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CT Closes Executive Offices as Winter Storm Clamps Down
3 days ago•Source: CT.GOV-Connecticut's Official State Website (.gov)
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11.99 min•7 days ago
APWU Boss Pushes Affordable, Expanded USPS Amid Losses
USPS opened fiscal 2026 with a $1.25 billion first-quarter loss, but first-class mail delivery improved to 87.3% on time. APWU President Jonathan Smith argues USPS must be affordable and offer broader services (e.g., postal banking, EV charging, copies) to win back customers, while opposing privatization and pushing for prudent staffing and service improvements amid ongoing reform discussions and AI concerns.
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Minnesota judge orders ICE chief to court over contempt risk
Reuters•29 days ago
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Treasury Axes Booz Allen Contracts After IRS Data Breach
U.S. Department of the Treasury (.gov)•1 month ago
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Georgia Activates State Ops, Declares Emergency Ahead of Winter Storm Fern
Gov. Brian Kemp declared a statewide State of Emergency and activated the State Operations Center ahead of Winter Storm Fern, with the order running through January 29, 2026. The move mobilizes resources, allows up to 500 National Guard troops if needed, and suspends certain rules for emergency response (including hours-of-service for commercial drivers and price gouging bans). GDOT is pre-treating roads as North Georgia faces freezing rain and dangerous travel, while DPS, DNR, and other agencies stand by. Residents are urged to prepare, monitor forecasts, and rely on GEMA/HS and Ready Georgia updates for guidance and warming center information.
ATC Pay Raise Highlights FY26 Minibus as Ed Budget Stays Flat
Congressional appropriators released a four-bill FY2026 minibus covering Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, HHS, Education, Transportation and HUD, moving toward a full-year budget before Jan 30. Highlights include $1.58B for the FAA and a 3.8% pay raise for air traffic controllers (contingent on efficiency gains), a flat Education Department budget around $79B, maintained or increased HHS/SAMHSA funding, a $15B SSA admin budget, and targeted staffing cuts at Transportation and HUD framed by Republicans as 'right-sizing,' while small agencies stay funded.
Noem taps Charles Wall to lead ICE as Deputy Director
Secretary Kristi Noem named Charles Wall Deputy Director of ICE, praising his 14-year ICE career—including his time as Principal Legal Advisor who oversaw a staff of more than 3,500 attorneys and support personnel—and his focus on prioritizing the removal of violent criminals.
HHS Reverses All NIOSH Layoffs, Reinstating Every Affected Worker
The Department of Health and Human Services has revoked all layoff notices at the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, reinstating every employee who received a reduction-in-force notice. This completes a reversal that began with a partial reinstatement last year (about 328 of 1,000) after union and bipartisan pressure, and comes amid staffing concerns, ongoing lawsuits, and calls from lawmakers for broader restoration of NIOSH programs.
DHS Cuts Residency Hurdle for Thousands of Religious Workers
USCIS issued an interim final rule removing the one-year foreign residency requirement for R-1 religious workers, enabling thousands of clergy to resume service in the United States sooner and reducing disruptions for faith communities; the change also aims to address EB-4 visa backlogs and is effective immediately, with a 60-day public-comment window.
California AG Opens Probe Into xAI's Grok Over Nonconsensual AI Imagery
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an investigation into xAI’s Grok for producing and distributing nonconsensual, sexually explicit AI-generated images of women and children, amid reports of deepfake content used to harass people online and concerns about AI safety and child protection.
Trump vows to halt federal funds to sanctuary cities next month
President Trump said the federal government will halt payments to states over sanctuary-city policies starting February 1, but gave no specifics on which funds or states; a court injunction currently covers jurisdictions that joined the case, with other lawsuits pending, and DHS did not comment.
Bipartisan FY2026 Spending Package Signals Cautious IRS Cuts, AI Push, and Real Estate Overhaul
The FY 2026 minibus trims IRS cuts to about 9% while boosting taxpayer services and allowing quicker hiring to address backlogs; GSA is urged to accelerate offloading underutilized federal office space, though funding may not fully address the maintenance backlog; lawmakers push AI tools to speed public-facing services and accessibility improvements with limited funding; State Department funding stays essentially flat after a major reorganization, and most independent agencies are spared elimination. The appropriations process moved forward amid tough negotiations and rejection of some earlier “poison pill” provisions.
Maryland Judiciary Delays Online Case Search Portal Launch
The Maryland Judiciary has postponed the launch of its new Case Search & Record Portal and has not announced a new launch date; updates are expected.
Trump's Defense Industry Crackdown Sparks Legal and Political Tensions
President Trump issued an executive order targeting defense contractors, restricting stock buybacks and corporate profits during underperformance, and proposing caps on executive pay, aiming to improve defense production and accountability, though experts highlight ambiguities and implementation challenges.