Route Fifty
State Poverty Figures Show Positive Trends, But Some Places Still Struggle
The Census Bureau figures also show incomes lag behind pre-recession levels in at least nine states.
Pay & Benefits
Study: Shutdown Did Lasting Damage to Federal Recruitment, Retention and Morale
While recovering from the most recent lapse in appropriations, some are fearful there will be another.
Nextgov
DHS Needs a Better Grasp of Its Cyber Workforce, Watchdog Says
The agency doesn’t fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of its cyber personnel, and it’s more than two years behind on developing a workforce planning strategy, the inspector general found.
Nextgov
VA to Pilot New Scheduling System at Same Ohio Facility that Tested the Last Solution
The Chalmers P. Wylie Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus, Ohio, is set to get another new scheduling system, as VA lets one contract expire and shifts to its new EHR provider.
Management
U.S. to Remain in International Postal Agency After Securing More Favorable Deal for American Mailers
The Trump administration had said it would withdraw from UN body with roots in 145-year-old treaty.
Pay & Benefits
An Underground Journey to the Heart of Retirement Processing
A behind-the-scenes look at OPM’s Retirement Operations Center in Boyers, Pennsylvania.
Defense
White House Used Classified System to Hide Trump’s Phone Call: Whistleblower
The IC employee wrote that the July 25 call to Ukraine was not the only time documents had been improperly hidden in codeword-level systems.
Management
OPM Calls on Agencies to Streamline Federal Firing
Agencies have until March 2020 to eliminate “unnecessary barriers to addressing poor performance,” and even stricter rules are likely on the way.
Management
Senate’s Election Security Funding Bill Leaves a Key Agency Strapped for Cash
The Election Assistance Commission has struggled with insufficient staff and resources.
Management
Senate Confirms Scalia to Be Labor Secretary
The Senate voted along party lines in support of the former Labor Department solicitor under President George W. Bush.
Nextgov
Spy Agencies Must Work Through AI’s Ethical Issues, Former Leader Says
Sue Gordon, the former principal deputy director of national intelligence, also pushed the intelligence community to put more trust in public information and outside organizations.
Tech
Google Says Google Translate Can’t Replace Human Translators. Immigration Officials Have Used It to Vet Refugees.
Documents shared with ProPublica show that immigration officials have been told to vet refugees’ social media posts using Google Translate. Language experts caution even students against using the service.
Management
Senate Sends Trump Seven-Week Spending Bill to Avoid Shutdown
The president is expected to sign the stopgap measure and avoid an appropriations lapse, but a funding fight still looms.
Management
Viewpoint: Federal Officials Should Be Accountable for Their Wrongdoing
And judges need to be the ones to make them pay.
Route Fifty
EPA Again Targets California, Now Focusing on Water Quality
The Trump administration says California is “failing” on water quality, the latest EPA action against the Democrat-led state.
Route Fifty
A City Called Landlords to Remind Them About Housing Discrimination Laws. Did It Work?
An experiment in New York City revealed that reminders about anti-discrimination housing laws was mildly effective in mitigating housing discrimination—but only in some cases.
Oversight
Play of the Day: The President's Conversation With Ukraine
The White House released a summary of Donald Trump talking to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Pay & Benefits
How to Recruit the Next Generation of Feds: Better Pay, Benefits
Young people are increasingly looking for work-life balance measures like paid family leave and telework, stakeholders and experts said Wednesday.
Oversight
Democrats Blast GSA for Lax Oversight of Trump Hotel
The agency should be asking more questions about the lease and its financial terms, lawmakers say.
Pay & Benefits