Federal - Executive Branch
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from the U.S. Executive Branch, covering all aspects of the Obama administration including cabinet departments, federal agencies, regulatory and independent agencies.
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President Biden Issues Notice on Continuation of National Emergency With Respect to Situation in Nicaragua
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- President Biden issued the following notice on Nov. 22, 2024:
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Notice to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in Nicaragua
On November 27, 2018, by Executive Order 13851, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the situation in Nicaragua.
On October 24, 2022,
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- President Biden issued the following notice on Nov. 22, 2024:
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Notice to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in Nicaragua
On November 27, 2018, by Executive Order 13851, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the situation in Nicaragua.
On October 24, 2022,I issued Executive Order 14088 to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13851.
The situation in Nicaragua, including the violent response by the Government of Nicaragua to the protests that began on April 18, 2018, and the Ortega-Murillo regime's continued systematic dismantling and undermining of democratic institutions and the rule of law, its use of indiscriminate violence and repressive tactics against civilians, as well as its corruption leading to the destabilization of Nicaragua's economy, continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.
For this reason, the national emergency declared on November 27, 2018, must continue in effect beyond November 27, 2024. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13851 with respect to the situation in Nicaragua.
This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
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Original text here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/11/22/press-release-notice-to-the-speaker-of-the-house-and-president-of-the-senate-on-the-continuation-of-the-national-emergency-with-respect-to-the-situation-in-nicaragua/
NIST Fact Sheet: Commerce, State Departments Launch the International Network of AI Safety Institutes at Inaugural Convening in San Francisco
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (TNSfact) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology issued the following fact sheet on Nov. 20, 2024:
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* The Network will drive alignment on and build the scientific basis for safe, secure, and trustworthy AI innovation around the world.
* Ahead of the convening, the Network is announcing key developments including a joint mission statement, more than $11 million in funding toward synthetic content research, findings from the Network's first multilateral testing exercise, and a joint statement on risk assessments of advanced
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (TNSfact) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology issued the following fact sheet on Nov. 20, 2024:
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* The Network will drive alignment on and build the scientific basis for safe, secure, and trustworthy AI innovation around the world.
* Ahead of the convening, the Network is announcing key developments including a joint mission statement, more than $11 million in funding toward synthetic content research, findings from the Network's first multilateral testing exercise, and a joint statement on risk assessments of advancedAI systems.
* This technical-level working meeting gathers network members and industry, academic, and civil society experts to advance the Network's work on the road to the AI Action Summit hosted by France in February.
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FACT SHEET: U.S. Department of Commerce & U.S. Department of State Launch the International Network of AI Safety Institutes at Inaugural Convening in San Francisco
San Francisco, California - Today the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of State are co-hosting the inaugural convening of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes, a new global effort to advance the science of AI safety and enable cooperation on research, best practices, and evaluation. To harness the enormous benefits of AI, it is essential to foster a robust international ecosystem to help identify and mitigate the risks posed by this breakthrough technology. Through this Network, the United States hopes to address some of the most pressing challenges in AI safety and avoid a patchwork of global governance that could hamper innovation.
The United States will serve as the inaugural chair of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes, whose initial members include Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Japan, Kenya, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Over the next two days in San Francisco, California, technical experts from member governments will be joined by leading AI developers, academics, civil society leaders, and scientists from non-Network governments to discuss key areas of collaboration on AI safety and lend their technical and scientific expertise to the Network's mission.
The convening is structured as a technical working meeting that will address three high-priority topics that stand to urgently benefit from international coordination, specifically: (1) managing risks from synthetic content, (2) testing foundation models, and (3) conducting risk assessments for advanced AI systems.
By bringing together the leading minds across governments, industry, academia, and civil society, we hope to kickstart meaningful international collaboration on AI safety and innovation, particularly as we work toward the upcoming AI Action Summit in France in February and beyond.
1) Adopting an aligned mission statement for the International Network of AI Safety Institutes.
* Launching the International Network of AI Safety Institutes is an essential step forward for global coordination on safe AI innovation. The Network will enable its members to leverage their respective technical capacity to harmonize approaches and minimize duplication of resources, while providing a platform to bring together global technical expertise.
* Ahead of the inaugural convening of the Network, all 10 initial members have agreed to a joint mission statement (https://www.nist.gov/document/international-network-ai-safety-institutes-mission-statement) that reads in part:
- "The International Network of AI Safety Institutes is intended to be a forum that brings together technical expertise from around the world. Recognizing the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity, we aim to facilitate a common technical understanding of AI safety risks and mitigations based upon the work of our institutes and of the broader scientific community that will support international development and the adoption of interoperable principles and best practices. We also intend to encourage a general understanding of and approach to AI safety globally, that will enable the benefits of AI innovation to be shared amongst countries at all stages of development."
* The International Network Members have also aligned on four priority areas of collaboration: pursuing AI safety research, developing best practices for model testing and evaluation, facilitating common approaches such as interpreting tests of advanced AI systems, and advancing global inclusion and information sharing.
- The United States AI Safety Institute (US AISI) will serve as the inaugural Chair of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes and Network members will discuss additional details of governance, structure, and meeting cadence at the convening.
- The Network will also discuss priorities and a roadmap for continued work toward the forthcoming AI Action Summit in Paris in February 2025 and beyond.
2) Announcing more than $11 million in global research funding commitments to address the International Network's new joint research agenda on mitigating risks from synthetic content.
* With the rise of generative AI and the rapid development and adoption of highly capable AI models, it is now easier, faster, and less expensive than ever to create synthetic content at scale. Though there are a range of positive and innocuous uses for synthetic content, there are also risks that need to be identified, researched, and mitigated to prevent real-world harm - such as the generation and distribution of child sexual abuse material and non-consensual sexual imagery, or the facilitation of fraud and impersonation.
* To advance the state of the science and inform novel ways to mitigate synthetic content risks, the International Network of AI Safety Institutes has outlined a joint research agenda calling for urgent and actionable inquiry by the scientific community into key gaps in the current literature.
* Priority research topics include understanding the security and robustness of current digital content transparency techniques, exploring novel and emergent digital content transparency methods, and developing model safeguards to prevent the generation and distribution of harmful synthetic content.
* The International Network research agenda encourages a multidisciplinary approach, including technical mitigations as well as social scientific and humanistic assessments to identify problems and solutions.
* In response to this agenda, government agencies and several leading philanthropies have committed a total of more than $11 million (USD) to spur this vital research.
- The United States, through USAID, is designating $3.8 million this fiscal year to strengthen capacity building, research, and deployment of safe and responsible AI in USAID partner countries overseas, including supporting research on synthetic content risk mitigation.
- Australia, through its national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), is investing $2.2 million (AUD) ($1.42 million USD) annually in research aimed at identifying and mitigating the risks of synthetic content.
- The Republic of Korea will commit $1.8 million (USD) annually for 4 years, totaling $7.2 million (USD), toward research and development efforts on detecting, preventing, and mitigating the risks of synthetic content through the ROK AISI program.
- The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is committing $3 million (USD) to support scholarship aligned with the research agenda on mitigating risks from synthetic content.
- The AI Safety Fund (AISF), an independently administered non-profit collaboration between leading frontier AI developers and philanthropic partners, will contribute $1 million (USD) in support of the research agenda, focusing on safeguards in the design, use, and evaluation of AI models and systems to reduce risks to security and public safety from model outputs.
- An additional $250,000 (USD) in 2025 funding by the Omidyar Network has been pledged in support of the research agenda.
- At the convening, the International Network will also discuss shared Network principles for mitigating synthetic content risks, including best practices and innovations for improving the security, reliability, privacy, transparency, and accessibility of generative AI. These inputs will help advance an aligned perspective from the members, which we hope to share at the forthcoming France AI Action Summit.
* To support this work, US AISI is releasing the final version of its first synthetic content guidance report, NIST AI 100-4: Reducing Risks Posed by Synthetic Content, which identifies a series of voluntary approaches to address risks from AI-generated content like child sexual abuse material, impersonation, and fraud.
- This final version reflects input and feedback from an array of external experts and public comment solicited over the past several months.
(3) Methodological insights on multi-lingual, international AI testing efforts from the International Network of AI Safety Institutes' first-ever joint testing exercise.
* The International Network of AI Safety Institutes completed its first-ever joint testing exercise, led by technical experts from US AISI, UK AISI, and Singapore AISI.
* The Network conducted this exercise to explore methodological challenges, opportunities, and next steps for joint work that the Network can pursue to advance more robust and reproducible AI safety testing across languages, cultures, and contexts.
* This exercise raised key considerations for international testing, such as the impact that small methodological differences and model optimization techniques can have on evaluation results, and highlighted strategies for potentially mitigating these challenges.
* This exercise was conducted on Meta's Llama 3.1 405B to test across three topics - general academic knowledge, 'closed-domain' hallucinations, and multi-lingual capabilities - and will act as a pilot for a broader joint testing exercises leading into the AI Action Summit in Paris this February. The learnings from the pilot testing process will also lay the groundwork for future testing across international borders and evaluation best practices.
(4) A joint statement on risk assessments of advanced AI systems, including a plan for advancing International Network alignment.
* Assessing the risks of advanced AI systems presents novel challenges, and it is central to the mission of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes to address these challenges and align on a framework for understanding the risks and capabilities posed by this technology.
* While recognizing that the science of AI risk assessment continues to evolve and that each Network member operates within its own unique context, the International Network of AI Safety Institutes agreed to establish a shared scientific basis for risk assessments, building on six key aspects outlined by the Network - namely, that risk assessments should be (1) actionable, (2) transparent, (3) comprehensive, (4) multistakeholder, (5) iterative, and (6) reproducible.
* This shared approach builds on commitments made in in the Bletchley Declaration and the Seoul Statement of Intent, as well as the progress made through the OECD, the G7 Hiroshima Process, the Frontier AI Safety Commitments, and other relevant international AI safety initiatives.
* At the convening, the International Network will solicit feedback and insight from members and gathered experts on how to operationalize a shared approach to risk assessments and build a roadmap for advancing global alignment and interoperability.
(5) Establishing a new U.S. Government taskforce led by the U.S. AI Safety Institute to collaborate on research and testing of AI models to manage national security capabilities and risks.
* The Testing Risks of AI for National Security (TRAINS) Taskforce brings together experts from the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, as well as the National Security Agency (NSA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address national security concerns and strengthen American leadership in AI innovation.
* The Taskforce will enable coordinated research and testing of advanced AI models across critical national security and public safety domains, such as radiological and nuclear security, chemical and biological security, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, conventional military capabilities, and more.
* These efforts will advance the U.S. government imperative to maintain American leadership in AI development and prevent adversaries from misusing American innovation to undermine national security.
* More information can be found here in the press release.
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Original text here: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2024/11/fact-sheet-us-department-commerce-us-department-state-launch-international
N.C. U.S. Attorney: Elizabeth City Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Fentanyl and Firearm Offenses
RALEIGH, North Carolina, Nov. 23 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina issued the following news release:
Karem Felton, age 31, from Elizabeth City, was sentenced to 147 months in prison for possession with the intent to distribute forty grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and ten grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a fentanyl analogue after investigators with Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office searched Felton's residence on May 19, 2023, in response to shots fired a day earlier.
"Disrupting drug trafficking in our
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RALEIGH, North Carolina, Nov. 23 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina issued the following news release:
Karem Felton, age 31, from Elizabeth City, was sentenced to 147 months in prison for possession with the intent to distribute forty grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and ten grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a fentanyl analogue after investigators with Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office searched Felton's residence on May 19, 2023, in response to shots fired a day earlier.
"Disrupting drug trafficking in ourcommunities is a critical part of our mission. The FBI and our local partners are working very hard to take dangerous drugs off of our streets, along with the people who peddle them. This case is another great example of law enforcement working together to make our communities safer," said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina.
"I want to thank my Deputies at the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office, Elizabeth City Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the great work that has been done to combat the drug and violent crime issues we face on a daily basis," said Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten.
On May 18, 2023, Elizabeth City Police officers responded to shots fired at a vehicle. Officers collected eight .300 caliber rifle shell casings in the area and reviewed city cameras around the area of the incident. They were able to see a male step out of a BMW and fire shots at a Dodge Charger. Law enforcement saw Felton driving the same BMW with the same license plate earlier in the month on March 6, 2023.
On May 19, 2023, investigators from the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office conducted a search of Felton's residence. During the search, they discovered several items in the bedroom: a 7.62 x 39mm pistol hidden under the bed, a .300 Blackout pistol in the closet, and a 10mm pistol containing fentanyl inside the headboard of the master bed. Additionally, officers found two AR pistol braces in a soft-sided cooler and a .300 Blackout magazine with 18 rounds of .300 Blackout ammunition placed between the mattress and box spring.
