Military funds for border wall?
Still angry about the budget deal he signed last week, President Donald Trump has floated the idea of using the military's budget to pay for his long-promised border wall with Mexico, despite the fact that such spending would likely require approval from Congress. Trump raised the funding plan with House Speaker Paul Ryan at a meeting at the White House last Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the discussion who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump's Pocahontas comment
President Donald Trump made an off-colored remark during an event honoring Native American war veterans at the White House on Monday. Trump hosted three Navajo code talkers from World War II to the Oval Office. While praising the group and their longevity, Trump referred to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., by the offensive nickname he gave her during the presidential campaign.
Veterans meet sports legends
Sports teams like the Rangers and the Knicks often try and give back to veterans on Veterans Day but this year they did something like never before. And the experience won't soon be forgotten by anyone involved. Friday night at the Knicks and Rangers training facility in Tarrytown, Westchester County, military members thought they were for a unique chance to play the games they love at the practice grounds of the pros. What they got, was a lot more than that.
Thanking and helping veterans
Saturday, November 11, is Veterans Day, a special chance to not just to recognize that service but also to draw attention to issues impacting today's veterans. About 40,000 people from 30 states are expected to march in Saturday's Veterans Day Parade, the largest Veterans Day parade in the country. This year's parade grand marshal is astronaut and retired Air Force Colonel Buzz Aldrin.
Work space for veterans
Adam Neumann is co-founder and CEO of the shared work space company WeWork. He is also a veteran of the Israeli army. Neumann met with U.S. veterans at a WeWork space in Midtown Manhattan as he launched the new Veterans in Residence program, which provides sponsored work space and networking opportunities for veterans in 10 different cities, including New York.
Museum to be named for fallen hero
The ground was symbolically broken on a planned Navy SEAL museum in memory of Lt. Michael Murphy in West Sayville, Long Island. The Navy SEAL was killed leading a team in Afghanistan in 2005. While the museum is named in his honor, his father Daniel Murphy says it will showcase all of America's most elite warriors.
Trump stands by comments on predecessors
President Trump said he has no reason to clarify his claims. Instead, he drew his own White House chief of staff into the controversy by implying President Obama did not call John Kelly when the former Marine general's son was killed in combat in Afghanistan. The AP confirmed that Obama didn't immediately call Kelly. But Kelly and his wife did later sit next to First Lady Michelle Obama during a Memorial Day breakfast honoring Gold Star families.
Caring for veterans' graves
Roy DeYoung Jr. isn't a landscaper by trade. Respect for his country is why he is carrying a shovel in a cemetery in New Jersey. During a recent visit to clean his father's grave at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, the volunteer firefighter noticed the graves of dozens of other veterans needed similar attention. So he rounded up some friends and said this is something that must be done.
Horses for veterans
A stable in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, doesn't just house beautiful horses. These animals bring tranquility to those who need it the most: veterans. Military veterans spent a few hours at the serenity stables. Almost all of the veterans have PTSD. The program From Combat to Calm was founded in 2015 by Rene Stone. Her father was a disabled veteran who suffered from PTSD. She knew she had to help those who fought for our country in some way. Equine therapy was the answer.
Supporting America's female veterans
Allison Jaslow did two tours in Iraq, rising all the way up to Army platoon leader. When she came home in 2008, she admits she felt invisible. As executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Jaslow's primary objective is providing support for all veterans. Particularly women vets, whom she said are greatly underserved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Healthcare is just one of the problems.
NYC veterans' needs
Dan McSweeney spent 11 years with the United States Marine Corps. If anyone knows what veterans need, he does. He is with the United War Veterans Council, which advocates on a variety of issues veterans face. The council also produces the annual New York City Veterans Day Parade.
White House's rules on military transgender ban
As President Trump returned to Washington, D.C., from a trip out west, the White House dropped a major policy announcement. The Wall Street Journal reported that the commander-in-chief is officially ordering the Pentagon to stop enlisting transgender people in the military. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will also have the power to consider a service member's ability to deploy.
Trump's Afghanistan strategy
President Donald Trump outlined a comprehensive new strategy Monday night for achieving a "lasting peace" in Afghanistan – rejecting what he called "arbitrary timetables" for the U.S. troop presence, ratcheting up pressure on Pakistan to stop harboring militants and vowing to refocus the mission on "killing terrorists," not nation-building.
Trump rebuked for comments
President Donald Trump has taken criticism from both sides of the aisle for his comments blaming both white supremacists and counter-protestors for the violence in Virginia. Now members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are weighing in with a rare and very public rebuke.
Trump warns North Korea
President Donald Trump on Friday said the United States is "locked and loaded" and retweeted images from U.S. Pacific Command showing B-1B Lancer bombers on Guam, the island territory in the Pacific Ocean that has been the target of threats by North Korea. Pentagon officials confirmed the U.S. military stands ready to "fight tonight" on the Korean Peninsula, Fox News reported.
Reuniting veterans and families with missing medals
Photos of some veterans who served our country with honor, some wounded on the battlefield and others made the ultimate sacrifice, were on display at Federal Hall National Memorial on Monday. All of these men were awarded the Purple Heart. But sometimes the prestigious medal is misplaced, lost or stolen and when that happens, the nonprofit organization Purple Hearts Reunited steps in.
Trump's effect on trans youth
The military will continue to allow its transgender members to serve until it gets more direction from the president and the secretary of defense. But transgender rights activists say even if a ban isn't being enforced yet, the damage is already done.
Transgender ban protest
A protest was held in the heart of Times Square at the military recruitment center over President Trump's surprising announcement banning transgender citizens from serving in the military. Transgender service members have been allowed to serve openly since 2016 when then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter lifted the ban. In a series of tweets, Trump appeared to reverse that policy.
Funeral service for fallen Marine
Family, friends, and fellow service members bade an emotional farewell to Marine Cpl. Dan Baldassare on Tuesday in New Jersey. Baldassare, 20, was among 16 servicemen who died when a KC-130 military transport plane crashed into soybean fields in the Mississippi Delta on July 10. Loved ones came together at Colts Neck High School football field, where he used to compete, to remember him.
Procession for fallen Marine
A motorcade of police vehicles and motorcycles escorted the body of Cpl. Dan Baldassare from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to a funeral home in Freehold, New Jersey, today. The 20-year-old from Colts Neck had dreamed of being a Marine since middle school. He and 15 others died in a cargo plane crash on July 10.