Campaign Finance

• Big Donors for Romney: Foster Friess, one of the biggest backers of Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign, announced his willingness to support Mitt Romney now that his favored candidate has dropped out of the race. (Politico)
• Paul across America: Ron Paul hasn’t been finding funding in the same places as his presidential rivals. His contributions, mostly small in denomination, come from a more diverse set of zip codes. (Politico)

Government

• The Good, the Bad, and the Complicated: Federal agencies began rolling out updated versions of their open government plans this week. The results appear mixed and goals are generally more complex after agencies picked low-hanging fruit with their initial plans 2 years ago. (Federal Computer Week)
• Federal Reserve…translucent: The Federal Reserve has made some high profile attempts to be more transparent, but they have more work to do. Here, POGO suggests that they proactively disclose conflict of interest waivers that are granted to senior officials. (POGO)
• SOPA Sequel? Some critics have attacked a cybersecurity bill that is currently moving through congress for causing some of the same problems that eventually sank SOPA. However, supporters claim that the two bills address completely different issues. (The Hill)

• Access Denied? Some observers fear that an updated EU access to information law will include new exceptions, ultimately weakening the right of access to EU documents. 8 civil society groups have sent an open letter to leaders highlighting their concerns. (Access-Info)
• A brief respite in Iran: Iran’s Ministry of Communication and Internet Technology attacked “the propaganda wing of the West” for reports that Iran was planning to replace the internet with its own national intranet this summer. However, they confirmed that they will launch an Iran-only network in March 2013. (Mashable)

• Prospects for Democracy in Sudan: Electoral Reform, Election Observation, and Sudan’s Evolving Political Landscape. NDI. 10:00 – 11:30 am. 455 Massachusetts Ave NW, 8th floor, Washington, DC.