*[Large global] consultancy firm used "power maps" of Australian officials to help win government contracts.*

US citizens: phone your senators to call on them to reconfirm Gwynne Wilcox to another term on the National Labor Relations Board. Republicans are trying to block her reappointment so that the board will not have quorum and will be unable to do its vital work.

Please call as soon as possible — her reconfirmation will be voted on next week.

I saw an online messaging campaign for this, but sending a message to a member of Congress does not allow ordinary email. It requires using a web form that demands execution of nonfree JavaScript code. For moral reasons I do not use that form, or recommend it to the public.

See https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html and https://gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html.

It is a grave wrong for any government activity to require the public to run nonfree software co communicate with it.

I discovered this problem several years ago, and since then have always asked people to use phone calls to communicate with members of Congress. But I don't recall that I explained the reason before.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

*Former member of Belarus "hit squad" to stand trial over disappearances [presumed ordered by Lukashenko].*

*Canada issues travel advisory for LGBTQ+ residents visiting US.*

*Iceland allows whaling to resume in "massive step backwards".*