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How 3-D Mapping Technology Could Improve Firefighter Safety
Memphis is experimenting with technology more frequently used for autonomous vehicles to create indoor maps of buildings for first responders.
Defense
Defense Department Inaction Is Hurting Effort to Improve Pentagon Efficiency
Officials are nearly two years late in meeting some congressional requirements, a watchdog found.
Management
Leaked Immigration Court Official’s Directive Could Violate Rules That Protect Families From Deportation
Legal experts say placing hard limits on family immigration cases could be illegal.
Nextgov
The Pentagon Is Turning to Nature to Solve Its Most Complex Problems
DARPA is exploring ways to harness chemical reactions, biological processes and other natural phenomena to build a more efficient computer.
Defense
U.S. Army: No Afghanistan Withdrawal Plans Yet
“We have not received any direction to do anything at this point,” says Acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy.
Management
Some of the Country’s Worst Prisons Have Escaped Justice Department Action
Prisons in Alabama are so bad, the Department of Justice said they violate Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. We found prisons in Mississippi that may be even worse.
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Voters in One City to Decide On an Unusual Pension Funding Proposal
A pending ballot proposition in Phoenix calls for imposing strict limits on city spending until funding for the city’s retirement programs reaches a certain threshold.
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Cherokee Nation Wants to Be the First Tribe With a Representative in Congress
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Cleveland considers gunfire detection system … Chicago mayor proposes taxing “high-end” services to close budget gap … Police officer involved in Eric Garner’s death fired.
Route Fifty
Traveling to This Airport? Bring Your Own Water Bottle.
San Francisco International Airport banned the sale of single-use plastic water bottles as part of a larger goal to become zero-waste by 2021.
Pay & Benefits
USDA Slashes Buyout Payments for Scientific Agency Employees By 60% Ahead of Relocation
Employees of research agencies have less than a week to decide whether to accept $10,000 voluntary separation payments, despite being offered upwards of $25,000 in June.
Nextgov
Pilots, Bias Important Considerations Ahead of Deploying AI
Cloud technology makes piloting artificial intelligence efforts easier than ever, but hard decisions around bias need to be confronted.
Management
Agencies With Acting Leaders Can Now Fill Top Career Ranks, OPM Says
Some worry the administration is normalizing its proclivity for circumventing the confirmation process.
Nextgov
App Failure Led to Long Airport Lines In Third CBP System Crash In Three Years
Technicians were able to reboot the system in a matter of hours but the crash led to significant delays for travelers Friday.
Oversight
2020 Democrats Have Plans to Add New Federal Agencies
Creating Peace and Cybersecurity departments are among the proposals.
Nextgov
DHS is Collecting Biometrics on Thousands of Refugees Who Will Never Enter the U.S.
Most refugees who apply for asylum in the U.S. never set foot in the country, but under an agreement with the United Nations, DHS and its partners can still build biometric profiles on them.
Management
Agencies Need More Flexibility to Fill Vacancies
The crisis at the Bureau of Prisons, highlighted by the suicide of Jeffery Epstein, is only the latest example confirming the civil service system needs to be reformed.
Workforce
Your Brain Doesn’t Recharge If You Use Your Phone On Break
Participants who took phone breaks experienced the highest levels of mental depletion.
Oversight
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Asks Why The Justice Department Went Easy on Big Banks
After an article by ProPublica and American Banker examining how Justice softened settlements with RBS and Barclays, the presidential candidate blasts settlements that let banks “evade accountability.”
Management
'No Comment': Emails Show the VA Took No Action to Spare Veterans From a Harsh Trump Immigration Policy
The VA’s approach differs sharply from the Pentagon’s, which won an exemption for active-duty members of the military.
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