Category «Congress»

House Committee Issues Subpoena for Jeffrey Epstein Birthday Book

WSJ – read free – “A House committee has issued a subpoena for the birthday book that was given to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. On Monday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued the subpoena to Epstein’s estate for “all entries contained within the reported leather-bound book” among other documents that …

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

Hundreds of HHS staffers call on Kennedy to stop misinformation in wake of CDC shooting

The Hill – “More than 750 current and former staff members of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are calling on Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop “spreading inaccurate health information” and do more to protect public health professionals in the wake of a shooting at the headquarters of the Centers for …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Education, Health Care, Knowledge Management

What the Smithsonian actually is

Dean Blundell – “The Smithsonian is not one museum, and it isn’t a partisan project. It’s the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex: 21 museums, the National Zoo, and a network of research centers. Created by Congress in 1846, it receives federal support but is governed independently, with a public mission to collect, conserve, …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Education, Knowledge Management

Trump Threatens to End Mail in Voting and Use of Voting Machines

“Robert B. Hubbell: On Monday [August 18, 2025], Trump contradicted a provision of the US Constitution that has remained unchanged since its effective date in 1788. Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 states: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; …

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

A DOGE AI Tool Called SweetREX Is Coming to Slash US Government Regulation

Wired – no paywall – “Named for its developer, an undergrad who took leave from UChicago to become a DOGE affiliate, a new AI tool automates the review of federal regulations and flags rules it thinks can be eliminated. Efforts to gut regulation across the US government using AI are well underway. On Wednesday, the …

Subjects: AI, Congress, E-Government, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research

America Is Watching the Rise of a Dual State

The Atlantic – no paywall – “This article appears in the May 2025 print edition with the headline “A Warning Out of Time.” It has been updated to clarify that Ernst Fraenkel deployed with the German army in World War I to Poland and the Western Front. As Fraenkel explained it, a lawless dictatorship does …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Education, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

New Investigative Report on Trump’s Failure to Use Sanctions and Export Controls to Help End Russia’s War in Ukraine

Report outlines how Trump’s inaction has weakened U.S. leverage, enriched bad actors, and emboldened Putin to keep war going – Read the full report (PDF) Washington, D.C. – Ahead of President Trump’s latest self-imposed deadline for Russia to end its war against Ukraine, today, the minority staffs of the Senate Banking and Foreign Relations Committees—led by …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Energy, Government Documents, Legal Research

Birthright Citizenship, Explained

Legal challenges to President Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship are ongoing. A Brennan Center explainer breaks down what to know as the court cases unfold, including why the Constitution has a Citizenship Clause, what it says, and what ending birthright citizenship could mean for all Americans. Birthright Citizenship Under the U.S. Constitution …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research

LLRX July 2025 Issue – Articles and Columns

LLRX July 2025 Issue – Articles and Columns The Trump Administration’s Continued War Against Science, Research and Public Health – Sabrina I. Pacifici’s overview of selected articles highlights the devastating impact of the Trump administration’s dismantling of agencies across the federal government, with a focus on cancelling critical scientific and health related research grants. The …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Congress, Copyright, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Medicine, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media

Surveillance at the Border

The American Prospect – It’s only a matter of time before the drones, spy blimps, license plate readers, and motion-activated cameras come to the rest of America. Walls are but one ingredient in the borderlands’ mix of barriers. In recent years, autonomous surveillance towers, drones, spy blimps, license plate readers, and motion-activated cameras have also …

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

White House instructed NASA to terminate two major climate change-focused satellite missions

Futurism: As NPR reports, Trump officials reached out to the space agency to draw up plans for terminating the two missions, called the Orbiting Carbon Observatories. They’ve been collecting widely-used data, providing both oil and gas companies and farmers with detailed information about the distribution of carbon dioxide and how it can affect crop health. One …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Congress, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy