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The U.S. DOGE Service arrived at the Social Security Administration this year determined to slash staff and root out what it claimed was widespread fraud and wasteful spending - a mission Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team has pursued across the government. But as of this week, many of the major changes DOGE pushed at Social Security have been abandoned or are being reversed after proving ineffective, while others are yielding unintended consequences and badly damaging customer service and satisfaction. The problems come as the agency struggles to cope with a record surge of hundreds of thousands of retirement claims in recent months.

Bruce Springsteen resumed denouncing Donald Trump from the stage of his Land of Hopes and Dreams Tour Saturday night (May 17) in Manchester, England. The Los Angeles Times reports the Boss didn’t back down from his stance on Trump this weekend, after the U.S. president called Springsteen “highly overrated,” “dumb as a rock” and a “dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!)” in a post on Truth Social. The rant was Trump’s reaction to the musician calling out the president’s “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration” at his tour opener earlier in the week.

Last fall, Kyle Sweetser was a Republican, but an unhappy one. For the third time in a row, Donald Trump had secured his party’s nomination for president — this time without anyone being able to credibly deny what MAGA actually meant for America. The GOP candidate had already been president once, during which time he floated bleach as an antiviral and rejected the outcome of a free and fair election, urging a mob of his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol and demand that he remain in power despite a majority of Americans asking him to leave.

A top Iranian official pushed back on President Trump Friday, calling his recent remarks about a nuclear deal “confusing and contradictory.” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned from the Middle East earlier Friday that the U.S. gave Iran a formal proposal for a new nuclear agreement, urging Tehran to “move quickly.”

Incompetent On May 7, India launched a calibrated military campaign against Pakistan in response to a brutal terrorist attack that had killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamist gunmen had deliberately targeted Hindu tourists, exemplifying the persistent cross-border terrorism that India has long endured. Yet few anticipated that the decisive external actor to intervene, President Trump, would seek not to de-escalate tensions impartially, but to tilt the scales in favor of the state sponsor of terror.

“Maybe you don’t want it. Look, for the good of the country you don’t have to take it,” Trump said. “You can go to your commanding officer and say, ‘Sir, I’d rather not take that pay. I love my country. I don’t want; I refuse to take it.” The president then asked for a show of hands from those who will refuse to take the pay increase, but none were raised.

What is sad is that there actually are Sailors who clearly follow trump's unethical, illegal and undemocratic acts as if they are part of our democracy... President Donald Trump stirred new controversy when, during his tour of the Middle East, he was accused of using U.S. troops stationed in Qatar as props to boost his false election claims.

Agree - Secretary of the VA Doug Collins is a political hack who keeps trying to score brownie points with trump instead of taking care of our vets WASHINGTON — Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins on Thursday Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2025-05-15/veterans-collins-workforce-lawmakers-17803526.html Source - Stars and Stripes

Three sailors assigned to Recruit Training Command Great Lakes have died over the past month, the Naval Education and Training Command told USNI News.

EPA staff didn’t use a tip line set up by the Trump administration to identify and assist in slashing programs focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility

Family of Navy corpsman fatally shot by Chula Vista Police demands video release

Bree Kuhn is fighting her sentence after being sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering her husband, Collin Turner. Kuhn, then a U.S. Navy chief petty officer, shot and killed Turner, a 33-year-old retired U.S. Marine, after an hours-long argument escalated to violence at the couple's home in Gulf Breeze, Florida, on Sept. 8, 2021.

One trillion! It’s an exclamation-point-inducing, mind-jarringly inconceivable number for most humans. Start counting once every second and you’ll need more than 31,700 years to get there. It’s also the ALL-CAPS amount of money President Trump wants to spend on defense—amid the frenzied downsizing of the rest of the federal government—in fiscal year 2026. “COMING SOON,” Defense Secretary Pete Hedgehog posted on X last month, “the first TRILLION dollar @DeptofDefense budget.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Springtime in D.C. brings visitors from across the country to take in the sights. The cherry blossoms in bloom, the artifacts of the Smithsonian, and the monuments draw countless sightseers every year. But in May, 2025, five visitors quietly came to the nation’s capital for a different reason – to represent the U.S. Navy Reserve; among them was the Navy Reserve’s 2024 Sailor of the Year (RSOY).

WASHINGTON — Claims processors at the Department of Veterans Affairs were inadequately trained and unprepared for the influx of veterans seeking benefits under the PACT Act Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2025-05-14/veterans-payments-pact-act-17789102.html Source - Stars and Stripes

Schools across the country are concerned about student mental health, especially since the pandemic. DOD schools employ school psychologists and counselors to help meet students' mental health needs. But these staff said they rarely had time to work with students to prevent crises due to competing responsibilities and other challenges.

Suicidal thoughts can be experienced by anyone and are a serious mental health concern. Whether you’re a service member, veteran, family member, or retiree, it’s important to remember that mental health is just as crucial as physical health. Taking proactive steps to care for your mental well-being can make a significant difference. TRICARE is here to support you every step of the way. “One life lost to suicide is one too many,” said Tisha Petelo, LCSW, behavioral health specialist, Healthcare Operations at the Defense Health Agency. “Being aware of your mental health needs and getting support is the strongest tool you have in preventing suicide. Remember, as your partner in suicide prevention, TRICARE covers mental health services to help you and your family members deal with life’s challenges.”

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During a speech to U.S. troops stationed in Qatar, President Donald Trump promised service members a “substantial” pay raise next year as part of his defense spending plans, calling it key to force morale and readiness. But White House budget documents released earlier this month suggest that next year’s military pay raise will fall short of the boost many service members saw this year, and it could be the lowest paycheck hike for troops since 2022.

Bruce Springsteen may be launching a weeks-long tour across Europe, but he won't let the "dangerous times" he sees brewing back home go unnoticed. The rock and roller addressed his opening night crowd in Manchester, England on Wednesday, May 14, to highlight the "treasonous" actions happening in Washington and call for "freedom [to] ring."

DAVIESS COUNTY, Ky. (WEVV) — A Daviess County deputy was injured during the pursuit of an 18-year-old who had a federal arrest warrant for Navy desertion. The Daviess County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to a 911 call on Thursday night for an assault at a home on Fields Road near Thruston.

This week, ProPublica reported on dozens of emails sent from staff at VA hospitals and clinics across the country to headquarters warning how cuts could, and in some cases are, degrading the agency’s ability to provide for the roughly 9 million veterans who rely on it.

In Other Words, trump is Lying Again... National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard fired two senior officials at the National Intelligence Council after it released a report concluding the Venezuelan government is unlikely to be directing the activities of Tren de Aragua, in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s countless claims to the contrary.