National News

• Joe Biden, along with President Obama and plenty of other politicians, canceled some fundraisers during the shutdown. But, now that the government’s up and running again it’s time to party! The Vice President will appear at a high dollar fundraiser for the DCCC in Baltimore. (POLITICO)
• John Bolton, former U.N Ambassador under George W. Bush, is getting back in the foreign policy game in an unlimited way with a new super PAC. Bolton’s PAC, which stems from the idea that “Americans don’t care about foreign policy,” will presumably support candidates that fit Bolton’s right leaning neoconservative approach. (Executive Goverment)
• The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is set to mark up the DATA Act on Wednesday. The Committee will likely make some major changes that could weaken accountability standards included in the current Senate version. (Federal News Radio, Data Transparency Coalition)

International News

• The OGP Summit last week in London provided a launching pad for a new Legislative Openness Working Group that represents a partnership between civil society, parliaments, and governments around the world. The group is anchored by the Congress of Chile and NDI. (Opening Parliament)
• Students and faculty who participate in student government at Hungarian universities receive “public service scholarships” and bonus payments for the work that they do. Details about these payments at Hungary’s largest university will be available to the public for the first time thanks to a freedom of information request filed by the blog Transparent Education. (Transparency International)

State and Local News

• The federal government might be able to learn a few lessons from state and local governments in the wake of the recent shutdown. While the Obama Administration has embraced open data, states and municipalities have often been first movers when it comes to opening their information and taking proactive steps towards transparency. (Slate)
• An investigation, and the resulting record fine, into the practices of two California dark money groups is shedding some light onto the ways that well funded donors and groups are influencing elections across the country. The California Fair Political Practices Commission exposed some of the techniques these groups used to launder donations and hide their funding sources.  (Washington Post)

Events Today

• Book Launch Party – Citizens Rising: Independent Journalism and the Spread of Democracy. Internews. Tues. 11/5. 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Human Rights Campaign, First Floor, Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Events Tomorrow

• Business Meeting to Markup the DATA Act and other legislation. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Wed. 11/6. 10:00 am. SD-342, Dirksen Senate Office Building.
• Crime and Politics: The terrible cost of corruption in Latin American elections. American Enterprise Institute. Wed. 11/6. 9:30 – 11:00 am. 1150 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036.

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