A new law review article argues that government secrets can be usefully distinguished in terms of “depth”– i.e. “how many people know of their existence, what sorts of people know, how much they know, and how soon they know…. Attending to the depth of state secrets can make a variety of conceptual and practical contributions to the debate on their usage. The deep/shallow distinction provides a vocabulary and an analytic framework with which to describe, assess, and compare secrets, without having to judge what they conceal.” See “Deep Secrecy” by David Pozen, Stanford Law Review, forthcoming.
A new book revisits the case of Frank Olson, the Army biochemist who fell to his death in 1953 after having been unwittingly dosed with LSD in a CIA experiment. “A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA’s Secret Cold War Experiments” by H.P. Albarelli Jr. was published this month by TrineDay, which says it “specializes in releasing books that are shunned by mainstream publishers due to their controversial nature.”
Closed child welfare hearings in the District of Columbia Family Court should be opened up, argued law professor Matthew I. Fraidin in recent testimony before the D.C. Council. Open hearings would promote improved protection for the children, increased professionalism by the adult participants, and greater accountability all around, he said. See “Opening Child Welfare Proceedings in the Family Court of the District of Columbia,” November 4, 2009.
Politically motivated award cancellations and the delayed distribution of obligated funds have broken the hard-earned trust of the private sector, state and local governments, and community organizations.
In the absence of guardrails and guidance, AI can increase inequities, introduce bias, spread misinformation, and risk data security for schools and students alike.
Over the course of 2025, the second Trump administration has overseen a major loss in staff at DOE, but these changes will not deliver the energy and innovation impacts that this administration, or any administration, wants.
Cities need to rapidly become compact, efficient, electrified, and nature‑rich urban ecosystems where we take better care of each other and avoid locking in more sprawl and fossil‑fuel dependence.