Author archives

2017 Index of Global Economic Freedom

“For much of human history, most individuals have lacked economic freedom and opportunity, condemning them to poverty and deprivation. Today, we live in the most prosperous time in human history. Poverty, sicknesses, and ignorance are receding throughout the world, due in large part to the advance of economic freedom. In 2017, the principles of economic …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Poverty

How would repealing the Affordable Care Act affect health care and jobs in your state?

Economic Policy Institute: “Across the country, 29.8 million people would lose their health insurance if the Affordable Care Act were repealed—more than doubling the number of people without health insurance. And 1.2 million jobs would be lost—not just in health care but across the board…”

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Legislation

ResearchGate – Study of fracking in four states uncovers over 6,600 spills

Study of fracking in four states uncovers over 6,600 spills by Katherine Lindemann – “Many spills could be prevented if states released standardized data. A new study investigating spills from hydraulically fractured oil and gas uncovered 6,648 spills in just four states over a ten-year period. Part of the SNAP Partnership, the study examined data …

Subjects: Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research

Nuts and Bolts of Encryption: A Primer for Policymakers

Nuts and Bolts of Encryption: A Primer for Policymakers, Edward W. Felten, Center for Information Technology Policy. Department of Computer Science, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, version of February 20, 2017. An up-to-date version of this paper will be available at https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~felten/encryptionprimer.pdf “This paper offers a straight for ward introduction …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Mail, E-Records, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

CRS – The European Union: Questions and Answers

The European Union: Questions and Answers, Kristin Archick, Specialist in European Affairs. February 21, 2017. Via FAS. “The European Union: Questions and Answers Congressional Research Service Summary The European Union (EU) is a political and economic partnership that represents a unique form of cooperation among sovereign countries. The EU is the latest stage in a …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Mirror copy of EPA website prior to Trump preserved for researchers and public

FastCoExist: “Should sections of the Environmental Protection Agency‘s website go the way of the civil rights and climate-change pages of the White House website—in other words, disappear—the agency is prepared. Even if Donald Trump takes the whole EPA site offline, a mirror copy of the website exists online, and it reflects the way the site …

Subjects: Climate Change, E-Government, E-Records, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

The Immigration Court’s Institutional Hearing Program: How Will It Be Affected

“Special Immigration Court hearings under the court’s Institutional Hearing Program (IHP) appear slated for expansion under President Trump. A new directive, signed by Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Monday, February 20, 2017 provides that “to the maximum extent possible” removal proceedings be initiated against noncitizens currently “incarcerated in federal, state, and local …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research

Letters to Regulators 17 Organizations Comment on CFPB Request for Information Regarding Consumer Access to Financial Records

Americans for Financial Reform – Letters to Regulators: 17 Organizations Comment on CFPB Request for Information Regarding Consumer Access to Financial Records, February 21, 2017. “…Thank you for this opportunity to respond to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (“CFPB”) request for information regarding consumer-permissioned access to financial account and account-related data in usable electronic form. …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Privacy

White House Executive Orders on Protecting the Homeland – Additional Resources

February 20, 2017: Implementing the President’s Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvement Policies February 20, 2017: Enforcement of the Immigration Laws to Serve the National Interest February 21, 2017: Fact Sheet: Executive Order: Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements February 21, 2017: Fact Sheet: Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States February …

Subjects: Defense, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Trump Slumps As American Voters Disapprove 55% – 38%

Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds Voters Trust Media, Courts More Than President – “American voters today give President Donald Trump a negative 38 – 55 percent job approval rating, his worst net score since he took office, down from a negative 42 – 51 percent approval rating in a February 7 Quinnipiac University national poll. …

Subjects: Government Documents, Knowledge Management

The Hill – New EPA chief’s emails reveal coordination with oil interests

The Hill – “Emails from new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s tenure as Oklahoma attorney general reveal several instances of coordination between his office and oil interests in his state. The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) released the emails on Wednesday, one day after Pruitt’s former office turned them over to a state court …

Subjects: E-Mail, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Government Documents