In a spare bedroom, officers located a safe that contained $11,050 in cash, assorted ammunition, and a digital scale. In the living room, they found $1,108 in cash and two cell phones hidden inside the couch. A firearm holster was also discovered in the children's bedroom. After conducting a further search of the vehicle, officers uncovered fentanyl, cocaine, and additional cash.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Court Judge Louis W. Flanagan. Elizabeth City Police Department, Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie A. Childress and Katherine S. Englander are prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (http://www.nced.uscourts.gov/) or on PACER (https://ecf.nced.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/ShowIndex.pl) by searching for Case No.5:24-CR-114-M-BM.
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/elizabeth-city-man-sentenced-12-years-fentanyl-and-firearm-offenses
MSPB Board Decision: Eric Terrell Bryant Vs. Department of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The Merit Systems Protection Board issued the following case report for Nov. 22, 2024:
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Note: These summaries are descriptions prepared by individual MSPB employees. They do not represent official summaries approved by the Board itself, and are not intended to provide legal counsel or to be cited as legal authority. Instead, they are provided only to inform and help the public locate Board precedents.
BOARD DECISIONS
Appellant: Eric Terrell Bryant
Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs
Decision Number: 2024 MSPB 16
Docket Number: AT-0714-23-0137-I-1
Issuance
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The Merit Systems Protection Board issued the following case report for Nov. 22, 2024:
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Note: These summaries are descriptions prepared by individual MSPB employees. They do not represent official summaries approved by the Board itself, and are not intended to provide legal counsel or to be cited as legal authority. Instead, they are provided only to inform and help the public locate Board precedents.
BOARD DECISIONS
Appellant: Eric Terrell Bryant
Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs
Decision Number: 2024 MSPB 16
Docket Number: AT-0714-23-0137-I-1
IssuanceDate: November 18, 2024
VA ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
DUE PROCESS
The agency removed the appellant under 38 U.S.C. Sec. 714 based on his alleged improper behavior towards officers of a local police department when they attempted to serve the appellant with a temporary protective order. An administrative judge issued an initial decision that sustained the removal. The appellant sought review of the Board decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit). The Federal Circuit issued a precedential decision, Bryant v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 26 F.4th 1344 (Fed. Cir. 2022), vacating the Board's decision in this case and remanding the appeal for the Board to address the deciding official's review of the charge under too low of a burden of proof. The Federal Circuit also directed the Board to apply the relevant factors in assessing the penalty, consistent with Douglas v. Veterans Administration, 5 M.S.P.R. 280, 305-06 (1981).
The Board remanded the appeal to the administrative judge, who remanded the matter to the agency for the deciding official to analyze the charge under the preponderant evidence burden of proof and to apply the Douglas factors to the removal penalty, consistent with the Federal Circuit's instructions. The deciding official issued a new decision finding that the charge was supported by preponderant evidence and included an analysis of the Douglas factors supporting the removal penalty. The appellant appealed the new removal decision, arguing in part that the agency violated his constitutional due process rights. The administrative judge subsequently issued a new initial decision affirming the removal action.
Holding: The agency violated the appellant's due process rights by failing to provide him with notice and an opportunity to respond to all of the aggravating factors the deciding official considered in determining the penalty.
1. Due process requires that a tenured Federal employee be provided with advance notice of a deciding official's intention to rely on aggravating factors as the basis for an imposed penalty so that the employee has a fair opportunity to respond to those factors before the deciding official.
2. Although the Board has applied these due process requirements to appeals of actions taken under 5 U.S.C. chapter 75 and 5 U.S.C.
chapter 43, due process requirements are equally applicable to actions taken under 38 U.S.C. Sec. 714, like the appellant's removal.
3. The deciding official completed a Douglas factor worksheet following remand of the appeal that included consideration of some aggravating factors that were not included in the appellant's proposed removal, and therefore were ex parte. These factors included a potential future and broader conflict between the agency and local police departments as a whole based on the appellant's behavior during the incident for which he was removed; whether alternative sanctions could serve as a deterrent; and the consistency of the penalty with agency's table of penalties.
