GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.29.14 >>>

Obama asked the Russia leader to withdraw troops during a phone call initiated by Putin.

A primal instinct was behind Russia's annexation of Crimea, and its one shared by other powers.

Pentagon to adapt drones for tougher aerial battles.

The U.S. Army's top leaders defended their proposal to strip the Army National Guard of its AH-64 Apaches attack helicopters as part of a cost-saving move.

Jeremiah Denton Jr., who as an American prisoner of war in Vietnam made the world aware of the abuse POWs were suffering, died Friday at 89 in a Virginia Beach hospice.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has paid tribute to retiring Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, who is stepping down as head of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency.

Air Force looks to cost-effective technologies to sustain future operations.

Defense officials have ordered a review of options that include consolidating commissaries and exchanges, as well as having commissaries adopt an "Exchange-like business model."

A New York congressman is calling for a presidential review of the Medal of Honor cases of two Marines who in 2008 gave their lives to halt a suicide bomber with a truck full of explosives in Ramadi, Iraq.

A veteran of the war in Afghanistan died of a heroin and cocaine overdose last year while receiving treatment at a Miami Veterans Affairs residential treatment facility, according to a VA inspector general report released.

Government stalwart mobility provider BlackBerry got some additional leverage in the form of full operational capacity for its BlackBerry 10 to run on Defense Department networks.

Abby Martin's exclusive interview with former NASA Astronaut and ISS Commander, Leroy Chiao, about U.S.-Russian cooperation in space, life on other words and the reality of the film Gravity.

Watch a lost interview with philosopher Michel Foucault on madness and history.

Patatap lets you make tunes and pictures with your computer keyboard (instead of boring old words).

New York magazine's "100 Years of New York Music" issue celebrates everyone from Debbie Harry to Billie Holiday and includes a portfolio of new photos.

Chrissie Hynde's Dark Sunglasses, her new record, arrives June 10.

Silicon Valley, HBO's delightful new Mike Judge comedy, which stars T.J. MIller, Kumail Nanjiani and other funny dudes, premiere's April 6.

This may not make a lick of sense but it sure is pretty...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.28.2014 >>>

The Air Force has relieved nine officers, allowed a commander to retire and will discipline 91 others as a result of a cheating scandal among intercontinental ballistic missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.

The Army and NATO are watching "very carefully" the troop deployments and the exercises they're doing in Russia, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno.

Eight soldiers from 3rd Special Forces Group were honored with the Silver Star, the nation's third highest award for valor, for their actions in Afghanistan.

The recent crisis between Russia and the West over Crimea, and the ongoing tensions between China and Japan, are ushering a return of Great Power Politics where U.S. power and influence is challenged.

The U.S. military's gradual, 20-year drawdown in Europe looks to be abruptly ending as the Russian invasion of Crimea casts a spotlight on U.S. European Command and fuels calls for reshaping the military mission there after decades of post-Cold War calm.

The U.S. Army is moving forward with plans to develop upgraded versions of the M109 self-propelled howitzer in one of the service's few bright acquisition spots.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh swore in Brad R. Carson as the 31st Under Secretary of the Army, and Chief Management Officer of the Army.

Seven Soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit will join members of the U.S. National Shooting Team to compete in the International Shooting Sports Federation, or ISSF, World Cup starting today.

Department of Defense announced plans of integrating technologically sophisticated, yet tactical, hearing protection devices for soldiers engaged in overseas combat operations and local training exercises.

Former US Defense Secretary James Schlesinger has died, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he served as a counselor and trustee. He was 85.

The true guide to gear you need to commute by bicycle.

A lot of plans are underway for Batman's 75th anniversary.

Time's latest cover story is on the last days of Mad Men.

Of course Bill Murray wore PBR pants at the Caddyshack Golf Tournament.

Finally: Paul Stanley's awesome stage banter compilation and Metalocalypse clips.

Finally II: Dunkin Donuts has introduced the Peeps donut.

Is he playing in the Death Star or what?

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.27.14 >>>

A new classified intelligence assessment concludes it is more likely than previously thought that Russian forces will enter eastern Ukraine.

President Obama and European leaders pledged to bolster the NATO alliance and vowed that Russia would not be allowed to run roughshod over its neighbors. But the military reality on the ground in Europe tells a different.

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely would not have been deterred from invading the Crimean peninsula even if European countries had spent more on defense.

The general in charge of the F-35 told a U.S. House panel he sees more delays ahead - four to six months - for the often-troubled fighter jet program.

