Two panels are scheduled to give explosive testimony tonight (7:30pm EST) at the House Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing.   (Link HERE)  The Whistleblowers will be giving testimony about how they were targeted because they spoke up.

LIVE ON CSPAN-2

live link HERE

Panel 1
1. Jose Mathews, M.D., Former Chief of Psychiatry, St. Louis VA Health Care System
2. Christian Head, M.D., Associate Director–Chief of Staff–Legal and Quality Assurance, Greater Los Angeles VA Health Care System
3. Kathrine Mitchell, M.D., Medical Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Post-Deployment Center, Phoenix VA Health Care System
4. Mr. Scott Davis, Program Specialist, VA National Health Eligibility Center

(more…)

ISRAEL – IDF units intercepted a Hamas commando terrorist unit seeking to infiltrate Israel from the sea at Zikim beach on Tuesday.  The IDF Spokesman reported that soldiers killed four terrorists.
A senior security official said an IDF force was dispatched to Zikim beach after the military detected suspicious movements in the area.

The unit engaged the terrorists, and shot and struck a number of them.  One soldier was lightly injured in the exchange of fire. (more…)

On the heels of finding out that ISIS leadership had developed their Jihad objectives in a Hello Kitty notebook, an enterprising researcher has uncovered video of the secret ISIS meeting on the border of Syria and Iraq.  (must watch video)

….when you realize that your badass jihadi boss owns a “Hello Kitty” notebook for his military battle plans:

Via Peoples Cube

You might have seen reports today about heightened concerns for airline travel.   Some media reports are discussing explosives that can be hidden from normal detection methods, or similar.
Here’s a snippet of a report from the AP wire – something about the way this report is worded spikes the spidey sense.  (The emphasis is mine):

WASHINGTON – Intelligence officials are concerned about a new al-Qaida effort to create a bomb that would go undetected through airport security, according to a counterterrorism official, prompting the U.S. to call for tighter security measures Wednesday at some foreign airports.

The counterterrorism official, who would not be named because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, declined to describe the kind of information that triggered this warning. (more…)

(Via The Hill) A federal judge on Wendesday ordered that the suspected ringleader in the 2012 Benghazi attacks be held in prison without bond.

…“did knowingly and intentionally conspire and agree with other conspirators, known and unknown to provide material support and resources to terrorists, that is personnel including himself and others.”  (link)

Federal prosecutors said Ahmed Abu Khattala needed to be detained because of his extremist connections and his expressed desire to harm U.S. citizens.
“Given the defendant’s proclivity for violence as well as his ability to readily communicate with other similar-minded individuals, as demonstrated by his status as a commander of an extremist brigade, his detention is the only means available to neutralize that threat,” prosecutors said in a court filing late Tuesday.  (more…)

It’s been almost a month since his arrival in Texas.  Have his parents or family talked to him yet ?   It sure sounds like the military is going to let this guy skate through without punishment for desertion; and that’s wrong.   

(CNN Blog) Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier held captive for five years by militants before his release a month ago, has ventured several times off an Army base in Texas as part of the effort to get him used to everyday life in America, a military spokeswoman said.
His release on May 31 in exchange for five Taliban being held by the U.S. military has rankled some, including former members of his unit, who said he was a deserter who endangered colleagues searching for him.
Yet while investigating circumstances surrounding his departure, the military has also said it’s focused on making sure Bergdahl gets better mentally and physically, so he can gradually readjust to normal life. (more…)

Note: President Obama says they are not “combat troops”.    So, what other kind of troops are there, other than “combat troops”?   What’s the mission if they are not there to provide security, carry weapons and shoot things?….  a division of #HashTag troops? 
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he’s sending about 200 more U.S. troops to Iraq to protect Americans and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
The announcement will bring to nearly 800 the total number of U.S. forces in and around Iraq to train local forces, secure the embassy and protect American interests.

Obama notified House and Senate leaders in a letter on Monday. Obama says the additions include security forces, rotary-wing aircraft, and support for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. (more…)

(VIA CNN) — The bodies of three Israeli teenagers who authorities said were kidnapped this month have been found in the West Bank, Israel’s Channel Two and Channel Ten reported Monday, citing sources in the Israeli military.

The Israeli military said Monday that it found three bodies northwest of Hebron and that the bodies are “going through forensic identification.” The military also said it has informed the families of the three missing teens about the discovery.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an emergency security Cabinet meeting about the issue Monday; an announcement from the Cabinet is expected shortly, according to the Israeli military. (more…)

Don’t know much about him, we’ll probably find out more in the coming days…

WASHINGTON DC – President Obama on Monday will nominate Bob McDonald, a West Point graduate who served as the chief executive of Procter & Gamble, to take over as head of the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs, according to White House officials.
The un­or­tho­dox pick of a retired corporate executive whose former company produces iconic household products such as Tide detergent and Charmin toilet paper — rather than a former military general — underscores the serious management problems facing the agency charged with serving more than 8 million veterans a year. On Friday, White House deputy chief of staff Rob Nabors submitted a report to the president finding “significant and chronic system failures” and a “corrosive culture” at the Veterans Health Administration, which has come under fire for skewed record-keeping in an effort to cover up the long waits it has imposed on former soldiers seeking medical care. (more…)