President Announces 2009 Medal of Freedom Recipients

Today President Obama announced the 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. Read about it in the White House blog. The President states: "These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds. Their tremendous accomplishments span fields . . . . Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way."

The 16 recipients are

• Nancy Goodman Brinker
• Pedro Jose Greer, Jr.
• Stephen Hawking
• Sen. Edward Kennedy
• Billie Jean King
• Rev. Joseph Lowery
• Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow
• Harvey Milk
• Sandra Day O’Connor
• Sidney Poitier
  
• Chita Rivera
  
• Mary Robinson
  
• Janet Davison Rowley, M.D.
  
• Desmond Tutu
• Muhammad Yunus
• Jack Kemp

You can learn more about these individuals and their accomplishments on the blog or the official press release. You can find lists of past Medal of Freedom recipients on the Senate's website.

FDA Warns Against Body-Building Supplements

Yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Public Health Advisory warning consumers against using body-building supplements that may contain steroids. The FDA claims that it has received reports indicating such supplements have had adverse effects on men such as serious liver injury, stroke, kidney failure, and pulmonary embolism.

The FDA is not very specific about which products are potentially harmful, although in this letter it does name 8 supplements marketed and distributed by American Cellular Labs.

No supplements have been recalled yet. This article in the New York Times explains that the "FDA has authority to act only after it has received reports of serious health problems associated with products already on sale and it is able to prove a serious health hazard."

The FDA's website does not mention specific reports from which it gets these health claims about the supplements. You can try searching for reports by entering the search terms "body building" and "steroids" in the search box for PubMed, the National Library of Medicine's database of medical articles. For additional government resources about health, see our guide.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us reports on Afghanistan, financial regulation, the newspaper industry, and other topics. Although these reports are in the public domain, there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your senator or representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by OpenCRS and Secrecy News:

• Afghanistan and Pakistan Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs), H.R. 1318/H.R. 1886/H.R. 2410 and S. 496: Issues and Arguments
• Afghanistan: U.S. Foreign Assistance
  
• Agricultural Conservation Issues in the 111th Congress
• Air Force F-22 Fighter Program: Background and Issues for Congress
  
• America COMPETES Act and the FY2010 Budget
• Chemical Facility Security: Reauthorization, Policy Issues, and Options for Congress
  
• Congressional Member Organizations: Their Purpose and Activities, History, and Formation
• Covert Action: Legislative Background and Possible Policy Questions
• Defense: FY2010 Authorization and Appropriations
  
• Economic Stimulus: Issues and Policies
  
• Federally Funded Innovation Inducement Prizes
• Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2010
• Financial Regulatory Reform: Analysis of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) as Proposed by the Obama Administration and H.R. 3126
  
• "Gang of Four" Congressional Intelligence Notifications
  
• Intelligence Issues for Congress
  
• Issues Regarding a National Land Parcel Database
• Kyrgyzstan and the Status of the U.S. Manas Airbase: Context and Implications
• NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the Transatlantic Alliance
  
• North Korea: Terrorism List Removal
• Ocean Acidification
  
• Post Office and Retail Postal Facility Closures: Overview and Issues for Congress
• Preserving Homeownership: Foreclosure Prevention Initiatives
  
• Protecting the U.S. Perimeter: Border Searches Under the Fourth Amendment
• Section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2006: A Fact Sheet on Department of Defense Authority to Train and Equip Foreign Military Forces
  
• The Size and Role of Government: Economic Issues
• Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband: Issues for Congress
  
• Tax Havens: International Tax Avoidance and Evasion
  
• The U.S. Newspaper Industry in Transition
  

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports dating back to 1916.

Not on campus but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

U.S. Envoy Meets Middle East Leaders

Special Envoy to the Middle East George J. Mitchell is making his way through this region to discuss peace efforts. Over the weekend he met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, today he met with Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, and tomorrow he will hold discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

You can read about Mitchell's trip in today's Washington Post. On the U.S. State Department website you can find the latest update on Mitchell's travels (which includes a video clip of Mitchell speaking in Jerusalem). This July 23 press briefing from Assistant Secretary of State Philip J. Crowley discusses Mitchell's full itinerary and refutes media reports that the U.S. is considering financial or economic pressure against Israel.