Lt. Gen. Howard K. Bromberg, the Army G-1, told members of the House Armed Services Committee that with sequestration will come a slowdown in soldier compensation and benefits in order to maintain readiness and modernization.

Air Force aircraft maintenance mechanics recently teamed up with depot employees to standardize processes for work performed on a satellite communications system and tactical radios.

First female National Guard soldiers graduate Field Artillery School.

U.S. military seeking cheap stealth on ocean floor.

The Navy is testing several new next-generation cruise missiles as potential replacements for the battle-tested Tomahawk.

Air war has, in effect, become as costly as naval war. What are the implications for strategy?

Future drugs will allow prisoners to serve an 1,000-year sentence in 8 hours.

Dad who works for Dreamworks turns son into amazing superhero.

Good News: Rolling Stone has a new cover story on Kiss.

Whoa: Kevin Smith's Hollywood Babble-On may be coming to AMC.

Trippy: A new trailer for the Wachowskis' Jupiter Ascending.

Finally: new cupcake ATM.

Of Course: A man named Christopher Reeves was arrested this week ... while wearing a Superman T-shirt.

Welcome home!

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.26.14 >>>

Army leaders push for another BRAC round.

Congress' multiple investigations of the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, have cost the Pentagon millions of dollars and thousands of hours of personnel time.

The bilateral security agreement between the United States and Afghanistan has still not been signed, sealed and delivered, creating budget uncertainty and potentially significant logistical problem.

The head of U.S. Pacific Command believes America does not possess the capacity to conduct amphibious assaults in the wake of a crisis, as it did during World War II.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has pushed back a vote on its controversial report on Bush-era interrogation techniques until next week.

U.S. Army Human Resources Command established a provisional Cyber Branch, to provide career management, development and readiness to the Army's cyber forces.

Are aircraft carriers the new West Berlin?

The U-2 spy plane is a better suited than the Global Hawk for early warning of a North Korean attack.

The admiral in charge of all U.S. military forces in the Pacific says some of his needs for attack submarines are going unmet.

The secretary of the Army said he will have the final say on whether a disgraced Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair at the center of a sexual misconduct case retires at a lower rank with sharply reduced retirement pay.

As South America continues increasing its defense expenditures, air fleet modernization is driving numerous requirements and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future.

Three things have to happen before infantry robots hit the battlefield.

The Defense Health Agency is moving ahead with plans to cover the costs of some laboratory tests that Tricare, by law, cannot.

Training and operations can put such tremendous physical and psychological stresses on warfighters that their immune systems may be compromised.

This is not only a story about disgraced U.S. Army Special Forces major James Gant. This is also a story about a story about Jim Gant.

Neat shot of two Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft supercarriers-the USS George H.W. Bush and USS Harry S. Truman-cruising together in the Arabian Sea.

In your face Facebook.

Video of the Chicago subway jumping its tracks.

Good News: You can spend the night in a television antenna above Prague.

Neil Patrick Harris and Billy Eichner ambush New Yorkers.

The History Channel has renewed Vikings.

Welcome...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.25.2014 >>>

Aboard a guided-missile destroyer docked at the world's largest naval base, a sailor was fatally shot and security forces killed the lone suspect late Monday.

Pres. Obama to call for end to N.S.A.'s bulk data collection.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Republicans may have helped Russia annex Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, delivering a surprisingly sharp attack just before lawmakers advanced a bill authorizing sweeping U.S. sanctions on Russia and $1 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine. 

Two lawmakers have introduced a bill that would eliminate the $100,000 cap on payments to wounded warriors for multiple, severe injuries under the Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program.

North Korea warned it would take new nuclear "measures" if the United States did not end its alleged provocations toward Pyongyang.

Government Accountability Office predicts F-35 software troubles may drive annual costs up to $15 billion.

The Republic of Korea has officially selected the F-35 as its next-generation fighter.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert says he doesn't see a great need for the Navy to go through another round of base closures.

Abolishing nuclear weapons would make the world more violent and, paradoxically, more prone to nuclear warfare.

The Navy is on the verge of eliminating tobacco sales on all its bases and ships.

The Navy has published a thorough breakdown of what it needs for future surface operations in the Arctic, from new doctrine to platform assessments and an updated cold-weather handbook for sailors.

Lt. Gen. Robert Ferrell, U.S. Army chief information officer/G-6, outlined priorities for network modernization as the Army plans for Force 2025.

Changes at AAFES aimed at improved shopping experience.

White Sands Missile Range hosted about 6,200 participants during this year's 25th annual Bataan Memorial Death March.

Five questions on special ops and scotch with Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Lumpkin.

Hello nightmares: Crabster crab robot scuttles out of Korean lab.

