Author Archives: WatchBlog

NASA’s Plans for Human Space Exploration (podcast)

In the 1960s, NASA had Projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo to get humans to the moon. Today, the agency has the Orion multipurpose crew capsule and the Space Launch System, which could potentially get humans to Mars. Listen to Cristina … Continue reading

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Fighting Female Genital Mutilation

Female genital mutilation is a form of gender-based violence that has affected over 200 million women and girls worldwide. The practice involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other harm to the female genital organs for … Continue reading

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Eyes in the Sky | Could We Be Headed for Less Accurate Weather Forecasts?

Satellites are critical for timely forecasts and warnings of extreme weather events. But, as we’ve discussed before, some of these satellites are aging and should be replaced. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration oversees key weather satellites, and today we’re … Continue reading

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Lights, Camera, Court Room?

The U.S. Supreme Court hears cases that potentially affect millions of Americans. Oral arguments are open to the public, but seating is limited—if you’re in DC while the Court is in session, you may glimpse lines of people snaking the … Continue reading

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Older Adults, Dementia, and Antipsychotic Drugs

About 15% of older adults have dementia. Some of them are prescribed antipsychotic drugs to help treat the symptoms of the disease. However, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved those drugs to treat dementia. May is Older Americans … Continue reading

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Legacy IT Systems (podcast)

The federal government invests more than $80 billion annually on IT. Much of this money is spent operating and maintaining legacy IT systems—some of which are decades old. Is this the best use of federal IT dollars? And what are … Continue reading

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Mental Health Care in the Military

As servicemembers put their mental and physical health on the line to protect the country, it makes sense to provide care for their minds as well as their bodies. However, that task may be easier said than done. Does DOD … Continue reading

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Ending “Too Big to Fail”

8 years ago this month, the Federal Reserve bailed out Bear Stearns, preventing it from collapsing. This triggered an unprecedented amount of federal assistance to help stabilize markets—more than $1 trillion in loans and hundreds of billions of dollars of … Continue reading

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The ABCs—and D!—of Medicare

We do a lot of reports on complex Medicare-related issues, such as payment rates and ensuring program integrity. But we’ve also found that Medicare itself can be difficult to understand. Can’t tell your Medicare parts apart? Today’s WatchBlog has you … Continue reading

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A Seat in the Boardroom

Women’s history month is not only a time to celebrate women’s accomplishments, but also a time to reflect on their progress, particularly in positions of leadership. In honor of International Women’s Day, today’s WatchBlog examines the representation of women on … Continue reading

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