News You Can Use: 03/03/17

National Security

Trump’s NSC: A Bureaucratic Balancing Act, The Cipher Brief

Almost 200 Firms Have Bid To Build Trump’s Border Wall, Defense One

New NSC chief pushed Trump to moderate his language on terrorism, Politico

Play of the Day: Trump’s New Office… And Its Acronym, Government Executive

Drugs, crime, and immigration: Nicer words from Trump, still bad policies, Brookings

As Trump’s national security adviser, McMaster still wears his Army uniform. Why that matters, Military Times

McMaster rolls back Flynn’s changes at NSC, Politico

Watchdog: DHS’s Biometric Exit Tracking Still Needs Work, Nextgov

Trump’s Defense-Heavy Budget Plan Sets Up Showdown With State Dept., Foreign Policy

Trump’s State Department Anxiously Awaits its Future, Defense One

‘Winning’ or Not, Trump Doesn’t Seem to Be Listening To His Generals, Defense One

Interior Dept. To Nature: Bring It On, We’ve Got Drones, Nextgov

Cybersecurity

Does Cyber Security Have An Operational Excellence Problem?, Forbes

House hearing gives glimpse into cyberwar threats, challenges, opportunities, Fifth Domain Cyber

Report: Electrical grid cybersecurity efforts across U.S. government are ‘fragmented’, CyberScoop

Executives Have More Faith In Cyber Defenses Than The Cyber Staff, Nextgov

DNI nominee puts cyberwarfare at top of threat list, Fifth Domain Cyber

Public Health

The GOP Plans To Gut Our Public Health Care System, Forbes

Prisoners with serious mental health problems face urgent treatment delays, The Guardian

Liberian Ebola Fighter, a TIME Person of the Year, Dies in Childbirth, Time

Federal officials are auditing D.C. public health lab in wake of botched Zika tests, The Washington Post

County Officials: We’ve Seen What Medicaid Expansion Can Do, Route Fifty

Human Rights & Humanitarian Efforts

Governments Step Up for Reproductive Rights, Human Rights Watch

Refugee women and children ‘beaten, raped and starved in Libyan hellholes’, The Guardian

A Key Step Toward Ending Child Marriage in New York, Human Rights Watch

UN Report Alleges Syrian War Crimes in Aleppo, Rebutting Russian Denials, Defense One

South Sudan’s Man-Made Famine, Foreign Policy

Government & Military Personnel

How to Survive the Hiring Freeze, Government Executive

NNSA sorting through hiring freeze, budget options, Defense News

Trump’s Budget Cuts Could Lead to Federal Employee Layoffs, Furloughs, Government Executive

In first address to Congress, Trump promises a mightier military, more money for vets, Military Times

Senator Urges Labor Department, Congress to Do More for On-Demand Workers, Government Executive

Trump’s Hiring Freeze Puts Veterans Out of Work, The American Prospect

Hiring freeze means longer lines at commissaries … and could lead to reduced hours, Military Times

VA Hearing Spurs Divide Over Hiring Freeze, Bonus Abuse, Government Executive