Obama Transparency

Questionable Conclusions About Bias at White House Regulatory Review Office

Richard L. Revesz and Michael A. Livermore | Posted 02.01.2012

Read More: Obama White House, Regulatory Review, Regulation White House, Obama Transparency, Oira Obama, Regulation Obama, Transparency White House, Oira White House, Politics News

The somewhat obscure Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the White House, which considers the costs and benefits of new regulations, is being accused of bias in a recent report.

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Presidential Candidates Hide Records

AP | STEPHEN BRAUN | Posted 01.30.2012

Read More: Perry Records, Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Obama, Public Records, Rick Perry, Romney, Obama 2012, Mitt Romney Public Records, Romney Public Records, Video, Romney Hard Drive, Perry, Rick Perry 2012, Barack Obama 2012, Obama Transparency, Politics News

WASHINGTON — In the final weeks of Mitt Romney's term as Massachusetts governor, a small team of aides combed through statehouse filing cabinets...

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President Obama and Government Secrecy

Geoffrey R. Stone | Posted 08.27.2011

Read More: Transparency, Secrecy, Journalist Privilege, Whistleblowers, Obama Transparency, State Secrets, Politics News

As a longtime supporter and colleague of Barack Obama at the University of Chicago, as well as an informal adviser to his 2008 campaign, I had high ho...

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Will Rendition Always Remain a State Secret?

Emily Berman | Posted 07.27.2011

Read More: Transparency, Supreme Court, Obama Administration, Government Oversight, Doj, Eric Holder Attorney General, Obama Transparency, Rendition, State Secrets, Politics News

On President Obama's first day in office, he stated unequivocally that his administration was "committed to operating with an unprecedented level of openness in government." It is time for the president to live up to his promise.

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The Two Tribes of Open Government?

Project On Government Oversight | Posted 07.06.2011

Read More: Beth Noveck, Transparency, Government Transparency, Barack Obama, Open Government, Open Government Initiative, Open Government Directive, Obama Open Government, Obama Transparency, Politics, Politics News

The federal government still has a long way to go. In the mean time, can't the two camps in the open government world peacefully coexist? There's just too much work to be done for us to get bogged down in denigrating each others' agendas.

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Obama Accepts Transparency Award In Private

AP | ERICA WERNER | Posted 05.31.2011

Read More: Transparency, Obama Transparency Award, Barack Obama Transparency, Barack Obama, Obama Transparency, Barack Obama Transparency Award, Politics News

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama accepted an award for making the government more open and transparent – presented to him behind closed...

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Government Transparency Showdown Set To Unfold In Congress

AP | LARRY MARGASAK | Posted 05.31.2011

Read More: Transparency, Darrell Issa, Issa Transparency, Barack Obama Transparency, Obama Transparency, Issa Investigation, Government Transparency, Darrell Issa Transparency, Darrell Issa Investigation, Politics News

WASHINGTON — Republicans in Congress objected Thursday to the Homeland Security Department's now-rescinded practice of requiring secretive revie...

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Emails: Insiders Worried Over Political 'Meddling'

AP | TED BRIDIS | Posted 05.28.2011

Read More: Barack Obama Transparency, Homeland Security Foia Emails, Barack Obama, Obama Transparency, Foia Emails, Barack Obama Foia, Foia Homeland Security Emails, Obama Administration Freedom of Information Act, Freedom of Information Act, Obama Freedom of Information Act, Obama FOIA, Barack Obama Freedom of Information Act, Freedom of Information Act Emails, Politics News

WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Department official in charge of submitting sensitive government files to political advisers for secretive re...

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Despite Pledge To Reverse Bush Era Secrecy, Roadblocks, Inconsistencies An Issue For Obama

AP | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Barack Obama Transparency, Obama Transparency, Barack Obama Transparence Pledge, Obama Transparency Promise, Transparency, Barack Obama Transparency Promise, Barack Obama, Obama Transparency Pledge, Politics News

WASHINGTON — One government agency is still trying to find correspondence for a political reporter between federal officials there and prospecti...

