Federal News Update October 31, 2025

We’re taking a closer look at recent markets trends and what we can expect as we move towards 2026 for this month’s Pig Edge podcast. Joining Emer McCrum is Shane Callaghan, Procurement Officer with Rosderra Meats, who provides an update on current market conditions, gives an outlook for the year ahead and an overview of the new pig quality payment system.  For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are showing up to work and not getting paid on time during the second longest government shutdown. State Department employees who process passports are among those working without pay. That's an unusual step, because that part of the agency is fee funded, and it can normally pay staff on time during a lapse in congressional funds. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has been covering this issue, and he joins us now with more.See Privacy Policy at

The Small Business Administration acted in record time to suspend ATI Government Solutions from federal contracting. SBA made the decision the day after a video emerged from the O'Keefe Media Group, a right wing activist organization, showing that an official from ATI admitted to defrauding the SBA is eight a program for more on the broader implications of the ATI suspension. Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins us now to discuss. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy

We’re seeing a confluence of events that suggest President Trump’s corruption has crossed over to an ugly new place. Trump is destroying a White House building to create a ballroom for him and his rich friends. He’s demanding that the Justice Department hand over $230 million in taxpayer funds to compensate him for “damages.” And Democrats from Senator Chris Murphy to Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries are going after all this in a newly aggressive way. Into this mess stepped White House press

Katsiaryna Shmatsina, Eurasia Fellow at Lawfare, is joined by Beverly Ochieng, senior security analyst at Control Risks and non-resident expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), to examine how external powers compete for influence in Africa—and how African states are responding.They discuss the shifting priorities of the second Trump administration, including a “trade not aid” approach, stricter visa policies, and growing pressure on African governments to accept

While President Donald Trump did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize this year, he could be the odds on favorite to win the distinguished award in 2026 because of his work brokering peace deals or ceasefires in eight different conflicts this year. Trump’s deal-making diplomacy comes as left-wing critics thought this level of success impossible because of Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s efforts to completely reform the State Department. The critics were wrong. State Department Deputy

Wall Street Journal: October 31, 2025

What Is Julius—and Why Is Everyone Talking? Julius appears to combine traditional LLM capabilities with something far more human-like. Let’s explore what sets Julius apart—and why it matters.Get the top 40+ AI Models for $20 at AI Box: ⁠⁠https://aibox.aiAI Chat YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaedenSchaferJoin my AI Hustle Community: https://www.skool.com/aihustle

This year, there's been a lot of focus on streamining the Federal Acquisition Regulation as the Trump administration moves through its big FAR overhaul project. But increasingly, the burdens of an overcomplicated acquisition system aren't just an issue for traditional government contractors. It's becoming a bigger and bigger topic for academic institutions too. To dig into that topic, I talked with Aron Beezley. He's the head of the government contracts practice group at the law firm Bradley Arant

The Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to federal grants are triggering a wave of legal challenges, especially from nonprofits and research institutions. And more cases are landing in the Court of Federal Claims. Here to explain why, and what funding recipients need to know before they sue is partner at Jenner & Block, David Robbins. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From program design to policy evaluation, social scientists offer methods and insights that could strengthen federal decision-making. But institutional barriers and cultural divides still keep many of them on the sidelines. Joining me to explain what government is missing and how to fix it is the Herbert H. Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University, Alexander Hertel-Fernandez. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry GertonEngaging more social scientists could help government programs work better and deliver more Grant terminations are rising and federal funding recipients may need to head to court Big contract compliance burdens...aren't just a problem for contractors See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Can AI make decisions, not just suggestions? Professor Alan Smeaton — DCU researcher, Government AI Advisory Council member and builder of Ireland’s first AI teaching assistant — explains what agentic AI really means and why Estonia is blazing ahead and already using it in classrooms. He tells host Maeve Kneafsey why Ireland can’t afford to wait, how data can save citizens money, and why AI literacy must become a national skill and future economic stability and growth.[00:00] When AI starts to

On this episode of the Trade Guys, we discuss a vote on rules aimed at lowering carbon emissions from shipping which was called off under U.S. pressure. We also cover expanded rare earth export controls coming out of China and new CSIS findings on the severe impacts of retaliation on U.S. farmers.

Plans to keep the FBI’s new headquarters in the District of Columbia are moving ahead in Congress. Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced the Trump administration’s proposal to move the FBI to the Ronald Reagan Building just blocks away from the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building. The Biden administration planned to relocate the FBI headquarters to Greenbelt, Maryland.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at

Happy Halloween! 🎃 In this spooky bonus episode of the Beyond Data Management Podcast (powered by HS GovTech), host Cameron Garrison and producer Christina Miller bring you real-life ghost stories straight from the Reddit health-inspector community — plus a very special guest: Vinny the Skeleton 🦴 (complete with a hot date named Audrey). Originally pitched in August by Tina (who knew inspectors had creepy tales), we asked the 6,000+ members of the r/EnvironmentalHealth subreddit: “Tell us

What happens when elite lawyers abandon six-figure salaries to battle a president's assault on the legal system itself? On this episode of the Tara Palmeri Show, Matthew Wollin, a former WilmerHale attorney whose glass-walled office once starred in Succession, left big law after five years to become a journalist. He joins Tara to unpack how Trump's February 2025 memo targeting Covington & Burling triggered a domino effect across the industry, with prestigious firms preemptively settling on

This week Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon of the War on Cars podcast join the show to talk about their new book: Life After Cars – Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile. We discuss opposing views, Turtle Jesus, and potential offramps towards car free cities. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon