Government & Communications

Attempts by governmental bodies to improve or impede communications with or between the citizenry.

Edward Snowden Interview: "The people are still powerless, but now they're aware"

Edward Snowden has no regrets five years on from leaking the biggest cache of top-secret documents in history. He is wanted by the US. He is in exile in Russia. But he is satisfied with the way his revelations of mass surveillance have rocked governments, intelligence agencies and major internet companies.

FCC Emails Show Agency Spread Lies to Bolster Dubious DDoS Attack Claims

As it wrestled with accusations about a fake cyberattack, the Federal Communications Commission purposely misled several news organizations, choosing to feed journalists false information, while at the same time discouraging them from challenging the agency’s official story.

National Republican Congressional Committee targets 100,000 Californian voters with primary day text program

National Republicans are looking to boost turnout in June 5's pivotal CA primaries with texts targeting GOP voters in key districts. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is targeting 115,000 Republican voters who have either not turned in their vote-by-mail ballots or need to vote on Election Day. Voters began receiving text messages the week May 25 and will receive one more on June 5 reminding them to vote. Voters will receive a text message that reads "ELECTION ALERT: Today is Primary Day!

Trump Team Pushed False Story Line About Meeting With Kremlin-Tied Lawyer, Memo Shows

For nearly a year, the denials from President Trump’s lawyers and spokeswoman were unequivocal. No, the president did not dictate a misleading statement released in his son’s name. But in a confidential, hand-delivered memo to the special counsel, Trump’s lawyers acknowledged that, yes, President Trump had dictated the statement, which attempted to deflect questions about a meeting with a Kremlin-tied lawyer at Trump Tower.

If we want better broadband, more research needs to come first

[Commentary] Maps that accurately illustrate broadband coverage are needed to help direct both public and private sector efforts to areas without sufficient access.

How Americans have viewed government surveillance and privacy since Snowden leaks

In June 2013, news organizations broke stories about federal government surveillance of phone calls and electronic communications of US and foreign citizens, based on classified documents leaked by then-National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. Here are some key findings about Americans’ views of government information-gathering and surveillance, drawn from Pew Research Center surveys since the NSA revelations:

President Trump nominating conservative filmmaker Michael Pack to lead Broadcasting Board of Governors

President Donald Trump has tapped Michael Pack, the former head of conservative think tank Claremont Institute, to run the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The BBG oversees Voice of America, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Sponsor: 

Broadcasting Board of Governors

Date: 
Wed, 06/06/2018 - 17:30 to 18:30

The BBG will receive a report from the CEO and Director John F. Lansing on the networks’ new programming initiatives, and the agency’s technological innovation, as well as an agency-wide fellowship program sponsored by former BBG chairman Marc Nathanson.

Seating capacity is limited. The meeting will be streamed live here.



Trump’s mind-control superpowers

In our lifetime, no president has matched Donald Trump’s ability to summon the power of the pulpit, friendly media, and the tweet-by-tweet power of repetition and persuasion to move minds en masse. You see this in the silence of Republican critics; the instant shifts in GOP views of the FBI, Putin and deficits; and the quick, widespread adoption of his branding efforts around “deep state,” “Spygate” and “no collusion.” We hear so much, so often that we become numb to what Trump is doing.