This week in our FOIA roundup, we get some tips from a reporter who has used FOIA for over 20 years, dig into the limits of presidential powers, and a new Twitter account that helps highlight how important public records are.

There is no national standard for sexual health education in the United States. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines 16 citical sexual education topics which it recommends, it is still up to each state to determine if, and what, is taught in schools.

After another week of processing and patience, we’re taking a look at the progress - and lack thereof - being made by our remaining FOIA March Madness 2018 contenders.

Back in December, we wrote about how MuckRock’s Mitchell Kotler used FOIA to get the Central Intelligence Agency to release a number of internal board games used for training exercises. Today we’re looking at another game in the series, which the Agency reproduced in full - “Kingpin: The Hunt for El Chapo.”

At the height of the Cold War, an informant’s tips resulted in the Federal Bureau of Investigation looking into the then newly-formed LGBT organization, the Mattachine Society and their publication ONE Magazine. The FBI was concerned that the organization was pro-Communist and had been publishing articles detailing allegations of unfair government discrimination and entrapment by police departments.

When you use the “Get Help” button, you can now give us additional information about the type of issue, helping us route and resolve your questions more efficiently.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency just released its plan from 2014 for how to respond to a hurricane in Puerto Rico, after having denied ProPublica’s request for the same document in October.

Private prison giant GEO Group appeals to the powers of the federal government and property rights to allow continued operation in Tacoma, Washington.

In this week’s FOIA roundup, a great case study of combining public records with other journalistic tools, an important step towards greater Congressional transparency, and a chance to collaborate with your peers, just in time for FOIA Friday.

For the last year, we’ve been requesting data surrounding the national backlog of untested sexual assault evidence. While we still don’t know the actual number- so far more than 225,000 rape kits have been found sitting on evidence collection shelves and in hospitals from coast to coast - we have a greater understanding of the many hurdles victims and law enforcement face. There are many reasons rape kits go untested, and the lack of forensic funding continues to exacerbate the problem.

In response to a FOIA request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s files on Black Panther informant William O’Neal, the Bureau located over 7,000 pages. But actually releasing the documents will cost a duplication fee of $250. You can chip in and help.

Last November, Orbital ATK sent a 7,400 pound shipment of supplies up to the International Space Station. For the crew, it meant fresh clothes, new food, and new tools to continue on their research. After a FOIA request, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration provided an inventory of everything that went up, which provides a fun look into mix of high tech and mundane that keeps the astronauts going.

A heavily-redacted portion of Ayn Rand’s Federal Bureau of Investigation file documents an investigation into a mysterious screenplay sent to the author. An inventor reached out to Rand, hoping for help in getting the Hollywood treatment for his life’s story. What was in that life story caused her to call the FBI.

We’re one week into our annual FOIApalooza - check out who has made it out of the first round!

As someone who has been threatened with jail, lawsuits, and the occasional death threat over requests I’ve filed or helped file, I understand how frustrating public records can be. But with Sunshine Week 2018 wrapped up, I think it’s worth taking note of everything that’s gone well.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released an additional 64 pages of previously-processed material regarding the scientist Nikola Tesla, including a catalog of his papers seized by the U.S. government after his death in 1943.

Post Sunshine Week, we’re not slowing down, launching some major new features plus updating some of the ones that were launched last week. Read on for details plus how you can help us get even better.

As Sunshine Week draws to a close, some of our favorite projects from the week, including tips on collaboration and some awards you might not want to win. But first, how two reporters helped break news by following up on an old story.

MuckRock users are really good at getting documents out of government. Now, thanks to a collaboration with DocumentCloud, we want to make sure you’re finding exactly what you need, no matter how large the release.

The official version of events surrounding Danny Casolaro’s death has been questioned since the beginning, but several recent revelations resulting from the release of government documents have undermined it. While there are still questions about Casolaro’s death, there are over a dozen reasons to doubt the official conclusions.

Files originally released to Jason Smathers show that in the Summer of 1989, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Tampa office launched a brief investigation into reports that two individuals that identified themselves as FBI agents to Walt Disney World maintenance workers. How were staff able to determine that these two weren’t legitimate G-men? Well, at least one of the perpetrators was wearing shorts and a tank top.

For Sunshine Week, we’re excited to launch a new collaboration that makes it easy to explore every state’s public records laws, find sample appeals, and more.

Earlier today, President Donald Trump announced he would replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo. In Pompeo’s place, Trump appointed Deputy Director Gina Haspel, and many outlets reported that would make her the first person to hold that position. But she is not.

Our 2018 competitors will be battling to provide a collection of talking points and the like from Election Day 2017 through March 13th, 2018, just another day in major agency turnover.

As we kick off what will hopefully be a very transparent Sunshine Week 2018, we want to take a moment to reflect on one of the more absurd finds in the Central Intelligence Agency’s declassified archive so far, and how the work the #OpenGov community can find itself part of the public record.