Friday federal headlines – May 23, 2014

The Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp discuss throughout the show each day. The Newsc...

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air.

  • The House has approved a bill to curb one of the National Security Agency’s most controversial surveillance programs. The vote was 306 to 117. The measure would end the NSA’s practice of storing metadata on Americans’ phone calls. Instead, phone companies would keep the records for 18 months and the NSA would need a court order to search them. The White House supports the bill, but it does not include the recommendations to put a public advocate in the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Courts. That has disappointed critics of the NSA. (Associated Press)
  • Dave Tillotson will assume the role of assistant deputy chief management officer for the Defense Department on Tuesday. That position has been vacant since Dave Wennergren retired in August. Tillotson will also serve as the department’s acting deputy chief management officer. Tillotson is currently serving as the Air Force’s deputy chief management officer and director for business transformation. Interim DCMO Kevin Scheid will resume his duties as a senior advisor to the undersecretary of defense for intelligence. (Federal News Radio)
  • FBI interrogations are entering the digital era. Agents with the Bureau and other Justice Department agencies will begin recording interviews with crime suspects. The policy marks a departure from current practice. Agents typically interview suspects, take notes and write reports summarizing the conversations. But that is not precise enough, according to defense attorneys and civil rights advocates. The new policy would not apply to interviews in which the information could jeopardize national security. (Associated Press)
  • Three big agencies receive White House exemption from having to issue cybersecurity regulations. Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency will get a bye, according to a blog post by White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel. A February presidential order called on agencies to determine whether they need to regulate cybersecurity practices for the industries they oversee. Daniel said the White House concluded that existing regulations plus voluntary cooperation are enough. (White House)
  • Federal retirees who want to get back in the saddle get a lift, courtesy of House version of the defense authorization bill. The bill passed yesterday. An amendment would extend re-hiring flexibilities set to expire in October. The amendment was added by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). It lets agencies re-hire retirees without approval from the Office of Personnel Management. And it protects the retirees from having their annuities offset by what they earn when they return to service. (Federal News Radio)
  • The government has concluded that secrecy surrounding drone operations has increased support for Al Queda in shaky countries like Yemen. The Wall Street Journal reports, a transparency plan will be presented to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel within a few days. If he likes the idea, he’ll pass it on to the White House National Security Council. Some in the White House worry that greater transparency might restrict overseas operations. And it would move responsibility for the drone strike program from the CIA to the Defense Department. (The Wall Street Journal)

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