Legislative Acronyms: A 21st Century Phenomenon

The USA Patriot Act for homeland security. The Dream Act for young undocumented immigrants who want to make a life in the United States.

Those bill names that make perfect acronyms are no coincidence. In fact, they’re often rather tortured and used with increasing frequency in Congress since the early 2000s, according to an admitted “overly in-depth analysis” by Noah Veltman, a web developer who is working at the BBC on a data journalism fellowship.

Take, for example, the No Field Act: None of Our Funds in the Interest or for the Exercise or Leisure of Detainees, on Mr. Veltman’s list of “Sassiest Acronyms.” Sass is not necessarily politically effective: the bill to cut the defense budget this year by whatever amount had been designated for recreational facilities for Guantánamo Bay detainees in 2012 did not pass.

According to Mr. Veltman’s study of “Congressional Acronym Abuse, 1973-2013,” Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York was the most acronym-prone legislator during that period, sponsoring 43 such bills. Safe was the most popular word, appearing 131 times.

Mr. Veltman’s analysis also has a practical element: the Payback Act, Equality Act and the Pharmacy Act will each earn you 20 Scrabble points.

Hillary Clinton, Private Citizen and Public Persona, Creates a Transition Office

As she transitions to a life as a private citizen, Hillary Rodham Clinton has assembled a staff that looks similar to the one she had when she held public office.

Although the former secretary of state and United States senator spends much of her time in New York and traveling the country delivering speeches, she has a small personal office in Washington staffed with familiar faces. One aide described the office on Connecticut Avenue, near the Mayflower Hotel, as modest (“smaller than my first NYC apt.”), with staff members doubled up in three offices, each roughly the size of a large walk-in closet.

The staff includes the longtime aide Huma Abedin, the wife of Anthony D. Weiner, who is running for mayor of New York. Ms. Abedin will serve as transition director. Lona Valmoro, who has worked with Mrs. Clinton continuously since 2003, is also part of what aides refer to as a personal or transition office.

Nicholas Merrill, who worked in communications at the State Department and on Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 campaign for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, will serve as press secretary. Dan Schwerin, who has worked for Mrs. Clinton in various capacities since 2005, serves as a policy adviser and speechwriter.

Other staff members include a person who handles correspondence (one aide said “there’s a ton”), a researcher for Mrs. Clinton’s planned book about her time as secretary of state, a personal aide, an office manager and a person in charge of handling what is a packed travel schedule.

Ted Widmer, who served as a speechwriter in President Bill Clinton’s administration, is not part of the personal office, but is assisting Hillary Clinton on her book, which will be published by Simon and Schuster and is due out next summer. Mr. Schwerin and Ethan Gelber, who worked under Mrs. Clinton in the State Department, will also assist with book research.

That staff is separate from the team that Mrs. Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, are assembling within the Clinton Foundation as part of the former first lady’s push into charitable causes that benefit women and girls. Those hires include Maura Pally, who previously worked at the State Department and at Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Madhuri Kommareddi, a former policy aide to President Obama.

Hillary Clinton, Private Citizen and Public Persona, Creates a Personal Office

As she transitions to a life as a private citizen, Hillary Rodham Clinton has assembled a staff that looks similar to the one she had when she held public office.

Although the former secretary of state and United States senator spends much of her time in New York and traveling the country delivering speeches, she has a small personal office in Washington staffed with familiar faces. One aide described the office on Connecticut Avenue, near the Mayflower Hotel, as modest (“smaller than my first NYC apt.”), with staff members doubled up in three offices, each roughly the size of a large walk-in closet.

The staff includes the longtime aide Huma Abedin, the wife of Anthony D. Weiner, who is running for mayor of New York. Ms. Abedin will serve as transition director. Lona Valmoro, who has worked with Mrs. Clinton continuously since 2003, is also part of what aides refer to as a personal or transition office.

Nicholas Merrill, who worked in communications at the State Department and on Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 campaign for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, will serve as press secretary. Dan Schwerin, who has worked for Mrs. Clinton in various capacities since 2005, serves as a policy adviser and speechwriter.

Other staff members include a person who handles correspondence (one aide said “there’s a ton”), a researcher for Mrs. Clinton’s planned book about her time as secretary of state, a personal aide, an office manager and a person in charge of handling what is a packed travel schedule.

Ted Widmer, who served as a speechwriter in President Bill Clinton’s administration, is not part of the personal office, but is assisting Hillary Clinton on her book, which will be published by Simon and Schuster and is due out next summer. Mr. Schwerin and Ethan Gelber, who worked under Mrs. Clinton in the State Department, will also assist with book research.

That staff is separate from the team that Mrs. Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, are assembling within the Clinton Foundation as part of the former first lady’s push into charitable causes that benefit women and girls. Those hires include Maura Pally, who previously worked at the State Department and at Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Madhuri Kommareddi, a former policy aide to President Obama.

Hillary Clinton, Private Citizen and Public Persona, Creates a Personal Office

As she transitions to a life as a private citizen, Hillary Rodham Clinton has assembled a staff that looks similar to the one she had when she held public office.

Although the former secretary of state and United States senator spends much of her time in New York and traveling the country delivering speeches, she has a small personal office in Washington staffed with familiar faces. One aide described the office on Connecticut Avenue, near the Mayflower Hotel, as modest (“smaller than my first NYC apt.”), with staff members doubled up in three offices, each roughly the size of a large walk-in closet.

The staff includes the longtime aide Huma Abedin, the wife of Anthony D. Weiner, who is running for mayor of New York. Ms. Abedin will serve as transition director. Lona Valmoro, who has worked with Mrs. Clinton continuously since 2003, is also part of what aides refer to as a personal or transition office.

Nicholas Merrill, who worked in communications at the State Department and on Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 campaign for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, will serve as press secretary. Dan Schwerin, who has worked for Mrs. Clinton in various capacities since 2005, serves as a policy adviser and speechwriter.

Other staff members include a person who handles correspondence (one aide said “there’s a ton”), a researcher for Mrs. Clinton’s planned book about her time as secretary of state, a personal aide, an office manager and a person in charge of handling what is a packed travel schedule.

Ted Widmer, who served as a speechwriter in President Bill Clinton’s administration, is not part of the personal office, but is assisting Hillary Clinton on her book, which will be published by Simon and Schuster and is due out next summer. Mr. Schwerin and Ethan Gelber, who worked under Mrs. Clinton in the State Department, will also assist with book research.

That staff is separate from the team that Mrs. Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, are assembling within the Clinton Foundation as part of the former first lady’s push into charitable causes that benefit women and girls. Those hires include Maura Pally, who previously worked at the State Department and at Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Madhuri Kommareddi, a former policy aide to President Obama.

Racial Makeup of Red and Blue America

As the House of Representatives considers an overhaul of immigration laws, it is clear that the members represent very different slices of the country, depending on their political party. Districts represented by Democrats are, together, only slightly more than half white and nearly one quarter Hispanic. Republican districts are roughly three-quarters white, and only one in nine residents is Hispanic.

The New York Times Note: People who report being Hispanic and another race are included in the Hispanic category. Source: 2010 U.S. Census data, retabulated for the Congressional district boundaries of the 113th Congress