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Our online community now tops 150,000 federal workers and supporters across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Each briefing distills the day’s most consequential developments, adds clear-eyed legal analysis, and pairs it with mindfulness tools that keep you steady no matter how turbulent the news cycle becomes. If this newsletter helps you stay informed, please pass it on: https://fedlegalhelp.com/newsletter. Your advocacy broadens the protective circle for every federal employee.

Top Three News Stories:

1. State Department Fires Over 1,300 Employees as Part of Trump Administration Plan

The department began issuing RIF (reduction-in-force) notices late Friday, informing 1,107 civil-service and 246 Foreign Service staff that their positions are being abolished as part of a 15 % workforce cut aimed at consolidating more than 300 offices. Passport, visa and active law-enforcement functions are exempt, but most domestic bureaus face steep downsizing. Employees who already took the “Fork in the Road” voluntary-exit package bring total expected departures to nearly 3,000. Managers say the move eliminates “duplicative” roles; diplomats warn it will erode U.S. influence abroad. CBS News

Legal Insight: 

RIF letters trigger a minimum 60-day notice for civil servants and 120-day notice for Foreign Service officers unless the agency properly scopes one of the narrow statutory exceptions. Affected employees should immediately download their e-OPF and verify veterans’ preference and tenure dates, as errors can change retention standing. Appeals generally go to the MSPB and must be filed within 30 days of the effective date; a timely EEO complaint is still available for discrimination claims. Keep every communication—Judge Illston’s ongoing review of agency-specific RIF plans means an injunction could still pause separations retroactively.

2. U.S. Justice Department Fires Additional Staff from Jack Smith’s Special-Counsel Team

Attorney General Pam Bondi terminated about 20 lawyers, support staff and U.S. Marshals who previously worked on Jack Smith’s investigations of Donald Trump, bringing the tally of dismissed team members to at least 37. Sources said the department is invoking the President’s broad removal authority and alleging “loss of trust” in employees tied to cases against Trump or his supporters. Critics argue the purge undermines prosecutorial independence and chills future whistleblowers. Reuters

Legal Insight:

Career attorneys removed during their probationary year have limited MSPB rights but may pursue OSC complaints if they suspect prohibited personnel practices, including retaliation for protected activity. Generally, senior career staff outside probation enjoy full adverse-action procedures under 5 U.S.C. § 7513 and can demand the agency’s evidence and an MSPB hearing. Those holding security clearances should preserve all documentation.

3. Agencies Eye AI to Speed Deregulatory Agenda, But Experts Flag Legal Landmines

OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has quietly green-lit pilot projects allowing agencies to use large-language-model tools to generate first-draft federal regulations and deregulatory analyses. Advocates say the systems could cut drafting time by 50 percent, helping agencies meet tight Project 2025 deadlines for trimming “obsolete or burdensome” rules. But former OIRA officials warn automated drafting may embed bias or omit statutory findings, inviting lawsuits that could delay or vacate final rules. Government Executive

Legal Insight:

The Administrative Procedure Act does not prohibit AI-assisted drafting, but agencies must still demonstrate a rational basis in the record; failure to document how the model produced the text could trigger arbitrary-and-capricious challenges. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, any information-collection estimates generated by AI must be independently verified. Procurement teams deploying these tools must follow FedRAMP or agency-equivalent authorization before feeding in non-public data, or risk FISMA violations. Finally, employees asked to review or “rubber-stamp” AI-generated analyses should keep contemporaneous notes—whistleblower protection under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8) covers disclosures of substantial agency waste or legal non-compliance.

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

The Hydration Bell     

Every time you drink water today, take a few seconds to really notice the sensation. The coolness, the pause, the refreshment. This ‘habit stacking’—linking a mindfulness moment to something you already do—turns the ordinary into an opportunity for grounding. It’s a subtle way to keep your attention tethered to the present throughout the workday.