4. The appellant was not aware that the deciding official would consider these factors and did not have an opportunity to respond to them. Further, these factors influenced the deciding official's decision. The Board concluded that the deciding official's consideration of the ex parte information was so substantial and so likely to cause prejudice that it rose to a due process violation and reversed the removal action on this basis.
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Appellant: Tammie Morley
Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs
Decision Number: 2024 MSPB 17
Docket Number: CH-0714-22-0256-A-1
Issuance Date: November 20, 2024
ATTORNEY FEES - PREVAILING PARTY
ATTORNEY FEES - INTEREST OF JUSTICE
The agency removed the appellant from her position under 38 U.S.C. Sec. 714, based on a charge of failure to meet position requirements. The administrative judge issued an initial decision finding that the agency proved its charge but failed to give bona fide consideration to the relevant Douglas factors in determining the removal penalty. After that initial decision became final, the appellant filed a motion for attorney fees for her removal appeal. The administrative judge issued an addendum initial decision denying the appellant's fee request, finding that the appellant did not qualify as a prevailing party, and alternatively, that she had not shown that an award of attorney fees was warranted in the interest of justice.
Holding: The administrative judge correctly concluded that the appellant was not a prevailing party.
1. A party that has prevailed in a case may be entitled to attorney fees only if she obtains an enforceable order resulting in a material alteration of the legal relationship of the parties.
2. The appellant argued below and on review that she obtained a "material alteration of the legal relationship" between herself and the agency because the agency was forced to rescind its prior decision and to reissue a decision that applied the Douglas factors.
3. However, as the administrative judge correctly explained, the initial decision did not direct the agency to vacate the appellant's removal outright and did not provide her with any of the relief she had requested.
4. As a result, the Board agreed with the administrative judge that the appellant had not established that she received "actual relief on the merits of [her] claim," considering the case as a whole, and instead the appellant still found herself in the exact same position at the end of her appeal as she was in at the beginning of her appeal; therefore, she was not a "prevailing party" for the purpose of an award of attorney fees.
Holding: The administrative judge correctly determined, in the alternative, that the appellant failed to show that attorney fees were warranted in the interest of justice.
1. An award of attorney fees may be warranted in the interest of justice when: (1) the agency engaged in a prohibited personnel practice; (2) the agency action was clearly without merit or wholly unfounded, or the employee is substantially innocent of the charges; (3) the agency initiated the action in bad faith; (4) the agency committed a gross procedural error that prolonged the proceeding or severely prejudiced the employee; or (5) the agency knew or should have known that it would not prevail on the merits when it brought the proceeding.
2. The administrative judge provided the appellant with notice of how to establish that attorney fees were warranted in the interest of justice and he correctly determined that she failed to make any argument on this point.
3. The appellant argued on review that this case "involved a finding" that the agency engaged in a prohibited personnel practice under 5 U.S.C. Sec. 2302(b)(12). The Board was not persuaded by this argument. The appellant failed to raise it below and, in any event, there was no such finding.
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COURT DECISIONS
NONPRECEDENTIAL:
Thurston v. Office of Personnel Management, 2024-1519 (Fed. Cir. November 15, 2024) (CH-844E-18-0480-I-1) (per curiam). The court affirmed the Board's decision affirming the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) reconsideration decision denying the petitioner's application for disability retirement benefits under Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), concluding that the Board had not erred in its disability determination by declining to provide the petitioner with a hearing on her appeal after she withdrew her hearing request, by concluding that her neck and back conditions were not included in her application, or by failing to consider the additional evidence the petitioner submitted with her petition for review.
Coppola v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2022-2192 (Fed. Cir. November 18, 2024) (SF-1221-17-0027-M-2). The court affirmed the Board's decision denying the petitioner's request for corrective action in his individual right of action (IRA) appeal. The court found no error in the Board's findings that even though the petitioner proved his prima facie case of whistleblower retaliation, the agency nevertheless proved by clear and convincing evidence that it still would have terminated the petitioner from his temporary position and declined to select him for a permanent position even in the absence of his protected disclosures based, in part, on the strength of the agency's evidence supporting its decisions.
