NDAA backs State Dept efforts to build up workforce, modernize diplomatic mission

Congress is backing many of the State Department’s plans to modernize its workforce and bring its diplomatic corps into the 21st century in the latest defense policy bill. The fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act lawmakers passed this week directs the department to keep the House and Senate up to date on its plans to stand up its Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, as well as provide updates on its hiring efforts. The NDAA specifically requires the department to inform lawmakers how well it’s meeting its long-term goal of…

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‘She Made an Idiot Out of Me’

When Kyrsten Sinema campaigned for the Senate as “an independent voice for Arizona,” her volunteers didn’t take that literally. Perhaps they heard what they wanted to hear. Ana Doan, a retired teacher, thought Sinema would bring fresh energy to Washington as Arizona’s first openly LGBTQ senator. Devina Alvarado, a young Costco forklift driver, thought Sinema would defend women’s rights from Donald Trump. Michael (identified by his middle name to avoid retaliation) admired that Sinema had made it out of poverty after experiencing homelessness as a child, as he did. Each…

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DOJ Charges 2 More Pro-Life Women With FACE Act Violations

The Justice Department announced Friday it is charging two more pro-life women with violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Bevelyn Beatty Williams, 31, and Edmee Chavannes, 41, are accused of trying to stop abortions from taking place, thereby violating the FACE Act in what the DOJ described as “a multi-year campaign to interfere with individuals seeking to obtain and provide lawful reproductive health services in New York and in several other states.” In one instance, according to FBI Assistant Director in Charge of the New…

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Sec. Buttigieg insists use of private planes more efficient, saves money, for some DOT travel

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has reportedly taken at least 18 flights on taxpayer-funded private planes since taking office despite his push to curb carbon emissions and criticism of his predecessors for using private travel. The Washington Times stories: White House

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Defense authorization bill comes in for a landing

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. It will have things to love and hate, but it looks like the National Defense Authorization Bill will make it to passage in the remainder of the 117th Congress. But what about Friday’s government funding deadline? The Federal Drive with Tom Temin gets the latest from Loren Duggan, Bloomberg Government deputy news director. Interview transcript: Tom Temin: There seemed to be last minute progress last week in the House side on NDAA. And…

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The Obvious Answer to Homelessness

When someone becomes homeless, the instinct is to ask what tragedy befell them. What bad choices did they make with drugs or alcohol? What prevented them from getting a higher-paying job? Why did they have more children than they could afford? Why didn’t they make rent? Identifying personal failures or specific tragedies helps those of us who have homes feel less precarious—if homelessness is about personal failure, it’s easier to dismiss as something that couldn’t happen to us, and harsh treatment is easier to rationalize toward those who experience it.…

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