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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by Justin Lin, policy intern NEWS:

• Brian Schweitzer, the former governor of Montana, has declared that he will not seek a seat in the Senate. This news comes as big surprise to Democrats, who expected Schweitzer to run and now must find candidates to run for the seat. Schweitzer's decision may also encourage Rep. Steve Daines (R-MT) to vie for the Senate seat. (Washington Post) 
• A GAO report criticized the construction plan of a uranium plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee that recently increased estimates of the cost of building the plant by over half a million dollars. The plant, which will not be fully functional until at least 2025, has seen its estimated maximum cost rise from $1.1 billion to $6.5 billion. (National Journal)
• Pennsylvania's voter-ID law faced trial Monday and involved three groups against the state: the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters, the NAACP, and the Homeless Advocacy Project. The law may reach the state supreme court and the rulings could hold great significance for the nation. (Washington Post)
• Senator Mark Begich (D-AL) raised over $1 million in the second quarter for his Senate re-election bid. Begich, still in his first term, faces potential GOP challengers from Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and Joe Miller, the 2010 nominee. (Politico)
• The relationship between Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is pulling apart at the seams. Though the two have been cordial for many years, Reid is becoming increasingly frustrated with McConnell's delay of President Obama's nominations, threatening to use the "nuclear option." Meanwhile, McConnell has been piqued by Reid's willingness to violate old Senate traditions. (Politico)
• This is a man who takes college elections a little bit too seriously. Matthew Weaver, a Cal State San Marcos student, has been sentenced to one year in prison for stealing the passwords of 745 of his fellow students to rig a college election. (Yahoo)  

by Justin Lin, policy intern NEWS:

• House Speaker John Boehner has raised over $6 million during the second quarter. Individuals from Elliott Management gave $225,000 in total to Boehner, and employees from Swisher International were close behind, giving a total of $180,000. (Roll Call)
• In addition, to Boehner, Senators and House members have been reporting second quarter donations in the past week. They include Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who is running for an open Senate seat, raising $4.5 million in the past quarter and Paul Ryan, who raised $1.1 million, surprisingly large amounts even in an age when candidates raise money so quickly. (Roll Call)
• The ceiling fan industry is turning its back on regulations it once supported, enacted by the Bush administration in 2005. Most recently, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) offered an amendment to HR 2609 (Energy-Water Appropriations) that would restrict funding specifically for writing the regulations. (Roll Call)
• The Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act, originally re-introduced by two Republican and two Democratic Senators, has passed the House by a 390-0 vote. This bill would increase transparency on the funding for foreign aid, forcing the President to provide guidelines on "goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans to be applied to U.S. foreign assistance activities." (Roll Call)
• Cora Carper, a secretary for the Insulators PAC in Maryland, has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for embezzling over $500,000. That's quite a significant amount of money, especially considering the PAC raises around $500,000 each election cycle. (Roll Call)
• Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.), the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has raised over $18,000 alone from employees of Northrup Grumman, a major defense contractor. It must be nice for him to receive all that money from companies that his committee oversees. (Roll Call)

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