Ideas

A Record Number of Women Will Serve in the 117th Congress, Including at Least 51 Women of Color

The freshman class in the House of Representatives will include at least 26 women serving their first term.

Podcasts

Critical Update: The Government’s Cloud Anxiety 

As more federal agencies shift to cloud computing, officials are reexamining the responsibilities customers and service providers must bear to secure data.

Digital Government

Acting Federal CIO Has Been in the Job for Months, OMB Confirms

Even some federal IT officials who work closely with the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer weren’t aware that Michael Rigas has been serving as acting Federal CIO for months.

Ideas

5 Ways to Improve Emergency Preparedness for Next Time

A permanent team that is focused solely on national preparation and ensuring that the relevant federal agencies are all on the same page should coordinate all five of these components.

Cybersecurity

Zoom Settles with FTC On False Claims About End-to-end Encryption

Dissent to the agreement shows how the Federal Trade Commission could change under the incoming administration. 

Emerging Tech

Advisory Committee Recommends DHS Perform Better Outreach Regarding Biometrics Programs

The Homeland Security Advisory Council also said its request to review a controversial biometrics rule was never fulfilled.

Cybersecurity

Myths About Vote Tampering Could Persist For Years, Say Experts

The huge follower counts of dedicated misinformers appear to outweigh efforts by journalists, government officials, and the social media platforms themselves.

Digital Government

Coronavirus Cases Are Spiking at Federal Agencies

More than 100,000 federal personnel have now tested positive for COVID-19, with some agencies experiencing acute upticks.

Policy

Federal Government Runs Deficit for 13th Consecutive Month

The federal government continues to run monthly budget deficits in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Cybersecurity

Transportation IG to Examine Security of Financial Systems Dispersing CARES Act Funds

A new audit will hone in on the security controls of systems being used at the Federal Transportation Department. 

Cybersecurity

Tech Association Wants Biden Team to Focus on Public-Sector Supply Chain Security 

A Biden administration might require even more of private-sector entities than President Trump has on the issue. 

Policy

Biden’s Top Priorities Offer Few Clues for Technology Policies

Washington policy experts believe President-elect Joe Biden’s approach to big tech companies and regulation may differ from both the Trump and Obama administrations.

Artificial Intelligence

Top Tech Companies Begin Pushing Priorities for Biden Administration

Microsoft, IBM and other companies urged the president-elect to consider policies for boosting workforce development, solving the pandemic and addressing biometrics in surveillance.

Cybersecurity

IoT Security Bill Nears Passage as New Consortium Tackles Open 5G

Government officials are thinking about how the use of drones as part of the network infrastructure will affect security.

Digital Government

Rolling Back Trump Workforce Policies Won’t Be As Simple As Rescinding Executive Orders

President-elect Biden has vowed to rescind on his first day a series of Trump-era directives aimed at weakening federal labor unions and politicizing the civil service, but repairing the damage could take much longer.

Digital Government

Trump Fires Esper, Taps NCTC Director to be Acting SecDef

Christopher Miller becomes Trump's fourth acting defense secretary just 72 days before Inauguration Day.

Digital Government

GSA Holds the Key to When or If Biden Gets Access to Full Transition Resources

With President Trump’s campaign threatening lawsuits, it is unclear when GSA would grant access to full transition resources.