Federal Drive

Friday Morning Federal Newscast – May 13th

\"When Aliens Attack\" coming to National Geographic,

Federal News Network Staff

May 13, 2011 10:38 am

4 min read

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Amy Morris 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 White House tells Congress what it wants for cyber security legislation. Release of the proposal comes in answer to a plea from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other lawmakers. They are trying to reconcile dozens of cybersecurity bills floating around Capitol Hill. The White House proposal would give the Homeland Security Department primary responsibility for the dot-gov domain. DHS would also get more authority to help industry, and state and local governments with their cybersecurity problems. The proposal gives private industry the main responsibility for developing its own standards and procedures for protecting critical infrastructure, but it would encourage public reporting of cyber incidents.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has come out with a comprehensive guide to cloud computing. And now it’s your turn. NIST is seeking public comments on the draft document, known as Special Publication 800 dash 146. The draft is billed as the agency’s most comprehensive guide to cloud computing yet. Cloud computing is a strategy for letting enterprises or individuals use computing resources as needed, without having to own either computers or software. Federal agencies are under a mandate from the Office of Management and Budget to adopt cloud computing wherever possible.
We’ve been telling you that the federal government wants to sell off its underused real estate. Now, it is getting advice from experts on the best way to turn a profit. Officials from the real estate industry and the legal profession testified before Representative Jeff Denham’s subcommittee about the best way for the federal government to sell off its unused property – and still make a profit – even during the current economic downturn. Just having a so-called “fire sale” is not going to do it. Federal News Radio talked with Denham, a Republican from California, who said the legislation’s goal is to save $15-billion dollars over the next three years.
Prince George’s County is wooing the Department of Homeland Security. The Planning Board has approved a plan to build a 1.6 million square foot office and retail development. The Prince George’s Gazette reports the Temple Hills site could be home to a future federal tenant, like DHS. The developer says that they’ve applied for procurement from the General Services Administration, and that the solicitation is for three groups within DHS’ headquarters. The site is three miles from DHS’ future home at St. Elizabeths Hospital in D.C.
Suitable for framing: Pages from the manifesto and other documents of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski are being auctioned off by the federal government. An online auction opens May 18th and runs through June 2. Kaczinski was convicted in 1996 for a series of mail bombs that killed three people and injured many more. He was caught, living in a rustic cabin in Montana, after publication of his manifesto. The writing style tipped off his brother, who identified him to federal law enforcement. Besides the manifesto, the government will be auctioning Kaczynski’s birth certificate, photos, handwritten notes, driver’s licenses, deeds, checks, and academic transcripts. The Marshals Service says proceeds will be used to compensate his victims.
Congress is putting off changes to Social Security, but Social Security still has problems, which are getting some new attention today. The trustees who oversee Social Security and Medicare are releasing their annual financial reports today. Medicare is in worse shape than Social Security because it is being hit by rising health care costs. But the trustees say both programs will become insolvent in the coming decades, unless Congress acts. A news conference is scheduled for 12:30 today.
It may be too soon for FBI director Robert Mueller to start cleaning out his desk, even though his 10-year term appointment expires September 4th. President Obama will ask Congress to allow Mueller to stay on the job another two years. The president urged lawmakers to grant that wish, as he put it, for the sake of our nation’s safety and security. Members from both sides of the aisle have expressed support for extending Mueller’s term. Mueller became FBI director just days before the 9/11 attacks. He led the FBI’s nearly doubling in size, as it took on a counter-terrorism role.
If you ever wanted to know just what to do when aliens invade Earth, have no fear. National Geographic has your back. The television channel will air “When Aliens Attack” next week. It will examine plans to combat an alien invasion with insight from top defense experts. Astrophysicists, weapon designers, military strategists, biologists and anthropologists break down the likely sequence of events mankind would face, and collaborate on ways to survive an extraterrestrial attack. Here’s a hint: they believe major cities would be attacked first. Then, the invaders will attack our civilization’s infrastructure. The program is scheduled to air Thursday and Friday, May 19th and 20th.