Sunlight Foundation

Fall is a busy time in the open government world. Read on for stories on the power of disclosure, President Trump's latest emoluments issue, fighting fraud while recovering from disaster, and much more. 

In today's overview of open government news, we look at the key role that open data will play as American communities work to rebuild following the devastation of hurricane's Irma and Harvey. We also share new research on fake news, global approaches to facts and information, and tech-powered civic engagement.  Read on for all that, plus much more from Washington, DC, around the United States, and across the globe. 

"Company lawyers descended on the warehouse, seizing everything. A tobacco company had just raided the A.T.F." - Matt Appuzo, New York Times Read on for the full story behind that hard-to-believe quote, plus the rest of the weekend's top open government stories from Washington, around the United States, and across the globe. 

In today's edition, we get excited for the official launch of our Tactical Data Engagement guide, MuckRock looks at the DACA database, important questions get asked about tracking political ads online, a new site should help improve EU budget transparency, and more...

Today, the House Ways and Means Committee is slated to markup H.Res 479. which would direct the Secretary of the Treasury to provide the House of Representatives with President Trump's tax returns as well as the tax returns of each business entity that he disclosed on his Office of Government Ethics forms. We encourage you to contact the committee and urge them to pass the bill.    Read on for the rest of the day's open government news from Washington, DC and across the United States. 

In today's edition, we wrap up our analysis of comments on draft open data policies, Public Citizen maps the President's business interests, the UN's World Food Program uses chatbots to help fight hunger, and much more.

This week, Congress returns from its August break and several committees are expected to devote renewed energy to investigations into Russia's involvement in the 2016 election. Read on for more on that story, plus the latest open government news from Washington, around the United States, and across the globe.

After one last summer break, we're back with our daily roundup of open government news from Washington, across the United States, and across the world! Today, we're highlighting some of the biggest stories -- and our own work -- over the past week.  We'll be back tomorrow with a more granular look at the day's open government news. Please email us at todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com and share what we missed.

Today, we're thinking about how to boost flagging citizen confidence in public institutions. In the Pacific Standard, Hollie Russon-Gilman and Tiago Carneiro Peixoto explore the growing move towards participatory budgeting programs across the globe. The research shows that "when governments listen, citizens reward them both politically and financially..." through increased electoral support and decreased tax delinquency.  Read on for the rest of the day's open government news, including a trip to Durham to talk open data, the USDA's ethics app, the latest on the Trump administration's attempt to obtain data on anti-inauguration protesters, and more...