We dissect the final buy-American guidance out from the White House

When Congress passed the so-called Bipartisan Infrastructure law two years ago, it also strengthened buy-American requirements for construction projects. Now the final guidance is out from the White House on the BABA part of the law, Build American, Buy American. For analysis, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin  with Haynes Boone procurement attorney Dan Ramish. Interview Transcript:   Dan Ramish So, Tom, the final guidance. There was hope that it would clarify some of the points that came up in the proposed guidance, which was issued back in February. But I think…

Read More...

The Israeli Crisis Is Testing Biden’s Core Foreign-Policy Claim

President Joe Biden’s core foreign-policy argument has been that his steady engagement with international allies can produce better results for America than the impulsive unilateralism of his predecessor Donald Trump. The eruption of violence in Israel is testing that proposition under the most difficult circumstances. The initial reactions of Biden and Trump to the attack have produced exactly the kind of personal contrast Biden supporters want to project. On Tuesday, Biden delivered a powerful speech that was impassioned but measured in denouncing the Hamas terror attacks and declaring unshakable U.S.…

Read More...

Slavery Poisons Solar Industry’s Supply Chains

Behind those harmless-looking solar panels harnessing the sun’s power lies a disturbing secret: Roughly 80% of solar components are manufactured in China using slave labor. Not only have the buyers of solar panels been indirectly funding companies that use slave labor, but American taxpayers also have subsidized almost $ 37 billion in purchases between 2016 and 2022. Globally, even international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union have begun to voice concerns about forced labor being used in China. The U.S. Department of Labor has created a 116-page report on goods that have been tainted with forced labor, and the State Department has…

Read More...

LeVar Burton & MoveOn Drop “Read Banned Books” Exclusive Shirt for National Banned Book Week

Proceeds from the shirt, as worn by LeVar Burton, Ariana DeBose, Margaret Atwood, Maia Kobabe, W. Kamau Bell, Josh Malina, and Ann Patchett , Adina Porter, Baratunde Thurston, available at LeVarSaysRead.com will fund ongoing efforts to distribute free banned books and fight censorship. Washington, D.C. – Today MoveOn Political Action and LeVar Burton announced the release of a new original T-shirt for sale in support of their collaboration fighting book bans at the start of National Banned Book Week. The limited-edition Read Banned Books shirt features the likeness of the lifetime literacy champion LeVar Burton and is for sale here. The shirt will fund MoveOn’s Banned Bookmobile and…

Read More...

Hamas attack on Israel thrusts Biden into Mideast crisis and has him fending off GOP criticism

The deadly Hamas militant attack on Israel and the massive retaliation it provoked from Jerusalem have thrust President Joe Biden into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment. The Washington Times stories: White House

Read More...

Why some CIOs say it’s time to rethink governmentwide cyber metrics

One of the biggest complaints about the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act scorecard is how it measures cybersecurity progress. The challenge is there are too many cyber metrics so a “C” grade on the scorecard doesn’t necessarily translate into progress made against other governmentwide metrics say under the President’s Management Agenda. Andre Mendes, the chief information officer at the Department of Commerce, was one of several technology leaders who explained to Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and the Government Accountability Office why they believe a re-calibration of cyber metrics is important…

Read More...