People
Senate confirms Josh Rudd to lead NSA and Cyber Command
The foreign eavesdropping agency and digital combatant command have not had a permanent leader in place for the past 11 months.
Cybersecurity
Russia-linked hackers appear on Iran war’s cyber front, but their impact is murky
Some experts question the significance of pro-Russia “hacktivist” groups.
Acquisition
GSA proposes sweeping changes to Multiple Award Schedule program, including new AI terms and conditions
Refresh 31 would make transactional data reporting mandatory and introduce new AI contract terms.
Acquisition
Anthropic sues over a dozen federal agencies and government leaders
The company asserts that the administration’s actions to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk and order its removal from all federal agencies are retaliatory and not based on risk to national security.
Ideas
From national AI policy to agency execution
COMMENTARY | AI dominance is not declared. It is operationalized, process by process, metric by metric, deployment by deployment.
Emerging Tech
The man who built the web wants to fix it
Addictive algorithms are a design choice, according to Tim Berners-Lee.
Digital Government
Much of the government’s technology isn’t accessible, internal report finds
Just over a third of the government’s most-viewed websites met legal requirements that they be accessible for people with disabilities.
Cybersecurity
Trump’s new cyber strategy details more offensive response to cyber threats
“Unlike other Administrations, the Trump Administration will not tinker at the edges and apply partial measures and ambiguous strategies that neglect the growing number and severity of cyber threats,” the strategy said.
Artificial Intelligence
Senators call on agencies to capture AI’s workforce impact
A bipartisan group of senators are asking the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau to update their national surveys to better understand artificial intelligence’s impacts in the culture and workforce.
Policy
Tech bills of the week: quantum computing research; AI workforce development; and more
Lawmakers introduced measures this week to criminalize AI-generated impersonation, modernize NOAA’s weather radio system and create a nationwide network of cloud-enabled laboratories.
Emerging Tech
Robotics ethicist calls for stronger US guardrails as automation accelerates
Automation is advancing while the rules are not, the research lead for robotics, ethics and society at the Robotics and AI Institute warned.
People
Mullin’s appointment to lead DHS raises questions about future of CISA
Following months of turmoil, Kristi Noem’s exit leaves uncertainty around DHS’s cyber mission, after CISA faced hefty workforce cuts and still contends with a leadership vacuum.
Policy
Lawmakers raise questions about security of health data shared with AI tools
“I do think there's some consumer safeguards that should be implemented,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said about the way AI firms may apply users’ healthcare data.
Acquisition
Private sector, former military leaders urge Congress intervene in Pentagon-Anthropic dispute
Over 30 former military officers and individuals working in tech sent a letter to congressional leadership expressing concern over the Pentagon-Anthropic dispute and asking for lawmakers to take action to reign in executive power and set AI guardrails.
Cybersecurity
FBI is probing ‘suspicious’ breach into bureau networks
Initial reporting tied the incident to the FBI’s wiretap systems, which are used to lawfully surveil suspected criminals and spies.
People
DOD names James “Aaron” Bishop to serve as CISO
Bishop previously served as CISO for the Air Force and as the CISO and VP at Science Applications International Corporation before that.
People
NIST director nominee commits to support AI standards-setting, manufacturing
Arvind Raman told lawmakers that it is “vitally important” that the U.S. lead in global standards-setting so that the country’s values are entrenched in AI development.
Updated
People
Trump to fire DHS Secretary Noem, selects Mullin as successor
The controversial Homeland Security leader will end her tenure amid a budget shutdown of her agency and following bipartisan criticism in both houses of Congress.
Acquisition
SBA boots 628 more companies from 8(a) program
Total termination actions now represent 18% of the small business contracting program as the Trump administration's crackdown continues.
Artificial Intelligence