Management
The Spyware That Brought Down El Chapo’s Drug Empire
For months, the FBI listened as Mexico’s infamous drug kingpin allegedly trafficked drugs and arranged assassinations. Here’s how.
Nextgov
Defense Acquisition Reform Panel Suggests Reevaluating Department CIO
The Section 809 Panel’s third report recommends big changes to how the Defense Department buys technology.
Pay & Benefits
Judge Denies Restraining Order in Shutdown Suits, Citing Potential for 'Chaos and Confusion'
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ordered an expedited schedule for a full hearing in the cases, with a hearing slated for Jan. 31.
Management
Pentagon Could Claim Authority to Build Trump's Border Wall, CRS Says
Updated analysis by Congress's legal researchers predicts a court challenge.
Nextgov
House Unanimously Passes Bill to Elevate the Federal CIO
But the Federal CIO Authorization Act still has no Senate counterpart.
Pay & Benefits
New Poll: Nearly Three-Quarters of Federal Workers Oppose Shutdown, Majority Oppose Wall
One-in-three feds think the shutdown will drag on for more than three additional months.
Nextgov
Open Federal Data is Now the Law of the Land
President Trump signed the OPEN Government Data Act into law, requiring agencies to publish machine-readable data and appoint chief data officers.
Management
Why Did the Border Patrol Union Switch Its Position on the Wall?
The NBPC once opposed “wasting taxpayer money on building fences and walls along the border.”
Route Fifty
Federal Judge Rules Against Trump Administration's Citizenship Question on Census
State and local governments are among the groups that have objected to the Census asking about citizenship status.
Pay & Benefits
Shutdown Roundup: NASA Employees to Rally in Houston, Robocalls Increase and Super Bowl Ads Impacted
The government has been shut down for nearly a month.
Management
OMB's Shutdown Improvising Draws Fire from Budget and Legal Experts
Acting budget chief Vought has revived operations on tax refunds and food stamps.
Oversight
Play of the Day: The White House Is 'Freaking Out' About the Shutdown
The emoji chart for the administration is changing.
Route Fifty
Tens of Thousands of Teachers Strike in L.A. as Negotiations Stall
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | A handful of new governors are sworn in … N.Y.C. pursues illegal hotels in new lawsuit … and FBI raids Scranton City Hall, mayor’s house.
Route Fifty
Measuring Bike and Pedestrian Traffic to Make Better Roads
Once collected, this data could end up capturing patterns that planners hadn’t anticipate.
Route Fifty
Disputes Over State Taxes on Railroad Fuel Simmer Before Supreme Court
The court on Monday asked for the U.S. government to submit views on an Alabama case.
Nextgov
The Transportation Department is Funding Autonomous Drones
It also wants to research how self-driving vehicles can be manipulated to threaten the public.
Management
Senate Republicans Hatch Plan to Prevent Future Shutdowns
Legislation introduced by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and eight other Republicans would institute automatic continuing resolutions if Congress cannot pass spending bills on time.
Management
Cabinet Secretary Blasts Federal Union for Using Veterans as Shutdown 'Pawns'
Discussing veteran suicides in relation to the shutdown is "nothing short of disgraceful," department head says.
Pay & Benefits
Judge Consolidates Shutdown Lawsuits, Schedules Hearing This Week
Federal workers seek a restraining order that prevents agencies from forcing employees to work without pay.
Management