Quick Hits

*** Lynne Patton, a former Trump administration political appointee at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, was hit with a $1,000 fine and a four-year ban on federal service as the outcome of a settlement agreement over Hatch Act violations with the Office of Special Counsel. Patton used videos made of residents at a New York City Housing Authority in support of Trump's 2020 candidacy at the Republican National Convention.

*** The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will resume the practice of holding open worldwide threat hearings featuring the testimony of the heads of the CIA, FBI, NSA and other intelligence community agencies. The next such hearing is scheduled for April 14.

*** The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded five companies positions on a 10-year, $2 billion contract for broad software development and systems integration services. Read more on this story in Washington Technology.