Supreme Court looks to AI to prevent conflicts of interest
24/02/2026 | 6 mins.
The nation’s highest court is adopting new technology to prevent conflicts of interest. The Supreme Court says it is now using newly developed software to assist in identifying potential conflicts for the justices. The software will run automated recusal checks that compare information about parties and attorneys in a case with lists created by each Justice’s chamber. The Court’s Office of Information Technology worked with the Legal Office and the Clerk’s Office to design the technology. New court rules to support use of the software will take effect March 16. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Treasury releases new resources for AI use in the financial sector
23/02/2026 | 6 mins.
The Treasury Department is highlighting best practices for using artificial intelligence within the financial sector. They include an artificial intelligence lexicon and a financial services AI risk management framework. The resources were developed by the Artificial Intelligence Executive Oversight Group, a Treasury-led partnership between financial institutions and regulators. The voluntary guidelines come as financial institutions increasingly rely on A-I to support decision-making, customer engagement, and operational functions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Senators call for investigation into dismantling of Minority Business Development Agency
20/02/2026 | 6 mins.
Six Democrats in the Senators are asking the Government Accountability Office to further investigate whether the Commerce Department broke the law when it dismantled the Minority Business Development Agency or MBDA. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Luján and others say they are concerned that Commerce defied federal court orders when political leaders terminated the funding for at least nine MBDA business centers and sent Reduction in Force (RIF) notices to terminate the last 24 employees still working at the agency. The lawmakers already had asked GAO to look into Commerce's initial actions to shutdown MBDA over the summer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Pay freeze continues for certain Executive Schedule employees
19/02/2026 | 5 mins.
Some senior political appointees, including the vice president, will continue to see a long-standing freeze on their salaries. The Office of Personnel Management announced that pay rates will continue to be capped for certain Executive Schedule employees. Political appointees in Schedules C and G, however, are exempted from the pay freeze. Certain higher-paid positions have continued to see their salary capped for more than a decade. For 2026, the pay ceiling sits at about $197,000. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Defense Dept working with industry to overhaul acquisition process
18/02/2026 | 7 mins.
The Defense Department is bringing in industry experts to help overhaul its acquisition process. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the new Business Operators for National Defense program, or BOND, has already engaged over 100 industry experts, including dozens of former CEOs, COOs and CIOs already advising senior Pentagon officials. “BOND embeds elite private sector patriots, leaders with decades of experience at world class companies such as Apple, Ford, Microsoft and Tesla, directly into our acquisition process," Hegseth said. "Think of the best of the best leaders of our best private sector companies coming and joining the War Department.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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