Today’s Top Stories

Senate blocks measure changing Pentagon sexual assault prosecutions
The Senate on Tuesday blocked a years-long push to reform how the military prosecutes sexual assault cases. Senators voted 50-49 on the proposal, spearheaded by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, which would remove military sexual assault cases from the chain of command. | The Hill >>

Letitia James Breaks Again With de Blasio Over NYC Department of Veterans Affairs
Public Advocate Letitia James today joined groups outside City Hall to demand the creation of a city Department of Veterans Affairs—departing again with Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has resisted calls for an agency solely devoted to former service members. | New York Observer >>

When GI Jane Joined Special Ops
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon’s book about the first women to serve in the U.S. military’s special ops brilliantly examines the intricacies of women in combat. | The Daily Beast >>

Afghanistan

Two Guantanamo Bay detainees are using President Barack Obama’s own words to argue that the U.S. war in Afghanistan is over — and therefore they should be set free. | Fox News >>

The Taliban has issued a warning to the Islamic State group that it isn’t welcome in Afghanistan. Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, the group’s deputy leader, said in recent letter to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi that the fight “against foreign invaders” can only be directed by the Taliban, NBC News reported. | Washington Times >>

Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban attended an international conference on Tuesday in Norway on ways to end conflicts, but Oslo said there were no plans for formal peace talks between the two sides. | Reuters >>

Iraq

America’s two top defense officials presented a dismal outlook on the situation in Iraq Wednesday during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, even addressing possible U.S. policy if the country’s current borders dissolve. | CNN >>

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday met Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid tightening security links between the two countries confronting an Islamic State insurgency. | Wall Street Journal >>

Islamic State has killed five policemen in a town near Iraq’s biggest refinery, in an attack that may help ease pressure on some of its fighters trapped in the strategically important facility, a security official said on Wednesday. | Reuters >>

Military Affairs

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon’s book about the first women to serve in the U.S. military’s special ops brilliantly examines the intricacies of women in combat. | The Daily Beast >>

Under a searing desert sun, a man in silhouette is pacing sentry-like around a cluster of buildings, a dark object slung over his shoulder. “Yeah, it looks like a gun,” says an American drone pilot, peering into a greytone screen in a darkened, distant trailer. | Washington Post >>

A smoldering debate over the need for a more powerful sniper rifle for Marines is once again ablaze. A recent story by the Washington Post has generated renewed controversy among Marines who say that some snipers have been outgunned on deployments, taking fire from targets they can see, but not shoot. While the Marine Corps’ M40 is undeniably rugged and accurate, its .308 cartridge is unreliable beyond half a mile. | Marine Corps Times >>

#VetsRising

Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury may find support and resources at a Liberty Station event in Point Loma Saturday. Organizers of the event, Operation Engage America, hope to bring together veterans who need help and their families with the resources available from health and military organizations in San Diego County. | KPBS >>

Every day 22 veterans commit suicide. A day-long campaign called Stop 22 on Friday June 12 in St. Mary’s County was aimed at doing something about that by raising awareness and raising money for a unique program for veterans. | The Bay Net >>

Meet Jesus Treviño ’14. This San Antonio police officer has turned hardships into fuel for spectacular triumphs. A Criminal Justice and Criminology graduate student, Treviño is UTSA’s first-ever student to receive the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Kenneth H. Ashworth Fellowship. | UTSA Today >>

Inside Washington

The retired U.S Army major general who played a role in exposing war crimes and torture in Iraq, is now focused on one last battle for justice: getting Congressional recognition for Filipino veterans of WWII. | NBC News >>

Key senators on Wednesday warned the Department of Veterans Affairs against diverting money from a Filipino veterans fund to rescue a hospital project in Colorado or any other purpose. | Las Vegas Review-Journal >>

The Department of Veteran Affairs is rolling out a new program that aims to keep veterans from being homeless on the streets. “Being unemployed, if you’re getting a home, you can’t keep it,” said Greg William, the community employment coordinator for the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center. | WTOC 11 >>