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Obama Pledge To Improve Transparency Sees Little Progress

AP | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Transparency, Barack Obama Transparency, Obama Transparency Pledge, Barack Obama, Barack Obama Transparency Promise, Obama Transparency, Barack Obama Transparence Pledge, Obama Transparency Promise, Politics News

WASHINGTON — Two years into its pledge to improve government transparency, the Obama administration took action on fewer requests for federal re...

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Common Ground for the President and New Congress: Make Government Speak Plain English to the People

Alan Siegel | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama Administration, Obama Transparency, Plain Writing Act, Barack Obama, Congressman Braley, Politics News

As President Obama forges ahead with a more conservative Congress, Americans are wondering whether our nation's leaders will be able to work together ...

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Uncle Sam Built it, but No One Came: Why Government Can't Communicate

Alan Siegel | Posted 10.25.2010

Read More: Obama Administration, Nextgov, Obama Approval Ratings, Obama Transparency, Barack Obama, Forsee, Politics News

So how can government communicate more clearly? Follow four rules from the disciplines of psychology, sales and simplification.

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Crashing the Tea Party Joyride

Lorelei Kelly | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Civic-Participation, Citizenship, Tea Party Movement, Baby Boomers, Philosophy, Congress, Capitol Hill, Civic Engagement, President Obama, Democracy, U.S. Constitution, Government Transparency, Tea Party, Bill O'Reilly, Obama Transparency, Politics News

The Tea Party has pointed out how absent we've been in building a common narrative about modern American citizenship. But the American people long for a novel, not a sitcom. It's time for the rest of us to step up.

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Gulf Residents Speak Out About Severe Sickness From Chemicals In The Gulf

Jerry Cope | Posted 05.25.2011

"The health effects are the most frightening because everybody is sick and the doctors here don't know how to treat us. We are having a hard time finding doctors."

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"Dotcom" Turns 25: My Predictions for What Comes Next

Arianna Huffington | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Transparency, 25 Years of .Com, 25 Years of Dot Com, Dot Come Anniversary, Truth 2.0, Dot-Com, iPhone Apps, Obama Transparency, Technology News

The first 25 years of .com have been a time of online miracles and I predict more explosive wonder ahead. The challenge will be to direct our creativity to solving our needs for more truth, more transparency, and more wisdom. READ MORE Celebrating Sen. Ted Kaufman, Accidental Leader Kaufman has emerged as one of the Senate's fiercest critics of Wall Street -- and is a shining example of what can happen if we remove money as a factor in our leaders' decision making. READ MORE WATCH: Arianna and Phil Angelides Discuss Financial Reform with Dylan Ratigan I will be on The McLaughlin Group this weekend, along with Pat Buchanan, Eleanor Clift and Monica Crowley. Check your local listings for air times.

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Obama and Transparency: What Happens Next?

Ellen Miller | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Transparency, Sunlight Foundation, Obama Transparency, Barack Obama, Politics News

It is imperative that the onus remains on the White House to fulfill its big promises, and incumbent upon the media and we as citizens to hold them accountable for doing so. That is the best way to open government.

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Open Government Directive: Obama Moves On Transparency Promise

The Huffington Post | Rachel Weiner and Arthur Delaney | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Open Government Directive, Aneesh Chopra, Obama Open Government Directive, Obamas Open Government Directive, Obama Transparency, Vivek Kundra, Obama Administration Transparency, Politics News

On Tuesday, the Obama administration acted on a promise the president made on his first day in office -- to make government agencies more transparent,...

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Congress Assists In Torture Photo Cover-Up, Lieberman At Center Of Controversy

The American Prospect | Adam Serwer | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama Torture Documents, FOIA Act, Obama Transparency, Bush Torture Documents, President Obama, Aclu Lawsuit, Torture Cover-Up, Joe Lieberman, Aclu, Lieberman Torture Documents, Lieberman Amendment, Detainee Torture, Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, Lieberman Czars, Politics News

Since 2003, the ACLU has been seeking torture documents through a FOIA lawsuit. In 2005, the Southern District Court of New York ordered the governmen...

