In July we brought attention to Executive Order 13, 438 which authorizes the government to seize the assets of "any person" who threatens the stability of Iraq and any person who provides assistance to such a person. The lack of clear standards to define what criteria will be used to determine when an entity poses a significant risk or what constitutes a threat to the peace or security of the Iraqi government leaves charities operating in Iraq vulnerable. Now a newly released Congressional Research Service (CRS) report highlights the broad nature of the Executive Order.

As the 2008 election nears, one topic of warning is becoming all the rage, nonprofits that use the campaign season to bring attention to their issues, such as education or healthcare. As the Chronicle of Philanthropy notes, "Nonprofit organizations are stepping up their political activity and becoming more aggressive lobbyists as the presidential primaries draw near, though they must be careful to follow the complex laws governing their tax-exempt status." A Time magazine article highlights many nonprofits that are doing great work to promote the needs of the nonprofit sector to candidates.

A week has passed since the Federal Election Commission (FEC) approved a new electioneering communications rule to interpret the Supreme Court's June decision in the Wisconsin Right to Life case. With three drafts to consider, the FEC adopted a broad interpretation of evidence of "express advocacy" in ads.