USA Facts: “In 2021, 81% of all homicides in the US were due to firearm-related injuries.. In 2020, the national homicide rate increased by 30%. That is the largest single-year increase in over a century. However, not all types of homicide grew at the same rate. Between 2019 and 2021, firearm homicide rates increased 44%,… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Legislation
How Often Do Health Insurers Say No to Patients?
ProPublica: “It’s one of the most crucial questions people have when deciding which health plan to choose: If my doctor orders a test or treatment, will my insurer refuse to pay for it? After all, an insurance company that routinely rejects recommended care could damage both your health and your finances. The question becomes ever… Continue Reading
Do Foundation Model Providers Comply with the Draft EU AI Act?
Stanford University Center for Research on Foundation Models, Rishi Bommasani and Kevin Klyman and Daniel Zhang and Percy Liang: “Foundation models like ChatGPT are transforming society with their remarkable capabilities, serious risks, rapid deployment, unprecedented adoption, and unending controversy. Simultaneously, the European Union (EU) is finalizing its AI Act as the world’s first comprehensive regulation… Continue Reading
How book bans threaten democracy
Vox: “A popular saying is that public libraries are the last bastion of true democracy.At the library, patrons aren’t really expected to pay for anything; they can use the library’s free services, from unlimited wifi to job application support; and, of course, the thousands of books libraries hold are available to anyone. But in recent… Continue Reading
The Dobbs Divide
Five Thirty Eight – “Percentage change in the number of abortions per month, compared to the average monthly abortions before Dobbs (April and May 2022), through March 2023 by state: “New estimates provided exclusively to FiveThirtyEight by #WeCount — a national research project led by the Society of Family Planning, a nonprofit that supports research… Continue Reading
Supreme Court Narrows Federal Jurisdiction Under Clean Water Act
CRS Legal Sidebar Supreme Court Narrows Federal Jurisdiction Under Clean Water Act June 21, 2023 – On May 25, 2023, the Supreme Court decided Sackett v. EPA, a case with significant implications for the scope of federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act (CWA). While the Court unanimously agreed that the lower court applied the wrong… Continue Reading
A.I.’s Use in Elections Sets Off a Scramble for Guardrails
The New York Times (read free) – Gaps in campaign rules allow politicians to spread images and messaging generated by increasingly powerful artificial intelligence technology…What began a few months ago as a slow drip of fund-raising emails and promotional images composed by A.I. for political campaigns has turned into a steady stream of campaign materials… Continue Reading
Everyone Likes Reading. Why Are We So Afraid of It?
The New York Times: Book bans, chatbots, pedagogical warfare: What it means to read has become a minefield. “Everyone loves reading. In principle, anyway. Nobody is against it, right? Surely, in the midst of our many quarrels, we can agree that people should learn to read, should learn to enjoy it and should do a… Continue Reading
The Presidential Records Act, Clinton’s Socks, and Trump’s Boxes
Lawfare: “…In 1950, Congress passed the Federal Records Act, which requires federal agencies—but not the president—to preserve their records. Five years later, Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act, which encouraged (but did not require) former presidents to donate their records to private, federally maintained libraries. Then came Richard Nixon. Four months after Nixon resigned in… Continue Reading
New York Passes Bill to Shield Abortion Providers Sending Pills Into States With Bans
The New York Times: “The New York State Legislature gave final approval on Tuesday to legislation that provides legal protection for New York doctors to prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in states that have outlawed abortion. The measure, along with similar new laws in several other states controlled by Democrats, could significantly expand… Continue Reading
Climate Policy Radar
Global Stocktake Explorer – “Analysing, organising, and democratising data about climate change policies and laws. Climate Policy Radar is a not-for-profit climate startup on a mission to organise, analyse and democratise data on climate law and policy using augmented intelligence – a human-centered partnership model of people and AI. We build open and free tools… Continue Reading
Illinois first US state to prohibit banning books in public libraries
Quartz: “Illinois has become the first US state to prohibit banning books in public libraries. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed HB 2789 into law in a public library in Chicago, amid a dramatic nationwide increase in book bans. The governor, a Democrat, called them an affront to free speech. “Young people shouldn’t be kept from learning… Continue Reading