For additional resources, see our guide to foreign relations.

Tracking Healthcare Reform

Numerous media pundits and blusterers are offering daily comments and sound bites about health reform. It can be interesting, enlightening, amusing, and even infuriating, but wouldn't you like to track Congress' actual legislation rather than just reading the opinions of others?

The Library of Congress' Thomas website is a great way to do this. Its bill summary page for HR 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, puts links to all the bill's minute details in one simple place: sponsors, related bills, committees, all congressional actions, and the full text of the bill as it is written so far. As you can see, HR 3200's current status is "committee consideration and mark-up session held." If you're not sure what this means, see Thomas' "How Our Laws Are Made." HR 3200 is at stage 5, "Consideration by Committee," so it still has a long way to go before it becomes a law. That gives you time to provide comments on the bill to your representative on the committee. In this bill's case there are five committees, whose web pages can be accessed from the House's website (Senate committees are found here).

You can use Thomas to track the progress of other bills as well. Use the home page to search for bills by word(s), bill number, or sponsor. To find other web resources about Congress and the legislative process, see our guide.

Cash for Clunkers

If you listen to the radio or watch TV you have probably seen some ads about the government's "Cash for Clunkers" plan or at least that is what they call it in the advertisements. Now if you are considering trading in your older car for a new one you might be interested in learning a bit more about the program before you go to the the car dealership. Today I am going to walk you from the law to the quick information on this program.

The law. Now the source from the US Congress for legislative actions is a database called Thomas. There is just one problem, if you search the database for "cash for clunkers" you will get a bill (H.R. 2640), but if you look at the last major action you will see the bill was sent to committee, but it has not been passed. Now we know this bill has been passed, so where is it? Well, it turns out that this bill was not passed on its own, instead it was made part of an omnibus bill, H.R. 2346 Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes. The section we are interested in is Title 13 the "Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program," it is 10 paragraphs long and basically lays out how much people can get and a few basic requirements. It is still a bit vague, but does have one interesting requirement "Directs the Secretary to make Program information available on an Internet website and through other means."

The web site. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has created a web site on this program at the easy to remember location of cars.gov. Here we get yet another version of the name "Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS)," but this site has a lot of good basic information. You can find information on the roll out (or when exactly you can get the rebate), how it will work, and other FAQs.

Finding a fuel efficient car. If you want to do a little prep work check out the web site, fueleconomy.gov. Not only will you find the fuel efficiency of your new car, but you will also get to check out what the EPA fuel efficiency is on your current car.

Still want more information? The library also has a guide to the government's consumer information resources.

Interior Declares Time-Out on Grand Canyon Mining

The U.S. Interior Department is putting a two-year hold on mining and mineral exploration in 633,547 acres of public lands and 360,002 acres of National Forest System lands near Grand Canyon National Park. As stated in yesterday's issue of the Federal Register, the Department will use this "time-out" to study the environmental effects of hard-rock exploration and mining and decide whether to withdraw the land from mining claims for another 20 years.

You can also read about the decision in this Bureau of Land Management press release or read a news media report in the Los Angeles Times.

For additional government resources, take a look at our guide to parks and other natural resources.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us reports on 401(k) plans, human trafficking, hedge funds, and other topics. Although these reports are in the public domain, there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your senator or representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by OpenCRS and Secrecy News:

• The 2009 Influenza Pandemic: U.S. Responses to Global Human Cases
• 401(k) Plans and Retirement Savings: Issues for Congress
  
• Afghanistan: U.S. Foreign Assistance
• Calculation of Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Renewable Fuel Standard
• Canada's Financial System: an Overview
  
• Chemical Facility Security: Reauthorization, Policy Issues, and Options for Congress
• China-U.S. Trade Issues
• Defense Logistical Support Contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan: Issues for Congress
• The Federal Role in Rail Transit Safety
  
• The Financial Crisis: Impact on and Response by The European Union
• Financing Catastrophic Risk: Summary of the Homeowners' Defense Act of 2009 (S. 505 and H.R. 2555)
• The Global Financial Crisis: Analysis and Policy Implications
• Hedge Funds: Should They Be Regulated?
  
• Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice
• Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses
  
• Long-Range Ballistic Missile Defense in Europe
• Millennium Challenge Corporation
  
• National Flood Insurance Program: Background, Challenges, and Financial Status
• North Korea's Second Nuclear Test: Implications of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874
• Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options For Congress
  
• The Technology Innovation Program
• Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress
• Troop Levels in the Afghan and Iraq Wars, FY2001-FY2012: Cost and Other Potential Issues
  
• United States Fire Administration: An Overview
  
• U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress
  

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports dating back to 1916.

Not on campus but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

SIGTARP Reports on Banks' Bailout Funds

Today the Office of the Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) released a report discussing how TARP recipients have used the funds they've received so far. The report, Survey Demonstrates that Banks Can Provide Meaningful Information on Their Use of TARP Funds, discussed 360 banks that were surveyed about how they had used TARP funds. Most banks had not tracked their dollar-per-dollar TARP spending, but the majority of the funds were used for lending, capital reserves, and investments. SIGTARP mentions that it "did not attempt to verify independently the accuracy of the statements made by the banks."

Although a Washington Post headline on this report announces, "Banks Misused TARP Funds," the SIGTARP report does not appear to make such claims about these banks. Instead, it faults the U.S. Department of the Treasury for failing to require that all TARP recipients
report on their use of TARP funds, as SIGTARP had previously recommended (see the conclusion of the SIGTARP report).

Want more resources about financial oversight? See the June 30 Financial Stability Oversight Board Quarterly Report to Congress or the library guide to economic crisis and stimulus.

UN Imposes Targeted Sanctions Against North Korea

The Washington Post reports that the United Nations Security Council has sanctioned 10 individuals and businesses in North Korea by banning them from travel and freezing their assets (read the article). The persons and firms being sanctioned are linked to the country's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

How does the UN sanction individuals? Is there a document governing such types of sanctions? You can find helpful information about UN sanctions by going online. The Security Council Sanction Committees Overview explains that "The use of mandatory sanctions is intended to apply pressure on a State or entity to comply with the objectives set by the Security Council without resorting to the use of force." However, some organizations have criticized sanctions' negative impact on the most vulnerable members of countries being sanctioned. This has led the Security Council to refine its sanctions by targeting "specific actors."

Therefore, as this U.S. State Department press release explains, the latest sanctions against North Korea are related to Security Council resolutions 1718 and 1874, which state that sanction measures can include "individual targeted sanctions – namely, a travel ban and/or an assets freeze on designated persons and entities."

Need more guidance on navigating the UN websites for information about sanctions, resolutions, divisions, and programs? Take a look at our guide.

Endeavour Launches into Space

Space shuttle Endeavour took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, last night with seven astronauts on board (view the NASA press release here). Thus began a 16-day mission that includes delivering components to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Kibo laboratory at the International Space Station. This was NASA's sixth attempt to launch the aircraft (see this CBS News article for a description of the failed fifth launch attempt).

NASA's website provides a mission summary of space shuttle Endeavour as well as a photo gallery. You can even learn about a space shuttle's structure on this web page.

Can't find what you need on the NASA website? Take a look at our guide to Space & Astronomy.

Taylor at Hague for War Crimes Trial

As the first witness Tuesday in his own trial, former Liberian President Charles Taylor denied all war crimes charged against himself. Taylor is being tried by the Special Court for Sierra Leone for atrocities committed by rebels under his control during Sierra Leone's civil war.

Check out the New York Times for an article about the trial or see the Special Court's web page devoted to the Taylor case, where you can find a timeline of events, links to the indictment, and streaming video of the trial. The website also contains links to various documents associated with the Special Court.

