People
Thousands join class actions as fired feds weigh options to challenge Trump's moves
Former federal probationary employees are hopeful they can prove their dismissals were not actually performance based, as their agencies claim.
People
Trump to nominate John Eisenberg to head Justice’s national security division
During his time as a legal advisor in the first Trump administration, Eisenberg reportedly ordered a 2019 call with the Ukrainian president to be secured on a classified server, turning it into the central evidence in Trump’s first impeachment inquiry.
Emerging Tech
Microsoft debuts new superconductor chip designed for quantum computing
The newly termed “topoconductor,” Majorana 1, is designed to support large qubit data processing for a future quantum computer.
Defense
Katie Arrington announces she is DOD’s new CISO
Arrington, who was once accused of disclosing classified data, was a major proponent of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program used for DOD contractors.
Digital Government
Longtime GSA employee quits rather than give Musk ally access to Notify.gov
The leader of the Technology Transformation Services at GSA wanted access to a text messaging platform for government agencies.
People
Federal workers decry recent firings in Presidents’ Day protest
“All I ask is that [the White House] follow f****** federal employment laws,” said one Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee.
Digital Government
168 employees fired at National Science Foundation
“Panch has been conveniently absent throughout this whole time,” said an internal email an NSF worker sent to fellow colleagues, referring to Sethuraman Panchanathan, NSF’s director.
People
Dozens of employees at U.S. DOGE Service dismissed
Personnel from Elon Musk's efficiency service were the latest to be dismissed.
Cybersecurity
Lawmaker looks to strengthen security of U.S. communications following UK’s Apple backdoor order
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released a discussion draft of a measure to reform the CLOUD Act after the UK ordered Apple to build a backdoor into encrypted iCloud backups.
Digital Government
GSA tech modernization office pauses government-wide cloud collaboration groups
The communities of practice are designed to help feds learn more about technology and cybersecurity topics involving the cloud computing space. At least 100 GSA employees have been let go in recent days.
Modernization
Employees helming the U.S. nuclear stockpile among those terminated
Probational employees at Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration were fired on Thursday as concerns over DOGE access to sensitive information mounts.
Acquisition
StateRAMP to rebrand later this year
The voluntary program will be rebranded as “GovRAMP” to better reflect that its offerings can be used by local governments, educational institutions and others, the organization’s executive director told Route Fifty.
Artificial Intelligence
How can agencies safely use new Chinese-made DeepSeek AI?
One of the most noteworthy things about DeepSeek is that it uses a reasoning model where users can watch as the AI thinks out loud.
Digital Government
Trump administration directs agencies to fire recent hires en masse
Thousands of employees were already let go as of Thursday, a number that is expected to skyrocket in the coming days.
Exclusive
People
OPM fires its own probationary-period staff
Employees’ physical and IT system access was deactivated at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday. On-site staff were also asked to quickly exit the Office of Personnel Management’s premises.
Cybersecurity
Lawmakers ask DNI to reassess UK cyber, intel ties over Apple backdoor mandate
The court order issued by the United Kingdom centers on the UK’s 2016 Investigatory Powers Act, which was reportedly invoked to demand Apple provide a backdoor into users’ encrypted iCloud backups.
Artificial Intelligence
GOP lawmakers seek industry input on crafting US-first AI regulatory regime
Republican lawmakers used a House hearing to seek input from industry representatives for how lawmakers can craft policies that enable manufacturers to successfully leverage AI.
Cybersecurity
FBI notified over 4,300 victims of ‘pig butchering’ crypto scams in past year
After victims are tricked into buying crypto, they are shown fake online accounts with fictitious returns while the stolen funds are moved offshore, an FBI official said.
Emerging Tech