Management

Customs and Border Protection Official Not Guilty of Prohibited Hiring

Judge criticizes Office of Special Counsel’s pursuit of case involving rigged job ads.

Route Fifty

Southern Maine’s Mystery Odor; Crippling U.S. Passenger Rail Shutdown Looms

Also: Amarillo’s five-month ‘wild ride’ of dysfunction and good news from the South Carolina flood zone.

Nextgov

What’s Next for Digital Government? Look Beyond ‘Silicon Valley Superheroes’

The next phase of the strategy to inculcate innovative digital practices in the halls of government might be to focus on the smartest people already in the room.

Oversight

Bill Would Stop IRS From Rehiring Employees It Already Fired for Misconduct

Lawmakers introduce measure after auditors found IRS took back malfeasant workers.

Pay & Benefits

Retirement Benefits At Risk, an Expansion of Navy Paternity Leave and More

A roundup of federal pay and benefits news.

Management

FBI: New Chip Credit Cards Aren’t a Fraud Cure-all

While new credit cards with chips are more secure than your old magnetic-stripe cards, there are still some flaws.

Oversight

Texas Rep. Bill Flores Starts Lobbying for Speaker Votes

While everyone waits for Paul Ryan, at least one hopeful is directly reaching out to colleagues about the job.

Pay & Benefits

Military Pay and Benefits in Limbo As Obama Weighs Veto

The Defense bill includes the 2016 pay raise and military retirement reforms.

Management

White House Creates New Leadership Group to Help Execute Final Agency Goals

With eyes toward the exits, the Obama administration sets its last 92 priorities.

Management

Three Practical Steps for Fostering Innovation

How to translate ideas into reality despite the barriers.

Defense

Report: Obama Is Reconsidering Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan

A resurgent Taliban, a lingering al-Qaeda, and a burgeoning Islamic State may be causing President Obama to reassess plans to withdraw troops by the time he leaves office.

Oversight

Hillary Clinton Gets a Break from Her 'Damn Emails'

With the help of a friendly crowd and Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner got to go back to the policy points on which she’s most persuasive.

Management

Bush’s Obamacare Replacement Has a “Cadillac Tax”

While everyone else wants to repeal the tax, Bush is proposing a very similar policy.

Defense

Homeland Security Wants to Revive Terrorism Alert System

With terrorist-inspired attacks on the rise, the government may revise the unused successor to the Bush-era color alerts

Nextgov

Could Dell Go Too Far on Cybersecurity under EMC Mega-Merger?

Under the $67 billion tech acquisition, Dell's SecureWorks and EMC's RSA Security would both belong to the company Michael Dell started in 1984.

Oversight

Play of the Day: Stop Trying to Convince Paul Ryan to be Speaker

The Wisconsin Republican does not want the job.

Route Fifty

NASCIO’s 2015 State CIO Survey Details Insights on Agile Methods

Procurement and contracting policies aren’t keeping pace with citizen demand for state services and software, according to the sixth annual survey.

Management

Here's Everything Federal Employees Need to Know About Tuesday's Democratic Debate

Candidates touch on veterans' issues, family leave and NSA surveillance.

Oversight

Yes, President Obama Is Going to Watch the Debate

Presidents often like to say they're ignoring the polls and the elections to succeed them. Don't believe it.

Oversight

TSA Chief Notes Progress After January’s Passenger Screening Debacle

IG finds fixes encouraging, but vows to continue testing.