National & World Headlines
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This episode, Michael Binder speaks to John Sopko, who served as Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction since 2012.
February 20, 2023 -
Lots of people flowing past the U.S. southern border really are refugees, who deserve protection. Now the State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services have jointly started up a way to let regular citizens help refugees resettle in the United States.
February 16, 2023 -
President Joe Biden has fired the embattled Architect of the Capitol, the official who oversees the Capitol complex. The White House said Monday that Brett Blanton’s appointment was terminated. It comes as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he’d lost confidence in Blanton’s ability to do the job. An inspector general report released last year found “administrative, ethical and policy violations” by Blanton, including that he abused his government vehicle and misrepresented himself as a law enforcement official. At a House hearing last week, Blanton also faced fierce questions about Capitol tours he allowed and sometimes conducted despite pandemic restrictions.
February 13, 2023 -
Political appointees often leave an administration after the first two years. The pace of departures from the Biden administration at two years is happening at a quickening pace.
February 10, 2023 -
The House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress went out of business with the conclusion of the 117th Congress. But the committee's long list of recommendations will continue under a new subcommittee.
February 07, 2023 -
Congress will be particularly partisan this week. It's the week of the State of the Union Address, with a governor and former Trump administration press spokeswoman giving the response to President Biden.
February 06, 2023 -
Navy ships are getting fewer steaming hours because of growing maintenance delays and costs, a troubling trend that comes as at time when the U.S. is struggling to keep pace with China’s growing fleet. Operating and support costs grew by about $2.5 billion across 10 ship classes while the number of propulsion hours in which ships were operating or training dipped during a 10-year period that ended in 2021. That is according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. The Navy saw increased maintenance delays, breakdowns and cannibalization of parts — moving them from one ship to keep another one going — during the period.
February 03, 2023 -
The United States and the Philippines have announced plans to expand America's military presence in the Southeast Asian nation, with access to four more bases as they seek to deter China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea. The agreement was reached as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in the country for talks about deploying U.S. forces and weapons in more Philippine military camps. In a joint announcement Thursday by the Philippines and the U.S., the two said they had decided to accelerate the full implementation of their so-called Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which aims to support combined training, exercises and interoperability.
February 01, 2023 -
A very old congressional procedure known as the Holman Rule has popped up lately. It allows a House member to amend an appropriations bill so eliminate a specific program or defund the salaries of those working on it.
January 27, 2023 -
Labor shortages and the desires of employees for a more balanced life are opening the door, now more than ever, for fully remote work options. This can potentially lead to a team of multi-state workers.
January 26, 2023 -
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has notified Congress that the U.S. is projected to reach its debt limit on Thursday and will then resort to “extraordinary measures” to avoid default.
January 13, 2023 -
The U.S. has now collected 510 reports of unidentified flying objects, many of which are flying in sensitive military airspace. That's according to a declassified intelligence report summary released Thursday.
January 13, 2023 -
Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed after a system that offers safety information to pilots failed. The government launched an investigation into the breakdown, which grounded some planes for hours. The Federal Aviation Administration said preliminary indications traced the outage to a damaged database file.
January 11, 2023 -
The Pentagon has formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated.
January 10, 2023 -
Kevin McCarthy has passed his first tests as House speaker as Republican lawmakers approved their rules package governing House operations. It was approved 220-213, a party-line vote with one Republican opposed.
January 09, 2023