NEWS ROUNDUP:

• Progress Kentucky, a nascent super PAC formed to badger Mitch McConnell, has  only managed to raise $1,000 since its inception late last year, but has proven much more adept at getting national headlines. They first made the scene in February with a racist tweet about McConnell’s wife, now rumor has it they were behind recordings of McConnell campaign strategy sessions. (Washington Post)
• Almost half a million people petitioned the Securities and Exchange Commission, asking them to make publicly-traded corporations disclose their political spending. The petition is on the SEC’s long term schedule, but its future is unclear. (NPR)
• Organizing for Action raised just shy of $5 million in its first quarter of operations, pulling an average of $44 from over 100,000 individual donors… (Washington Post)
• …they did manage to find a few high dollar donors, including Philip Munger who gave $250,000 and the National Education Association who chipped in more than $15,000. (Roll Call)
• Tech President talks about the Knight News Challenge in podcast form. (Tech President)
• It’s pretty easy to start a super PAC, so easy that any amateur with the wherewithal to file papers with the FEC and open a bank account can do it. This has led to some serious public relations headaches for the major parties, who have no way to exert control over all of these groups.  (POLITICO)
• Congress moved quickly and quietly late last week to strip the STOCK act of much of its power while rolling back some of its more controversial provisions. The House followed suit Friday after the Senate passed legislation late on Thursday. President Obama also snuck an announcement that he would sign the legislation in to a court filing on Friday. (Roll Call)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

• S.716. A bill to modify the requirements under the STOCK Act regarding online access to certain financial disclosure statements and related forms.

HAPPENING THIS WEEK 4/15 – 4/19:

• To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism. New America Foundation. Mon. 4/15. 9:00 – 10:00 am. 1899 L Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036.
• Care Transformation Prize Series: Revolutionizing the Delivery of Health Care Through Big Data. Bipartisan Policy Center. Tues. 4/16. 11:00 am – 12:30 pm. 1225 I Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005.
• Special Screening and Panel Discussion: ‘War on Whistleblowers.’ Newseum. Tues. 4/16. 1:00 pm. 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Documentary Theater, Washington, DC 20001.
• H.R. 624 – Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection. House Committee on Rules. Tues. 4/16. 3:00 pm. H-313, The Capitol.
• Does the Public Need to Know? Journalistic Perspectives on Sharing Intelligence. Bipartisan Policy Center. Tues. 4/16. 3:00 – 4:00 pm. 1225 I Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005.
• How Digitizing Declassified Documents Can Restore Ukraine’s National Memory and Build an Independent, Democratic Country. Wilson Center. Tues. 4/16. 3:30 – 5:30 pm. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004.
• Food for Thought: After the Revolution, What Role for Technology in Africa? Georgetown Law. Thurs. 4/18. 3:30 – 5:30 pm. 600 New Jersey Avenue NW, McDonough 164. Washington, DC 20001.

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