Blog Post

IAVA Daily News Brief 07.30.12
Posted by Gretchen Andersen on July 30 2012

Here are some of today's top stories and happenings that IAVA is tracking. Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking? Follow us on Twitter @IAVAPressRoom and click here to get the News Brief delivered to your inbox every morning.

MUST READS

1.) Retiring Envoy to Afghanistan Exhorts U.S to Heed Its Past

The New York Times profiled Ryan Crocker, the retiring ambassador to Afghanistan, as he reflected on a decade of foreign policy. After almost 40 years of service as an American diplomat -- and a career spanning many countries -- Crocker says it’s important to “do some cold calculating.... about how do you really think you are going to influence things for the better.” 

2.) Credit Company to Pay $12 million to Troops For Violating Civil Relief Act

Capital One will pay $12 million dollars to servicemembers and their families in a settlement of claims that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Stars and Stripes reports that servicemembers and families who lost their homes in violation of SCRA will receive $125,000, plus compensation for any lost equity, with interest. Those who had their vehicles repossessed will receive $10,000, as well as any lost equity and interest.

3.) Report finds for-profit colleges serve shareholders over students

The Washington Post reports that Senator Tom Harkin’s new Congressional study, “For Profit Higher Education: The Failure to Safeguard the Federal Investment and Ensure Student Success,” finds troubling conclusions. Senator Harkin writes in a statement that billions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted while for-profit schools commit lasting harm to enrolled students.

AFGHANISTAN

• An Inspector General report raises questions about the funds used to implement construction projects in Afghanistan. 
• The WSJ reports that most of the facilities on three of the four bases the Inspector General  surveyed, each built to house 93 border police personnel, "were either unoccupied or weren't used for the intended purposes."
• Four servicemembers were killed this past weekend. NATO did not provided nationalities of the departed. 

IRAQ

• U.S. auditors concluded that more than $200 million was wasted on the Police Development Program.
• Seven Iraqi police officers were killed this weekend after two car bombings and a shooting in Fallujah.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• Senator John Coryn has put a legislative hold on General Mark Welsh for Air Force chief of staff. In an email, he said his hold will remain until he feels the Air Force has addressed the sexual assault probe at Lackland and makes sure it doesn’t happen again. 
• Capt. Sean Allred, Pvt. Danny Chen’s company commander, said in a testimony Saturday that Chen was to be removed from the unit because he was performing poorly as a soldier and was unfit for combat at the dangerous outpost.

THE NEW GREATEST GENERATION

• This year, the Army is sending more athletes to the Olympics than during any other time in Army history.
• Read a Q & A with Chris Kreiger, an Iraq War veteran who founded the veterans aid organization Western New York Heroes.
• To offset empty seats at the Olympics in London, British soldiers are acting as temporary placeholders in premium seating at Olympic events.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• David Halperin, a Senior Fellow at United Republic and Republic Report, blogs on The Huffington Post about Senator Tom Harkin and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee staff’s report on for-profit schools. 

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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