NEWS:

• Jonathan Soros, son of famous financier George Soros, spread his political money around throughout 2012 and early 2013. He gave to young House democrats, poured money into his own hybrid PAC, and supported New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s push for public financing of campaigns. (Roll Call)
• A new project from Freedom House and the International Center for Journalists is drawing attention to the continued violence against journalists in Mexico. The crowdsourced mapping project offers a safe and anonymous way to report attacks against journalists  bloggers, and others. (Tech President)
• What is Open Data? Palo Alto, CA CIO Jonathan Reichental attempted to outline some of his central ideas at an event late last week, covering topics like machine readability and accountability. (Government Technology)
• Despite a recent GAO Report that lacked any strong conclusions about the effect of the political intelligence industry, the practice is making news in Washington. A small Washington firm, Height Securities, is under scrutiny for an alert it sent out to clients on April first about a coming government decision related to medicare. (Washington Post)
• The sequestration is having an impact on the Library of Congress’ efforts to digitize millions of books, images, maps, and more. (New York Times)
• Members of Congress normally deal with some strong disclosure rules related to gifts that they receive, but they’re allowed to get waivers for special occaisions. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) recently made use of the exemption when celebrating his wedding. (Roll Call)

BILLS:

• S. 824. Shareholder Protection Act of 2013.

THIS WEEK:

• DOJ’s Quid Pro Quo with St. Paul: A Whistleblowers Perspective. House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. Tues. 5/7. 10:00 am. 2154 RHOB.
• Raising the Bar: Exploring state and local efforts to improve accountability. House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Tues. 5/7. 10:00 am. 2175 RHOB.
• Democracy in Retreat: Book discussion. Freedom House. Tues. 5/7. 3:00 – 4:30 pm.  1301 Connecticut Ave NW, Fourth Floor, Washington, DC 20036.
• Promoting Democracy in Cambodia: The rally for free elections and the challenges ahead. Wilson Center. Wed. 5/8. 1:00 – 2: 00 pm. 13oo Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004.
• Regulating in the Digital Age. Progressive Policy Institute. Thurs. 5/9. 9:00 am – 3:30 pm. Hotel Monaco, 700 F Street NW, Paris Ballroom, Washington, DC.
• The Price of Justice: A true story of greed and corruption. Politics and Prose. Fri. 5/10. 700: -8:00 pm. 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008.

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