Category «Congress»

Trump’s radical lawsuit against Nevada’s vote-by-mail law, explained

Vox: “On Monday [August 3, 200), Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) signed legislation intended to ensure that voters in his state can still cast a ballot during the Covid-19 pandemic. Among other things, the new law (known as AB4) provides that registered Nevada voters will automatically receive a ballot in the mail, a common practice …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Disinformation campaigns are murky blends of truth, lies and sincere beliefs – lessons from the pandemic

The Conversation: “The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned an infodemic, a vast and complicated mix of information, misinformation and disinformation. In this environment, false narratives – the virus was “planned,” that it originated as a bioweapon, that COVID-19 symptoms are caused by 5G wireless communications technology – have spread like wildfire across social media and other …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries, Social Media

Senators Push for Continued Telework, Contractor Leave in COVID-19 Relief Talks

Government Executive: “As lawmakers continue negotiations over the next round of coronavirus response legislation, senators are pushing congressional leadership to include additional provisions protecting federal employees and contractors. In a July 31 letter, a bipartisan group of 22 senators, led by Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Government Documents, Health Care, Legislation

Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery: Responsibilities, Authority, and Appointment

CRS report via LC – Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery: Responsibilities, Authority, and Appointment. April 13, 2020: “The Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted on March 27, 2020(P.L. 116-136). The CARES Act provides over $2 trillion in relief to individuals; businesses; state, local, and tribal government; federal agencies; and industry …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Poll – Despite Mask Wars, Americans Support Aggressive Measures To Stop COVID-19

NPR – “With the national death toll from COVID-19 passing the grim 150,000 mark, an NPR/Ipsos poll finds broad support for a single, national strategy to address the pandemic and more aggressive measures to contain it. Two-thirds of respondents said they believe the U.S. is handling the pandemic worse than other countries, and most want …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Government Documents, Health Care

Coronavirus Brings American Decline Out in the Open

Bloomberg Opinion – Noah Smith: Without fixes for infrastructure, education, health care and government, the U.S. will resemble a developing nation in a few decades. “The U.S.’s decline started with little things that people got used to. Americans drove past empty construction sites and didn’t even think about why the workers weren’t working, then wondered …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Education, Environmental Law, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Housing, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Medicine, Transportation

How the Pandemic Defeated America

The Atlantic – A virus has brought the world’s most powerful country to its knees. “…Despite ample warning, the U.S. squandered every possible opportunity to control the coronavirus. And despite its considerable advantages—immense resources, biomedical might, scientific expertise—it floundered. While countries as different as South Korea, Thailand, Iceland, Slovakia, and Australia acted decisively to bend …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Education, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Housing, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media, Transportation

Why Congress should look at Twitter and Facebook

MIT Technology Review: “If America’s politicians really care about the damage online platforms can do, they should look at online conspiracy theories—and how they’re made worse by the design of social media sites…Platforms have too much power to sway public opinion and influence behavior—and that directly affects our capacity to engage in deliberative debate and …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Privacy, Social Media

Employment Effects of Unemployment Insurance Generosity During the Pandemic

Employment Effects of Unemployment Insurance Generosity During the Pandemic. Joseph Altonji, Zara Contractor, Lucas Finamor, Ryan Haygood, Ilse Lindenlaub,  Costas Meghir, Cormac O’Dea, Dana Scott, Liana Wang, and Ebonya Washington, Tobin Center for Economic Policy Yale University. July 14, 2020. Abstract: “The CARES Act expanded unemployment insurance (UI) benefits by providing a $600 weekly payment …

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

Report highlights shell company loophole that could be abused by foreigners who want to interfere in U.S. elections

Issue One: “Shell companies that give money to super PACs could be conduits for foreign money in the 2020 election, warns a new report published today by Issue One. Under current law, super PACs are permitted to collect contributions of unlimited amounts, but must disclose their donors. In some cases, their campaign finance disclosures list …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

How to watch John Lewis’s funeral and Barack Obama’s reported eulogy live online

FastCompany – “The private burial service for civil rights icon John Lewis takes place today in Atlanta. Lewis passed away earlier this month at the age of 80 from pancreatic cancer. Lewis was one of the most prominent civil rights icons from the 1960s onwards, and since then he has served in public office in …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Education, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation