Friday Morning Joe: Senate approves VA bill, CIA spied on Senate, Air Force promotion changes, New York City latte ...

By Northwest Military News Team on August 1, 2014

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The Senate overwhelmingly gave final approval to a $16.3 billion Veterans Affairs reform bill last night, sending the measure to the White House and giving Congress a legislative victory before the start of its summer break.

A wake up call to Washington on defense: Panel concludes U.S. military superiority not a given.

CIA did spy on Senate staffers: CIA Director John Brennan stood firm for months in his insistence that the CIA had little to be ashamed of after searching the computers of the Senate Intelligence Committee. His defiant posture quickly collapsed after a devastating report by his own inspector general sided against agency on each key point of the dispute with the Senate.

Pressure is building on CIA Director John Brennan to resign following the agency's admission Thursday that it spied on the computers of Senate staffers.

A Gaza cease-fire quickly unraveled today as violence erupted in and around the southern town of Rafah, with 35 Palestinians killed by Israeli shelling and the military saying one of its soldiers has been abducted.

The European Union's embargo on the import and export of arms and related material with Russia, which covers all items on the EU's common military list, will come into force today.

A German army general has for the first time been appointed chief of staff to work with the commander of U.S. ground forces in Europe, both countries' militaries.

Downsizing the war: Layoffs and yard sales in Afghanistan.

Spy satellites: House Intelligence Committee unanimously approved a new report suggesting ways the government could save billions of dollars in its purchases of intelligence satellites.  

Congress presses DoD for allotment system reform.

The U.S. Congress will leave town for five weeks without providing hundreds of millions of dollars requested by Israel to replenish its Iron Dome interceptor missiles.

The Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, biennial maritime security exercise is a multinational training opportunity taking place in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

Air Force officials announced a series of sweeping changes to the Enlisted Evaluation System and Weighted Airman Promotion System July 31.

The navigator on the famous B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II, died July 28 in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Terry and Jan Blumberg used benefits and insurance money from their son Army Sgt. Trevor Blumberg's 2003 death in Iraq to help build the two-story home. Now in its third year, Blum's Landing serves as a retreat for veterans.

The new .45s are made by Colt, the first 1911 models they've provided to the U.S. since the end of World War II.

Skydivers land on lake and skid all the way to shore.

Lollapalooza live stream starts this afternoon.

IFC has posted a full episode of its new show Garfunkel and Oates before it premieres.

Katy Perry's new video employs Pee-wee Herman lookalikes.

Watch the trailer for the new SpongeBob SquarePants live-action movie.

List: "hidden celebrity cameos" in movies.

Finally: What New York City would look like submerged in a gigantic latte.

One day drones will cast the skies and we'll need this guy to fix it.

LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Nathan Knapke