Read our weekly series looking at the stories public records made possible before there’s an executive order banning reading.

National

• 50 ACLU Affiliates File Demands for Documents on Implementation of Trump’s Muslim Ban by Monique Judge via The Root

• Officials Warned Trump Against ‘Unprecedented’ Plan to Staff Cabinet Without Ethics Vetting by Ari Melber via NBC News

• Surge in information requests, hiring freeze puts pressure on overburdened FOIA offices by Meredith Somers via Federal News Radio

• Trump’s Executive Order Eliminates Privacy Act Protections For Foreigners via Slashdot

• How private contractors are taking over data in the public domain by Miranda S. Spivack via Reveal

• USDA said it didn’t know charity had problems. Documents show otherwise by Matt Smith and Amy Walters via Reveal

• Why Did The FBI Say It Couldn’t Release Documents To ‘FOIA Terrorist’ Jason Leopold That It Released To Me Months Earlier? by Mike Masnick via Techdirt

• What we told Congress about oversight, ethics and open government by Alex Howard via Sunlight Foundation

State/Local

• Bills would subject Michigan governor, lawmakers to public records requests

• Deadbeat University: Michigan deposits money for FOIA request, stalls FOIA request by Greg Piper via The College Fix

• Ghost Ship fire: Bay Area News Group prepares to sue Oakland over records by Thomas Peele via East Bay Times

Want to see a story in the round-up? Email us at info@muckrock.com

Image via CIA Flickr