The House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations this week held a hearing titled Police Cameras at the Department of the Interior: Inconsistencies, Failures, and Consequences.

A Department of Justice (DOJ) press release dated September 30, 2020 announced the largest health care fraud and opioid enforcement action in Department of Justice history with the indictment of 345 defendants across 51 federal districts, including more than 100 doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals.

The National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum’s Destination Zero Officer Safety and Wellness Conference will take place on Tuesday, November 10, beginning at 11 am Eastern time. This free, virtual conference is open to all branches of law enforcement.

An NCIS investigations specialist filed suit, alleging that NCIS erroneously classified him as exempt from overtime pay, and for years denied him overtime compensation and premium pay in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). On September 24, 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Court of Federal Claims’ decision, after a trial, to deny liquidated damages, despite finding that NCIS was liable for incorrectly classifying the position as FLSA-exempt.

Last week, FEDtalk host James Heelan spoke to Dr. Jim Green, NASA Chief Scientist; Dr. Elizabeth Frank, Applied Planetary Scientist at First Mode; and Dr. Amy Fagan, Chair of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, to discuss the Artemis Program at NASA which strives to send humans back to the moon and then to Mars.

Learn what happens at one of the largest federal agencies, which is dedicated to keeping citizens safe.

On the night of September 22, 2020, nine days before the government was due to shut down, the House passed a stopgap funding measure through December 11, 2020. Members of the House passed the funding measure in a 359 to 57 vote. The bill includes an important measure prioritized by Republicans: $30 billion in farm aid.

A September 2020 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) rounded up mission critical IT modernization projects at various federal agencies. The report was created based on Congressional interest in how high-risk IT projects were faring during their implementation. The report, GAO says, is an effort to "identify essential mission- IT acquisitions across the federal government and determine their key attributes."

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) press release announced the conclusion of Operation DisrupTor, a coordinated multinational effort to combat opioid distribution on the Darknet. This operation was conducted in the United States and Europe.

Where an agency relies, directly or indirectly, on the results of a psychological assessment in justifying an employee’s removal, the agency must provide the employee with a meaningful opportunity to review and challenge the evidence underlying the assessment, the Federal Circuit recently held.

Justice Ginsburg led an inspiring life. She was a crusader for women’s rights and a champion of civil rights. Watch this tribute to her major accomplishments.

The Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) recently published a white paper that addresses the need for growing a strong federal cyber workforce by presenting a strategy to invest in that development.

In a recently released study entitled What It Looks Like vs. What It Is: Building Competent Diversity in National Security, Guidehouse and #NatSecGirlSquad describe the potential for diversity in national security and delve into why women are often underrepresented in national security roles.

A Department of Justice press release on September 17, 2020 announced an indictment alleging that three hackers from Iran engaged in a coordinated campaign of identity theft and hacking on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization, to steal information related to U.S. aerospace and satellite technology and resources.

Learn how to defend yourself when attacked with this easy to follow video that gives you the survival skills you need!

Recently, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit declined to extend Bivens to violations of the Fourth Amendment for excessive force and unreasonable seizure brought against Department of Veterans Affairs police officers.

Last week’s FEDtalk podcast brought together Sanjay Koyani, Executive Director for Innovation at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Shane Canfield, CEO of Worldwide Assurance for Employees of Public Agencies (WAEPA), to discuss evolving trends in customer experience within the healthcare and insurance industries with FEDtalk hosts Jason Briefel and James Heelan of Shaw Bransford & Roth.

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf gave the annual 2020 State of the Homeland address this week. Wolf covered issues including COVID-19, law enforcement, immigration, terrorism, and the upcoming election.

Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia recently granted an injunction preventing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from making asylum determinations based on “credible fear interviews.”

According to a DOJ press release from September 3, 2020, an international conspiracy profiting from the illegal trade of drugs and wildlife has been shut down in a multi-agency law enforcement operation.