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National Stories
After a long day of slogging through the woods, Arkansas hunters used to have to check in their game at the nearest mom-and-pop establishment. At the end of the season, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff would drive around the state to collect the paperwork. Times have changed: Now Arkansas hunters can use a Game and Fish Commission app on their smartphones to upload the information immediately, allowing the state to enforce hunting regulations and manage game populations in real time. The state’s hunting and fishing app was the first of its kind when it launched in 2010, but now at least 10 state natural resources agencies have their own versions. In addition to checking in game, there are apps that allow sportsmen to purchase licenses, find fishing holes, and get real-time reports from other hunters and fishermen. But hunting and fishing is only the beginning: In the last several years states have rolled out apps to help people find tourist attractions, take practice driver’s tests, locate polling places and much more.
Stateline, via Governing
Jurors who improperly search the Internet for information about the trial they're hearing are a growing problem for lawyers and judges. This week, the California Court of Appeal tackled a worst-case scenario — a juror who located a prior appellate opinion about a case, chock-full of inadmissible evidence — while challenging the California Supreme Court to tighten standards for prejudice from extraneous materials.
The Recorder
Multiple system failures at the National Weather Service in the past week are raising concerns that its ability to warn the public of hazardous weather could crack at any time.
Washington Post
Attorney General Eric Holder signed off on a controversial search warrant that identified Fox News reporter James Rosen as a “possible co-conspirator” in violations of the Espionage Act and authorized seizure of his private emails, a law enforcement official told NBC News on Thursday.
NBC News
President Barack Obama said on Thursday he directed Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a review of Department of Justice guidelines for investigations that involve journalists and report back by early July. Obama has come under criticism for his administration's pursuit of journalists who have reported leaked material.
Reuters
Jack's Boathouse is dead and gone, and its protracted battle with the National Park Service is now water under the Key Bridge. But Freedom of Information Act requests can take longer than a lifetime, and the FOIA I submitted when I was reporting on the Jack's saga came back to me after the boathouse's demise. Still, the internal NPS emails I recently received shed a posthumous light on NPS' motives during its efforts to replace the operator of the popular Georgetown boathouse.
Washington City Paper
Lying about receiving a military medal could become a crime, under a bill headed to the president’s desk. The Stolen Valor Act cleared the Senate Wednesday and the House earlier this week. The actmakes it a crime to lie about military medals, if the purpose is to benefit from the claim. The measure revives a law struck down by the Supreme Court. The court said it may be disreputable to lie about receiving a medal, but it’s protected under the First Amendment.
First Amendment Center
In a sign of Wall Street’s resurgent influence in Washington, bank lobbyists are aiding lawmakers in preparing legislation that softens financial regulations.
New York Times |