Federal Eye - August 8, 2010

FEMA's Craig Fugate on Twitter and preparedness (Video)

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate spoke Thursday with John Solomon for his In Case of Emergency Blog after a brief speech to the Red Cross Emergency Data Summit.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 13, 2010; 1:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Agencies and Departments
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John Pistole talks new role as TSA chief

John Pistole. Good name for a lawman. Conjures up images of Wyatt Earp and Matt Dillon.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 13, 2010; 12:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Administration, Agencies and Departments
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Findings of USDA Sherrod probe expected soon

Agriculture Department lawyers are expected to brief Secretary Tom Vilsack next week on their preliminary review of the actions surrounding Shirley Sherrod's resignation, according to department officials.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 13, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues
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'Don't ask, don't tell' surveys due Sunday

About 103,000 service members have completed a survey about repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, the Pentagon said.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 13, 2010; 9:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Military
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Send smokes again to the troops starting Aug. 27

Military service members serving overseas once again will be able to start receiving care packages with cigarettes and other tobacco products later this month.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 13, 2010; 6:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Eye Opener, Military
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War crimes trial to decide fate of youngest detainee at Guantanamo

The first war crimes trial of the Obama administration, which began Thursday with brief opening arguments, will force a panel of seven military jurors, four male and three female officers, to confront two fundamental questions in the coming weeks of testimony.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 12, 2010; 3:41 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Military
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NTSB at scene of Stevens plane crash (Video)

The NTSB says investigators arrived Wednesday at the scene of the Ted Stevens plane crash to examine the wreckage. She said her teams wanted to interview the four survivors but couldn't because of their medical conditions.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 12, 2010; 3:23 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Agencies and Departments
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Air Force Lt. Col. sues to block 'don't ask' discharge

One of the highest-ranking military officers investigated for violating the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy filed suit on Wednesday in an effort to block the Air Force from discharging him.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 12, 2010; 6:10 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Eye Opener, Military, Oversight
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Of 2,000 civil liberties complaints, Justice Dept. investigates one

Nearly 2,000 civil liberties complaints were filed against Justice Department officials and employees in the first six months of 2010, but only one was deemed worthy of further investigation by the department’s inspector general, a report released Tuesday said.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 11, 2010; 2:19 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Agencies and Departments
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The status of Senate-confirmed positions

The Obama administration is not done filling the government's top appointed positions.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 11, 2010; 1:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Administration, Revolving Door
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National Park Service goes back to college

Like a good manager, Jill Hawk could see staffing problems looming.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 11, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues
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Remembering the Lenny Skutniks of yore

Remember Lenny Skutnik?

By Ed O'Keefe | August 11, 2010; 10:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Administration
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White House science guy clears hurdles... literally

Kei Koizumi faces plenty of hurdles at the office, dealing with budgetary and policy issues in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. And last weekend he won a gold medal for clearing some others — literally.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 11, 2010; 6:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Workplace Issues
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Who is Sean O'Keefe?

Though most of the coverage of today's Alaska plane crash is focused on former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), many in Washington and the corporate and academic worlds are familiar with Sean O'Keefe (no relation to Ed).

By Ed O'Keefe and Emma Brown | August 10, 2010; 3:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Miscellaneous
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Drama drama drama on the House Oversight staff

Democratic staffers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee seem to be spending more time on infighting instead of monitoring government operations, according to a new report by the Huffington Post.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 10, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Congress
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New radio ad tout federal workers

The nation's largest federal worker union is taking to the airwaves to defend rank and file federal workers against growing anti-government sentiments.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 10, 2010; 10:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Workplace Issues
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Senator Collins says no way to postage rate hike

The senator who coauthored the law allowing the U.S. Postal Service to make a rate increase request told the Postal Regulatory Commission on Monday that it would be illegal to approve the increase.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 10, 2010; 9:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Agencies and Departments, Congress
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2010 Census was $1.6 billion under budget

The U.S. Census Bureau plans to give at least $1.6 billion back to the government because the 2010 Census came in under budget, officials are set to announce Tuesday.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 10, 2010; 6:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Census, Eye Opener
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Gates: Pentagon to cut thousands of jobs

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that the Pentagon will cut thousands of jobs -- including nearly a third of its regular budget for contractors and an entire military command based in Norfolk -- as part of an ongoing effort to streamline its operations and stave off political pressure to slash defense spending in the years ahead.

By Ed O'Keefe | August 9, 2010; 5:37 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Military
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Federal Eye: August 8, 2010 - August 14, 2010