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Transcript of Nixon’s Watergate Grand Jury Testimony To Be Released in November
Richard Nixon texts and tapes will be released soon, by Al Kamen, Washington Post, (October 11, 2011).
On Nov. 10, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Archives will make public for the first time a series of recordings and documents, including the much-anticipated transcript of Nixon's grand jury testimony in the investigation of the Watergate scandal. A group of historians sued to make the testimony -- which had been redacted under laws that shield grand-jury materials -- available to the public.Continue reading
NY Times Sues Government To Reveal ‘Secret’ Patriot Act Interpretation
Newspaper sues government to reveal 'secret' Patriot Act interpretation, By Zack Whittaker, ZDNet (October 12, 2011).
The New York Times is suing the U.S. government for refusing to divulge how its law enforcement interprets the Patriot Act. After a series of Freedom of Information requests were declined to reveal the classified interpretation of the Patriot Act -- a description that Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Mark Udall (D-Colorado) described as "deeply disturbing" -- the newspaper sought to battle it out in the courts. Some months ago, it was found that the Patriot Act was being interpreted by government departments in a way to aid their ongoing investigations, leading to calls that there was a "classified" element to the counter-terrorism law.Continue reading
HHS eliminated 36 website domains
Better check your links to MEDLARS, HIV.gov, TheDataWeb.gov, and 33 more HHS websites. They are all gone. "The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has formally notified GSA that it is relinquishing 21 domains. HHS is in the process of relinquishing additional sites and expects to have relinquished a total of 36 sites, 23 percent of the domains owned by the Department per the base GSA survey, by the end of September."
- HHS Interim Progress Report, HHS, Web Communications & New Media, Dot Gov Task Force (DGTF) (9/6/2011) The allocation of HHS Web resources is currently so fractured that no one knows the total annual Departmental investment in Web-related activities. ...HHS is an historically siloed entity, and its Web holdings reflect that legacy. The result is a Web experience that is not only antithetical to the concept of customer-centric design but is undeniably wasteful of precious resources. Like and related content is scattered across multiple office and program Websites, and the Googling customer is left to divine what content is relevant. Overcoming this entrenched culture will be the greatest challenge we face.
- A Brutal Self-Assessment of HHS' Web Presence, By Joseph Marks, NextGov (10/07/11).
House Floor Now Streams to Your Mobile Device
The Speaker announced live streaming is in beta and asked users to let the House know of difficulties.
- House Floor Now Streams to Your Mobile Device via HouseLive.gov, by Don Seymour, Speaker of the House John Boehner. Blog (October 11, 2011). You can now visit HouseLive.gov from your mobile phone or tablet for live video streaming from the House of Representatives. ...Anyone with a mobile device that has streaming capabilities now has access to video of what’s happening in Congress, as it happens.
Presidential Directives Withheld From White House Website
Presidential Directives Withheld From White House Website, by Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News (October 11th, 2011).
Last Friday, White House officials made at least two public references to Presidential Policy Directives (PPDs). PPD 1 was cited in a new executive order on computer security and PPD 8 was cited in a White House blog posting on disaster preparedness. Each Directive is a significant expression of national policy. Neither one is classified. And yet neither of them -- nor any other Obama Presidential Policy Directive -- can be found on the White House website. The White House decision not to make these documents available is a stark reminder of the incoherence of the Obama Administration's transparency policy, and its inconsistent implementation.Continue reading
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