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U.S. veterans health probe confirms cover-up of care delays.

Angry House members accused Veterans Affairs officials of hiding subpoenaed documents and trying to cover up the depth of the veterans care delay scandal at an unusual evening hearing Wednesday, the latest bad news in a long day for the embattled department.

Roadside bombings across Afghanistan killed four people today as officials reported that a NATO soldier died in a helicopter crash in Kandahar the previous day.

The Obama administration estimates that keeping 9,800 troops in Afghanistan in 2015 would cost about $20 billion, but the Pentagon is still expected to request tens of billions of dollars more for additional security operations in the region.

Adm. James Winnefeld proposed deploying a THAAD missile defense system in South Korea.

CIA drone strike program in Pakistan winding down.

President Obama affirmed the U.S. will use military force when necessary, but "the threshold for military action must be higher" for crises that do not pose a direct threat to the U.S.

The House on Wednesday passed two bills that would provide veterans with support services for job training and sexual trauma.

The State Department recommended Americans leave Libya immediately and warned U.S. citizens against any travel to the North African country.

Parents of military suicide victims applaud proposed law.

Iraq may serve as cautionary tale for Afghanistan.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James recommended to the secretary of defense elevating the Global Strike Command leadership to a four-star general.

The military is building brain chips to treat PTSD.

On the day that final bids were due for the U.S. Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle program, one of the two expected bidders - General Dynamics Land Systems - pulled out of the competition, leaving BAE Systems and its Bradley variant as the sole contender.

Congress is unlikely to take up a sweeping cybersecurity bill this year if one is not moving in both chambers by August.

Apple just hired the two smartest music moguls of our time.

A simple blast of laser could help your teeth grow back.

Mask associated with Sasquatch legend returned to native tribe after 75 years.

Pitchfork is streaming Bob Mould's new record.

Dogs And sidecars: a match made in motorcycle heaven.

Bradford Cox, Eleanor Friedberger, Tom Verlaine to live score unseen Andy Warhol films.

NPR is streaming the new Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album.

How to pull off the perfect bank heist.

Turn every meal into monkey brains with the Indian Jones serving bowls.

Too Much Free Time: Man Spends 13 Years Transforming Hedge Into Massive Dragon.

What do you think of Google's self-driving car?

LINK: Original photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Boyer

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.28.14 >>>

Two Americans were injured today in Afghanistan when a U.S. Consulate vehicle was attacked while traveling through the western city of Heart.

Obama wants to set up a new $5 billion counterterrorism fund.

The White House announced it is finalizing its request for war funding in 2015.

About 44,000 service members will see a pay cut effective June 1 when the Defense Department makes one of its periodic revisions to, and issues new restrictions for, imminent danger pay.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a comprehensive review of the Military Health System.

The U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will fall to about 9,800 troops by January, a sharp decline from the 32,000 U.S. uniformed personnel in country.

The version of the fiscal 2015 defenseauthorization bill that the House approved last week would cut some controversial nuclear weapons spending in a bid to help veterans.

The retiring chairman of the House Armed Services Committee responded to critics who characterized his final defense bill as a sop to parochial interests.

The new danger in Benghazi.

Militia fighters stole hundreds of American-supplied automatic weapons and other equipment in a raid on a Libyan base where the US was training local forces, bringing an abrupt end to the secretive program.

Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) has introduced legislation to give all veterans access to hospice care through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The future of military robotics may not look much like a robot. It may just be a truck that drives itself.

The Army and the rest of the Defense Department are on notice from Congress that they will be audited soon.

Automotive engineers explore Army's future mobility, protection.

Army tests network capabilities at Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE, 14.2, the seventh in a series of semi-annual field evaluations which focused on improvement and simplification of the Army's networked capabilities.

Beefier carbines en route to soldiers.

No, It's True: All the Saturn V rockets launching at the same time in a signal video.

Forget coolers and store your beer in an underground elevator.

Mad Men: Matt Weiner talks about the finale, and here Weiner explains the final scene.

Norm Macdonald wants Craig Ferguson's show.

Most American comedy movies suck and here's why.

Popular musicians' somewhat embarrassing pre-fame heavy metal bands.

Have you played Netflix Roulette?

Finally: Video of a dog flying in a wingsuit!

What make him so wise in his ways?

LINK: Original photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Hoover

Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. John F. Campbell will host a Soldier For Life (SFL) Facebook Town hall from 11 a.m. to noon EDT, Thursday, May 29. SFL initiative highlights the "lifecycle" of the Soldier at four points: "Start Strong, Serve Strong, Reintegrate Strong and Remain Strong." SFL is designed to assist transitioning active, USAR, and National Guard soldiers and their families by assisting in the reintegration to the private and public sector. SFL also assists in post Army opportunities through credentialing, certifications and licensing programs that directly link civilian recognized skill sets with Army training.

