People
MSPB inches closer to addressing massive backlog
A Senate panel advanced three nominees to serve on the Merit Systems Protection Board, a step towards ending the board's longest-ever period without a quorum.
Cybersecurity
Microsoft Says Russia Tried to Hack Three 2018 U.S. Midterm Candidates
The hackers targeted the candidates’ staffers with phishing tactics.
Cybersecurity
White House Appoints Federal Chief Information Security Officer
Grant Schneider will be the second person to fill the position.
Digital Government
Acquisition Professionals Place Little Importance on Innovation, Survey Finds
Respondents found some recurring challenges were offset by an improvement in acquisition talent.
Policy
Software Companies Push Senate to Weaken Lowest Price Contracting Rule
Making agencies prioritize the lowest price is leading to poor contracting choices, a software trade group says.
Cybersecurity
Grant Schneider named federal CISO
A year and a half into the Trump administration, Schneider can remove the “acting” label from his job title.
Cybersecurity
Government’s Cyber Monitoring Program Would Become Law Under House Bill
The bill also aims to prevent agencies from getting stuck with outdated technology.
Artificial Intelligence
IBM Extends Watson Partnership With VA to Support Veterans With Cancer
Watson will keep using AI to spot patterns in patient DNA.
Digital Government
States to Feds: Enough With the Red Tape Already
Although companies and public sector organizations bemoan the time spent complying with federal rules, there are opportunities to improve the process, officials said.
Ideas
Forward-Thinking Strategies Can Secure the Power Grid
Owners and operators of our power systems need better ways of knowing what assets they have in their production environments, which have computing capability, and which connect to the internet.
Digital Government
House zeroes out $380M in voting security funding
A House-passed appropriations bill eliminates $380 million in grants to states to support election security, despite efforts by some Democrats to maintain the funding.
Cybersecurity
New CDM bill aims for flexibility, newer tech
Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) introduced legislation designed to give the Department of Homeland Security more flexibility to implement and share a key cybersecurity program with partner agencies.
Emerging Tech
DARPA Plans Bugbot ‘Olympics’ to Foster Breakthrough in Tiny Machines
Redesigning tiny motors and limbs could make microbots a reality.
Acquisition
NBIB pilot looks to contractor data to speed clearances
A planned National Background Investigative Bureau pilot program taps contractor hiring data to speed clearance checks.
Acquisition
Acquisition pros report optimism despite budget uncertainty
A survey of federal acquisition specialists from the Professional Services Council found positive views of the workforce and communication efforts.
Digital Government
Europe’s Smack to Google May Only Be the Beginning
The European Commission’s record-breaking fines for Google foreshadow a larger regulatory invasion of the U.S. technology industry.
Acquisition
Why Congress should embrace market research for DOD
A provision in the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act would bring significant benefits to DOD IT acquisition.
Cybersecurity
A new role for government in ID proofing
A new trade group, the Better Identity Coalition, wants government to assume a stronger role in validating online identity.
Artificial Intelligence
Google DeepMind Researchers Join Pledge Not to Work in Lethal AI
Thousands of AI researchers sign letter forgoing work on autonomous weapons.
Digital Government