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.

Army suicides for 2012 surpass last year's numbers

Ten months into 2012, the number of suspected suicides by active-duty soldiers has surpassed last year's total, even as the Pentagon struggles to stem the persistent problem.

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Panetta orders ethics training review for officers

Citing a string of ethical lapses by senior military officers, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff to review ethics training and to brainstorm on ways to steer officers away from trouble. The move is a reflection of the depth of concern triggered by a series of misconduct cases in a military that prides itself on integrity and honor but has suffered an unusual number of stumbles after a decade of war.

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Air Force report falls short in fighting sexual assaults, victim advocate says

Jennifer Norris, a victim advocate at the Military Rape Crisis Center in Maine, said the Air Force report released Wednesday investigating the widespread scandal at Lackland Air Base made recommendations but didn't address the military culture that allowed the sexual assaults to occur.

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GOP senator outlines $68 billion in defense cuts

Defense spending could be slashed by $68 billion over 10 years if the military stopped spending millions on running grocery stores, operating its own schools and even developing a roll-up version of beef jerky, insists one of the Senate's leading fiscal conservatives. In a new report, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn dubs the Pentagon the "Department of Everything."

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Thursday morning federal headlines - Nov. 15, 2012

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. Today's news includes the FDA commissioner hearing criticism from lawmakers and the IRS warning congressional leaders about the impact the fiscal-cliff limbo is having on its preparations for the next tax season.

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Federal Drive interviews - Nov. 15

The Air Force is calling for reform in a new report on sexual assault. But are the changes enough? The Military Rape Crisis Center weighs in. Plus, the Pentagon needs to find ways to get more defense for a given dollar, and make better use of cheap but effective technologies like network-enabled drones. A retired general and now the head of Deloitte's defense practice shares how DoD can do it.

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Senate cyber bill is 'dead'

The upper chamber fails to move cyber bill out of starting blocks by receiving 60 votes to end cloture. Lawmakers couldn't get past their concerns over the requirement for regulations and DHS' oversight role.

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Locality pay, official time reports likely to rekindle federal pay debate

The Federal Salary Council will submit to the Federal Pay Agent in the coming weeks a recommendation to increase the number of localities that get special pay rates. OPM also will release the annual report on how much time federal employees spend on union activities during working hours. CHCO Council will also consider certification process for HR employees.

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Petraeus to testify in Congress on Libya Friday

Former CIA Director David Petraeus will testify before the House Intelligence committee Friday on events that led to the death of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in an attack on the U.S. Consulate at Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11.

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Border Patrol under scrutiny for deadly force

A pair of Mexican drug smugglers in camouflage pants, bundles of marijuana strapped to their backs, scaled a 25 foot-high fence in the middle of the night, slipped quietly into the United States and dashed into the darkness.

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ELC to begin processing refunds this week

Organizers for the Executive Leadership Conference, which was canceled this year because of Hurricane Sandy, said they will begin processing refunds this week.

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Obama talks Petraeus probe, reforming government in post-election news conference

In his first news conference since Election Day, President Barack Obama took questions from reporters on a range of issues, including impending across-the-board budget cuts and the widening sex scandal that ensnared CIA Director David Petraeus.

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Interior secretary apologizes for reporter threat

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar apologized Wednesday for threatening to punch a Colorado reporter who asked him about problems with the government's wild horse program at a campaign event.

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Air Force scandal prompts changes at training base

The U.S. Air Force announced Wednesday that it is changing how it selects officers and instructors who train new recruits after a sex scandal at its training headquarters in which dozens of female recruits said they were improperly approached, sexually harassed or raped by male instructors.

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Federal Drive Interviews -- Nov. 14, 2012

JJ Green of WTOP discusses the national security implications of the Petraeus scandal. Conference Chairman Steve Goodrich talks about the upcoming Human Capital Management Federal Conference. Jeremy Herb of The Hill newspaper reports on what Congress thinks of the Petraeus scandal. Lorelei St. James of the GAO talks about a partnership between the Department of Transportation and the Army Corps of Engineers.

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Wednesday morning federal headlines - Nov. 14, 2012

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. Today's news includes big businesses getting work meant for small businesses.

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For DoD, better buying demands high quality acquisition workers

The Pentagon releases Better Buying Power 2.0 with a new focus on professionalizing the procurement workforce. The updated program includes seven major focus areas with 36 initiatives. Ashton Carter, the deputy secretary of Defense, said version 2.0 takes the lessons learned and data from the last two years to further improve efficiency and cost savings of DoD procurement.

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New marketing chief helps USPS practice what it preaches

Nagisa Manabe hasn't spent her entire career with the Postal Service but, after just six short months, she's making her presence known. Under her direction, the agency has committed to spending 15-20 percent of its marketing dollars on direct mail — the same amount it recommends to its own customers. Her goal — getting the Postal Service out of the red through the development of new innovative products and the use of effective marketing techniques. The new chief marketing and sales officer brings with her a career's worth of experience from the private sector — including jobs with powerhouse companies like Coca-Cola, Campbell's Soup and the liquor industry.

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AFRICOM general demoted for lavish travel and spending

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has demoted the former head of U.S. Africa Command who was accused of spending thousands of dollars on lavish travel and other unauthorized expenses, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

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Bid protests increase in 2012, nearing 15-year high

The number of bid protests filed in fiscal 2012 ticked up 5 percent from last year to 2,475 cases - more than any year since 1995, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

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