Government

A federal law protecting reporters who maintain the confidentiality of their sources is currently stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee as Obama breaks campaign promise.

Some justices skeptically questioned a 10-year-old law, intended to outlaw "crush videos," making it a criminal offense to possess or publish many depictions of cruelty to animals.

A report prepared by the Congressional Research Service is likely to be one key focus of an upcoming Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.

A de facto filibuster by several Republicans, plus quibbling by some Democrats, caused a long-awaited markup of bill S 448 to end with no action.

Use this roundup of sources to write a probing story about the ash, slag, and sludge from coal-burning electric utilities — which containins heavy metals that can pollute water, and even bury people's houses.

OMB Watch, a fierce FOI advocacy group, says EPA has been working hard to push hitherto restricted data out to the public, citing the earliest-ever release of TRI data, monitoring data on atrazine in water, and more.

Several media organizations have joined the case of a Puget Sound resident denied information, under the "law enforcement" exemption to FOIA, that would identify the locations and potential blast ranges of explosive ordnance stored in the area.

The estimated 370,000 houses of worship in the US could reduce energy consumption as much as 30%, so EPA is offering incentives, resources, and tools as encouragement.