Freedom in the World 2021 Democracy under Siege

Freedom House – “As a lethal pandemic, economic and physical insecurity, and violent conflict ravaged the world, democracy’s defenders sustained heavy new losses in their struggle against authoritarian foes, shifting the international balance in favor of tyranny.As a lethal pandemic, economic and physical insecurity, and violent conflict ravaged the world in 2020, democracy’s defenders sustained …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

Humans Have Completely Transformed How Water Is Stored on Earth

Earther: “Human fingerprints are all over the world’s freshwater. A new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature shows that while human-controlled freshwater sources make up a minimal portion of the world’s ponds, lakes, and rivers, they are responsible more than half of all changes to the Earth’s water system. The study used new satellite …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law

The Capitol Riot: Documents You Should Read

The National Security Archive – “The January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol is now the subject of systematic National Security Archive Freedom of Information Act campaign. The First installment and The Second Installment of new Document Sourcebook features a Pentagon timeline, State Department dissent, Homeland Security warning, FBI alert, and first court indictment… The January …

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

Interim National Security Strategic Guidance

On March 3, 2021 “the Administration released the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, attached. This interim guidance has been issued to convey President Biden’s vision for how America will engage with the world, and to provide guidance for departments and agencies to align their actions as the Administration begins work on a National Security Strategy.” …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Cybersecurity, Defense, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legislation

The most engaging political news on Facebook? Far-right misinformation.

Protocol/Medium -“A new study shows that before and after the election, far-right misinformation pages drew more engagement than all other partisan news. In the months before and after the 2020 election, far-right pages that are known to spread misinformation consistently garnered more engagement on Facebook than any other partisan news, according to a New York …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries, Social Media

GAO has issued the 2021 High-Risk List

GAO – “Every 2 years, we report on federal programs and operations that are vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, or that need broad reform—our High Risk List. Our 2021 report reviews the status of the 36 areas on the list and outlines steps to lasting solutions. We testified before the House that the …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research

New Report on Tax Treatment of Cryptocurrency Block Rewards

In Custodia Legis – New Report on Tax Treatment of Cryptocurrency Block Rewards Published March 2, 2021 by Laney Zhang: “The foreign law specialists of the Law Library of Congress recently completed a multinational report titled Taxation of Cryptocurrency Block Rewards. The report surveys the tax treatment of new tokens obtained by cryptocurrency mining or …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Libraries

Library of Congress Builds New Collections Documenting COVID-19 Pandemic

Collections Include Photographs of Community Impact, Web Archiving of Public Health Data and Artist Responses to the Health Crisis – “As the world marks the one-year anniversary of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Library of Congress has been collecting materials and documenting this time in history through a variety of initiatives. The Library’s rapid-response collecting …

Subjects: Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Libraries

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Final Report

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Final Report – “…The NSCAI Final Report presents an integrated national strategy to reorganize the government, reorient the nation, and rally our closest allies and partners to defend and compete in the coming era of AI-accelerated competition and conflict. It is a two-pronged approach. Part I, “Defending America in …

Subjects: AI, Defense, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Knowledge Management

New Duke paper calls Washington to increase transparency around online political ads

Washington Post – “Major social platforms put new limits on political ads in the run-up to the controversial 2020 election due to concerns they amplify misinformation. But a new Duke University paper published today [J. Scott Babwah Brennen & Matt Perault, March 2, 2021 Breaking Blackout Black Boxes: Roadblocks to Analyzing Platform Political Ads] says a …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System

Pentagon report cites threat of extremism in military

AP: “Domestic extremist groups pose a serious threat to the military by seeking to recruit service members into their ranks and, in some cases, joining the military to acquire combat experience, according to a Pentagon report released Tuesday [March 3, 2021]. Report to Armed Services Committees on Screening Individuals Who Seek to Enlist in the …

Subjects: Congress, Defense