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GOP to Obama: Fix VA.

Ukraine's new president Petro Poroshenko said his country would never give up Crimea and would not compromise on its path towards closer ties with Europe, using his inaugural speech to send a defiant message to Russia.

Gunmen take hundreds of students hostage on Iraq university campus.

The Bergdahl boomerang: GOP lawmakers who long urged a rescue now sour on the idea.

Bergdahl's father said one of his son's Taliban captors lost his son in a U.S. drone strike.

Vet unemployment drops, beating nation's unemployment rate.

A handy guide to the potential candidates to be the next VA secretary.

Inside the liberal take-over of U.S. national security.

The five most powerful navies on the planet.

The most important disruptive technology systems and ideas that DARPA is working on.

Scientists at University of Akron claim they've cracked the code, so to speak, by creating a super-tough screen out of transparent electrodes.

A cocktail glass designed to work in zero gravity.

Mystery solved: This is the monster that ate a great white shark.

The definitive reason why you should delete your Facebook account.

The game has really stood the test of time: Tetris' 30th anniversary.

The BoJack Horseman trailer for the animated Netflix series, which debuts in August.

Orange in the New Cat ...

LINK: Original photo by Petty officer 2nd Class Jacob Dillon

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Hero student tackle gunman, saves Seattle Pacific University students.

Department of Defense observes the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

Veterans from the 29th Infantry Division returned to the shores of Omaha Beach at dawn today after 70 years - this time the storms replaced by a bright sun and their mission of war giving way to a desire to remember their fallen comrades.

Congress appears poised to adopt new legislation making it easier for veterans to get private medical care and harder for underperforming administrators to keep their jobs.

North Korea said it had detained an American tourist for violating its laws after entering the secretive state in April, bringing the number of U.S. citizens held by Pyongyang to three.

A small team of American military advisers will soon head to Ukraine to assess that embattled nation's "mid- and long-term needs for defense reform."

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers wants French President François Hollande to halt the sale of two warships to Moscow, warning the vessels could be used to invade other European nations.

The Pentagon released its annual assessment of Chinese military power, and the 96-page report paints a picture of China's broad-based efforts to modernize and expand its military forces.

War's elite tough guys, hesitant to seek healing.

Why turbulence happens, and why it's not so scary after all.

Yes, it's a chocolate drone.

Top Gun is actually dumb.

Coca-Cola has created 16 caps that turn its bottles into useful objects.

Watch the Afghan Whigs perform on Letterman after an 18-year gap.

Courtney Love wants her own breed of roses.

Watch the trailer for You Are Here, which stars Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler and Owen Wilson.

More live than you'll ever be ...

LINK: Original photo by Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon

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Ayatollah Ali Khameni said in a speech he believes President Obama will not use force to stop Iran's nuclear program.

Putin looks east to bolster ties with North Korea.

The U.S. Air Force plans to temporarily deploy heavy bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons to Europe one day after President Barack Obama announced he would increase the U.S. military presence in the region.

Video: A dazed Bowe Bergdahl is led by two militants to a Blackhawk helicopter in eastern Afghanistan ending his five years' in captivity.

The hero who died looking for Bowe Bergdahl.

Prisoner swap blows up on White House.

An internal military investigation found that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl intentionally sneaked away from his forward operating base in Afghanistan just before he disappeared in 2009 - and that may not have been the first time he left the post without permission.

Senate Republicans said they would offer legislation to allow veterans to go to any hospital within 40 miles of their home to get healthcare.

An armed Russian fighter jet flew within 100 feet of a US Air Force RC-135U and taunted the intelligence-gathering aircraft with an aggressive maneuver over international waters north of Japan.

Terrorism is and remains the top threat to the United States, Defense Undersecretary for Intelligence Mike Vickers said.

NSA Chief: Snowden "probably not" a foreign agent.

Report: Blue Angles boss tolerated porn, lewdness.

From 1914 to 2014, here's what a hundred year difference looks like after the siege of Antwerp.

The New York Times has a piece about anonymity on social media.

TMZ has posted 22 more secret behind-the-scenes photos from the Star Wars Episode 7 secret production studio in the UK

Amazing bowling tricks.

Stream Jack White's new album on iTunes.

Finally: Comic book movie comment section bingo

The FCC does not like John Oliver. The reason why below ...

LINK: Original photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan David Chandler

This just in from Rep. Derek Kilmer's office. ...

Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) will join local veterans at a Tacoma VFW post to listen to their experiences with the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system in the wake of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki's resignation last Friday. The listening session is part of Rep. Kilmer's ongoing dialogue with veterans in the region.  

