I can’t think of a better place to come to review the almost 300 CRS reports that deal with such a wide variety of topics. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is one of the few non-partisan entities that still exist in Washington.
Watch Live – Dr Fauci Testifying Before the Senate
Dr Fauci and other members of the Coronavirus Task Force are speaking to a the Senate committee this morning about early re-openings and vaccine development. You can watch the hearing live, read an ongoing transcript, or view this session at a later date.
Virtual Tours of Some of the World’s Libraries
Libraries are shuttered throughout the world, transformed from active centers of intellectual engagement into moribund collections of silent tomes and journals. However, for those of us who miss the physical sensation of a library and all its associative evocations, there are some virtual reality tours that will at least provide some surcease. Please come here to see these tours.
The Sounds of New York City
I am a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn, schooled at the major universities in this city, employed by at that time the most profitable company in the world, and a resident of The Imperial City for almost three decades. There are certain sounds that accompany that part of my life’s journey that have now been stilled. However, the New York Public Library has released an album of those city sounds – Missing Sounds of New York: An Auditory Love Letter to New Yorkers; the last track is entitled “The Not Quite Quiet Library”. Enjoy.
Online Primary Sources: V-E Day
Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945, seventy-five years ago. Some photographs can be perused; watch/listen to President Truman announce the surrender; Winston Churchill, Great Britain’s Prime Minister, delivered an iconic speech; read newspaper accounts; examine the Act of Surrender ; and listen to BBC reports from around Europe on that fateful day.
Online Primary Sources for American History: Kent State University
Today is the 50th anniversary of the Kent State shootings that marked for many the beginning of the polarization of politics in this country. For many of us, we know exactly where we were when this occurred. (For me, I was galvanized into becoming a participant in the march on Washington the following week.)
You can review the FBI files on this event, browse the extensive May 4 collection at Kent State, view dozens of photos, consult a graphic timeline, and read an excerpt from the book “When Truth Mattered: The Kent State Shootings 50 Years Later”. And don’t forget the 1970 document – The report of the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest.
“This summer I hear the drumming. Four dead in Ohio.” – Neil Young, Ohio (1970).
National Security Reports – April 2020 Update
The Cost of Doing Nothing: Maritime Infrastructure Vulnerabilities in an Emerging Arctic (House Hearing); Review of the Intelligence Community Assessment [This is the fourth volume of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference in the 2016 election; the other three volumes dealt with U.S. election security, Russia’s use of social media, and the Obama Administration’s response to Russian interference. The final volume will be released at a later date]; The COVID-19 Crisis and Its Implication for Global Stability (Harvard); Defense Support of Civil Authorities (US Army Manual); Ready or not: protecting the public’s health from diseases, disasters and bioterrorism : 2019 (Trust for America’s Health); Selecting and Safely Using Collaboration Service for Telework (NSA); Impact of COVID-19 on Remote Work and Distance Education (Absolute); Telework Best Practices (NSA); The northern northern border : Homeland Security priorities in the Arctic (House Hearing); and The legacy of American naval power : reinvigorating maritime strategic thought : an anthology (History Division, US Marine Corps).
Iran’s Nuclear Program: Tehran’s Compliance with International Obligations; Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19): Q&A on Global Implications and Responses; Low Oil Prices: Prospects for Global Oil Market Balance ; Defense Primer: A Guide for New Members; U.S. Military Electronic Warfare Program Funding: Background and Issues for Congress;COVID-19: Selected Public Water Service Issues; Fintech: Overview of Innovative Financial Technology and Selected Policy Issues; Transatlantic Relations: U.S. Interests and Key Issues; and U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues (all CRS).
