Defense

DARPA director under investigation for conflict of interest

Defense inspector general confirms probe of Regina Dugan’s continued relationship with family firm.

Oversight

Backpack-wearing ambassador causes a stir in China

Photo of Gary Locke at the airport goes viral in the Chinese blogosphere.

Oversight

Agency slow in applying technology to protect federal buildings, GAO says

Two reports say Federal Protective Services is behind on risk assessment and transfer of programs within Homeland Security Department.

Tech

From Nextgov: Agriculture pulls all GIS maps into a single portal

Move will reduce duplication and make high-quality maps more accessible to the public.

Defense

Obama: 'Lone wolf' attack is biggest concern

Guarding against someone being able to carry out a massacre with a with a single-weapon is a main focus right now.

News

Play of the Day -- Jon Stewart on Rick Perry: 'Dial back the Texas a notch'

A daily roundup of late-night video.

Management

Ditching the Drama

Authors Kaley Klemp and Jim Warner offer advice on steering your team away from drama and toward productivity.

Management

The Lost Art of Killing Time

Defense

Military faces stark choices in coming budget battles

Rising personnel and health care costs are forcing painful management decisions, leaders say.

News

Library of Congress looks to reshape workforce through buyouts, early outs

Hundreds of employees at legislative agency could be eligible for early departure.

News

Agencies turn to buyouts in tough budget environment

More than a dozen agencies currently are offering the incentives or seeking authority to do so.

Defense

From Nextgov: VA promotes social media use with new policy

Department wants to give veterans the opportunity to communicate directly with its employees.

Defense

Panetta and Clinton wade into domestic politics

The secretaries of Defense and State are pushing for a 'balanced' debt-reduction deal that doesn't fall disproportionately on their two departments.

News

Play of the Day -- Ron Paul doesn't make the GOP 'top tier'; Iowa voters steal money from Bachmann

A daily roundup of late-night video.

News

Fitch affirms U.S. AAA credit rating

Announcement comes 11 days after Standard & Poor's downgraded U.S. credit.

Defense

Deficit debate drags military into political fray

The Pentagon is understandably nervous that the congressional deficit-reduction super committee will fail, automatically triggering as much as $1 trillion in cuts to defense spending.

News

Obama seeks plan to keep federal role in mortgage market

A small team has been directed to develop a proposal to maintain the federal government's role as the insurer for most homeowners' mortgages.