National Stories
Newly revealed documents show that the NSA has circumvented or cracked much of the encryption that guards global commerce and banking systems, protects sensitive data like trade secrets and automatically secures the emails, Web searches, Internet chats and phone calls of Americans and others around the world. The project, referred to internally by the codename Bullrun, also includes efforts to weaken the encryption standards adopted by software developers.
ProPublica
The Colorado Supreme Court is asking prosecutors to explain why court records in the death penalty cases of two Aurora men should be kept secret. The move comes more than five years after an Arapahoe County District Court judge barred the files from public review. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued an order to attorneys of both men, Sir Mario Owens and Robert Ray, to explain why they want the court files opened. In previous filings, defense attorneys have claimed misconduct by the prosecution. They are asking that the case files be made public, including transcripts, a registry of actions, pleadings or motions and court orders that had names blacked out.
Denver Post
The Gregg County (Tex.) District Attorney’s office has been asked to investigate alleged violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act by the Kilgore College board of trustees. In a letter dated Aug. 23, Dean R. Kinney alleged to the prosecutor’s office the board failed to post items of business to be discussed during informal planning sessions that occur immediately before the formal meeting.
Longview News-Journal
Louisiana is the nation's most corrupt state if you count the rate of public corruption convictions of government officials in the last decade, the news website Business Insider reported Tuesday. Between 2002 and 2011, Louisiana convicted 403 government officials of crimes "involving abuses of the public trust," according to the DOJ data. This amounts to 8.76 convictions per 100,000 people, the highest rate in the country.
Times-Picayune
Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo refused to meet in a closed session of legislative leaders Wednesday to discuss circumstances surrounding complaints of three legislative staff members against Rep. John Arnold. Stumbo and his fellow House Democratic leaders voted no on a motion to close the meeting of the Legislative Research Commission and then walked out as other leaders proceeded to meet with top legislative staff behind closed doors for four hours.
Louisville Courier-Journal
In a major victory in one of EFF's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits, the Justice Department conceded Wednesday that it will release hundreds of pages of documents, including FISA court opinions, related to the government’s secret interpretation of Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the law the NSA has relied upon for years to mass collect the phone records of millions of innocent Americans.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Here's a piece last week about the state of South Dakota putting more public information online. You can now go to the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources site here to look up production and ownership data on oil and gas wells. You can also get DENR public notices here. And you can go to the state Department of Labor and Regulation site here for market-conduct examinations by insurance companies.
Rapid City Journal
An unusual conflict between the district’s ethics board and its internal watchdog agency appears to have been put to rest. Darrin P. Sobin, director of government ethics for the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, said Wednesday that the Office of the Inspector General had shared documents necessary to proceed with a case against an employee accused of misusing a disabled parking placard. Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby, whose deputies investigated the case, had initially resisted sharing some of the records pertaining to it, arguing that granting the board unfettered access to the files would threaten the independence of his office.
Washington Post
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