Listen: Hear a new Chrissie Hynde song; hear a new Afghan Whigs song; the Pixies plan to release a new album.

Finally: Star Trek beer is here.

Here come the Sentinels!

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.24.14 >>>

Ukraine evacuated its troops from Crimea, as Russians stormed a marine base. 

A deepening crisis in Ukraine has sharpened the defense policy of NATO member states in Eastern Europe, with the Estonia prime minister calling for higher military spending and Poland seeking early orders for missile defense and drones.

Russia might have got a head start on its takeover of Crimea by evading U.S. eavesdropping.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul says the post-Cold War era has ended in Europe as a result of Russia's unanticipated aggression.

Please come back, Bob Gates.

Global leaders gather in The Hague today for what could be the penultimate installment of President Obama's biennial confabs on preventing nuclear terrorism.

Think the Pentagon isn't serious about Asia? Think again.

President Obama has ordered a sharp increase in U.S. Special Operations forces deployed to Uganda and sent U.S. military aircraft there for the first time in the ongoing effort to hunt down warlord Joseph Kony across a broad swath of central Africa.

On Capitol Hill, a return to pet military projects.

President Obama's FY2015 budget further reduces missile defense funding, exacerbating a troubling, five-year pattern.

Before recently deploying to Afghanistan, a U.S. Army brigade warned the service's own intelligence center that the battlefield intelligence system doesn't work.

Despite a squeeze on investment accounts, the Pentagon's fiscal 2015 budget strategy prioritizes funding for the stealthy F-35 - but at what cost, some in industry ask.

The military has begun employing 3-D printing to make spare parts and components, but the Army is already exploring the next generation, 4-D printing.

The 82nd Airborne Division today will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the deadly Green Ramp accident that killed 24 paratroopers.

Student veterans seeking associate and bachelor's degrees under the GI Bill have slightly better graduation rates than their nonveteran peers.

No one has come out unscathed after the first four days of March Madness.

Netflix generates a massive amount of data consumption - around a third of traffic online during peak hours.

New York magazine has a great portfolio of musicians who helped shape New York, including Thurston Moore, Debbie Harry and Cyndi Lauper.

Actor James Rebhorn, who plays Carrie's dad on the Showtime drama Homeland, has died.

List: Amazon shares 100 Books to Read in A Lifetime.

Check out 13 ice cream "secrets" from Ben & Jerry's.

Finally: Comics truck

Say goodbye to winter...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.22.14 >>>

Russian troops have surrounded a Ukrainian airbase in Crimea and issued an ultimatum to forces inside to surrender.

Would America go to war with Russia?

Boeing's new refueling tanker program will cost $1.1 billion more than initially planned.

The Defense Department has spent $2.6 million to date in the expanding international search effort to find missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.

When you scrutinize the size and composition of the cuts that sequestration has imposed on the government, it isn't clear the law really improves the nation's fiscal health. Here are four reasons why.

The Pentagon's share of the White House's $56 billion Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative requests more than double the procurement money previously disclosed in budget documents earlier this month.

The United States is puzzling over how to block cruise missiles that theoretically could be launched from the Gulf of Mexico, even after throwing some of its most advanced technologies at the problem.

In the run-up to Russia's paramilitary invasion of Crimea, U.S. intelligence saw Vladimir Putin's saboteurs and mercenaries coming, and not stopping at Crimea either.

On policy allowing women into combat, Marines prepared to seek exceptions.

Tank Goodness: Armor programs will recover despite GVC kill, sequester.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded contracts to four companies to design a vertical take-off and landing aircraft that is much faster than a helicopter but retains excellent hover capability.

The Air Force is surging ahead with work to extend the service life of its fleet of F-16 fighter jets despite recent budget cuts.

Shooters from around the world will compete in the 2014 U.S. Army Special Operations Command International Sniper Competition beginning Monday.

The founder of Occupy Wall Street wants the President of the United States to resign and appoint her boss, Google's Chairman Eric Schmidt, to a new post, CEO of America.

Cool: The largest and most definitive collection of time-travel stories ever assembled.

Kim Deal may no longer be part of the Pixies, but she's still making music and released this pulsating new single/video this week.

A day in the life of Sarah Silverman.

These special effects will blow your mind, and your brain.

Watching these dogs confused by a magic trick is hilariously cute.

This video is so insane we had to stop watching it.

Then there's this...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.21.14 >>>

Military under fire after sex assault rulings.

Russia's military maneuvers in Crimea have left U.S. analysts questioning what sort of threat the former Cold War military giant's forces, platforms and weaponry currently present.