The meeting will take place at VFW 10018 Narrow Bridge Post on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. Kilmer was invited by Post Commander Mike Hopper to hear from veterans about issues they face getting the care they need.

Read more...

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New research links Iraqi dust to sick soldiers.

The release yesterday of former prisoner of war Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, after a years-long international effort to free him from nearly five years of captivity in Afghanistan, was an important day for U.S. troops and for the United States.

Those who worked for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's release face mounting questions over the prisoner swap that won his freedom.

The Afghan president is angry at being kept in the dark over a deal to free five Taliban leaders in exchange for a captured U.S. soldier, and accuses Washington of failing to back a peace plan for the war-torn country.

Some of the veterans and soldiers who served with Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl call him a deserter whose "selfish act" ended up costing the lives of better men.

The chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs committee has released details of a refashioned bill to address the problems plaguing the federally run veterans' health care system.

Al-Qaida has decentralized, yet it's unclear whether the terrorist network is weaker and less likely to launch a Sept. 11-style attack against the United States, as President Obama says, or remains potent despite the deaths of several leaders.

The Defense Department is pushing for more transparency in providing information on international drone strikes in countries such as Yemen, while still not releasing drone strike data for its continued operations in Afghanistan.

The U.S. defense sector is having a remarkable year on Capitol Hill. In fact, it is batting 1.000 so far, with three of four congressional defense panels protecting weapon programs and adding funds to buy platforms the military didn't even request.

A U.S. House of Representatives panel that oversees defense spending has added funding next year for EA-18 electronic warfare jets, but not A-10 attack planes.

As his West Point speech reaffirmed, President Obama doesn't have his own brand of foreign policy.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's go-to weapon system is not found on any base, in any hangar or aboard any ship. It's a review.

MacArthur Leadership Awards go to 28 officers.

Air Force Academy grad follow sisters - alums of West Point and Annapolis.

Can "Spidey Sense" be taught?

Star Trek is hilariously ridiculous when you eliminate the camera shake.

How to take eye-popping pictures of tiny bugs.

Sad News: Ann B. Davis (Alice from The Brady Bunch) has died.

Only 564 days to go to Star Wars Episode VII.

Cameron's house from Ferris Bueller's Day Off sold (for less than expected).

Arsenio Hall's show has been canceled.

Good morning!

LINK: Original photo by Staff Sgt. Chrissy Best

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At least 100 members of Congress have called for the resignation of Eric Shinseki, the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, over mismanagement of veterans' health care, but so far the White House is unmoved.

Hagel says "indispensable" U.S. still not the world's police.

A House bill that passed will restore autonomy to a Gulf War illness board that had been stripped away by the Department of Veterans Affairs earlier this year.

U.S. House defense appropriators moved one step closer to approving $570.4 billion in base and war spending for the Pentagon, including funds for an 11th aircraft carrier and electronic-attack planes.

The move to bring all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan at the end of 2016 will mean major cuts in supplemental funding.

Senate Democratic leaders are planning a two-pronged legislative response to the scandal embroiling the Veterans Affairs Department, which has become an issue in several Senate races.

The gap between supply and demand for spy planes just got bigger.

The U.S. Marine Corps cannot meet its amphibious assault needs with its current stable of ship-to-shore connectors.

Problem solvers tackle Army complexity.

There have now been 12 successful coups over the past eight decades of Thailand's modern monarchy. But the latest, on May 22 did not follow the usual script, which runs: lock down Bangkok while the rest of the country watches.

The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff has rejected the notion that the U.S. is politically exhausted during his visit to the United Arab Emirates this week.

Lockheed Martin reached an agreement to purchase the Space Operations arm of Astrotech, a move that should help the largest defense company in the world grow its launch capabilities.

Virgin Galactic cleared by FAA.

Species of plants and animals are going extinct about 10 times faster than biologists had previously believed.

This terrifying Robo-Raptor will hunt you down at 29 mph.

Led Zeppelin vs. the Beattle: Whole Lotta Helter Skelter

Lukewarm review of Halt and Catch Fire, which premieres Sunday on AMC.

Nice: Dick Van Dyke is still a great dancer.

Cool: The Wonder Years cast has reunited!

The geekiest wedding ever.

List: best sequels of all time

Finally: A GWAR-themed bar.

Finally: Maps of where bars outnumber grocery stores.

Let's call it a day ...

LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Unique Robert

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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

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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

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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

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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