 5, 2021: “The federal government supports scientific and technological advancement directly by funding and performing research and development, and indirectly by creating and maintaining policies that encourage private sector efforts. Additionally, the federal government regulates many aspects of S&T activities. This report briefly… Continue Reading
Social Security: Who Is Covered Under the Program?
CRS In Focus – Social Security: Who Is Covered Under the Program? May 6, 2021: “Social Security pays cash benefits to about 65 million people each month. In all cases, a Social Security beneficiary becomes eligible for benefits either by working in a job that is covered by Social Security (a covered worker), by having… Continue Reading
A State-by-State Look at Coronavirus in Prisons
The Marshall Project: “…By May 4, at least 396,693 people in prison had tested positive for the illness, an increase of less than 1 percent from the week before. Our understanding of the full toll of the pandemic on incarcerated people is limited by the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ policy of removing cases and deaths… Continue Reading
Key facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population
Pew – “The U.S. Asian population is diverse. A record 23 million Asian Americans trace their roots to more than 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, each with unique histories, cultures, languages and other characteristics. The 19 largest Asian origin groups in the United States together account for 97% of… Continue Reading
Views About National Identity Becoming More Inclusive in U.S., Western Europe
Pew – “Large ideological divides persist on views of tradition, national pride and discrimination, especially in the U.S. As issues about culture and identity continue to be at the center of heated political debates in the United States and Europe, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that views about national identity in the U.S.,… Continue Reading
US supports vaccine patent waiver proposal at World Trade Organization
CNN: “The Biden administration, in a major decision Wednesday, said it would support easing patent rules on Covid-19 vaccines after intense internal debate and strong pushback from American drugmakers, potentially expanding the global supply and narrowing the vaccination gap between rich and poor nations. The move is preliminary and will not guarantee the global patent… Continue Reading
This Is the NSA’s 650-Page Guide to the Internet
Vice – ‘Untangling the Web’ was a bizarre testament to the NSA’s understating of the how the internet worked. The National Security Agency’s 2007 guide to the internet begins with a description of an ancient Persian library and a fragment of analysis of a Jorge Luis Borges short story. This introduction to the 650 page… Continue Reading
