Defense
ISIL Demands $6.6M Ransom for 26-Year-Old American Woman
ISIL also asked for the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a neuroscientist who in 2010 was convicted of trying to kill U.S. officials.
Route Fifty
North Carolina Teachers Are 'Easy Pickings' for Texas Recruiters
Low salaries make Tar Heel State educators vulnerable to poaching.
Management
Issa Attacks Labor Department's Elevator Posters, PR Contests
'Wasteful' practices included hiring Nationals mascot, publishing employee magazine.
Oversight
John Boehner's Greatest Acts as a Wind-Up Monkey
The Speaker of the House says he is little more than a toy monkey operated by his staff.
Pay & Benefits
COLA Boost is Hovering Around 1.8 Percent Now
The exact cost-of-living adjustment for 2015 won’t be known until October when all the numbers are in.
Nextgov
Under Further Scrutiny, Obamacare Website Gets CEO
Twenty HealthCare.gov-related contracts cost more than estimated, while the cost of seven more than doubled.
Defense
How Obama Plans to Fix Veterans’ Mental Health Care
The White House boasts progress on improving services, but Republicans aren’t impressed.
Route Fifty
How Legalized Marijuana Is Also a Long-Term ‘Knowledge Experiment’ in Washington State
A new Brookings Institution report details the ‘innovative policy framework’ to study Initiative 502’s social impacts.
Management
Ex-Pentagon Management Chief Isn't Worried By Spate of Staff Departures
DeLoitte’s Beth McGrath says old office is in good hands, Defense agencies will find audit "illuminating."
Management
The Complete Guide to Swearing at Work
The occasional profanity can be an effective way to manage frustration and diffuse tension.
Tech
Scientists Go Beyond Science to Explain Their Climate Terror
New site hosts handwritten letters from scientists expressing their fears about climate change.
Nextgov
Pentagon Accepts Bids on Long-Awaited Health Records Contract
The solicitation is the first step in what could be an $11 billion effort over the next decade to modernize the Pentagon's health records system.
Management
It Could Get a Lot Harder for Social Security to Close Field Offices
Senator introduces bill that would require a public comment period on planned closures and a report to Congress.
Nextgov
VA to Kick Off Hunt For New Patient Scheduling System Next Month
By the end of September, VA plans to issue a solicitation for a new system to manage the scheduling of veterans’ medical appointments.
Management
The GOP Made an 8-Bit Style Video Game to Win the Senate
As a game, Mission Majority isn't that great.
Oversight
Democrats Are (Slowly) Learning to Love Obamacare
Democrats are getting more comfortable talking about the law, but don’t expect them to make it a central part of their campaigns.
Defense
No, the Ferguson Police's Weapons Did Not Come From the Pentagon
The question of police militarization may not be purely the military's to answer.
Insights
Cloud Cover: Protecting Networks With Built-In Cybersecurity
As agencies simultaneously move to cloud solutions and secure their IT assets, they may consider how these two goals can be more effectively achieved in tandem.
Management
Strategic Planning: Are Agencies Set Up to Fail?
Missions are in jeopardy unless leaders look beyond the Results Act's five-year horizon.
Employee Policy