NEWS ROUNDUP:

• Lobbyists are getting nervous about the potential for the Supreme Court to strike down caps on individual contributions to lawmakers and parties in the coming year. They are worried that they will be courted for donations even more aggressively than they already are. (The Hill)
• Former deputy secretary of state recently rode back through the revolving door. Before serving in the public sector Nides was the chief operating officer at Morgan Stanley. He is heading back to the investment banking giant to serve as vice chairman. (Washington Post)
• The race to replace disgraced Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. probably doesn’t feel that out of place to many of the district’s voters. For the past three decades every person to represent Illinois’ 2nd congressional district has ended up in legal and ethical trouble. (Politico)
• A group of former staffers on President Obama’s reelection campaign are starting a group dedicated to making Texas more competitive for Democrats. Battleground Texas will focus on expanding the electorate by registering voters and turning on those who are unengaged. (Washington Post)
• The saga of Organizing for Action, the nonprofit spin off of President Obama’s reelection campaign, continued today as watchdog group Common Cause called on the President to shut down the group. (Washington Post)
• Netflix may have decided to produce their new political drama House of Cards thanks to analysis of the flood of data that they collect about their subscriber’s viewing habits. (MIT Technology Review)
• A recent study focusing on a World Bank project in Kenya used forensics economics techniques to spot numerical patterns in the project’s accounts that helped identify clues to corruption. The technique could be used on future projects to spot irregularities before they become serious. (Trust Law)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

• None.

HAPPENING TODAY 2/27:

• Budget Hearing – Library of Congress. House Appropriation, Legislative Branch Subcommittee. 9:30 am. HT-2, the Capitol.
• Budget Hearing – Congressional Budget Office. House Appropriations, Legislative Branch Subcommittee. 10:15 am. HT-2, the Capitol.
• Fostering innovation to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in health care. House Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health. 12:00 pm. 2123 Rayburn.
• Swimming in the ocean of big data: National security in the age of unlimited information. Georgetown Law. 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. 120 F Street NW, Gewirz Student Center, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20001.
• Internet Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Internet Infrastructure Coalition. 12:30 – 2:00 pm. Capitol Hill, East Capitol and First Street, Washington, DC 20510.

HAPPENING TOMORROW 2/28: 

• How we know the parliament is working: New approaches to monitoring and evaluation of legislative strengthening programs. RTI International. 12:00 – 1:45 pm. 701 13th Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC.

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