U.S. President Barack Obama threatened sanctions against Moscow's defense sector.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is quietly seeking a foothold in Latin America.

Crazy Talk: Iran is building a nonworking mock-up of an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that U.S. officials say may be intended to be blown up for propaganda value.

U.S. Navy needs more ships.

Another legislative proposal has been introduced to ward off cuts in commissary funding - at least until the commission that is studying all military compensation completes its work.

Lt. Gen. Joseph E. Martz, a top architect for the Army budget, says training takes top priority in budget decisions.

VA-DoD common records system may still be possible.

The Army Reserve is taking a step toward embedding master fitness trainers into its units.

The vexing question of how to honor drone pilots and cyberwarriors is prompting a Pentagon-level review of the entire military awards system.

Roomscan automatically generates floorplans by simply tapping your phone on every wall.

14 radical skyscrapers that are more than just buildings.

Spoiler Alert: Clues about the storyline for Star Trek 3.

Here's a peek at Jaime's golden hand on Game of Thrones.

Indiewire talks to Jello Biafra in light of his appearance on Portlandia.

List: Best Muppet movie cameos.

Finally: 30 Iconic Music Artists Recreated in Lego.

Let's watch a badass in slow motion.

The Eagles are coming to Tacoma Monday, Aug. 25. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, March 29. Let's read the press release...

The Eagles have added late summer and fall concerts to their 2014 "History of the Eagles" tour, which kicked off July 6, 2013 and features classics spanning the band's career, including some that have never been performed live prior to this tour, as well as songs featured in History of the Eagles, the band's acclaimed, top-selling documentary. 

New shows include Monday, August 25 at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington; Wednesday, August 27 at the MODA Center in Portland, Oregon; Friday, August 29 and Saturday, August 30 at Lake Tahoe's Harvey's Outdoor Arena in Stateline, Nevada; Tuesday, September 2 at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah; Friday, September 5 at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska; Saturday, September 6 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa; Monday, September 8 at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Wednesday, September 10 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey; Saturday, September 13 for the fourth History of the Eagles concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York; Monday, September 15 at the TD Garden Arena in Boston, Massachusetts; Wednesday, October 1 at the Jobing.com Arena in Phoenix (Glendale), Arizona; Friday, October 3 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California; and Saturday, October 4 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.

Tickets go on sale to the general public for the Tacoma, WA; Portland, OR; Omaha, NE; Phoenix, AZ; and Anaheim, CA concerts beginning Saturday, March 29 at 10 AM local time (live Nation and Ticketmaster).  Advanced tickets will go on sale to American Express® Cardmembers beginning Friday, March 21 at 10 AM through Friday, March 28 at 10 PM.

Check eaglesband.com for tour and ticketing updates.

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.20.14 >>>

Taliban fighters killed at least 11 people and wounded 22 in a suicide bomb attack and gunbattle at a police station in Afghanistan's eastern Jalalabad city today.

Al Qaeda calls for car bombs across America.

Watchdog: U.S. may be paying salaries of "ghost" Afghan policemen.

Pentagon's wish list is all about buildings, training and aircraft.

A judge on Wednesday allowed former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura's defamation lawsuit against the widow of slain "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle to go to trial.

Commentary: Rethinking the QDR

What Pakistan knew about Bin Laden.

Lawmakers to Hagel: Stop buying Russian-made helicopters.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is interested in using war savings to pay for an overhaul of Medicare's flawed physician payment system.

From Congress to ivory tower: new Army War College commandant.

"Live synthetic": Army's next generation of simulation.

Some of the latest work at Benét Labs transcends all fielded mortar systems in the U.S. inventory, from 60-mm to 81-mm to 120-mm mortars.

From '1984' to 2025: Army, industry focus on next-generation network.

By Dec. 31, every Airman will be required to provide their servicing finance office with documentation for all dependents as part of Air Force audit readiness efforts.

More than 50 years after the fact, the Indian government's official account of what happened in 1962 that led to a humiliating defeat against China over disputed border territories remains classified.

Here's the simplest explanation about the Big Bang discovery in the news.

If you're interested in seeing your very own browser history all piled up, head right on over to Iconic History.

Tequila is the answer to many of life's problems-and now, a sweetener made from the stuff might just be the answer to our diabetes and obesity pandemics, too.

Matthew Weiner talks to The Atlantic about the inspirations behind and end of Mad Men

NBC has renewed Grimm as well as The Blacklist, Parks and Rec and other shows.

What, now there could be Game of Thrones movies, too?

Christopher Walken Dance Now