Participate on Gen. Campbell's Facebook May 29.

Read more at the SFL website.

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.27.14 >>>

Ukrainian forces fought with separatists in Donetsk for a second day, after inflicting heavy losses on the rebels. 

Vietnam and China traded accusations today over who was the aggressor in a clash that led to the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat in the South China Sea.

Lawmakers are introducing measures to ensure the White House keeps a close watch on Moscow.

U.S. Special Operations troops are forming elite counterterrorism units in four countries in North and West Africa that American officials say are pivotal in the widening war against Al Qaeda's affiliates and associates on the continent.

The rollout of the Army's new gas mask is underway, but researchers already have plans for the next-gen model: An integrated mask-helmet design with a battery-powered, fan-driven air filtration system.

Prodded by Congress, the Pentagon has promised a better count of its bullets and missiles.

Lawmakers are sounding the alarm over Russia's arms control commitments and introducing measures to ensure the White House keeps a close watch on Moscow.

Special Report: Arlington National Cemetery, like you've been seen it before

Cases involving the appeal of veterans benefits rulings take almost 19 months to resolve, Department of Veterans Affairs records show, and advocates say the crush of new claims is hurting older veterans.

Interview: Eric Fanning, U.S. Air Force undersecretary

Interview: Adm. Robert Papp, U.S. Coast Guard commandant

This bunk bed sofa out-transforms even Optimus Prime.

Flash flood inundates city in just five minutes.

If Darth Vadar had a car, it would be this Cadillac.

Swallows learn to open automatic doors to create nests inside a parking garage.

7-Eleven has jumped on the mustache bandwagon.

It seems the British aren't fans of Macaulay Culkin's band.

What?: Margaret Cho and Fred Armisen chat with Bob Mould in this video.

Finally: The most iconic fast-food chains in each state.

Finally: Doughnuts that look like people.

Time to go back to work ...

LINK: Original photo by Staff Sgt. Johnathan Hoover

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.26.14 >>>

President Obama issues Memorial Day Proclamation.

The roots and lessons of Memorial Day.

Obama secretly slipped into Afghanistan under the cover of darkness Sunday for a weekend visit with U.S. troops serving in the closing months of America's longest war.

White House inadvertently identifies CIA chief in Kabul.

Ukraine's next president, Petro Poroshenko, pledged to restore control over the separatist east, and said he would meet Russian officials to secure their help in resolving the crisis. 

Thai coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha said today he had been formally endorsed by the king as head of a military council that will run the country, and warned he would use force if political protests flared up again.

The Pentagon announced it's suspending exercises with Thailand's military and called on officials to restore democratic rule after a bloodless coup there.

The Pentagon is distancing itself from the U.S. Justice Department's charging of five Chinese People's Liberation Army officers with 31 criminal counts of hacking and cyber espionage against six U.S. companies.

South Korea: Asia's new powerhouse arms exporter.

Increased risk for Army, National Guard missions.

The scandal involving a potential cover up of medical mistreatment of military veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs dominated discussion on the Sunday morning political talk shows. 

China-Vietnam sea spat heats up.

Russia is buying new weapons and aims to modernize its Aerospace Defense Forces.

With sequestration likely to remain, the U.S. Air Force is looking for ways to drive down cost on protected military satellite communications.

One Vietnam veteran is receiving long-delayed recognition for his heroism in a 1968 battle.

How to become an astronaut.

Watch a barn blow-up.

Japan to start building giant ice wall at Fukushima.

Meet the Asian giant hornet. Soon.

Mad Men mid-season 7 finale recap.

Eight literary homes you can buy right now.

Who wants a snake massage?

LINK: Original photo by Chief Petty Office Ryan Wilbur

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.23.14 >>>

The Pentagon announced it was closing down 21 military facilities in Europe, a move the Department said would save $60 million annually.

At the end of a week rocked by allegations of mismanagement and cover-ups at the Veterans Affairs agency, Pres. Obama used his weekly address today to again vow to make sure veterans get the necessary medical care.

Four things Washington could do right now to fix the VA.

Smoke and flames rose from Somalia's parliament building in Mogadishu after militants launched an attack today.

Candidates in Ukraine's presidential election stayed out of the public eye today, observing a ban on campaigning on the eve of a vote that Kiev hopes can help end a bitter confrontation with Russia.

Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) announced that a bipartisan proposal was included in the Senate's defense bill to end a Pentagon contract with a Russian firm to supply the Afghan air force with 18 more transport helicopters. 

As the Army fights an uphill battle on Capitol Hill to avert deep budget cuts in 2016, it is also mounting a public-relations campaign against pundits and analysts who downplay the value of land forces.

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted to include measures in its defense policy bill aimed at curbing the number of military suicides, which officials fear could spike this year.  

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) has introduced a bill to give Medal of Honor recipients the highest priority among veterans seeking access to Veterans Affairs healthcare.

Tensions are rising in the East and South China Seas. America needs to walk a fine line between appeasement and confrontation when it comes to China.

The Army is replacing its Universal Camouflage Pattern with Scorpion, a pattern similar to MultiCam developed around 2002.

The task force working to come up with ideas for the U.S. Navy's small surface combatant got a major data download, as industry submitted their proposals for modified or entirely new designs.

A report blames the CO of a destroyer for shiphandling that caused a helicopter to be swept off the flight deck by a rogue.

The future of defense.

Using Google Street View to study the Great Barrior Reef.

Watch this guy jump over an entire island while kitesurfing.

The last thing the world needs is another singing competition, but Sing Your Face Off has something the others don't: Torchwood/Doctor Who alum John Barrowman.

Keep an eye on this guy: Brandon Scott Wolf.

Every single Nicolas Cage laugh ever compiled in one single video.

Chicago critics Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot delivered another great episode of their podcast with an installment devoted to influential alt-country band Uncle Tupelo.

Seriously?: Fox may have cancelled Enlisted, but one fan is launching a campaign to get the network to bring the show back.

How to drink Gothic.

This version is the best X-Men ...

LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Christopher J. Moore

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.23.14 >>>

Armed pro-Russian separatists clashed with Ukrainian self-defense fighters near the eastern city of Donetsk today, two days before the presidential election, and at least two people were killed.

The Kremlin's crazy shock troops.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki issued a message to veterans defending his leadership and promising to fix delays in care that have rocked his agency and the Obama administration in recent days.

The House approved a measure that would authorize just over $600 billion in 2015 U.S. defense spending, while blocking A-10 retirement plans and ordering an independent group to study the Army's future.

The House passed legislation that tacitly approves a 1.8 percent pay raise for military service members next year, and includes a number of other pay, benefits and workforce provisions.

The leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee unveiled a $514 billion defense bill that differs in several ways from the version approved by the House.

The Senate Armed Services committee wants to put $320 million saved from cutting personnel to pay for flying the A-10 another year.

The Navy has dispatched a cruiser to the Black Sea in the latest sign that Washington is ramping up pressure on the Kremlin's power play in Ukraine ahead of a disputed referendum.

The intelligence community is on the verge of "revolutionary" technical advances.

DARPA has invented a device that gives soldiers Terminator vision.

The 10 algorithms that dominate our world.

Here comes the Headfoams.

Veruca Salt played for the first time in 18 years on Conan.

Watch the big drum-off between Will Ferrell and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith.

See a trailer for the new season of Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

Finally: This lengthy piece explores the history of Don and Peggy's relationship on Mad Men.

Suddenly American idol is much better ...

LINK: Original photo by Cpl. Emmanuel Ramos

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.22 14 >>>

Defense bill amendment to restrict wartime funding usage.

Thailand's army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha took control of the government in a coup saying the army had to restore order and push through reforms. 

North Korean artillery fired at least one shot which landed near a South Korean navy patrol ship south of the two sides' disputed maritime border.

The U.S. has deployed a Predator drone team of 80 military personnel - mostly airmen - to Chad to help find nearly 300 schoolgirls kidnapped in neighboring Nigeria.

UAV platforms begin to mature.

Air Force security failed nuke test.

A U.S. Senate subcommittee has backed the Pentagon's plans to curb military pay raises and housing allowances next year.

Spurred by allegations of mismanagement and scandal at numerous Veterans Affairs facilities, House members overwhelmingly approved a measure giving the department's secretary more power to fire underperforming employees.

Navy chief Adm. Jonathan Greenert says the Navy needs 11 aircraft carriers to meet security demands despite the Pentagon's plan to retire one and bring the count down to 10 to meet caps on defense spending.

The House passed by voice vote an amendment to the 2015 defense authorization bill that takes the Obama administration to task over the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

The first launch of an anti-ballistic missile from a new shore-based version of the classic Aegis missile system was successfully carried in Hawaii.

This incredible Russian dash cam footage shows a car driving through a forest fire while the drivers wonder if they are going to die or not.

18 places you should ride your bike before you die.

Song premiere: Peter Murphy's "Eliza."

Rolling Stone's new cover story is an interview with Jack White.

Watch the new trailer for the Roger Ebert doc, Life Itself.

Cool creature alert: Video from the Star Wars set.

It's gonna be a beautiful day, Walkie Talkie readers. So take Bert and Zachary Levi's advice: GO OUT AND PLAY.

LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Charles Santamaria

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.21.14 >>>

Spc. William Rogers of Joint Base Lewis-McChord proved he was Army Strong at the U.S. Army Installation Management Command's Best Warrior Competition.

