Sunlight Foundation

by Justin Lin, policy intern NEWS:

• According to a recent Quinnipac poll, Chris Christie was viewed the most favorably in the country, topping out at 53.1 "degrees." He beat out Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and President Barack Obama, but amongst Republicans Christie was only at eighth place. (Politico)
• It is often hard to say who exactly is involved with immigration reform in the House, and there may be more than 10 representatives working on the bill right now, an extraordinarily high number. House Speaker John Boehner has been criticized for a hands off approach, but Boehner's aides have responded by pointing out that he is delegating the process out to trusted colleagues in the House. (National Journal)
• The August recess has arrived, which makes the time ripe for lobbyists to arrive in the home districts of certain congressmen and congresswomen. Congress faces many battles in the coming September, with the debt limit hike and immigration reform, among other issues. In addition to lobbying groups, different liberal organizations plan to show up at certain districts and make a lot of noise. (Washington Post)
• Many GOP governors have been urging against trying to force a government shutdown, arguing that doing so would hurt the economies in their respective states and would leave the party to shoulder much of the blame. The governors also discussed the Affordable Care Act and many GOP governors pointed out the legislative difficulty of repealing the law. (New York Times)
• Tom Steyer, a billionaire environmentalist from California, is heavily supporting Terry McAuliffe for governor of Virginia. Steyer has decided to personally advocate for McAuliffe because he considers Cuccinelli's views on environmental issues objectionable, but Cuccinelli has already fired back, with a spokesman saying that Steyer is another advocate of the "war on coal." (Politico)

by Justin Lin, policy intern NEWS:

• Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), an Iraq war veteran and first-term representative is reportedly going to run for the Arkansas Senate seat, though Cotton's spokeswoman has not confirmed nor denied such reports. Cotton faces incumbent Democratic senator Mark Pryor, but he has received a lot of support from both the establishment and conservative wings of the party. (Washington Post)
• Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), the Democratic National Committee Chairwoman, has set a goal to give $2.5 million to Democrats in the House, putting her on par with Minority Whip Steny Hoyer in terms of amount donated. She has spent a lot of time in her position talking to important donors, and though some are enthusiastic about her leadership, others in the party say that she has not built enough strong relationships with members of her own party. (Politico)
• House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is leading the push to save $40 billion with the food stamp program by imposing more stringent regulations on the work requirement and forcing able-bodied persons off the rolls. However, many Democrats have expressed misgivings about Cantor's approach, saying that he has alienated Democrats and has even put Republicans in a tough position to compromise. (Politico)
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is going to face two more primary challengers, State Sen. Lee Bright, and Nancy Mace, who was the first female to graduate from The Citadel, a senior military college. Graham faces another challenger, Richard Cash, who has also run for congress before, and unlike many other states, South Carolina holds a runoff if no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the primary. (Washington Post)

by Justin Lin, policy intern NEWS:

• A bill by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Tom Udall (D-NM) would create an office that would argue in favor of privacy rights in the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) courts. This follows a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with several officials from the Obama administration and former judges. In addition, the three senators will be introducing another bill to change the way FISA judges are appointed. (The Hill)
• Gun control groups and gun rights groups have been raising a lot of money in the first half of the year. Gun control groups started by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords have raised over $8.6 million in the first half of 2013. However, gun rights groups have raised quite a lot as well, with the NRA raking in $7.1 million in the first half of the year, up from $4.8 million at this point last year. (Public Integrity)
• Republican Senators Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee gave speeches to a group of 300 college students, which was received with great fervor. The three gave speeches that attacked certain members of the Republican establishment or of the establishment as a whole, with many students calling on Paul to run for president as he gave his closing remarks. (Politico)
• Usually August is quieter for Congress and both political parties, but Democrats are using August to target many Republicans at their events. Hold them Accountable, a progressive organization, has encouraged their members to show up at local events to talk to these Republicans. Another group, Organizing for Action, was personally encouraged by Obama to be active during the August recess. (Washington Times)
• The deal between Republicans and Democrats regarding the confirmation process nearly fell apart when Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) initially voted no to end the filibuster of Obama's nomination of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. However, Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Susan Collins (R- Maine) were able to convince Murkowski to change her vote to end debate. (New York Times)