Sunlight Foundation

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)

NEWS:

• With House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's backing it looks like the DATA Act will see a vote in the House sooner rather than later. While action hasn't been scheduled yet, proponents are confident that it will be soon. (POLITICO)
• Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) is raising money for a super PAC set up to support him, but while the PAC can raise unlimited cash and donors can give as much as they want, Vitter is only allowed to ask donors for $5,ooo each. (Public Integrity)
• Open Data is making it easier for folks using alternative fuels to fill up their vehicles. The Department of Energy releases information on alternative-fuel stations in a number of formats, including through APIs and bulk data. (fedscoop)
• "Sharing" companies, like Airbnb and Etsy, are planning a concerted federal, state, and local advocacy effort to fight against regulation, entrenched competing interests, and a lack of understanding from legislators. (POLITICO)
• CEOs are changing their tune when it comes to engaging with Washington. They aren't just supporting their government relations and PACs, but engaging directly in politics and, in the case of Apple CEO Tim Cook, volunteering to go get grilled by Congress. (POLITICO)
• After nearly a year without a director, President Obama nominated John H. Thompson to lead the Census Bureau. Thompson currently heads up the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center and has previous management experience at the Census. (Government Executive)
• A new story is exposing more about the political intelligence industry in Washington. It looks like the industry doesn't just thrive on offhand conversations with Congressional staffers, it extends as far as Wall Street investors meeting in private with Obama administration officials about upcoming healthcare decisions. (Washington Post)
• Michelle Bachmann is facing fierce competition for her Congressional seat, but her stiffest competition might come from herself. She is facing multiple investigations into allegations that her presidential campaign concealed inappropriate payments to an Iowa state Senator for work he did on her campaign. (POLITICO)

NEWS:

• Representative Jo Bonner (R-AL) is leaving Congress for a gig in academia...sort of. He announced yesterday that he is leaving Congress by August 15th to become vice chancellor of government relations and economic development at the University of Alabama System. (POLITICO)
• Despite news last week that it had withdrawn its letter of intent to join the OGP, Russia may still join the partnership eventually. A presidential spokesman has walked back reports from last week. (Tech President)
• Virginia's attorney general, who also happens to be running for governor, appointed a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that current governor Bob McDonnell accepted a $15,000 check from a political donor to help pay for his daughter's wedding. The donor also has ties to current attorney general Ken Cuccinelli. (New York Times)
• Apple CEO Tim Cook faced off against a Senate subcommittee this week over the company's offshore tax practices, but at least two Senators on the panel probably have reason to support Apple's tactics. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), who didn't attend the hearing, owns as much as $500,000 in Apple stock, more than any other member of the panel. (Public Integrity)
• Senator David Vitter (R-LA), who basically wrote the book on how to survive an embarrassing sex scandal, is going to spend several days this fall raising money for an outside group that exists purely to support him in state and federal elections. The move is sparking talk that he may be eyeing a run for Governor in 2015. (POLITICO)
• Data.gov is in the processing of upgrading its system, moving to a new catalog based on the open source CKAN system. Improvements include a new search function, better sorting and tagging, and improved metadata. (fedscoop)
• Opinion: The GOP's response to the recent IRS scandals is the final nail in the coffin of their previous pro-disclosure positions. (National Journal)