Management
The Forest Service Is About to Set a Giant Forest Fire—On Purpose
A man-made blaze on a remote Utah mountainside could provide valuable insights into the behavior of the powerful wildfires growing more and more common out West.
Nextgov
How the Government Helped Google Reach Quantum Supremacy
Insiders from both the tech giant and the government detailed how the breakthrough was made possible through public-private collaboration.
Route Fifty
The Places Where ‘Food Insecurity’ Is Most Severe
Data that a think-tank published this week shows where the challenges are greatest, along with some of the underlying factors that can make it difficult for people to afford food.
Management
Election Assistance Agency Loses Its Top Leaders
The bipartisan and independent agency also faces pushback from advocacy organizations and potential funding shortages.
Management
Trump’s Asylum Ban Could Apply Retroactively to Thousands of Migrants Even Though Officials Promised It Wouldn’t
The Trump administration promised that asylum-seekers who already had U.S. cases, but had been forced to return to Mexico to await court dates, could still get asylum. That might not be the case.
Management
Analysis: William Taylor Delivers the Smoking Gun
It doesn’t matter what President Trump wants to call it—of course it was a quid pro quo.
Oversight
Play of the Day: The Impeachment Inquiry Will Go Longer Than Expected
Democrats are pushing the timeline back because of evidence they are seeing in hearings.
Route Fifty
After Ohio Opioid Settlement, Local Governments Could Be Skeptical of State AG Agreement
Attorneys for cities and counties that brought litigation against drug companies say the size of a settlement brokered this week for two Ohio counties could encourage others to opt out of a broader agreement touted by state attorneys general.
Workforce
To Stop Attacks, Lawmakers Call for Kinder Rhetoric Toward Feds
"Anti-government rhetoric dehumanizes government employees, period," one congressman says.
Route Fifty
Amazon Is Spending an Unprecedented Amount on City Council Races
In Seattle, Amazon has spent over a million dollars trying to get pro-business candidates elected to the city council.
Management
Efforts to Reform Federal Hiring Already Showing Results
Administration officials said that performing pass-fail interviews earlier in the hiring process led to a faster turnaround, better candidates and more hires from public job announcements.
Nextgov
Esper Recuses Himself from JEDI Cloud Contract Review
The Pentagon’s acquisition team will continue its review of bids submitted by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, as the department’s deputy secretary of defense takes over the process.
Route Fifty
Fires and Explosions Spread Across Three Towns. They Worked Together to Respond
Fires and explosions tore across three Massachusetts towns last fall, the result of over-pressurized gas lines. Here's how officials say they banded together to contain the emergency.
Management
How Donald Trump Turned to a Comics Titan to Shape the VA
In a new book and an interview with ProPublica, former VA Secretary David Shulkin describes how Marvel Entertainment’s Ike Perlmutter and two associates with no government experience exerted influence over millions of veterans.
Workforce
Federal Court Denies Government's Appeal Seeking to Kill OPM Hack Lawsuit
With standing established, lower court will now have to hear the case on its merits.
Management
Now’s The Time To Share Your Bold Ideas and Stories
A chance to tell your colleagues across government about innovative approaches you’re implementing.
Oversight
Cummings’ Leadership on Federal Employee Issues, Bipartisanship Could Be Hard to Replicate
The impeachment inquiry against President Trump is likely to dominate the next Oversight and Reform Committee chair’s agenda, observers say.
Nextgov
OMB Focused on Trust and Agility in Tech Improvements
Increased agility will help tech officials maximize their IT modernization efforts—and perhaps build more trust in government among the public.
Oversight
Supreme Court Will Consider Whether Consumer Bureau’s Structure Is Constitutional
California-based law firm is arguing the bureau’s director has been given too much authority, violating the separation of powers.
Tech