For more resources, see our guide to Human Rights or read a profile of Sierra Leone linked to our country guide.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us reports on emergency alerts, energy efficiency, North Korea's second nuclear test, and other topics. Although these reports are in the public domain, there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your senator or representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by OpenCRS and Secrecy News:

• The 2009 Influenza Pandemic: Selected Legal Issues
• Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy
• The Army's M-4 Carbine: Background and Issues for Congress
  
• Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding
  
• Economic Development Assistance for Communities Affected by Employment Changes Due to Military Base Closures (BRAC)
• The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and All-Hazard Warnings
  
• Emergency Communications: The Future of 911
• Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Critical Barriers and Congressional Policy
  
• Estimates of Carbon Mitigation Potential from Agricultural and Forestry Activities
  
• Federally Supported Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Programs
• FY2009 Spring Supplemental Appropriations for Overseas Contingency Operations
• Haiti: Current Conditions and Congressional Concerns
  
• House Resolutions of Inquiry
  
• Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice
  
• Indonesia: Domestic Politics, Strategic Dynamics, and American Interests
• Iran's Economic Conditions: U.S. Policy Issues
• Iraq: U.S. Casualties
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program: An Overview
  
• Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) Vehicles: Background and Issues for Congress
• Mongolia and U.S. Policy: Political and Economic Relations
• Navy Nuclear Aircraft Carrier (CVN) Homeporting at Mayport, Background and Issues for Congress
  
• North Korea’s Second Nuclear Test: Implications of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874
• Peacekeeping/Stabilization and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on the Civilian Response/Reserve Corps and other Civilian Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities
• Potential Farm Sector Effects of 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu
  
• The Proposed U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA): Provisions and Implications
  
• Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress
• Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program
  
• Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA): What Is It, and How Has It Been Utilized?
  
• Troop Levels in the Afghan and Iraq Wars, FY2001-FY2012: Cost and Other Potential Issues
• Tunisia: Current Issues
  
• U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea: Living Resources Provisions
  
• U.S. Security Assistance to the Palestinian Authority
  

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports dating back to 1916.

Not on campus but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

New Report Released on President's Surveillance Program

On Friday the U.S. intelligence community released its review of the President's Surveillance Program (PSP)--President Bush's post-9/11 authorization of the National Security Administration (NSA) to conduct a classified program, including warrantless wiretapping, to prevent terrorist attacks in the United States. The Unclassified Report on the President's Surveillance Program was authored by the offices of inspectors general of the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, CIA, NSA, and Director of National Intelligence. The 43-page report discusses the inception and implementation of the PSP, provides a legal reassessment of the program, and examines the program's impact on the intelligence community's counterrorism efforts. It concludes that there had been disagreements over the program's legality, that the program may not have contributed to counterterrorism efforts, and that the program "involved unprecedented collection activities . . . . [that] should be carefully monitored."

To get a news media point of view on the report, see this article in the New York Times.

For more resources, see our guide to Intelligence.

Government Prepares for Nationwide H1N1 Vaccines

Yesterday the U.S. government held an H1N1 Influenza Preparedness Summit at the National Institutes of Health in an effort to promote its nationwide fall flu preparedness efforts (read the press release here). By mid-October, the federal government should receive around 100 million doses of vaccine, for which children, pregnant women, adults with chronic illnesses, and healthcare workers would get first priority. The Washington Post claims that children could be vaccinated at school in a "mass campaign not seen since the polio epidemics of the 1950s."

The government has created a new website consolidating influenza information at www.flu.gov. You can find the latest CDC Recommendations for State and Local Planning for a 2009 Novel H1N1 Influenza Vaccination Program on the CDC website.

For additional resources, see our guide.

FAA to Strengthen Airline Safety Rules

Spurred by the fatal Colgan Air crash near Buffalo, New York, in February, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to tighten its regulations, coming up with new flight and rest rules for airlines and requiring that airlines obtain all available FAA pilot records, among other actions. Denver will play host to one of a series of 10 regional safety forums, where the FAA hopes to discuss new practices that it wants airlines to adopt by July 31. Read the Denver Post article here.

In a June 24 press release, the FAA claimed that it would establish an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to develop recommendations for an FAA rule by September 1. On the FAA's website you can find synopses of airplane accidents such as the Colgan Air crash. You can find current FAA regulations here.

Want more resources? See our guide to Transportation.

