The Paper Trail: January 7, 2025

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Announcements

The Confirmation Process: POGO’s virtual training on how to vet presidential nominees effectively will be TODAY at 12 noon. This event is only open to staff in Congress, GAO, and CRS. Register HERE.

Applications are now open for a two-day intensive Boot Camp on the art and practice of oversight and investigations hosted by POGO, the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, and The Lugar Center. This training is only open to staff in Congress. Apply at THIS LINK by January 22.

Top stories for January 7, 2025

Trump’s lawyers ask AG Garland not to release special counsel report: DOJ regulations say special counsels must submit reports explaining their legal decisions at the conclusion of an investigation. Attorney General Merrick Garland has indicated he would make public any special counsel report — with the necessary redactions — that reaches his desk, including a report by special counsel David Weiss detailing the investigation of Hunter Biden. (Perry Stein, Washington Post)

Agencies still struggle with online accessibility, GSA says: Only a third or less of federal agencies’ most popular apps and websites are fully in line with standards meant to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities. Governmentwide digital accessibility decreased in fiscal 2024. (Natalie Alms, Nextgov/FCW)

As many as 23M Americans exposed to toxic “forever chemicals” via treated wastewater: A new study found that nearly 7% of Americans may be exposed to hazardous levels of “forever chemicals” through treated municipal wastewater which is recycled into municipal drinking water networks. (Sharon Udasin, The Hill)

U.S. records first death from bird flu amid growing concerns: The U.S. has recorded at least 66 human cases of H5N1, but a Louisiana patient marked the first death due to the virus. The public health risk remains low, and there is no evidence the virus is spreading from person to person. (Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill)

It’s not just Tesla. Vehicles amass huge troves of possibly sensitive data: Video footage and other data collected by Tesla helped law enforcement quickly piece together how a Cybertruck came to explode outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day. The trove of digital evidence highlights how much data modern cars collect about their drivers and those around them. (Shannon Najmabadi and Trisha Thadani, Washington Post)

Analysis: Fire the contractors: The primary source of government waste and inefficiency isn’t what Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy say it is: a bloated civil service insufficiently loyal to the president. Rather, the problem is that federal agencies have too few civil servants with the right expertise to manage the contractors who increasingly deliver the federal government’s services. (Donald F. Kettl, Washington Monthly)

Police Misconduct

Years after Floyd’s death, Minneapolis and DOJ agree to police changes: Under Attorney General Merrick Garland, the DOJ has opened a dozen “pattern or practice” civil investigations into state and local law enforcement agencies. Minneapolis is the second jurisdiction to enter a consent agreement, after Louisville last month. The outcomes of such agreements have produced mixed results in lowering police abuses. (David Nakamura, Washington Post)

Ohio puts police bodycam footage behind a paywall: Ohio joins a handful of states that have put a steep price tag on law enforcement transparency by charging the public hundreds of dollars to obtain police bodycam footage. (Shawn Musgrave, The Intercept)

Defense and Veterans Affairs

U.S. military service is the strongest predictor of carrying out extremist violence: From 1990 to 2010, about seven people per year with U.S. military backgrounds committed extremist crimes. Since 2011, that number has jumped to almost 45 per year, according to new research. (Nick Turse, The Intercept)

Advocates reach deal with DOD on “don’t ask, don’t tell” dismissals: LGBTQ+ advocates said the agreement would address continued discrimination against those individuals by giving them a reasonable path to applying for honorable discharge status. (Leo Shane III, Military Times)

Business and Finance

McDonald’s rolls back diversity goals: McDonald’s is the latest company to roll back senior leadership diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments. Companies including Walmart, John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, and Ford have all ended or cut back DEI programs. (Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill)

JetBlue fined $2 million for “unrealistic scheduling” and chronic delays: The Transportation Department also has investigations into other airlines for “unrealistic flight schedules” which don’t reflect actual flight departure and arrival times. (Alexandra Skores, CNN)

Health Care

Stimulant users are caught in fatal “fourth wave” of opioid epidemic: The first wave of the U.S. opioid epidemic began with the abuse of prescription painkillers in the early 2000s. The second wave involved an increase in heroin use starting around 2010. The third wave began about five years later when powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl started appearing. Now, experts are observing a fourth wave: the mix of stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamines with fentanyl. (Lynn Arditi, KFF Health News)

New FDA guidance aims to improve accuracy of pulse oximeters for people of color: The long-awaited guidance comes in response to mounting evidence that clip-on pulse oximeters, used to quickly estimate a person’s blood oxygen levels, are less accurate on people with darker skin. (Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill)

FDA sets limits on lead in some baby foods: The voluntary guidelines don’t cover grain-based snacks like puffs and teething biscuits, despite research indicating these products have higher levels of lead. They also don’t limit other metals that have been found in baby foods. (Kate Gibson, CBS News)

ICYMI

Immigration and Border Security:

→ How sheriffs might power Trump’s deportation machine

→ What if ICE agents show up? Schools prepare teachers and parents

Other News:

→ How GAO can help members of Congress make informed decisions

→ CFPB finalizes rule barring medical debt from credit reports

→ U.S. transfers 11 Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo, leaving just 15 in custody

→ Pentagon adds Chinese social media giant to military blacklist

→ The Jan. 6 rioters, four years later

→ The militia and the mole

Upcoming Events

📌 Nomination of Peter Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense. Senate Armed Services Committee. Tuesday, January 14, 9:30 a.m., G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building.