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Question Time: Should Obama Sell Health Care British Style?

Bill Lucey | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama Health Care Reform, Health Care Reform, Health Care Reform Transparency, Obama Transparency, Politics News

It occurred to me that President Obama and congress could have saved themselves some grief in the health care debate had they experimented with the British House of Commons "Question Time."

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Does Obama Have A 'Credibility Gap' On Afghanistan?

Mother Jones | David Corn | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama Karl Eikenberry, Obama Afghanistan, Obama Afghan War, Obama Transparency, Obama Afghanistan Strategy, Obama Credibility, Obama Afghanistan Decision, Karl Eikenberry Afghanistan, Politics News

President Barack Obama is still working on his big decision: what to do about the Afghanistan war? On Wednesday, he held another Situation Room strate...

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Obama Transparency Workshop Closed To The Public

AP | SHARON THEIMER | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama Openness, Freedom of Information Officials, Obama Transparency Workshop, Obama Transparency, Obama Openness Workshop, Government Transparency, Government Transparency Work Shop, Obama Administration Transparency, Politics News

WASHINGTON — A Republican senator who sponsored a law meant to help people with open-records requests says a government workshop on openness sho...

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Treasury Touts Long-Available Derivatives Report As A Part Of Its 'New' Open Government Plan

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Transparency, Treasury Department, Derivatives, Derivatives Reform, Treasury, Obama Transparency, Eat the Press, Business News

This morning, the folks at the U.S. Treasury Department put out a press release announcing their "Open Government Plan," which they are touting as a "...

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Obama State Secrets Privilege Affidavit Sounds Just Like Bush

Newsweek | Michael Isikoff | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: George W. Bush Transparency, Obama National Security Agency, Obama Secrecy, Obama Surveillance, Obama Justice Department, Obama Transparency, George W. Bush, President Obama, Eric Holder, Obama Bush Secrecy, Eric Holder Transparency, Obama Bush Transparency, Obama State Secrets Privilege, George W. Bush Secrecy, National Security Agency, Politics News

When Attorney General Eric Holder invoked the "state secrets" privilege to quash a lawsuit alleging illegal National Security Agency spying last Frida...

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Obama Hasn't Held Press Conference In Four Months

CQ Politics | Keith Koffler | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama Openness, Obama Press, Obama Statements, Obama Media Appearance, Obama Interview, Obama Transparency, Politics News

For months, President Obama was like an ATM for the media, dispensing answers to questions with what seemed like just the push of a button. The presi...

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Senators Demand Fewer Secrets, New Transparency Standards

AP | LAURIE KELLMAN | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: John Cornyn, Senate Judiciary Committee Obama Transparency, Senate Judiciary Committee Transparency, Obama Transparency, Leahy Transparency, Obama Transparency Standards, President Obama, Obama Freedom of Information Act, Freedom of Information Act, Government Transparency, Patrick Leahy, Leahy and Cornyn Bill, Cornyn Transparency, Politics News

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's new standards for government openness have not trickled down to some agencies, where officials have used special statutes slipped into bills to skirt the Freedom of Information Act, open government advocates said Wednesday.

Efforts to strengthen the 42-year-old law "have been hampered by the increasing use of legislative exemptions that are often sneaked into legislation without debate or public scrutiny," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said.

News organizations and media groups said new legislation was needed to limit the information agencies may keep secret and for how long.

"The secrecy reflex at some agencies remains firmly in place," said Tom Curley, president and chief executive of The Associated Press. And FOIA still contains relatively weak penalties for those that don't meet their disclosure obligations, he said.

"We appreciate the change in policy direction, but the change hasn't yet reached the street," said Curley, testifying on behalf of the Sunshine in Government Initiative, a coalition of media groups.

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