Al Qaeda runs shadow army in Afghanistan; Taliban on verge of surge.

The U.S. House will begin work on nearly 170 amendments to a Pentagon policy bill, including ones that would add funds to weapons accounts, require arms sales to allies, and kill the measure that authorized America's post-9/11 conflicts.

The Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded its investigation to include 26 facilities around the country accused of mismanagement and hiding long wait times. 

President Obama has summoned Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and White House deputy chief of staff Rob Nabors for a meeting to discuss their investigation into mismanagement at veterans hospitals across the country.

Sen. Patty Murray says the VA failed to implement legislation she wrote to counter problems with the appointments system.

Why is Shinseki refusing more authority to fire VA employees?

Who broke the Department of Veteran Affairs.

The White House will reportedly comply with a court order to release a secret memorandum describing the legal justification for the 2011 drone strike against three Americans in Yemen.

The Senate Armed Services Committee's 2015 defense policy bill will reject a new round of military base closures.

A U.S. Senate subcommittee approved a measure allowing the Pentagon to spend billions on its most lethal forces while also clearing them to target the Boko Haram organization.

Senate Armed Services Committee members have cobbled together a plan to keep the U.S. Air Force's A-10 attack planes flying for another year.

Australia, Britain, Canada and United States have signed a symbolically important Memorandum of Understanding committing them to "a partnership on combined space operations."

A group of U.S. special operations leaders outlined what capabilities their troops will need in the coming years, focusing mostly on intelligence gathering technologies in places such as Africa and the Arctic.

A subcommittee defied the Army by supporting a panel to study the transfer of Guard attack helicopters to the active component.

The Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency's Information Innovation Office, or I2O, is hosting DARPA Demo Day 2014 in the Pentagon's courtyard today and it has four projects that could be bigger than the Internet.

Roughly 6,000 U.S. troops will take part in this year's "Eager Lion" exercise in Jordan from May 25 to June 8, a Defense Department spokesman said.

Animation teaches you what happened in World War II in 7 minutes.

The science of losing belly fat.

This is a rare view: Five skydivers in wingsuits soar over New York City.

The real mansion from Scarface - the iconic Brian de Palma movie starring Al Pacino as drug lord Tony Montana - has hit the property market.

Seven facts about the X-Men you might not know.

R.E.M.'s complete catalog and many rarities have been remastered for iTunes.

The Horror: Miley Cyruscovered The Smiths. (It's actually not bad!)

List: Best book recommendation services

You need To Know: Here's where Mad Men shot the Burger Chef scenes.

Yikes: There were 1135 Aryas, 241 Khaleesis and 67 Daeneryses born in 2013. And 15 Theons and five Robbs.

Lights out for this cat ...

LINK: Original Photo by Staff Sgt. Jeremy Bowcock

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.20.14 >>>

The House this week will vote onlegislation that tacitly approves a 1.8 percent pay raise for service members next year.

The Pentagon still plans to increase funding for special operations equipment in the coming years, but after years of plus-ups, that trend is expected to flatten.

America still has way more air power than any rival.

Thailand's army declared martial law nationwide to restore order after six months of street protests that have left the country without a proper functioning government, but denied that the surprise move amounted to a military coup.

A top White House official has promised that the CIA would no longer use vaccination programs as a cover for spying.

The White House is threatening a veto of the House version of a $601 billion defense bill over election-year moves to spare weapons systems and popular programs in the face of limited budgets.

President Obama is relying less on drones and more on foreign governments in the global fight against terrorists.

Retired Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, 24, will receive the Medal of Honor for heroism in Afghanistan in 2010.

The United States invented the Internet, but we may not rule it any more.

Navy officials expect ship defenses to get a boost following the introduction of the Block 2 Rolling Airframe Missiles.

Turns out a littoral combat ship will be headed to Hawaii this summer after all.

A new bill would allow members of the military and their families to keep their current auto insurance policy if they are ordered to relocate to a new state.

House approves Congressional Gold Medal for Civil Air Patrol.

A small, easy-to-use and lightweight explosive screening kit continues to move forward toward full fielding as a means to provide soldiers with the capability to screen for suspected homemade explosive materials.

Army PULSE-W watercraft proves ability, benefit of enduring presence in Pacific.

Veterans remember historic Strike Brigade deployment.

This looks like some end of the world type weather.

Spielberg's masterful use of the long take is one of the things that make him so great.

"Fangirl" and "unfriend" are among the new words Merriam-Webster is adding to the dictionary.

McDonald's has a creepy new mascot.

How much money is it possible to win on Jeopardy!?

Here's a tribute to Road House for its 25th anniversary.

And finally, this story is for all the drummers.

Back To The Future love song ...

LINK: Original photo by Visual Information Specialist Markus Rauchenberger