This week’s FOIA drama from the Trump administration and technology

Tennessee officials were surprised to learn that its state retirement system owned over 7,000 shares of stock in a real estate investment trust that provides capital for the medical marijuana industry. While the state sold those shares, citing “policy implications,” recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings show that Tennessee remains invested in other substances that, while legal, have major health policy implications.

Five years ago, MuckRock teamed up with Motherboard to conduct a massive survey of drone use by local police departments. We want to update that effort, and we need your help to do it.

Amazon investors introduce two votes limiting company’s facial recognition technology, contracts reveal that the “trade secret” of ransomware firms is to pay off hackers directly by charging clients extra, and Chicago’s City Council legislative committees fuel a system of patronage and cronyism.

In this week’s FOIA round-up, House Democrats look to increase funding to the Interior Department’s FOIA office, records show Amazon collaborated with local law enforcement on sting operations to deter package theft, and a Cornell University law student sues a South Carolina county for excessive fees.