Category «Congress»

Biden Creates Legal War Room, Preparing for a Big Fight Over Voting

The New York Times – With two former solicitors general and hundreds of lawyers, the Biden campaign is bracing for an extended legal battle and hoping to maintain trust in the electoral process. “…Inside the campaign, they are creating a “special litigation” unit, which will be led by Donald B. Verrilli Jr. and Walter Dellinger, …

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

Library of Congress 2020 Constitution and Citizenship Day Event

“The Law Library of Congress and the Library of Congress Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement invite you to our 2020 Constitution and Citizenship Day event, “The Bulwark of Freedom”: African-American Members of Congress and the Constitution During Reconstruction, on September 17th at 3 p.m. EDT. This year’s lecture will be an online event and …

Subjects: Congress, Education, Government Documents, Legal Research

Library of Congress – Federal and State Executive Responses to COVID-19

United States: Federal and State Executive Responses to COVID-19. Anna Price, Legal Reference Specialist; Louis Myers, Librarian-in-Residence. September 2020. “The executive branches of federal and state governments in the United States have authority to enact rules and regulations designed to implement, enforce, and carry out laws passed by Congress. The executive branch generally relies on …

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

OpenSecrets unveils new online ads database

“With the digital-dominated 2020 election shifting into high gear, OpenSecrets is releasing a new searchable, sortable online ads database that provides comprehensive details about political ad spending on Google and Facebook.  OpenSecrets is tracking over 80,000 online political advertisers, more than four times the number of committees registered with the Federal Election Commission. Each advertiser has its …

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

A Low-Yield, Submarine-Launched Nuclear Warhead: Overview of the Expert Debate

CRS – A Low-Yield, Submarine-Launched Nuclear Warhead: Overview of the Expert Debate Updated September 9, 2020 – “The Trump Administration has developed a new low-yield version of the W-76 warhead for existing submarine-launched Trident II (D-5) missiles. Unclassified sources state that the current W76-1 warhead has an explosive yield of around 100 kilotons. The National …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Economy, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

House Intel Cmte Releases Whistleblower Reprisal Complaint Alleging Serious Misconduct By Senior Trump Administration Officials

News release: “Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, announced that, as part of its ongoing investigation into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), the Committee received a whistleblower reprisal complaint alleging serious wrongdoing by officials at the Department …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

For decades vote-by-mail business was a sleepy industry that stayed out of the spotlight

The California Sunday Magazine – Then came 2020. “…Since the early 1990s,the portion of votes cast by mail has nosed upward in every presidential-election cycle, hitting an all-time high in 2016: 24 percent, or about 33 million ballots. But the national numbers mask a state-by-state variance. As a rule, voting by mail dominates the western states, …

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

Election Integrity and Technology: Vulnerabilities and Solutions

Election Integrity and Technology: Vulnerabilities and Solutions, Matt Blaze, 4 Geo. L. Tech. Rev. 505 (2020) “…In this Paper, I will give an overview of the technical security risks facing elections in the United States today, with an emphasis on vulnerabilities inherent in electronic voting machines as well as the exposure of our election infrastructure …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Cybersecurity, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

FDA’s Role in the Medical Product Supply Chain and Considerations During COVID-19

CRS report via LC – FDA’s Role in the Medical Product Supply Chain and Considerations During COVID-19, September 1, 2020: “The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the medical product supply chain globally and domestically. Although concerns about the U.S. medical product supply chain predate the emergence of COVID-19, the ongoing pandemic has underscored …

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

Barr’s removal of career national security official, weeks before election, raises concerns

ABC News: “Current and former national security officials are raising concerns over Attorney General William Barr’s recent decision to remove the head of a Justice Department office that helps ensure federal counterterrorism and counterintelligence activities are legal – and replace him with a political appointee with relatively limited experience. “It’s very alarming,” said Katrina Mulligan, …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research