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Daily Archives: October 11, 2016

Paper – After Sandy Hook Elementary: A Year in the Gun Control Debate on Twitter

After Sandy Hook Elementary: A Year in the Gun Control Debate on Twitter – Presented at the Data For Good Exchange 2016.

“The mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school on December 14, 2012 catalyzed a year of active debate and legislation on gun control in the United States. Social media hosted an active public discussion where people expressed their support and opposition to a variety of issues surrounding gun legislation. In this paper, we show how a content-based analysis of Twitter data can provide insights and understanding into this debate. We estimate the relative support and opposition to gun control measures, along with a topic analysis of each camp by analyzing over 70 million gun-related tweets from 2013. We focus on spikes in conversation surrounding ma jor events related to guns throughout the year. Our general approach can be applied to other important public health and political issues to analyze the prevalence and nature of public opinion. However, traditional surveys have a number of drawbacks, including limitations on the response types and cost restrictions on producing timely results. These limitations are well known in the public health realm where surveys, a critical data source for a variety of public health topics, are facing increasing feasibility challenges. As a result, researchers have turned to new data sources, such as search queries and social media . Social media has been used to estimate public opinion on a range of topics, including political sentiment and a range of public health topics, including gun control. Some work has looked at gun control tweets, but has focused on argument framing and not measuring public opinion.”

Court rules CFPB organizational structure is unconstitutional

WSJ.com – Appeals Court Deals Setback to Consumer-Watchdog Agency. Federal three-judge panel rules CFPB’s structure is unconstitutional but rejects idea of shutting down agency. New York Times – Court Gives President More Power Over Consumer Agency Chief – An appeals court panel said the director of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was too independent, so it gave the president the… Continue Reading

2016 Legal Education Data Deck: Key Trends on Access, Affordability, and Value

Center Staff, Access Group, 2016 Legal Education Data Deck: Key Trends on Access, Affordability, and Value (March 10, 2016). Access Group Center for Research & Policy Analysis Research Paper No. 16-01. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2747676 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2747676 “On March 10, 2016, the Access Group Center for Research & Policy Analysis released the 2016 Legal Education Data Deck (the… Continue Reading

OIG USDA Audit – Fiscal Year 2016 Classification Management

Fiscal Year 2016 Classification Management, Audit Report 61701-0001-23, September 2016: “The Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Coordination (OHSEC) does not have an internal control structure sufficient to minimize the risk of overclassifying or improperly releasing national security information, despite the agency’s agreement to take appropriate actions towards that goal in response to the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) 2013 audit of classified information, as mandated by Public… Continue Reading

Social Security Administration (SSA): FY2017 Appropriations and Recent Trends

CRS Report via FAS – Social Security Administration (SSA): FY2017 Appropriations and Recent Trends, William R. Morton, Analyst in Income Security, October 5, 2016. “The Social Security Administration (SSA) is responsible for administering a number of federal entitlement programs that provide income support (cash benefits) to qualified individuals. These programs are Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), commonly known… Continue Reading

Should the U.S. Relinquish Its Authority Over the Internet Domain Name System?

Should the U.S. Relinquish Its Authority Over the Internet Domain Name System?, CRS Insight via FAS, October 5, 2016. “On March 14, 2014, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Department of Commerce announced the intention to transition its stewardship role and procedural authority over key Internet domain name functions to the global Internet multistakeholder… Continue Reading

Presidential Elections: Vacancies in Major-Party Candidacies and the Position of President-Elect

CRS report via FAS – Presidential Elections: Vacancies in Major-Party Candidacies and the Position of President-Elect, Thomas H. Neale, Specialist in American National Government. October 6, 2016. “What would happen in 2016 if a candidate for President or Vice President were to die or leave the ticket any time between the national party conventions and the November 8… Continue Reading

IG – State Dept. reporting of classification activity inaccurate and incorrect

Via FAS – US Department of State OIG – Compliance Follow-up Review of the Department of State’s Implementation of Executive Order 13526, Classified National Security Information “OIG found that most of the Department’s security-cleared employees had not taken the training required by Executive Order 13526. Based on training records obtained from the Foreign Service Institute, OIG found that less than 14 percent of security-cleared… Continue Reading