Government

"The team collected and reviewed more than 14,000 pieces of data and documentation, including policies, training logs, body camera and CCTV video footage, audio recordings, photographs, personnel records, manuals and standard operating procedures, interview transcripts, investigative files and data, and other documents. The report is intended to provide the most comprehensive assessment available of the law enforcement response to the horrific incident on May 24, 2022, as well as the emergency medical response, communications, and trauma services in the wake of the tragedy. It begins with a minute-by-minute timeline reconstructing key events before, during, and immediately following the shooting. The report addresses many previously unanswered questions, builds on the existing knowledge base for responding to incidents of mass violence, and identifies generally accepted practices for effective law enforcement responses. In doing so, this report endeavors to honor the victims and survivors of this tragedy, as well as offer recommendations to improve future responses in other communities." more »

This week: A bill to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from restricting funding for pregnancy centers; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, the House is scheduled to consider H.R. 6918, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act; the House is scheduled to consider H.R. 6914, the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act; the House is scheduled to consider H.R. 3058, the Recruiting Families Using Data Act. This week, the Senate and House may consider a laddered continuing resolution (CR) (as-yet-unnumbered) to extend most FY2023 spending bills to two dates in March. more »

Jo Freeman Reviews: "As history, the book documents the CIA’s shift from pursuing Communists during the Cold War, who sold secrets to the Russians, to jihadists who wanted to destroy America. It wasn’t a quick shift, which is one reason CIA leaders didn’t see 9/11 coming. As early as 1993, signs said al-Qaeda was planning to fly planes into strategic buildings in the US – even the CIA itself. The men didn’t take seriously a prediction proposed by women. Over time, that changed. Indeed it was women who confirmed that Osama bin Ladin was holed up in a compound in Pakistan – by reading the laundry hanging outside to dry... The Sisterhood is a fascinating book, especially to those of us who started it knowing little about the CIA." more »

Here you'll find items of current interest — new programs, recent guidance or timely reminders.Tax Updates and News From the IRS: Taxpayers face a number of issues due to critical tax law changes that took place in 2022 and ongoing challenges related to the pandemic. The IRS announced a major policy change that will end unannounced visits to taxpayers by agency revenue officers to reduce public confusion and increase overall safety. The change reverses a decades-long practice by IRS Revenue Officers, the unarmed agency employees whose duties included visiting households and businesses to collect unpaid taxes. Effective immediately, the unscheduled visits will end except in a few unique circumstances. more »