Day archives: April 9th, 2025

What the Government Knows About You in Official Data Sets Trump Wants to Link Together

The New York Times [no paywall]: “The US government holds a tremendous amount of data about US citizens. Now The Trump administration is trying to access that data and link it together. These intimate details about the personal lives of people who live in the United States are held in disconnected data systems across the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy

Tell Your Representative to Vote NO on H.R. 22

Indivisible: “House Republicans are once again pushing H.R. 22 (what we’re referring to as the “Silencing Americans Act”), a dangerous bill that would create unnecessary obstacles for millions of eligible Americans trying to register to vote. The House passed it last session, but it never made it to the Senate—now they’re bringing it back in …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Records, Free Speech, Government Documents, Legal Research

How to Talk to a Real Human at the IRS Without Waiting on Hold Forever

Lifehacker: “Whether you’re filling a prescription, rebooking a flight, or asking a question about your taxes, it seems like the first line of defense between you and any sort of real human helper is a never-ending string of automated prompts. But not all questions can be answered by a computer—especially when it comes to your …

Subjects: E-Records, Financial System, Government Documents

ERIC database harvest by End of Term Archive

James R. Jacobs: “Just wanted to let you know that End of Term Archive is in the middle of harvesting the ERIC database. We’ve currently collected 24000 PDF files discoverable via Full Text Search (going on 500,000+… should be done later today) from Wayback Machine archives of ERIC. There’s a collection search where you can …

Subjects: Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries, Search Engines

Median and Average Net Worth (in millions) of US Politicians by Chamber and Party

Via Reddit Data is Beautiful: “I sourced the data from Quiver Quantitative’s Congress Live Net Worth Tracker (www.quiverquant.com/congress-live-net-worth). The website provides live net worth estimates for members of the U.S. Congress based on their publicly disclosed financial information. Net worth information for some members was not available, and thus those individuals were not included in the …

Subjects: Congress, Financial System, Legal Research

Elon Musk’s Secret Weapon: the US Marshals Service

Mother Jones: As if Elon Musk didn’t already have enough advantages, between his billions and his leverage over President Donald Trump, he appears to have another ace up his sleeve: the US Marshals Service. In February, members of Musk’s private security detail were deputized by the Marshals Service, the enforcement and security arm of the …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

Jenner And WilmerHale Go For Blood In Fight Over Biglaw Executive Orders

Follow up to Trump Using Another Executive Order to Take Revenge on Law Firms – Above the Law – Jenner & Block and WilmerHale are still fighting the good fight against the respective Trumpian Executive Orders the firms are facing. Both notched early court victories, earning temporary restraining orders against the enforcement of key provisions …

Subjects: Censorship, Government Documents, Legal Research

Fighting Back: A Citizen’s Guide to Resistance

The New Republic: “…Surveying this Boschian hellscape, many good people will despair. Yes, Trump is much more dangerous than he was during his first term (which was harrowing enough). He’s more giddily reckless about impounding funds, shutting down agencies, disobeying court orders, and using the government to punish political enemies. But if you allow yourself …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Defense, Economy, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Legal Research