Blog post

IAVA Daily Brief 1.28.10
Posted by Terrell Frazier on January 25 2010

 Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA.  Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking?  Follow us on Twitter @IAVAPressRoom or subscribe to receive the brief in your inbox each morning at www.iava.org/dailynewsbrief.

MUST READS

1) Obama addresses military issues during State of the Union

In his first State of the Union address, President Obama said he is moving to keep his campaign promises. This includes getting U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by the end of August, focusing military might against terrorism and working this year to repeal the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell policy.”

2) Faster screening, treatment for TBI

Military officials announced this week that the Defense Department will enforce a new protocol for ensuring service members with head injuries immediately get the care they need. The system could prevent long-term cognitive problems for mild concussions, but also makes sure troops woozy from an injury don’t endanger themselves or others by going back out on patrol.

3) Caregiving strains families of veterans with severe injuries

Families across the United States continue to feel the strain as they strive to care for veterans injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As USA Today documents, The range of injuries caregivers attend to spans from gashes and fractures that will heal, to comas, amputations, burns, paralysis, nerve damage and brain injuries so severe that cognitive function lingers at the toddler level or below.

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan won $1.6 billion in debt relief from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and creditor nations on Tuesday, as the war-torn country faces funding needs to rebuild from years of conflict.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is traveling to London this week for meetings with key stakeholders on Afghanistan and Yemen.

The leak of confidential cables written by America's ambassador in Afghanistan that  sharply criticized President Hamid Karzai has reignited tensions between Washington and Kabul at a politically sensitive time.

IRAQ

Islamic State of Iraq – an umbrella group which includes al Qaeda in Iraq – said it had carried out the string of vehicle bomb attacks that killed at least 36 people in Baghdad Monday.

In the wake of recent bombings, militant groups are finding new ways to foil Iraqi security, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said Tuesday.

Per-capita, Vermont has surpassed all other states in the number of military deaths during the war in Iraq. 

MILITARY AFFAIRS
An estimated 66,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual people are serving in the U.S. military, roughly 2 percent of all military personnel, according to a report released Tuesday by a gay rights policy center.

More than six days into the USNS Comfort's mission in Haiti, more than 450 patients are on board. The Army also announced Wednesday that U.S. soldiers in Haiti will collect several special entitlements, including imminent danger pay while deployed

Richard Hunsucker is in the midst of a walk across America to lift up the needs of veterans. Hunsucker, who is carrying the flage of a disabled veteran, began the walk in Florida on Veterans Day and plans to reach  San Diego on Memorial Day.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

President Obama’s proposed three-year spending freeze will not impact VA or Military budgets.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is echoing comments she made Monday about bombings in Baghdad, saying new attacks on Tuesday were committed by the same terrorists who try to “sow fear among the Iraqi people.”

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate is not in session

SENATE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

No issues today

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

No issues

THE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES



The House is not in session

HOUSE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST



No issues today

A wide-range of views, positions, and publications are represented in these articles. These views, positions and publications are not endorsed by nor do they necessarily represent the views of IAVA.

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