Monday - Friday, 6-10 a.m.

Hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp bring you the latest news affecting the federal community each weekday morning. Be up-to-date before you step in the office.

Brennan defends drone strikes, even on Americans

CIA nominee Brennan defends drone strikes, says he doesn't know if waterboarding is effective

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Panetta says US at risk of being second-rate power

Defense secretary warns military readiness crisis coming if automatic budget cuts are allowed

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IRS budget woes, shrinking staff threaten to derail agency

As the Internal Revenue Service prepares to enter tax season full-bore, the agency is faced with a tightened budget, a shrinking workforce and an ever-more complex and increasing workload. That combination, along with leadership changes at the top of agency, threatens to upend the gains IRS has made over the past few years to better manage its workforce, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, an agency watchdog.

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Obama picks outdoor retail exec to lead Interior

Obama nominates REI executive Sally Jewell to lead Interior Department

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Senate panel postpones vote on Hagel nomination

Senate panel postpones vote on Hagel nomination amid Republican calls for more information

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Federal Drive Interviews -- Feb. 7, 2013

John Wagner of CBP talks about his agency's new customer service kiosk. Allyson Robinson of OutServe-SLDN discusses legal hurdles facing gay service members seeking equal treatment. Gary Barlet of USPS' Inspector General Office talks about smartphones and tablets. Greg Juneman of IFPTE discusses the impact of potential furloughs on members of his union. Former NASA CIO Molly O'Neill discusses Fed-RAMP security testing.

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Thursday morning federal headlines - Feb. 7, 2013

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. In today's news, workforce problems at the IRS are raising red flags and a House bill would extend a veterans education benefit.

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Goodbye Saturday mail? Postal Service plans cuts

Financially strapped Postal Service plans to cut Saturday mail, but continue package delivery

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Postal Service's IG's office proclaims 2013 as year of mobile

Gary Barlet, the OIG's chief information officer, is taking a three-pronged approach to helping employees access data from anywhere, at anytime. The steps include virtualization, a BYOD strategy and cloud services.
February 7, 2013

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Pentagon to pare back military pay increase request for 2014

DoD's 2014 budget will ask Congress for a 1 percent increase in military pay, down slightly from previous projections.

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USPS employees to see less overtime, more buyouts under 5-day delivery plan

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the service can no longer afford to delivery first class mail six-days a week. He said cutting back by one day a week would save about $2 billion a year. USPS still would have a $14 billion deficit and needs help from Congress to address other fiscal challenges.

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Brennan's CIA bid chance to strike back at critics

Brennan's second bid to lead CIA offers a chance to strike back at critics and defend drones

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E-government bolsters satisfaction with federal services

For the second year in a row, the number of citizens who report being satisfied with government services rose, according to a new report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The higher governmentwide score was driven in large part by the increasing satisfaction with government websites, which rounded out the year at near all-time highs.

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GOP sequestration plan calls for reducing federal workforce

Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have proposed an alternative to the automatic budget cuts set to go into effect next month that includes reducing the size of the federal workforce by 10 percent through attrition.

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DoD, VA accelerate schedule for integrated health record

The two departments are looking for "quick wins" in their integrated health-record strategy, aiming to bring the most important capabilities online three years early.

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AP sources: Pentagon extending benefits for gays

AP sources: Pentagon to extend some benefits to same-sex partners of military members

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Letter carriers union denounces move to five-day mail delivery

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Federal Drive Interviews -- Feb. 6, 2013

Forrest Morgeson, director of research at the American Customer Satisfaction Index, has some good news for some agencies. Agriculture Department official Kevin Concannon says USDA is claiming victory in its battle against fraud. Jordy Yager of The Hill newspaper explains why some on Capitol Hill are talking about Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) Tom Day, USPS' chief sustainability officer, shares news of the Postal Service's successful conservation efforts.

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Wednesday morning federal headlines - Feb. 6, 2013

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. In today's news, a House committee holds a bipartisan retreat.

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Homeland Security secretary touts border safety

Napolitano says call for border safety before immigration reform is flawed argument

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