NEWS:

• A leaked video of Tajikistan’s president singing at a lavish wedding ceremony for his son in 2007 is causing controversy and repression as the country prepares for elections. YouTube and K+, an independent central Asian media channel, have been blocked since an exiled advocate shared the video earlier this month. (Global Voices)
• California Secretary of State Debra Bowen has reversed course after several years and announced that her office will release raw data from California’s lobbyist and campaign finance database. (Common Cause)
• Former Senator Blanche Lincoln’s wait is over. Two years after leaving the Senate and signing on with Alston & Bird LLP she has registered as a lobbyist and begun signing up clients. (Roll Call)
• The Treasury department is using big data and analytics to cut costs in the face of the sequester. The have crunched numbers to help meet small business contracting goals and decide to stop minting $1 coins. (fedscoop)
• The head of India’s Center for Internet & Society talked about the ways that technology can both help and hinder the fight for openness in politics and society. He identified a few specific issues with projects like I Paid A Bribe, which rely heavily on a novelty factor and trust in those reporting problems. (Tech President)
• Hillary Clinton still says she’s not running for President in 2016, but at the rate things are going her name might appear on the ballot if she likes it or not. Several super PACs have been set up to raise money to support her, and Ready for Hillary has attracted some big dollar donors to its team. (Washington Post)
• Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), facing a tough reelection campaign and investigations into campaign finance wrongdoing on her 2012 presidential bid, has decided to get out before she gets thrown out. She announced that she would not be running for reelection in 2014 via a YouTube video. (Huffington Post)

TOMORROW:

• Big Data and Why it Matters. US Chamber of Commerce. 8:00 am – 12: 00 pm. U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 1615 H Street NW, Anheuser-Busch Briefing Center, Washington, DC.
• Using Technology to Promote Good Governance and Economic Transparency in West Africa. National Endowment for Democracy. 12:00 – 2:00 pm. 1025 F Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006.

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