Recently released Federal Bureau of Investigation files, obtained in the ongoing lawsuit against the Bureau brought by the author and represented pro bono by Dan Novack, describe several investigations into the Church of Scientology, both foreign and domestic.

Public records can help dig into policy makers at all levels, as well as help find out the truth on the ground. This week’s FOIA roundup shows how you can use requests to do the same no matter what subject you’re interested in.

Documents from Homeland Security-run fusion centers in California, Kentucky, and Nevada indicate that law enforcement often over-focuses on Antifa other leftist-aligned groups while downplaying the threat of white supremacist violence.

Earlier this year, the Central Intelligence Agency hosted a panel at South by Southwest about the agency’s use of board games as a training exercise. Intrigued, MuckRock’s Mitchell Kotler filed a FOIA for materials used to play Collection Deck, a collectible card game shown in the presentation. Those materials just came in, and while there’s nothing to stop you from printing them out and playing, there just one tiny snag: several of the cards are redacted as a matter of national security.

Materials kept by the Central Intelligence Agency about the Horn of Africa offer a look into U.S. interests in the area throughout the 20th century, and insight into the world today.

After decades as a West Coast leftist, Ramparts editor Warren Hinckle finally landed a place in the FBI’s files after his magazine ran a pro-IRA ad and credited a Michigan Senator for its creation.

Based on a release from Homeland Security’s Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, law enforcement appear to prioritize cracking down on Antifa, rather than white supremacists or other Fascist groups.

With the resurgence of the American left, we wanted to see whether or not any agencies were tracking the 2017 May Day demonstrations. Documents we received from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis show that Antifa was specifically targeted and that DHS was sourcing its intelligence from a white supremacist website called “Occidental Dissent.”

We’ve written before about fusion centers, Homeland Security’s post-9/11 information sharing outfits notorious for being bad their jobs, and a particularly damning 2012 congressional report that outlined in agonizing detail exactly how bad they were. However, in light of recent events, its worth revisiting the reports conclusion, which argues that fusion center’s worst sin was drawing a connection between right-wing militia movements and right-wing terrorist activity.

Documents released to Donald Triplett III contain more than 70 tips from citizens reporting supposed “Muslim celebrations” of the September 11th terrorist attacks to at least six FBI field offices in the days following. Some of these dubious “leads” included “happy Middle Easterners laughing over coffee” the day before, a man expressing fear of anti-Muslim reprisals, and a table at TGI Friday’s that just split some appetizers.