Today we're getting an early start on our Independence Day celebrations with #TinyDeclaration, a contest co-sponsored by Slate and the National Archives to distill the Declaration of Independence down into a single tweet.  You have until Thursday at Noon EDT to tweet your ideas @Slate. The winner will be announced during the National Archive's 4th of July Celebration.  Read on for a full slate of #OpenGov news from Washington, around the U.S., and across the globe...

After a long weekend away, we're back with the latest open government news from Washington, around the U.S. and across the globe. Last week, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the National Security Archive filed a lawsuit concerning the White House's use of confidential messaging applications and its handling of the President's tweets. Read on for that story and much more.

The Washington Post confirmed our concerns that transparency and open government have had a bad six months in Washington, DC. "More and more in the Trump era, business in Washington is happening behind closed doors. The federal government’s leaders are hiding from public scrutiny — and their penchant for secrecy represents a stark departure from the campaign promises of Trump and his fellow Republicans to usher in newfound transparency." But the news isn't all bad. Read on for more #OpenGov news from around the country and across the globe.

On Friday, the Office of Government Ethics released President Trump's most recent financial disclosure documents. While not a substitute for the President's tax returns, this disclosure sheds some light on how winning the presidency has touched his assets and should help inform the public about his various business dealings. Read on for more on Trump's financial disclosure and all the latest open government news from around the U.S. and across the globe. 

We're looking for for stories that will inform the public, inspire reforms and hold our federal government to account, with help from a generous grant by the Rogovy Foundation. That, plus news on the Russia investigation, Congress's march away from regular order, Vermont's new ethics commission, and more today in #OpenGov.

Yesterday, journalists, Senators, and First Amendment advocates reacted swiftly to unilateral action by the Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee to restrict press activity in the Senate. Hours after the restrictions were first reported, the Committee had reverted to its previous rules. Read on for more on this, as well as a fresh batch of #OpenGov news from DC, across the United States, and around the world.

As the first summer heat wave stifles DC, the eyes of official Washington turn to the Senate, where U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify in an open hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee at 2:30 PM. Read on for our take on that and much, much more in this edition of Today in #OpenGov.

Following some technical difficulties last week, Today in #OpenGov is back with an expanded edition featuring the latest on Comey's testimony to congress, cities around the United States are using technology to tackle homelessness, the Library of Congress is working on rebuilding its outdated IT systems, the New York Attorney General is looking into Eric Trump's charity, the Open Data Charter has recommendations for using open data in the fight against corruption, and much more.

Today in #OpenGov, we reflect on the president's Twitter habit, a retired senator works to improve congressional oversight, Minnesota reaches a transparency turning point, and more...