NEWS: Nov. 7, 2016
Homeland Security/Elections | The Nation
Warnings Issued for Pre-Election Terror Attacks
Intelligence officials have alerted joint terrorism task forces of a possible threat from al-Qaeda to carry out pre-election terror attacks today, leading officials in at least three states--New York, Texas and Virginia--to take precautions. The nature of the threat remained vague, and authorities were assessing whether or not it was credible.
>> Washington Post, CBS News
U.S. Readying for Election Cyberattack by Russia
U.S. officials continue to express concern that Russia will use its cyber capabilities to try to disrupt the presidential election and are readying military hackers and cyber weapons to be deployed in the event the U.S. is attacked in a significant way, officials say.
>> NBC News
The Presidency | The Nation
FBI Director: Newly Discovered Emails
Warrant No Charges Against Clinton
FBI Director James B. Comey said the bureau had completed its examination of newly discovered emails connected to Hillary Clinton--an inquiry that had roiled the presidential race for nine days--and found nothing to alter its months-old decision not to seek charges against the former secretary of state for her use of a private email server. Donald Trump made it clear that he still regards Clinton as guilty and is convinced that she will ultimately face justice.
>> Washington Post, Politico
Transportation | The Philadelphia Region
6-Day Transit Strike Ends with Contract Deal
A six-day work stoppage that sidelined subways, trolleys and buses and threatened to hamper voter turnout in Tuesday's election ended early this morning as the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and leadership the Transportation Workers Union Local 234 reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract.
>> Philly.com, Reuters
Federal Probe of New Jersey Transit Found Safety Issues
A federal investigation of New Jersey Transit's railroad revealed that workers used personal cellphones while on duty and train crews failed to properly test brakes or blow horns at crossings, among other problems, the agency's executive director told state legislators.
>> New York Times
Report: Federal Agency Struggling to Track Transit Safety
The Federal Transit Administration is struggling to hire and retain enough qualified people to oversee the safety of the Washington, D.C., region's transit system and state-based agencies that monitor many subway and light-rail systems, according to a new report.
>> Washington Post
Public Officials | The Nation
Janet Reno, Nation's First
Woman Attorney General, Dies
Janet Reno, who rose from a rustic life on the edge of the Florida Everglades to become U.S. attorney general--the first woman to hold the job--and whose eight years in that office placed her in the middle of some of the most divisive episodes of the Clinton presidency, died this morning at the age of 78 from complications of Parkinson's disease. Controversy and high drama marked her eight-year tenure: FBI shootouts at Ruby Ridge and Waco; the Elian Gonzalez, Wen Ho Lee and Unabomber cases; Clinton's impeachment; and the Oklahoma City federal-building bombing.
>> New York Times, Miami Herald
Pittsburgh Police Chief Quits After 2 Years
Hired as a reformer two years ago but a polarizing figure among union and activist groups, Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay announced his resignation. McLay declared that he had accomplished everything he believes he could do in the role.
>> Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Two Christie Associates Convicted in Bridge Case
Two former associates of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's were convicted of engineering a political payback scheme using the George Washington Bridge, causing a traffic jam that helped cut short the Republican governor's presidential ambitions.
>> The Record of Bergen County
Cybersecurity | Madison County, Ind.
Hackers Demand Ransom for Stolen County Files
Madison County authorities are working frantically to find their important files and documents after hackers broke into the system and stole critical information. The attackers, threatening to never return the files, are demanding a large sum of money from the county.
>> Fox59
Higher Education | Montgomery, Ala.
Alabama State President
Placed on Administrative Leave
The Alabama State University Board of Trustees placed university President Gwen Boyd, charged with failure to maintain the confidence of the board, on administrative leave. Though Boyd's tenure saw accreditation warnings, dips in enrollment and a $24 million budget crisis, the university was in turmoil when the trustees voted unanimously to hire her in January 2014.
>> Montgomery Advertiser
Pioneering Climate Scientist Who Led UC-Irvine Dies
Ralph Cicerone, a distinguished scientist at the University of California at Irvine who conducted pioneering research into global warming and the depletion of Earth's ozone layer before taking the helm as the university's chancellor in 1998, died at the age of 73.
>> Los Angeles Times
Jeb Bush to Teach Leadership Course at Texas A&M
Former Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is returning to his native Texas in January to teach a 10-day elective course on governmental leadership at Texas A&M University.
>> AP/Houston Chronicle
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QUOTABLE
“There is nothing inspiring about pictures of long lines for people to vote. It's actually an indicator of municipal failure.”
A tweet from Jason Johnson, a professor of communications at Morgan State University in Baltimore, a political analyst and the politics editor of The Root
>> Twitter | More quotes
VIEWPOINT
Voting | Paul DeGregorio
Election Day: What
Could Possibly Go Wrong?
While most Americans are asleep early tomorrow morning, local election officials will likely have already dealt with three or four problems: poll workers calling in sick, someone's alarm not waking them, the wrong ballots at the wrong polling place. The question for every election official is: How can you be prepared to make the unexpected the expected? The people who run elections have been thinking about that question for months. But it can't hurt to take a last-minute inventory.
>> Governing
PLUS: Dan Lohrmann on why we can trust the vote.
>> Government Technology | More commentaries
DATAPOINT
6
Number of states--Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas--that have laws prohibiting bringing guns into polling places, while another four--Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina--ban the carrying of concealed guns in polling places, according to data from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
>> Washington Post | More data
UPCOMING EVENTS
Coming soon:
ASPA's Annual Conference
The most comprehensive public-administration event of the year is coming soon: March 17-21, 2017, in Atlanta, offering an array of educational options -- panels, workshops, roundtables -- along with hundreds of public-service experts for learning and networking. For more information and registration, click here. |
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Webinar: "Monitoring and Measuring the Impact of Engagement"
Nov. 8, 11 a.m. ET
American Society for Public Administration
Student and young professional webinar: "Writing a CV"
Nov. 9, noon ET
Brookings Institution
Discussion: "Election 2016: Results and Implications"
Nov. 9, 2-3:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
American Enterprise Institute
Discussion: "What Will the 2016 Election Mean for Education?"
Nov. 10, 9-10:15 a.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute
Report release and discussion: "A Post-Election Analysis: the Future of the Constitution in a New Administration"
Nov. 10, noon-1:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
Governing
Webinar: "Post-Election Briefing"
Nov. 10, 2 p.m. ET
American Society for Public Administration and Penn State Harrisburg
Northeast Conference on Public Administration
Nov. 11-13, Harrisburg, Pa.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
Annual Meeting
Nov. 12-15, Boston
Government Technology
re:public Conference
Nov. 13-15, Chandler, Ariz.
>> Full events listings
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