...that some homeless people die of cold on the streets is not news.

Western Cities Scramble to Comply With Court Ruling on Homelessness

MTA Rips Backs Off Benches At West 4th Subway Station To Repel Homeless

Less Than One Month Until U.S. Households Receive 2020 Census Invitations

Counting People in Rural and Remote Locations

First Invitations to Complete the 2020 Census to Arrive at Homes This Week -- The first invitations to respond to the 2020 Census begin to arrive in the mail at most households nationwide this week. For the first time, everyone will be invited to respond online, by phone, or by mail. Initial invitations to respond to the 2020 Census will arrive at most households between March 12-20. (Tentatively scheduled for release March 11.)

At UN, Abbas slams Trump plan, accuses Israel of ‘apartheid’

Israeli UN Envoy Hails Reported Failure of Palestinian Anti-Trump UN Resolution

‘Only When Abbas Steps Down Will Peace Be Possible!’ Israeli Envoy Warns UN

UN council issues blacklist of 112 companies tied to Israeli firms in Judea and Samaria

Netanyahu on UN council’s BDS move: ‘Whoever boycotts us will be boycotted’

Nikki Haley: ‘UN hit a new low’ with blacklist

US Lawmakers Condemn UN Blacklist of Judea, Samaria Companies; They ‘Provide Jobs to Palestinians’

EUROPEAN UNION

How to regulate big tech

New EU Project Invites Photographers to ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory’

Europe must resist attempts to weaken single-use plastics laws

LOBBYING THE EU

TRANSPARENCY TOP SPENDER: This week's biggest new transparency listing is Novolipetsk Steel. The Russian steel manufacturer is a member of industry association EUROFER and the World Steel Organization and lists a budget of E200,000 to E299.999 in costs related to the register.

STEEL LOBBY MYSTERY: Inquiring minds wanted to know who is behind Steel for Europe, a self-described "initiative" of "members" aimed at "fostering steel security within the European Union." The only problem is that a list of members is nowhere to be found on its website. The organization does not appear in the EU's Transparency Register, and fellow industry lobbyists were at a loss over who's behind the organization. The website is registered to the Polish arm of public relations group MSL, who told me that its main partner in the initiative is Polands Jastrzebska Spolka Weglowa (JSW Group) the largest producer of coking coal in the European Union. JSW is wholly owned by the Polish State Treasury, according to its entry in the EU Transparency Register.

When asked by other members of Steel of Europe, a MSL representative said it was still a "young initiative with JSW as key supporter.' He added: "We do believe that steel will need to be recognized as a crucial element for the development of the European Union's sustainable future,' said the MSL representative. Poland is the largest EU producer of coking coal, a key material in steelmaking, so it makes sens that Polish organizations would be heavily lobbying on this issue. However the lack of transparency around Steel for Europe is notable -- it shouldn't take a layperson this much time to figure out who is behind supposedly member-driven initiatives to influence EU policy. [POLITICO European Influence, February 14, 2020]