# FOIA Finds and Updates (July 8, 2024)
## Updates
- **The legacy of the National Security Archive:** The National Security Archive is a nonprofit founded by “journalists and scholars to check rising government secrecy.” Nancy Schola at [the _Washingtonian_ highlights](https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/06/25/tom-blanton-wants-to-know-our-governments-secrets/) the work of Tom Blanton and the National Security Archive in uncovering documents from the federal government which in turn led to“unredacted truth about our history.”
- **Expanding FOIA in Michigan:** Michigan’s state Senate has passed a bill that would expand the state’s Freedom of Information Act and open up the governor’s office and Legislature to public records requests, [reports Jordyn Hermani in Bridge Michigan](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/government-transparency-plan-passes-michigan-senate-which-had-been-roadblock). The bill will now pass to the House for consideration this fall.
- **Alabama’s must disclose voter records:** A new ruling by the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals says that Alabama must disclose certain voter records upon request. While a step towards transparency, the ruling also says the state is “not required to provide them in electronic format,”[ reports Alander Rocha in the News from the States](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/alabamas-voter-records-must-be-disclosed-digital-format-not-required-court-says).
## FOIA Finds
- **Pulling one over on Jerome Powell and the Fed:** Bloomberg investigative reporter Jason Leopold [obtained documents from the Federal Reserve](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-06-28/documents-reveal-how-fed-s-powell-was-tricked-by-russian-pranksters?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTcxOTU4NTYxMywiZXhwIjoxNzIwMTkwNDEzLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTRlNPQVREV0xVNjgwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIyQjE3NzFFOTlEODc0QzRDOTY1Njg1RTZBQkJGM0QwRCJ9.1rh6J7TQiYEPNhHXFeH0KNNFRgzz-G9SzcYdOGmdD9A) that revealed how Russian pranksters tricked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell “into a virtual meeting during which they discussed inflation and rate hikes.” Leopold obtained [email communications](https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/ruuKYduopSIc/v0) and the Federal Reserve’s investigative report about the incident.
- **NYPD Commissioner burying police misconduct:** A new investigation by ProPublica and the New York Times [reveals how New York City’s Police Commissioner Edward Caban used a little-known authority called “retention”](https://www.propublica.org/article/nypd-commissioner-edward-caban-police-discipline-retention-eric-adams) to prevent officers accused of misconduct from facing public disciplinary trials. ProPublica obtained internal records and learned about Caban’s conduct through public records and other sources, reports ProPublica’s editor-at-large Eric Umansky.
- **How Kentucky supports homeless students:** Over 1,000 children are homeless in Kentucky’s Fayette County Public Schools system. Lexington Herald-Leader reporters, Beth Musgrave and Valarie Honeycutt Spears, [uncovered how the school district is supporting these students](https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article289272125.html) through federal grants after obtaining the information through a public records request.
MuckRock Foundation /
npub1u5…0vv2r
2024-07-08 19:59:19
Author Public Key
npub1u5nfvj4dzzmrcf9n5kptl26w7kfhc4vml0ll8svvhrv5jz2es46sl0vv2rPublished at
2024-07-08 19:59:19Event JSON
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"content": "# FOIA Finds and Updates (July 8, 2024) \n\n## Updates \n\n- **The legacy of the National Security Archive:** The National Security Archive is a nonprofit founded by “journalists and scholars to check rising government secrecy.” Nancy Schola at [the _Washingtonian_ highlights](https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/06/25/tom-blanton-wants-to-know-our-governments-secrets/) the work of Tom Blanton and the National Security Archive in uncovering documents from the federal government which in turn led to“unredacted truth about our history.” \n- **Expanding FOIA in Michigan:** Michigan’s state Senate has passed a bill that would expand the state’s Freedom of Information Act and open up the governor’s office and Legislature to public records requests, [reports Jordyn Hermani in Bridge Michigan](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/government-transparency-plan-passes-michigan-senate-which-had-been-roadblock). The bill will now pass to the House for consideration this fall. \n- **Alabama’s must disclose voter records:** A new ruling by the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals says that Alabama must disclose certain voter records upon request. While a step towards transparency, the ruling also says the state is “not required to provide them in electronic format,”[ reports Alander Rocha in the News from the States](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/alabamas-voter-records-must-be-disclosed-digital-format-not-required-court-says). \n\n## FOIA Finds \n\n- **Pulling one over on Jerome Powell and the Fed:** Bloomberg investigative reporter Jason Leopold [obtained documents from the Federal Reserve](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-06-28/documents-reveal-how-fed-s-powell-was-tricked-by-russian-pranksters?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTcxOTU4NTYxMywiZXhwIjoxNzIwMTkwNDEzLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTRlNPQVREV0xVNjgwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIyQjE3NzFFOTlEODc0QzRDOTY1Njg1RTZBQkJGM0QwRCJ9.1rh6J7TQiYEPNhHXFeH0KNNFRgzz-G9SzcYdOGmdD9A) that revealed how Russian pranksters tricked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell “into a virtual meeting during which they discussed inflation and rate hikes.” Leopold obtained [email communications](https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/ruuKYduopSIc/v0) and the Federal Reserve’s investigative report about the incident. \n- **NYPD Commissioner burying police misconduct:** A new investigation by ProPublica and the New York Times [reveals how New York City’s Police Commissioner Edward Caban used a little-known authority called “retention”](https://www.propublica.org/article/nypd-commissioner-edward-caban-police-discipline-retention-eric-adams) to prevent officers accused of misconduct from facing public disciplinary trials. ProPublica obtained internal records and learned about Caban’s conduct through public records and other sources, reports ProPublica’s editor-at-large Eric Umansky. \n- **How Kentucky supports homeless students:** Over 1,000 children are homeless in Kentucky’s Fayette County Public Schools system. Lexington Herald-Leader reporters, Beth Musgrave and Valarie Honeycutt Spears, [uncovered how the school district is supporting these students](https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article289272125.html) through federal grants after obtaining the information through a public records request.\n",
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