G8 Summit Begins in Italy

The Group of Eight (G8) summit began today in the earthquake-damaged city of L'Aquila, Italy. Representatives from member countries Canada, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States--as well as the European Union--met to discuss the global economy, international trade, climate change, assistance to developing countries, food safety, water access, world health, and international politics. See the official site of the 2009 summit for an agenda of events, summaries of the main issues to be discussed, and a survey seeking public comment on the role of the G8 and governance.

This article in the Washington Post explains that the G8 summit venue was moved from the luxury Italian resort of La Maddalena, Italy, to draw attention to reconstruction efforts in L'Aquila, which was hit by a major earthquake in April. For more details about the G8, take a look at the comprehensive G8 Information Centre created by the G8 Research Group at the University of Toronto.

Looking for additional resources on international resources? Check out our guide.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us reports on the supreme court, homeland security, Iran, and more. Although these reports are in the public domain, there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your senator or representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by OpenCRS:

• Afghanistan and Pakistan Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs), H.R. 1318/H.R. 1886/H.R. 2410 and S. 496: Issues and Arguments
• Afghanistan: Narcotics and U.S. Policy
• Afghanistan: Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
• America COMPETES Act and the FY2010 Budget
• Chile: Political and Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations
• China's Currency Peg: A Summary of the Economic Issues
• Climate Change: The Role of the U.S. Agriculture Sector
• District of Columbia Appropriations for FY2004
• El Salvador: Political, Economic, and Social Conditions and Relations with the United States
• Employment-Based Health Coverage and Health Reform: Selected Legal Considerations
• Geospatial Information and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Current Issues and Future Challenges
• Honduran-U.S. Relations
• Human Rights in China: Trends and Policy Implications
• Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Efforts and Post-War Governance
• Israeli-Arab Negotiations: Background, Conflicts, and U.S. Policy
• Jordan: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues
• Judge Sonia Sotomayor: Analysis of Selected Opinions
• Landsat and the Data Continuity Mission
• Leave Benefits in the United States
• Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Oversight Issues and Options for Congress
• North Korean Counterfeiting of U.S. Currency
• Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues
• Security Classification Policy and Procedure: E.O. 12958, as Amended
• Sri Lanka: Background and U.S. Relations
• Thailand: Background and U.S. Relations
• The 2009 H1N1 "Swine Flu" Outbreak: An Overview
• The Budget Resolution and Spending Legislation
• The Global Financial Crisis: Increasing IMF Resources and the Role of Congress
• The Global Peace Operations Initiative: Background and Issues for Congress
• The National Security Council: An Organizational Assessment
• The United Arab Emirates Nuclear Program and Proposed U.S. Nuclear Cooperation

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Climate Change and National Parks

I love national parks and lucky me I live in a state with four national parks and a whole bunch of other cool national park sites, trails and monuments (check 'em out here). Now just last month I went up to Glacier National Park in Montana and got to thinking about climate change and how it will effect these parks. Glacier National Park estimates that by 2030 they will no longer have any glaciers in the park ("Glaciers/Glacier Features"). (The picture to the left is of Grinnel Glacier covered with a little bit of snow.)

Paul Ollig, who blogs on science at Glacier National Park, just posted on a new program from NASA and the National Park Service ("NPS") on climate change and how it will effect national parks. The first episode is on Glacier National Park and the second is on Everglades National Park. To learn more about this program, check out the Earth to Sky web site which is a collaboration of NPS and NASA.

If you want more information on climate change, check out the library's guide.

Construction Spending, Employment and Other Indicators

It has been a while since we did one of those economic indicator posts and today's various releases seemed like a good time to talk about numbers.

First, numbers from the government. Today brings us construction spending for May 2009, which was down .9 percent from April, which according to the New York Times is "nearly double the 0.5 percent drop that economists expected" (Sharp Drop in Construction Spending in May). Yesterday we got the new metropolitan employment and unemployment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Those numbers showed "unemployment rates were higher in May than a year earlier in all 372 metropolitan areas" (from the press release).

The major news organizations have also been talking about a report from the firm Automatic Data Processing that show private employment decreasing 473,000 over June (a later number then the BLS numbers mentioned above).

Want to read a discussion of these various releases and what they mean? Check out the Wall Street Journal's "Private Sector Sheds 473,000 Jobs."

Still not enough? Check out the various library guides on business and economic topics.