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Congressional District Geography Workbook (119th Congress): An Interactive Tool for Congressional Users

“This CRS Insight accompanies the Congressional District Geography Workbook, a Microsoft Excel file that congressional users can download from CRS.gov. The workbook provides information about U.S. House districts as configured in the 119th Congress (2025-2026). It supersedes the version published for the 118th Congress: CRS Insight IN12393, Congressional District Geography Workbook (118th Congress): An Interactive …

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

USCIS to Consider Anti-Americanism in Immigrant Benefit Requests

“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding the factors that officers consider in certain benefit requests where an exercise of discretion is required, including factors relating to aliens’ past requests for parole and any involvement in anti-American or terrorist organizations, as well as the use of discretion in …

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

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

Big Tech locks data away. Wikidata gives it back to the internet

Fast Company – “While tech and AI giants guard their knowledge graphs behind proprietary walls, a more open model is quietly powering innovative projects from São Paulo to Nairobi. Wikidata, the collaborative backbone behind Wikipedia’s structured data, has become the world’s largest free knowledge database. Lydia Pintscher, who leads the Wikidata project at Wikimedia Deutschland, …

Subjects: AI, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines

Citizen Is Using AI to Generate Crime Alerts With No Human Review

404 Media – It’s Making a Lot of Mistakes – “Crime-awareness app Citizen is using AI to write alerts that go live on the platform without any prior human review, leading to factual inaccuracies, the publication of gory details about crimes, and the exposure of sensitive data such as peoples’ license plates and names, 404 …

Subjects: AI, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy

Status of Project 2025

Project 2025 Tracker – A comprehensive, community-driven initiative to track the implementation of Project 2025’s policy proposals. Overall Progress is now at 47%. Total Objectives – 317 Agencies Involved – 34 Time Until End of Term – 1243 Days

Subjects: Legal Research

With AI chatbots, Big Tech is moving fast and breaking people

Ars Technica – Why AI chatbots validate grandiose fantasies about revolutionary discoveries that don’t exist -“A machine that uses language fluidly, convincingly, and tirelessly is a type of hazard never encountered in the history of humanity. Most of us likely have inborn defenses against manipulation—we question motives, sense when someone is being too agreeable, and …

Subjects: AI, Education, Knowledge Management, Search Engines

Trump’s new chief design officer aims to make federal websites ‘satisfying’

Washington Post [no paywall] – “Joe Gebbia, an Elon Musk ally who also worked for DOGE, said navigating dot-gov websites should be just as easy as visiting the Apple Store. President Donald Trump’s new chief design officer says he wants to overhaul the interface of government websites to make them more beautiful and less complicated …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Data Governance, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 23, 2025

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 23, 2025 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly …

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Internet, Privacy

TimeMap.org

TimeMap.org – “A new way to discover history Explore the past on an interactive map with a timeline. Search for detailed high-resolution scanned maps and see what happened in your chosen place in the past. Engage with the timeline – Dive into history with an interactive map and a dynamic timeline. Use the timeline to …

Subjects: Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Preserving At-Risk Public Data

An Interview with the Data Rescue Project Steering Committee – “Federal data are an essential public good, enabling cutting-edge research and underpinning decision making by governments, businesses, and individuals. However, continued public access to these data is no longer assured as federal agencies have removed datasets from government websites. Librarians, archivists, and other information professionals …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, E-Records, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines

Global carriers halt US shipments

Semafor – Global mail carriers suspended deliveries to the US in the face of uncertainty over new duties on low-cost packages. “US President Donald Trump last month ordered the end of the “de minimis” provision, which allowed goods valued under $800 to enter the US duty-free. The government closed the loophole for China and Hong …

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

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