Tom Temin
-
Business whisperers define management as getting things done through others. If you're the manager, that makes two basics incumbent on you. One, can you motivate people. Two, can you identify and hire the right people in the first place.
September 07, 2023 -
If they say the clothes make the person, can special clothes make the first responder? The Intelligence Advanced Projects Research Activity (IARPA) wants to find out. It has launched a program to create trousers that look ordinary, but can record audio, video, and location data. Will Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems, or smarty pants, be in a clothing store near you. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin wondered, so he talked, in studio, with IARPA Program Manager Dr. Dawson Cagle.
September 07, 2023 -
Like it or not, windmills and solar panels won't be sufficient to power the U.S. economy and Americans' way of life. Nuclear power will be part of the mix. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found, licensing of advanced reactors, of widely varying sizes, are stuck at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
September 07, 2023 -
Federal contractors get plenty of feedback from the government. But outside of protests, the notion of a 360-degree evaluation doesn't exactly operate here, until now, maybe.
September 07, 2023 -
In today's Federal Newscast: A senator and congressman are moving to end government shutdowns once and for all. The Office of the National Cyber Director is developing a new cyber-posture report to help evaluate the current state of American cybersecurity. And victims exposed to Camp Lejeune's contaminated water have a new way to resolve their claims.
September 07, 2023 -
The detailed work in Congress is done not by members, but rather by the 30,000-odd staff members. Right now, a group of overworked, and probably underpaid, minions are what they call "conferencing" over one of the most important yearly laws: the National Defense Authorization Act.
September 06, 2023 -
Is quantum computing the next big thing or forever in the future? The answer lies in whether there's a practical way to make the crucial components for quantum computers. Now they require expensive, bulky and energy-intensive super-cooling, like to nearly absolute zero.
September 06, 2023 -
The Labor Department has revived an old idea: Salaried private-sector employees who work overtime. Well, you can't just compensate them with pizza. A rule proposed last week would mandate overtime for people making up to $55,000 a year. The current ceiling is $35,000.
September 06, 2023 -
Few people know the innards of Defense department finance, as well as Bob Hale. He was comptroller and chief financial officer. He was an assistant Air Force secretary for financial management.
September 05, 2023 -
The Senate has returned to Washington. The House remains on recess for another week. Either way, Congress faces a haystack of work, and precious little time in the fiscal year to do it. For an update, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Bloomberg Government congressional reporter, Zach Cohen.
September 05, 2023 -
In today's Federal Newscast: National Guardsmen from five states are helping fight wildfires in Louisiana. GSA is using the Inflation Reduction Act to make more than 100 federal buildings all-electric. And OPM says its time to drop COVID-compliance stipulations in federal job postings.
September 05, 2023 -
The AbilityOne program employs people with disabilities to manufacture many commodities for the government, from military uniforms to those wonderful ball point pens. A big focus for AbilityOne is office supplies and furnishings.
September 01, 2023 -
If the COVID virus showed anything, it's the potency of the biology threats. The Defense Department recently completed its 2023 biodefense posture review.
September 01, 2023 -
Carolyn Hightower has devoted her career to helping others. Specifically helping victims of terrorism and crime. Today, she's deputy director of the Office on Trafficking in Persons and a finalist in this year's Service to America Medals Program.
August 31, 2023 -
The Copyright Office — a Congressional agency — is taking a bow for the success of its online recordation system. The system lets people submit, online, documents for copyright applications. How successful is it?
August 31, 2023