Management

How One IRS Executive Harnesses the Power of Meditation to Meet the Mission

“It is unique for a leader to meditate with their people … it is odd, but then again my team was accustomed to me coloring outside the lines,” says Anne Shepherd.

Defense

Democrats See GOP Electioneering in Air Force Choice of Georgia for C-130 Base

A Trump appointee wants Air National Guard planes sent to the state that holds the key to Senate control.

Management

GovExec Daily: How Biden Can Rebuild Government

Philip K. Howard joins the podcast to discuss how the incoming administration can reconfigure bureaucracy for better government.

Route Fifty

Mysterious Steel Monolith Discovered In Utah Desert Mysteriously Disappears

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Supreme Court rejects New York restrictions on religious services … Trump administration denies key permit for Pebble Mine … Baltimore County schools still closed after ransomware attack.

Tech

Coronavirus Vaccines: Health Experts Identify Ways to Build Public Trust

The United Nations recently asked a group of experts across the world to recommend ways to persuade people to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Here is a summary of their suggestions.

Oversight

Census Workers From Across the U.S. Are Raising Big Concerns about This Year’s Count

Workers say poor training, a cascade of shifting deadlines and clunky technology produced confusion on the ground. Now, a lawsuit and several government reports are echoing their claims.

Route Fifty

Firefighters Push for Inclusion in First Phase of Covid-19 Vaccines

States are finalizing their vaccine distribution plans, which will determine which critical workers and high-risk people are first in line for a coronavirus vaccination.

Workforce

Inside How Biden Is Learning About Federal Agencies, Both Officially and Unofficially

The president-elect transition's team is now gleaning information from federal workers through multiple channels.

Route Fifty

States Join Pilot to Investigate Cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People

Federal, state, and tribal agencies will create guidelines for investigations into missing persons and murder cases where Native American or Alaska Native people are involved.

Management

Transition Roundup: Biden Team Makes Contact With Over 50 Agencies; Progressives Target OMB and Regulatory Affairs Picks

There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.

Oversight

Trump Races to Weaken Environmental and Worker Protections, and Implement Other Last-Minute Policies, Before Jan. 20

The Trump administration is rushing to approve dozens of eleventh-hour policy changes. Among them: The Justice Department is fast-tracking a rule that could reintroduce firing squads and electrocutions to federal executions.

Nextgov

The Defense Department IG Outlined the Pentagon’s Top Challenges. Here’s Where Tech Fits In.

Two new challenges added this year focus on technological dominance and data as a strategic asset. Tech like hypersonics, microelectronics, AI, 5G and biotechnology were also highlighted.

Management

Viewpoint: Don’t Abolish AbilityOne, Reform It

A recommendation by the National Council on Disability threatens 45,000 jobs for people with disabilities.

Workforce

GovExec Daily: Schedule F's Present and Future

Erich Wagner and Tom Shoop joined the podcast to discuss the OMB news in light of the workforce executive order.

Route Fifty

No Bar Night Out Before Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | National Guard deploys to El Paso to help with morgue crisis … Prosecutors are reviewing 800 cases possibly tainted by lab analyst … Nursing home workers strike in Illinois.

Management

A Member of Your Household Tests Positive for COVID-19? VA Says Keep on Working

Department tells employees not to quarantine until they start feeling sick.

Oversight

Lawmakers Seek Watchdog Briefings on Schedule F Implementation

Democrats asked the Government Accountability Office to keep them informed of how the Trump administration is moving ahead with a plan to politicize potentially hundreds of thousands of federal jobs in the coming weeks.

Management

HHS Seeks Feedback on Pandemic Regulatory Actions

The Trump administration is making a final push for deregulation during lame duck period.