Category «Freedom of Information»

White House to Vet Smithsonian Museums to Fit Trump’s Historical Vision

WSJ exclusive [paywall] “The White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review of Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary to ensure the museums align with President Trump’s interpretation of American history. See also The New York Times: “The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it would begin a wide-ranging review …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Legal Research

Veteran fact-checker says Trump made it ‘acceptable for politicians to lie with impunity’

Poynter: “The Washington Post Fact Checker is leaving the field. After close to 15 years of fact-checking, Glenn Kessler took a buyout as part of the Post’s recent newsroom overhaul. Kessler’s work helped rejuvenate fact-checking journalism in the United States, along with organizations like PolitiFact (owned by Poynter) and FactCheck.org. Kessler elevated fact-checking to a …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

NPS Flags Book About George Washington in Trump Crackdown

Daily Beast – …In a March 27 Executive Order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” President Donald Trump claimed that under the Biden administration the parks “advanced this corrosive ideology.” National Park Service employees have been directed to weed out “corrosive ideology” from their gift shops…National Park Service employees have flagged several books …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Freedom of Information, Legal Research, Libraries

Climate of Suppression: Environmental Information Under the Second Trump Administration

“The report Climate of Suppression: Environmental Information Under the Second Trump Administration [see full text PDF] examines management of federal websites related to environmental regulation in the first six months of the second Trump administration. In this time, the Trump administration has significantly altered the federal environmental information landscape as information about environmental justice and climate …

Subjects: Censorship, Climate Change, Education, Environmental Law, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Newsrooms on wrestling accurate answers out of AI

NiemanLab: “Erlend Ofte Arntsen has filed more Freedom of Information Act requests than he can count — triple digits by one tally, quadruple when you include follow-ups and related requests. Now, a new newsroom assistant at one of Norway’s largest newspapers is transforming Arntsen’s workflow, saving time that could be better spent on shoe-leather reporting …

Subjects: AI, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Oral Argument Transcripts are Now on CourtListener

Free Law Project: “We’re thrilled to introduce the latest upgrade to CourtListener: transcripts for oral arguments! CourtListener already hosts the largest collection of oral argument audio online—over 3.2 million minutes (and counting). Now, thanks to our partnership with OpenAI, we’re making these recordings even more powerful. With today’s release, you can now search them, set …

Subjects: AI, Courts, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Trump Administration’s Continued War Against Science, Research and Public Health

Via LLRX – 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, as reported in July, 2025. The total …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Congress, Economy, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Medicine

Presidential libraries preserve the records and burnish the legacies of America’s heads of state

The New Yorker – no paywall – “…”The threat that Trump poses to the maintenance of an accurate historical record should be obvious by now. During his first term, he was accused of shredding documents and flushing them down the toilet; after leaving office, he was criminally indicted for hoarding official files, some of them …

Subjects: E-Government, E-Records, Education, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

$21.7 Billion Blunder: New PSI Report Reveals Billions in Taxpayer Dollars Squandered by DOGE

“U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a Minority staff report today unveiling that Elon Musk’s brainchild, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has generated at least $21.7 billion in waste across the federal government between January 20, 2025, and July 18, 2025. The report, “The $21.7 …

Subjects: Censorship, Climate Change, Congress, E-Records, Environmental Law, Food and Nutrition, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

‘Fuck the Justice Manual’: A New Trump DOJ Assault on the Rule of Law

TMP Morning Memo – “The Justice Manual is the DOJ’s internal handbook of rules on prosecutorial conduct. According to a damning Bloomberg Law piece, Bill Essayli, Trump’s interim US Attorney in Los Angeles, said “fuck the Justice Manual” in response to questions from line attorneys about his pursuit of indictments against anti-ICE protesters. (Morning Memo …

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

United States Placed on Global Rights Watch List for Attacks on Civic Freedoms

“The United States of America (USA) remains on the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist following sustained attacks on civic freedoms. In the first six months of President Donald Trump’s second term, authorities have escalated suppression of protesters through military deployments, targeted journalists, criminalised dissent, and undermined civil society through legislative and financial restrictions. Freedoms guaranteed in the …

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

ProPublica Updates Supreme Connections Database With Newly Released Financial Disclosures

“We updated our Supreme Connections database with newly released financial disclosures from eight Supreme Court justices on Friday, covering the 2024 calendar year. Supreme Connections is our database that makes it easy for anyone to browse justices’ financial disclosures and to search for connections to people and companies mentioned within them. This update includes disclosures …

Subjects: Courts, E-Records, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research