Women of Note
Alice Bowman: A Mission to Pluto, Among a Gender-Balanced Team
Alice Bowman has learned a lot about making the most of the daily twists and turns of the missions she manages. One of the most important lessons translates easily to daily life: "You just can't overreact when things happen, you have to stay calm," says Bowman. The dozens of women who are powering New Horizons to a history-making July 14 flyby of Pluto look forward to the day when the conversation about gender becomes irrelevant. more »
High Court Upholds Health Law Subsidies
Eighty-five percent of those who bought insurance through healthcare.gov qualified for subsidies averaging $272 per month. The Department of Health and Human Services predicted 6.4 million people would have lost subsidies if the court ruled for the plaintiffs. The health law faces other legal cases, including objections from religious institutions to their role in providing birth control coverage and a suit by the House of Representatives contending that Obama's delay in requiring employers to offer coverage was illegal. more »
"Being captured is not just for journalists": A Hostage Policy Review Reportedly Near Completion
Editor's Note: We missed this program when originally presented, but wish to highlight it now when there is reported a review of hostage policy is nearing completion: Diane Foley, mother of executed US journalist James Foley, and Debra Tice, mother of missing freelance journalist Austin Tice, talked with Judy Woodruff, co-anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour, about new threats to journalism and press freedom during a program at the Newseum. more »
Shaming Tax Delinquents; A Rotating File of Scofflaws
Almost two-thirds of the states are punishing tax delinquents with a digital version of the Colonial practice of locking lawbreakers in stocks set up in the village square. It turns out publishing the names of tax scofflaws and the amounts they owe on the Internet works spectacularly well, bringing in millions to states eager for the revenue. "When you are talking about large debts, you do tend to get some people who just don’t care. It's just not worth playing off their $450,000 or $1.2 million debt. Down on the lower levels, you get more of the Average Joe who is concerned." more »