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Free weekday coverage on current issues
July 31, 2007
Headlines - New Report on Health Challenges for the People of New Orleans
- Recently Released CRS Reports
- CBO Testimony on Estimated Costs of U.S. Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
- New GAO Reports: Airport Finance, Border Security, Defense Health Care, Environmental Protection, Stabilizing Iraq
- Florida State Univ. Security Lab Report on Diebold Voting Machine Software
- Consumer Groups Rate Web Health Sites
- Highlights Available From 2007 Digital Future Project
- Oversight Hearing on Privacy in the Hands of the Government
- Special IG for Iraq Reconstruction July 30, 2007 Quarterly and Semiannual Report to Congress
 New Report on Health Challenges for the People of New Orleans Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Public Opinion and Media Research Program - Health Challenges for the People of New Orleans: "This analysis of a household survey of Greater New Orleans area residents conducted in Fall 2006 examines the health care status of the adult population and details their health coverage and access to health care services after the disaster." News Release Full Report Executive Summary Health Status Health Coverage and Access Households with Children Appendices Recently Released CRS Reports Energy: Selected Facts and Numbers, Updated July 24, 2007 Trade Promotion Authority and Fast-Track Negotiating Authority for Trade Agreements: Major Votes, Updated July 17, 2007 Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses, Updated July 17, 2007 The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11, Updated July 16, 2007 NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the Transatlantic Alliance, Updated July 16, 2007 Free Trade Agreements: Impact on U.S. Trade and Implications for U.S. Trade Policy, Updated July 10, 2007 U.S. Foreign Assistance to the Middle East: Historical Background, Recent Trends, and the FY2008 Request, Updated July 3, 2007 CBO Testimony on Estimated Costs of U.S. Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan CBO Testimony Statement of Robert A. Sunshine, Assistant Director for Budget Analysis - Estimated Costs of U.S. Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and of Other Activities Related to the War on Terrorism before the Committee on Budget, U.S. House of Representatives, July 31, 2007. "Funding to Date - Since September 2001, the Congress has appropriated $602 billion for military operations and other activities related to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war on terrorism. In addition, although not explicitly appropriated for that purpose, an estimated $2 billion has been spent by the VA for war-related benefits. Specific appropriations, which averaged about $93 billion a year from 2003 through 2005, have risen to $120 billion in 2006 and $170 billion in 2007." New GAO Reports: Airport Finance, Border Security, Defense Health Care, Environmental Protection, Stabilizing Iraq Airport Finance: Observations on Planned Airport Development Costs and Funding Levels and the Administration's Proposed Changes in the Airport Improvement Program, GAO-07-885, June 29, 2007 Border Security: Security of New Passports and Visas Enhanced, but More Needs to Be Done to Prevent Their Fraudulent Use, GAO-07-1006, July 31, 2007 Capitol Visitor Center: Update on Status of Project's Schedule and Cost as of July 31, 2007, GAO-07-1149T, July 31, 2007 Defense Health Care: Under TRICARE, Children's Hospitals Paid More Than Other Hospitals After Accounting for Patient Complexity, GAO-07-947, July 31, 2007 Environmental Protection: EPA-State Enforcement Partnership Has Improved, but EPA's Oversight Needs Further Enhancement, GAO-07-883, July 31, 2007 Homeland Security: Observations on DHS and FEMA Efforts to Prepare for and Respond to Major and Catastrophic Disasters and Address Related Recommendations and Legislation, GAO-07-1142T, July 31, 2007 Medicare Advantage: Required Audits of Limited Value GAO-07-945, July 30, 2007 Stabilizing Iraq: DOD Cannot Ensure That U.S.-Funded Equipment Has Reached Iraqi Security Forces, GAO-07-711, July 31, 2007 TRICARE: Changes to Access Policies and Payment Rates for Services Provided by Civilian Obstetricians, GAO-07-941R, July 31, 2007 Veterans Affairs: Improved Planning Needed to Guide Development and Implementation of Education Benefits System, GAO-07-1045, July 31, 2007 Florida State Univ. Security Lab Report on Diebold Voting Machine Software Letter from Florida Department of State Kurt S. Browning, Secretary of State to Diebold Election Systems, on the Report from the Security and Assurance in Information Technology (SAIT) Laboratory Regarding Diebold Optical Scan Voting System, July 31, 2007 Software Review and Security Analysis of the Diebold Voting Machine Software, July 27, 2007 (35 pages, PDF) "Florida's optical scan voting machines are still flawed, despite efforts to fix them, and they could allow poll workers to tamper with the election results, according to a government-ordered study obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press." [Link] Related postings on Diebold and e-voting issues Consumer Groups Rate Web Health Sites Press release: "Raters scored six of the Web's most popular health information sites as excellent in ratings released today by Consumer Reports WebWatch and the Health Improvement Institute, while five scored mediocre or worse...This is the organizations' second rating of the Web's top information sites, published in full here." Highlights Available From 2007 Digital Future Project Press release: "The role of the Internet in politics has grown with such speed and scope that it is well on its way to becoming the dominant media force in political campaigning, according to the director of the most comprehensive study of the impact of the online technology on America... The Center for the Digital Future will share a highlight of the Digital Future Report on every other Monday of each month." Related news > 50 million - Clicking the News: The daily audience online for news has grown dramatically since 2002 -- a surge fueled by the rise in home broadband connections. Some 50 million Americans now seek out news on the internet on a typical day. In a December 2005 survey, the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that a major segment of broadband users now say the internet is their primary news source, surpassing even television and newspapers as their source of choice. Some 71% of these high-powered news consumers go online for news on the average day, while 59% get news from local TV. Just more than half get news from national TV and radio on the typical day and about 40% turn to local papers." Oversight Hearing on Privacy in the Hands of the Government House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law - Oversight Hearing on Privacy in the Hands of the Government: The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board and the Privacy Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, July 27, 2007. [ links to witness statements]
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