Sunlight Foundation

by Justin Lin, policy intern NEWS:

• Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), who uttered a clearly audible expletive while Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized the deal to avert the nuclear option, says he has no regrets about what he said that day. He and many other Republicans, including John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), were involved in making the deal possible. (Roll Call)
• House Speaker John Boehner called charges that Congress has been unproductive "total nonsense," despite the fact that the 113th Congress is on pace to have the fewest number of bills signed into law. Boehner has pointed out that when the Republicans took over the House he promised the Congress would not spend all its time with "commemorative legislation." (Roll Call)
• Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee is heading to Iowa to attend Gov. Terry Branstad's birthday fundraiser. A recent Iowa poll showed Ryan third amongst possible Republican candidates for president, behind Senator Rand Paul and Governor Chris Christie. (Politico)
• The NSA has installed new rules that will restrict the access of information from within the organization. One of the most important procedures is the "two-man rule," which requires two system administrators working simultaneously in order to access highly classified information. (New York Times)
• A Republican Super PAC, the Kentuckians for Strong Leadership, launched another ad against Alison Lundergan Grimes, the Kentucky Secretary of State running against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is also hard at work, with online and social media ads labeling McConnell as "obstructionist." (Roll Call)
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by Justin Lin, policy intern NEWS:

• The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the electronic intelligence-gathering agency of  Britain, has been cleared of charges that they illegally accessed content from the American surveillance program Prism. All access to Prism by the GCHQ was accompanied by the necessary warrant from a minister. (New York Times)
• A bipartisan group of Senators led by Richard Durbin (D-IL), Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) is reaching an agreement to tie student loan interest rates to the market. In addition, all undergradudates would pay the same rate on the loans, regardless of income status. The deal, however, has not been finalized and is still subject to change. (Washington Post)
• Estimates for Justice Samuel Alito have quintupled over the past year to put his net worth around $2.3 to $6.2 million in 2012. This boost has come from his PNC bank accounts and Edward Jones investment accounts, which were previously unreported. (National Journal)
• Anthony Weiner's renaissance in the mayoral election appears to be less obvious given new poll data. According to a Quinnipac University poll, Quinn is leading by 9 points, and Weiner's unfavorable rating is at 36%, as compread to his favorable rating, which is at 24%.
• The debt ceiling has returned! President Barack Obama is meeting with Republican senators in order to begin talks for a deal to raise the debt limit, which will be hit this fall. McCain has called the talks as being in its "embryonic stage." (Government Executive)

by Justin Lin, policy intern NEWS:

• The Democratic Congressional Committee raised $6.7 million in June and has paid off all its debts. The committee now has $13.2 million in the bank. This is due both to their success with online fundraising as well as assistance from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama in raising money.(Roll Call)
• The Senate reached a deal to avert the "nuclear option," which would radically reform the filibuster, Tuesday and will confirm Thomas Perez as Labor Secretary and Gina McCarthy as EPA administrator. Most notably, Richard Cordray, whose appointment President Obama made during the Senate recess, will be confirmed as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In return, Cordray has agreed to brief the Appropriations Committee and having an Inspector General. (Government Executive)
• Tom Corbett (R-PA) may want to run for re-election as Governor but may soon face pressure on him from Pennsylvania to not do so, given that his approval rating is at a mere 35%, according to a Quinnipac Survey,  partially  because of scandals within his administration. (National Journal)
• Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice-President Dick Cheney, announced that she will run against incumbent Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-WY) for the Republican nomination. Republicans had been hoping to avoid such a scenario but will now have to choose between the well-liked Enzi or the passionate Cheney. (New York Times)
• Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower, has filed a request for temporary asylum in Russia. He is expected to leave the Moscow airport where he is staying within a few days, according to his lawyers. However, it is unclear whether Russia will grant him temporary asylum. (Georgetown Law Center on National Security and the Law)
• House elections favor the incumbent just as much as before, but they have become many times more expensive over the past few decades. According to data from the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute spending in 1974, which would amount to $500,000 in today's numbers, has ballooned to around $3.5 million today. (National Journal)
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