If the Air Force can’t stop losing pilots, it may force them…

The US Air Force has been shedding pilots over the last few years, so much so that it has begun to reconsider admission requirements and duty assignments and is weighing the possibility of paying pilots up to nearly $500,000 to stay in the service. Air Mobility Command chief and Air Force Gen.

Politics | The Battle Over Marijuana Heats Up at RI State House

Rhode Island's battle over the legalization of marijuana hit a new level of political fever as both sides rolled out their big political guns and their strongest arguments at Tuesday's State House Judiciary Committee hearing. With Massachusetts approving the legalization of marijuana - then delaying its implementation - Rhode Island is feeling the pressure to try and capture as much tax dollars as possible.

Congressional Votes

Congressional Votes WASHINGTON - Here's a look at how area members of Congress voted the week of March 17-23. Check out this story on portclintonnewsherald.com: http://ohne.ws/2n1T5G6 Along with roll call votes this week, the Senate also passed the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act , to encourage effective, voluntary investments to recruit, employ, and retain men and women who have served in the military with annual federal awards to employers recognizing such efforts.

A Debt to Posterity

Earlier this month, the Trump White House unveiled its budget blueprint, which shifts federal spending priorities from domestic programs to national defense. The Office of Management and Budget proposed cuts of $54 billion to departments like Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, and Commerce, coupled with big increases for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

Representative Paul Cook Honored by Military Order of the Purple…

Each year, the Military Order of the Purple Heart is honored to pay special recognition to a National leader who best demonstrates inspirational leadership and distinguished service to our nation's veterans. On March 22, 2017, National Commander Hershel Gober presented this year's Special Leadership Award to California Congressman Paul Cook , a distinguished Member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Trump’s First 100 Days: Challenges from a U.S. attorney, McCain and the Freedom Caucus

Here's where things stand heading into Day 53 of the Trump administration: One of the criminal justice system's most powerful and well-respected prosecutors said he was fired by the Trump administration. On Friday, we learned that the Trump Justice Department had told all 46 U.S. attorneys remaining from the Obama administration to submit their resignations as part of the wider government transition.

St. Patrick’s parade organizers reverse course, will allow gay vets to march

In this March 20, 2016 file photo, members of OutVets, a group of gay military veterans, march in the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston's South Boston neighborhood. The group said Wednesday, March 8, 2017, it was denied permission to march in the 2017 Boston St. Patrick's Day parade just two years after organizers made the ground-breaking decision to allow gay groups to participate for the first time.

Gay vets invited to march in Boston parade

Organizers of the city's St. Patrick's Day parade reversed course Friday and said they would allow a group of gay veterans to march in this year's parade. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council announced on the parade's Twitter account that it had signed an "acceptance letter" that would clear the way for OutVets to participate.

St. Patrick’s parade planners to reconsider gay veterans ban

The organizers of Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade have scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday to reconsider their vote to bar a gay veterans group from participating. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which organizes the parade, and representatives of OutVets met Wednesday, said Ed Flynn, a council member who voted to allow the gay veterans' group to march.

VA expands mental health care for discharged veterans

Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, addresses the House Veterans' Affairs Committee's hearing on the Veterans Affairs community care program, on Captiol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, addresses the House Veterans' Affairs Committee's hearing on the Veterans Affairs community care program, on Captiol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017.

VA secretary wants Congress to extend Choice program

Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin says Congress needs to act quickly to extend a program aimed at widening veterans' access to private-sector health care, pointing to a growing demand for medical treatment outside the Department of Veterans Affairs. Shulkin also pledged additional efforts by his agency to combat suicide, saying he wanted to expand mental health care to former service members who receive "other than honorable discharges" from the military, typically for behavior problems such as violence or use of illegal drugs.

Illinois senator, veteran criticizes Trump military comments

Sen. Tammy Duckworth , an Iraq war veteran who lost both legs in combat, criticized President Donald Trump 's comments that Americans "don't fight to win" wars, saying the remarks show he isn't fit to be commander in chief. Trump made the comments to U.S. governors at the White House on Monday.

Australians doubt Trump’s commitment to its traditional ally

Some Australians foresee trouble in their country's traditionally strong alliance with the United States because of what they see as "unpresidential" behavior from President Donald Trump, while others think outspoken businessman-turned-Australian-leader Malcolm Turnbull is a good match for him. Australians have long had an affinity with the United States and absorb American popular culture like blotting paper.

Veterans injured by service wait years for compensation hearings

"If I sit down with the VA [secretary] nominee, I'm going to ask him about technology, personnel and managing the system," Sen. Tim Kaine said. Vietnam veteran Thomas Hundley displays letters he sent to his wife in 1966 from Vietnam He had to prove to the VA that he served in the war.

Senate easily confirms Trump pick of Shulkin as VA secretary

The Senate on Monday easily confirmed physician David Shulkin to be secretary of Veterans Affairs, charged with delivering on President Donald Trump's campaign promises to fix long-standing problems at the department. Senators voted 100-0 to approve the former Obama administration official, who was the VA's top health official since 2015, in a rare show of bipartisanship amid partisan rancor over Trump's other nominees.

Rep. Stivers promoted to brigadier general

In a ceremony at the Beightler Armory in Columbus attended by friends, family members and his fellow members of the military, Stivers, 51, a fourth-term congressman serving central Ohio, was promoted from a colonel to a brigadier general of the Ohio National Guard. In his new position, Stivers will oversee a joint staff of Army and Air Guardsmen tasked with creating better contingency plans for no-notice deployments, such as natural disasters.