Management

People Are Finding It Hard to Focus on Work Right Now

A survey finds that nearly a third of people say they have been less productive since the election.

Route Fifty

Bay Area City Heading Toward Bankruptcy?; Iowa Looks at Preempting Cities on Minimum Wage

Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Is Edwards using tactics from Jindal’s Louisiana budget playbook; N.J. county distributes potassium-iodide pills; a blueprint for a city-county consolidation in Upstate N.Y.

Pay & Benefits

Don't Make These Common Mistakes

Three errors will cost you more than your pride after you retire.

Defense

Former NSA Contractor Indicted for Stealing Classified Files

Grand jury accepts Justice Department allegations against Harold Martin.

Management

USPS Sees Profits Tumble During Holiday Season

Forced price decrease contributed to shrinking revenue.

Oversight

Consumer Bureau Foe Maps Out a Plan for Its Destruction

Republicans now have the power to unravel what some view as a dangerous independent regulatory agency.

Nextgov

GAO: HUD's Legacy Tech Hogs 95% of IT Budget While Agency Struggles to Price Upgrades

“Significant weaknesses” plague the agency's cost-estimating practices for investments aimed to revamp IT infrastructure.

Nextgov

Why Experts Worry Algorithms Can Do More Harm Than Good

A Pew report suggests corporations and governments could misuse algorithms.

Management

Trump's 3 a.m. Phone Call

The president pondered a reasonable economics question—but who he reportedly dialed for answers raises questions of its own.

Management

Chronically Late People Share One Positive Personality Trait

Humans cannot transcend the rules of physics, no matter how invincible we feel on a day when all the traffic lights glow green.

Defense

Donald Trump and China’s President Finally Broke the Ice — By Snail Mail

In his letter to Xi, Trump wished the Chinese people a "happy Lantern Festival," though the Lunar New Year holiday period ended last week in China.

Oversight

Senate Confirms Jeff Sessions to Be Attorney General

Republicans all supported his nomination, and every Democrat except for one opposed him.

Oversight

Play of the Day: Donald Trump is Coming for Every Store in the Mall

You're next, Orange Julius. Don't be like Nordstrom and cross the president or his family.

Defense

USAID Faulted for Lax Oversight of Afghan Land Reforms

SIGAR found that $41.2 million contract lacked vital information.

Route Fifty

Can Private Investment Work for Rural Infrastructure?

During a U.S. Senate committee hearing, doubts emerge whether public-private partnerships can meet the needs of non-urban areas.

Nextgov

Government Contractor Accused of Stealing NSA Cyber Secrets

Harold Thomas Martin III worked for at least seven private contractors since 1993, placing him in several defense and intelligence agencies that require security clearances.

Pay & Benefits

Dental Premiums Drop, Retirement Claims Spike, Anxiety Over Benefits 'Reform' Grows

A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.

Defense

What Are U.S. Forces Doing in Yemen in the First Place?

Last week’s raid was an embarrassing and costly failure—in the context of a much larger one.

Tech

Did Russia’s Election Meddling Break International Law? Experts Can’t Agree.

Right now, that’s a gray area — and it’s hindering the U.S. response to influence operations.

Management

Advocacy Groups Sue Trump Over One In, Two Out Regulatory Policy

Groups allege Trump violated constitutional separation of powers requirements.