Veterans! Here’s your Top 10 News stories of the day compiled from the latest sources

We encourage you to browse our list so that you can take what you want and keep what you need

 
1.   As public concerns grow, Congress spooked over spying.  The American people are growing increasingly concerned about reports of domestic spying. And Congress isn’t sure how to respond.
 
2.   North Korea changes tack and tells US: Let’s talk.  North Korea’s top governing body on Sunday proposed high-level nuclear and security talks with the United States in an appeal sent just days after calling off talks with rival South Korea.
 
3.   Judge: Obama sex assault comments ‘unlawful command influence’.  Two defendants in military sexual assault cases cannot be punitively discharged, if found guilty, because of “unlawful command influence” derived from comments made by President Barack Obama, a judge ruled in a Hawaii military court this week, setting the stage for defense attorneys to use the same arguments in sexual assault cases throughout the military.

4.   Fort Ord cemetery to get state funding but faces other challenges.  Monterey County Herald  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had given initial approval for the cemetery but in February balked at the $26 million cost estimate, which included in-ground burials. The foundation says 5,600 burial and crypt sites will be needed for the first …
 
5.   VA should do a better job of informing return vets of property tax.  Mid-Hudson News  US Senator Charles Schumer called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to better communicate with veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan by letting them know of a property tax benefit available to them. The senator came to …
 
6.   New website launches for Minnesota veterans.  Alexandria Echo Press  The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs has announced the launch of their newly redesigned website at MinnesotaVeteran.org. Talk about it. The Minnesota Department … In its continuing effort to be in the forefront of providing the best service …

7.   VA hits backlog goal in 3 cities: Hint of a fix or mirage?  NBCNews.com (blog)  The U.S. Veterans Affairs department says it has hit a “tipping point,” cutting its monstrous backlog of disability claims by 74,000 since late April, yet agency critics contend that growing throngs of ex-troops waiting for injury compensation in …

8.Tester introduces legislation to improve care for vets. Hyperlink to Story The Missoulian: Sen. Jon Tester introduced legislation last week to improve the quality of care for veterans and to strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs’ mental health and telemedicine initiatives.
9.   Researchers Find Biological Evidence of Gulf War Illness. Hyperlink to Story The New York Times:  Recent research is bolstering the view that the symptoms, known collectively as gulf war illness, are fundamentally biological in nature. In the latest example, researchers at Georgetown University say they have found neurological damage in gulf war veterans reporting symptoms of the disease.
10. FDA, facing cybersecurity threats, tightens medical-device standards. Hyperlink to Story  The Washington Post:  Computer viruses and other malware increasingly are infecting equipment such as hospital computers used to view X-rays and CT scans and devices in cardiac catheterization labs, agency officials said. The problems cause the equipment to slow down or shut off, complicating patient care.