Skip to content

Listen Now

Threat Status podcast: Why robots are at the center of U.S.-China competition

TRENDING:
Donald Trump
Advertisement
Author profile

Phillip Swarts

pswarts@washingtontimes.com

Phillip Swarts was an investigative reporter for The Washington Times.

Articles by Phillip Swarts

Rep. Gerry Connolly, Virginia Democrat. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

‘Redundant’ spending claim on autism research stirs outrage

A Capitol Hill hearing about autism research Tuesday quickly broadened into a larger debate on government spending as the top Democrat said federal investigators' report that research funding may have been redundant and wasteful was "almost insidious."

May 20, 2014

VA center in Ala. understaffed for podiatrists: IG

A Veterans Affairs center in Alabama got off on the wrong foot with veterans by not having enough podiatrists on duty to cover patients' needs, a review by the department's inspector general found.

May 19, 2014
The most egregious examples of government waste, fraud or abuse from TWT staff. (Golden Hammer cropped logo)

Golden Hammer: Sole-source watches save agency time, not money

Near the end of March, the Pentagon's Defense Logistics Agency put in an order for 1,656 wristwatches from electronics manufacturer Casio. But taxpayers won't know how much they cost, with one line on the order form suggesting the price was below $650,000, while another line indicating the price could have been as high as $12.5 million.

May 15, 2014
The U.S. special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, John F. Sopko, said Wednesday that billions of dollars in reconstruction assistance to that war-torn nation are being lost to graft and corruption. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Afghanistan corruption still severe problem, U.S. watchdog says

The U.S. government isn't doing enough to fight corruption in Afghanistan, the top American watchdog for the country said Wednesday, raising the concern that much of the effort and the $103 billion that has been given to rebuild the war-torn nation is being lost to graft.

May 14, 2014
ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY, MARCH 9 AND THEREAFTER - In this Feb. 20, 2014 photo, U.S. Postal Service letter carrier Gary Keist walks through deep snow during his route Normal, Ill. Keist, 56, began as a letter carrier in 1978 and said this winter is the worst he's ever worked because of the consistent pattern of snowfalls followed by bitterly cold temperatures with little or no break. (AP Photo/The Pantagraph, Steve Smedley)

Package delivery could be casualty of postal woes

Door-to-door deliveries for packages could become a thing of the past as the U.S. Postal Service looks for ways to cut costs — even as officials concede they don't know if the cost etimates they are using are reliable.

May 13, 2014
The Dodge Grand Caravan's final production year will be for 2016, an expiration date that inspired nostalgia and angst on multiple mommy blogs and a slew of stricken posts on the Chrysler Minivan Fan Club website. (associated press)

End of the road for Dodge Grand Caravan

The Dodge Grand Caravan passed away Tuesday, surrounded by loved ones. It will be remembered fondly for countless trips to and from soccer games and ballet lessons, for weekend errands, long car rides to Grandma's house, and the mysterious sticky substance and stale Cheerios lodged behind the strapped-in booster seats.

May 6, 2014
Former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger introduces China's President Hu Jintao to leaders from the private and public sectors, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011 in Washington, at a luncheon co-hosted by the U.S.-China Business Council. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

D.C. to get museum for diplomatic history

D.C. is getting a new museum: The proposed United States Diplomacy Center, just a few blocks from the Foggy Bottom Metro station, will serve as a new entrance to the State Department and showcase the history, challenges and results of U.S. diplomacy worldwide.

May 2, 2014
The most egregious examples of government waste, fraud or abuse from TWT staff. (Golden Hammer cropped logo)

Golden Hammer: Job Corps used debit cards for clothes, phones, not travel

Since 1964, the Job Corps has spent millions of dollars providing education and vocational training to the nation's youth. And since 2011, federal employees and the students they're training have been using that money to pay for cellphone bills, trips to the hairdressers, clothing, electronics and other personal expenses.

May 1, 2014
A presentation prepared in 2010 for then-EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson made clear that a pre-emptive veto "had never been done before in the history" of the Clean Water Act and could risk litigation. (Associated Press)

EXCLUSIVE: Memos show EPA officials tried to kill mine project before scientific review

Though President Obama has repeatedly urged that science guide environmental decisions, regulators inside the Environmental Protection Agency secretly worked with tribal and environmental activists to preempt a full review of an Alaskan mine and veto the project before the owners' permits could be considered, internal memos show.

April 30, 2014

Post office may have sold off valuable art, properties

Facing financial troubles, the United States Postal Service has begun selling a number of its post offices and other properties around the nation, including recognized historic buildings. But the mail delivery service isn’t tracking much information, a report by the agency’s inspector general found.

April 23, 2014