McLean v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2024-1812 (Fed. Cir. November 19, 2024) (DE-1221-22-0142-W-2) (per curiam). The court affirmed the Board's decision denying the petitioner's request for corrective action in his IRA appeal. The court rejected the petitioner's allegations of factual and procedural errors in the Board's decision denying corrective action and determined that substantial evidence supported the Board's conclusion that the agency proved by clear and convincing evidence that it would have suspended and subsequently removed the petitioner following his loss of operating privileges in the absence of his protected whistleblowing activity. The court also found no error in the Board's finding that the petitioner had not been subjected to a personnel action in connection with his claim that he was restricted from working with and evaluating or instructing surgical residents.
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Original text here: https://www.mspb.gov/decisions/case_reports/Case_Report_November_22_2024.pdf
FCC Commissioner Starks Issues Statement on FM Broadcast Booster Stations
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following statement on Nov. 22, 2024, by Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on an action entitled "Amendment of Section 74.1231(i) of the Commission's Rules on FM Broadcast Booster Stations, Second Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration" (MB Docket No. 20-401):
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The media landscape is constantly changing. Earlier this year, the Commission unanimously approved the First Order to allow geo-targeting on an experimental basis, and broadcasters were given the green light. They began innovating business plans and exploring
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following statement on Nov. 22, 2024, by Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on an action entitled "Amendment of Section 74.1231(i) of the Commission's Rules on FM Broadcast Booster Stations, Second Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration" (MB Docket No. 20-401):
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The media landscape is constantly changing. Earlier this year, the Commission unanimously approved the First Order to allow geo-targeting on an experimental basis, and broadcasters were given the green light. They began innovating business plans and exploringopportunities to leverage this technology that could unlock new revenue streams.
Today's Order finalizes the new tools broadcasters can utilize as they adapt and thrive in a competitive media environment. The ability to offer hyper-localized content means that stations can attract small businesses looking to customize their advertisements to a targeted audience and better reach their local communities. These new advertising streams can make a real difference, especially for the many small or minority broadcasters that are working hard to stay on the air.
I know because I got to witness the potential and excitement of this technology firsthand. Last month, I hit the road and visited KADD, 93.5 FM, "La Mejor" in Las Vegas. La Mejor is one of the largest Spanish-speaking stations in the region and is investing in truly local content, including news, talk, and music. To reach new listeners outside of their current range and target content with greater precision, KADD is deploying FM boosters that will provide the station with access to an estimated 100,000 new listeners. For KADD this is a game-changer -- the opportunity to provide more Spanish speakers in the local area with bespoke content, and establish a crucial link to their community. Geo-targeted content is the dawn of new possibility for radio. From my perspective, we've set the policy and opened up the technology. Now it's up to each business to determine if this opportunity is right for them. I look forward to seeing how this industry continues to harness this technology to better serve and uplift communities.
This Order is many years in the making and the result of the tireless advocacy of broadcasters, civil rights organizations, and leaders in Congress, including Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford, Congressman Bennie Thompson, and Congressman Hank Johnson. But of course, none of this would be possible without the true collaboration of my colleague, Commissioner Carr. He and I have worked side-by-side to bring this proposal to the finish line and I am tremendously proud of this result.
I'd also like to thank Chairwoman Rosenworcel for working with us and for prioritizing this item, and to Commissioner Simington and Commissioner Gomez for their collaboration to see this through the tape. Finally, my thanks to the staff in the Media Bureau for all their great work. This item has my full support.
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-24-121A3.pdf
CDC Warns of Listeria Linked to Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the following news release:
A CDC food safety alert regarding a multistate outbreak of Listeria infections has been posted at Listeria Outbreak Linked to Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products | Listeria Infection | CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/meat-and-poultry-products-11-24.html).
Key Points:
* Eleven people infected with this outbreak strain Listeria have been reported from four states. Of the eleven people infected, nine people have been hospitalized.
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the following news release:
A CDC food safety alert regarding a multistate outbreak of Listeria infections has been posted at Listeria Outbreak Linked to Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products | Listeria Infection | CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/meat-and-poultry-products-11-24.html).
Key Points:
* Eleven people infected with this outbreak strain Listeria have been reported from four states. Of the eleven people infected, nine people have been hospitalized.One person, an infant, has died in California.
* Interviews with sick people and laboratory findings show that Yu-Shang Food ready-to-eat meat and poultry products are making people sick.
* These items have been recalled, but some items may still be in people's refrigerators or freezers. Examples of recalled foods include pork hock, chicken feet, pork feet, duck neck, beef shank, and pork tongue. Questions about the recall should be directed to the USDA-FSIS.
