Digital Government

Lawmakers want DOJ to create national human trafficking database

A new bipartisan House bill would incentivize law enforcement agencies to provide county-specific data on cases of human trafficking.

Acquisition

DOD plans $1.4B sole source extension for Leidos on health care record

MHS Genesis needs about three years to move to the cloud before a sustainment contract for the Defense Department's massive health record system can be put out for bid, officials said.

People

Trump says he’ll move thousands of federal workers out of Washington. Here’s what happened the first time he tried

The Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters moved from the capital to Colorado in 2020, causing an exodus of leadership. If elected, Trump plans to use the same tactic across more of the federal government.

Exclusive Digital Government

USDA inches ahead in plan to secure EBT cards from skimming

The U.S. Agriculture Department doesn’t have a timeline for fully moving food assistance accounts to industry-standard chip cards, however, leaving beneficiaries vulnerable to digital theft.

Cybersecurity

Cyber research warns of synthetic content targeting the election

A Russia-affiliated group’s actions, including sophisticated impersonation and spam campaigns, are likely to continue ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Cybersecurity

Adversaries will aim to ‘stoke societal unrest’ after Election Day, officials warn

Such efforts are intensifying, said an intelligence community official who confirmed that Russia was behind recent false claims about Tim Walz.

Artificial Intelligence

VA’s head of AI sees his role as a ‘bridge’ to future use

Meet the Department of Veterans Affairs CAIO Charles Worthington. He envisions a future where AI components are built into standard technology and software.

Artificial Intelligence

The AI journey at State

Matthew Graviss, the State Department’s chief data and artificial intelligence officer, talks about how the agency is delivering artificial intelligence tools to its global workforce.

Modernization

SSA taps TMF to upgrade online services

The General Services Administration announced $50 million in new investments Tuesday, covering tech upgrades at the Social Security Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Emerging Tech

Salesforce launches new top secret cloud environment

The software company said it is the first provider to deliver a true commercial cloud that has received Top Secret accreditation with platform- and software-as-a-service capabilities for the intelligence community.

Ideas

Cyber meets warfare in real time

COMMENTARY: Why Hezbollah's exploding pagers signal a dangerous new era for global businesses.

Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory bring AI to quantum chemistry research

An updated version of Microsoft’s Azure Quantum Elements that combines artificial intelligence and chemistry-specific software tools will be available on Github.

People

Feds’ employee experience and engagement continued to climb in 2024, FEVS data finds

Federal employees’ view of their agency leaders, supervisors and work experience sustained their rebound from 2022, according to OPM’s annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

Defense

The Army’s dream of vastly simplified networking is starting to come true

Field commanders want even less gear to tend, but two divisions are showing how things are improving.

Artificial Intelligence

VA is updating its AI suicide risk model to reach more women

The department is looking to add military sexual trauma and intimate partner violence as risk factors for suicide in its predictive model for identifying veterans at high risk of self-harm.

Artificial Intelligence

AI tools helped Treasury recover billions in fraud and improper payments

Risk screening, check fraud detection and more have helped the government recover more than $4 billion, Treasury announced.

Artificial Intelligence

Labor Dept. outlines worker-centric approach to AI in new roadmap

The recommendations for both artificial intelligence software developers and deployers prioritize worker wellbeing and engagement.

People

NIST director to exit in January

Laurie Locascio will finish out the year in her current position at the National Institute of Standards and Technology before leaving to head a standards nonprofit.

Cybersecurity

FBI arrests man accused of hacking SEC’s X account in January

The hijacked account posted illegitimate news about a widely-anticipated Bitcoin announcement, leading the cryptocurrency to spike some $1,000.