Management
A Border Patrol Agent Reveals What It’s Really Like to Guard Migrant Children
With the agency under fire for holding children in deplorable conditions and over racist and misogynistic Facebook posts, one agent speaks about what it’s like to do his job. “Somewhere down the line people just accepted what’s going on as normal.”
Defense
Inside the Pentagon’s Game of Musical Chairs
Richard V. Spencer is the year’s third acting defense secretary — but there are a lot more moving pieces than that.
Oversight
Play of the Day: Another Eventful Twitter Day With the President
Donald Trump told four members of Congress to "go back…from which they came."
Defense
Report Shows Wide Variation in Financial Management Across Defense Agencies
Military branches were among the worst-performing entities on the department’s first comprehensive audit, analysis finds.
Tech
Young Americans Deserve a 21st-century Moonshot to Mars
Americans need a new multi-decade Moonshot that will inspire several generations to shoot for the stars and pursue careers in space engineering and exploration.
Route Fifty
Federal Official Urges Counties to Assure Residents Completing Census is Safe
“Put out the message that it’s safe. Because people are afraid.”
Pay & Benefits
Trump Administration Calls for Fewer Performance Awards, Stricter Rating System for Feds
Only civil servants who deliver what the "American public should be able to expect" should get bonuses, OPM says.
Nextgov
GSA Announces New Deputy Chief of Staff
LaFondra Lynch, chief of staff for GSA’s Public Buildings Service, took the position July 8.
Tech
The Moment That Made Neil Armstrong’s Heart Rate Spike
Real-time data from the Apollo 11 astronauts, carefully monitored by Mission Control, capture the frenzied maneuvers that put men on the moon.
Route Fifty
Local Officials Want Feds to Scrap Policy Blocking People in Jail From Medicaid
A federal law can lead to breaks in health care benefits for those awaiting trial. Counties and sheriffs plan to lobby for this to be changed.
Pay & Benefits
Salary Council Recommends Locality Pay Area Changes
The advisory body found that federal workers earn on average 31% less than their counterparts outside government, but the methodology is highly disputed.
Management
Rebuilding Government’s Human Capital Should be a Priority
Too often, the argument for reform is vague or the benefits unclear; on balance employees expect to lose.
Management
Analysis: It’s a Precarious Time for Any Official in Trump’s Orbit
Alexander Acosta’s exit gratifies those who wanted him gone for his role in the Epstein plea deal. But the president’s advisers fear how more turnover reflects broader turmoil within the administration.
Management
At Least 30 Migrant Children Have Been Separated From Their Parents for More Than a Year
A report from the House Oversight Committee provides new details on the calamity at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Route Fifty
Heaps of Cash, Strong Odors and Other Challenges With Local Pot Regulation
“We’ve been basically building this airplane as we fly it,” said one local official as he discussed his county’s efforts to implement recreational marijuana legalization.
Route Fifty
How a State Police Agency Goes Viral (and Maybe Teaches People How to Drive)
The Colorado State Patrol develops relationships with the community and grows its online presence by posting humorous topical videos, a project spearheaded by one of its public information officers.
Management
House Passes Defense Policy Bill with Provision to Block OPM-GSA Merger
The must-pass legislation also includes amendments granting paid family leave and protecting feds’ health insurance during shutdowns.
Management
Immigrant Children Sent to Chicago Shelters Are Traumatized and Sick, in Some Instances With Chicken Pox or Tuberculosis
Hundreds of children are being detained in shelters run by Heartland Human Care Services, which says it has made changes since allegations that children were neglected and mistreated.
Workforce
Investigations Into Mistreatment of State Department Workforce are in ‘Final Stages,’ IG Says
The watchdog plans to unveil results of inquiries into political retaliation and the hiring freeze in coming weeks.
Management