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BAD LAWSHow Special Interests Keep Bad Laws on the Books: The Case of the Jones Act
The 1920 Jones Act restricts intra-U.S. water transport to vessels that are U.S.-flagged, U.S.-owned, and built in U.S. shipyards The law serves as a tribute to how entrenched interests can hijack public policy and make the repeal of failed, costly laws among the heaviest of political lifts.
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INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITYCongress Has a Chequered History of Overseeing U.S. Intelligence and National Security
The role of Congress is to conduct oversight. It is the role of the governing administration to keep Congress informed of intelligence matters, particularly covert operations. History shows this has often been hard to achieve.
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ELECTION INTEGRITYWill the SAVE Act Protect the Integrity of Voting or Make Registration Too Difficult? Northeastern Experts Explain
The House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, a requirement some Northeastern University experts said could pose a challenge. The Senate is considering an act that would change voter registration.
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CHINA WATCHBill Introduced to Ban Student Visas to Chinese Nationals
U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-WV, filed a bill on Friday to ban Chinese nationals from receiving student visas. “Every year we allow nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals to come to the U.S. on student visas. We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,” he said.
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INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITYMcConnell’s Comments on Gabbard Nomination
“The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment,” Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said. “Tulsi Gabbard failed to demonstrate that she is prepared to assume this tremendous national trust.”
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GUNSHouse Democrat Pushes Bill Requiring Liability Policy to Buy or Possess Firearms
Under a bill proposed Monday, the legislative majority is pushing to require proof of “financial responsibility” before purchasing or possessing a firearm by requiring certain liability policies.
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THE RUSSIA CONNECTIONU.S. Representative Who Backed Aid to Ukraine Removed from Committee Chairmanship
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has removed the chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee who has been an outspoken supporter of assistance for Ukraine.
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JAN. 6 ATTACKConspiracy Theory Debunked: FBI Was Not in on the Jan. 6 Attack
The FBI had 26 confidential sources at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, but the FBI was not in on the attack and no undercover FBI agents were on the National Mall that day, contradicting conspiracy theories about the attack.
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TERROR FINANCINGSupport Dwindles for Cracking Down on Nonprofit Terror Financing
The overwhelming bipartisan support a plan to revoke tax exemptions for nonprofits deemed supportive of terrorist organizations once enjoyed has dwindled as critics worry about constitutional overreach.
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PLUM ISLANDBipartisan Effort to Make Plum Island a National Monument Advances in Congress
Plum Island, off the north-eastern coast of Long Island, has been, since 1954, home to a high-security biolab researching pathogens threatening humans and animals. The lab has been relocated to Manhattan, Kansas. A bill calling on the Department of the Interior to consider adding Plum Island to the National Park system is advancing in Congress.
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GUNSSenator Slams Gun Industry’s “Invasive and Dangerous” Sharing of Customer Data with Political Operatives
In response to a ProPublica investigation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal demanded answers from the gun industry about its “covert program” to collect information on gun owners for political purposes.
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IMMIGRATIONWhy Is Immigration Reform So Contentious?
The issue of immigration reform is one that both Republicans and Democrats have sought to address for years with little success. The reason, sys one expert: Immigration is a very complex issue and there has not been sufficient political will to fix it.
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WILDFIRESCongressional Staff Learn to Fight Wildfires with Legislation
Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment recently hosted a first-of-its-kind “boot camp” in which congressional staffers got a crash course from experts in climate, forestry, fire science, utilities, insurance, and other wildfire-related topics.
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MASS DEPORTATIONTrump Could Do a Mass Deportation. We’ve Done It Before.
Historical examples suggest that enacting forced relocation, internment, and deportation is nowhere near the longshot many experts believe. In a second term, the biggest challenge for Trump’s mass-deportation agenda would likely not be legal — the courts cannot be counted on to stand in his way— but logistical and monetary.
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SECRET SERVICEGrassley, Cortez Masto Want Senate Confirmation of Secret Service Directors
Lawmakers filed a bill that would require Senate confirmation of Secret Service directors and impose a 10-year term limit. The heads of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement and Customs & Border Protection are already confirmed by the Senate.
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