Category «Congress»

Senate Intel Cmte. Hearing on Current and Projected National Security Threats to the US

Senate Intelligence Committee hearing: Current and Projected National Security Threats to the United States, Thursday, February 2, 2006. Partial transcript which includes statements by Sen. Russ Feingold. Witnesses are listed as followed (please note only Negroponte statement is currently available): Ambassador John Negroponte, Director of National Intelligence; General Michael V. Hayden (USAF), Principal Deputy, Director …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Privacy

Debate on Legal Authority for Domestic Surveillance Continues

Boston.com: Specialists doubt legality of wiretaps – Many rebut assertion of presidential powers. Postings on domestic surveillance Rep. Jane Harman, FISA Warrants Can Cover All Activities Of The NSA Program: “I am one of the few in Congress who has been briefed on the program, and I am not clear why FISA as presently drafted …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress

Hearing Focuses on Internet Censorship in China

Congressional Human Rights Caucus Members’ Briefing: Human Rights and the Internet – The People’s Republic of China, Wednesday, February 1, 2006: “China has one of the most sophisticated content-filtering Internet regimes in the world. The Chinese government employs sophisticated methods to limit content online, including a combination of legal regulation, surveillance, and punishment to promote …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Free Speech, Internet

Sen. Boxer Calls For Hearings on Censorship of Gov’t Scientists

Follow-up to January 29, 2006 posting, Gov’t Climate Change Expert Contends Censorship of Data – today Sen. Barbara Boxer issued a press release that included the text of her letters to ranking members of two Senate committees stating, “It has come to my attention that the director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Dr. …

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

Commentary on Forces Competing to Determine “Digital Destiny”

The End of the Internet? by Jeff Chester: “The nation’s largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online…According to white papers now …

Subjects: Congress, Internet

Senate Cmte. Denied Access to DOJ Docs on Domestic Surveillance

New York Times, February 2, 2006: Panel Rebuffed on Documents on U.S. Spying: “The Bush administration is rebuffing requests from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for its classified legal opinions on President Bush’s domestic spying program, setting up a confrontation in advance of a hearing scheduled for next week, administration and Congressional officials said …

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

Sale of Cell Phone Records Subject of House Hearing and State AG Action

Phone Records For Sale: Why Aren’t Phone Records Safe From Pretexting?, Full Committee on Energy and Commerce, February 1, 2006. Statement of Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee FCC Chairman Martin’s Statement (10 pages, PDF), is available on his agency website. Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission On …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Privacy

State of the Union Address 2006

The complete text of President Bush’s State of the Union address, prepared for delivery Jan. 31, 2006, as released by the White House. Related documents: House Budget Committee Democrats, President Bush and the State of the Union: Budget Promises Made, Budget Promises Broken AP – Analysis: State of the Union Agitated Transcript, Democratic response to …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents

Special IG for Iraq Reconstruction Delivers Report to Congress

Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) January 30, 2006 Quarterly and Semiannual Report to Congress. “SIGIR audits are conducted to determine whether programs and operations funded by the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) are being managed efficiently, effectively and economically, and if they are achieving the desired outcomes.” Related government …

Subjects: Congress, E-Government, Government Documents

Advocacy Group Sues DHS For Failure to Release Katrina Documents

Press release: “Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today sued the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over its continued refusal to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on Katrina-related issues.” Related government documents: Witnesses Testimony, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Hurricane Katrina: Urban Search and …

Subjects: Congress, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

Commentary on Gov’t Rationale for Domestic Surveillance

New York Times editorial, January 29, 2006, Spies, Lies and Wiretaps: “A bit over a week ago, President Bush and his men promised to provide the legal, constitutional and moral justifications for the sort of warrantless spying on Americans that has been illegal for nearly 30 years. Instead, we got the familiar mix of political …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Patriot Act, Privacy

Administration Defense of Domestic Spying Dominates Debate

New York Times: Bush Presses On in Legal Defense for Wiretapping “Despite the administration’s arguments, many legal scholars both conservatives and liberals say they remain skeptical about Mr. Bush’s assertion that the Constitution and a September 2001 authorization to use military force provided legal justification for wiretapping phone calls and e-mail messages on …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Legislation, Patriot Act, Privacy

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