What You Should Do:
* Do not eat recalled products. Throw them away or return them to where you bought them.
* Clean your refrigerator, containers, and surfaces that may have touched the recalled foods. Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.
* Call a healthcare provider right away if you have symptoms after eating recalled products.
What Businesses Should Do:
* Do not sell or serve recalled products.
* Follow FDA's safe handling and cleaning advice if you sold or served recalled products.
Listeria Symptoms:
* Listeria is especially harmful to people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or with weakened immune systems. This is because Listeria is more likely to spread beyond their gut to other parts of their body, resulting in a severe condition known as invasive listeriosis.
- For people who are pregnant, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in their newborn.
- For people who are 65 years or older or who have a weakened immune system, Listeria often results in hospitalization and sometimes death.
* Symptoms usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after.
- Pregnant people usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.
- People who are not pregnant usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. They may also get a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.
If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state's health department.
Thank you.
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Original text here: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/m1122-listeria-outbreak.html
Air Force Materiel Command AcqDemo Ask-Me-Anything Addresses Upcoming Expansion, Talent Imperative
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, Nov. 23 -- The U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center issued the following news:
By Marisa Alia-Novobilski, Air Force Materiel Command
The Air Force Materiel Command held an AcqDemo Ask-Me-Anything, Nov. 20, providing greater insight to the upcoming Acquisition Demonstration Project expansion slated for June 2025.
Senior leader panelists from across the command answered questions related to the upcoming change, which will impact 25,000 civilian employees command-wide.
"We see two types of competition going on; first, there's a high competition for talent in
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WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, Nov. 23 -- The U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center issued the following news:
By Marisa Alia-Novobilski, Air Force Materiel Command
The Air Force Materiel Command held an AcqDemo Ask-Me-Anything, Nov. 20, providing greater insight to the upcoming Acquisition Demonstration Project expansion slated for June 2025.
Senior leader panelists from across the command answered questions related to the upcoming change, which will impact 25,000 civilian employees command-wide.
"We see two types of competition going on; first, there's a high competition for talent inthe private sector as well as the type of talent that we need within the government service. We need to have more flexibilities to respond more rapidly in the hiring process to achieve to attract the talent that we need. AcqDemo gives us the flexibility to attract that talent," said Lorna Estep, AFMC Executive Director, during opening remarks.
"The next competition that we have is the competition with our near peers, or some of us even say, equal peers," she continued. "In the defense of our Nation for the future, how do we make sure that we have the flexibilities to move our people for the mission? How do we make sure we retain folks? How do we reward for excellent performance in achieving those mission objectives? Those two competitions are really driving the reason why we need to expand AcqDemo."
Throughout the event, panelists dove into concepts including the timing of the expansion considering the Great Power Competition, myths related to performance appraisals, costs of expanding, pay pool administration, retirement and productivity impacts, and more.
The consensus among the panelists is that the expansion will be more beneficial for employees and the command than the legacy General Schedule (GS) pay system, leading to greater impacts in the long term.
"There's the old saying, 'no one can take better care of your career than yourself,' and I think that's somewhat paramount to why AcqDemo is so beneficial," said Kathy Watern, AFMC Director of Manpower, Personnel and Services. "This is an opportunity for you and your leadership, and your supervisor, really, to have a way to better communicate and be transparent This system allows for an individual and their supervisor to be interactive throughout the year. It's really about workforce optimization, optimizing our performance, and better equipping us to be more ready to fight and win against our adversaries."
AFMC personnel can view the full recording and transcript of the Ask-Me-Anything Panel on MS Stream (http://https/usaf-my.dps.mil/:v:/g/personal/marisa_alia-novobilski_us_af_mil/EcsKlQt5tShEsQE_tii86KkB8Ent44_SX2-yChXo986PHg) (Common Access Card required).
Additional information on AcqDemo is available at https://www.afmc.af.mil/Careers/AcqDemo/.
AFMC will host more informational events and trainings throughout the next year to ensure personnel are informed and prepared for the change.
Questions on the AcqDemo expansion can be emailed to afmc.a1ki.workflow@us.af.mil.
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Original text here: https://www.aflcmc.af.mil/NEWS/Article-Display/Article/3975861/afmc-acqdemo-ask-me-anything-addresses-upcoming-expansion-talent-imperative/
