donal brown

The Trump administration must explain why it took so long to release a database containing contact information for parents immigration authorities separated from their children in 2018. The information was easily accessed from a “fairly standard database,” says an ACLU lawyer. (Courthouse News Service, December 4, 2020, by Bianca Bruno) U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw called the delay “disturbing” and asked the administration to explain “what happened and why, and how is it that the

The Reuters Institute has released it first report into the declining trust in news with the researchers listing what they think they know and what they want to find out. The first four: there is no single “trust in news” problem; public understanding of how journalism works is low and social media isn’t helping; some distrust may be rooted in coverage that has chronically stigmatized or ignored segments of the public; and assessments of trust

The Los Angeles Times is suing government agencies concerned with immigration over their failure to honor Freedom of Information Act requests filed over three months ago. The lawsuit contends that the agencies are covering up documents concerning allegations of sexual abuse at ICE detention centers. (Courthouse News Service, December 2, 2020, by Carson McCullough) The Times is asking for detainee complaint records and investigative reports concerning sexual abuse, COVID-19 and inhumane conditions at ICE facilities.

Watchdog groups are suing the Trump administration to prevent the destruction of records before the end of the term. The administration established a policy that allows staff to preserve as official presidential records screenshots of information sent on non-official messaging platforms. This procedure omits information vital to fulfilling lawful record-keeping obligations. (Axios, December 2, 2020, by Rebecca Falconer) Led by CREW, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the groups say the administration may