Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

	EU police mission in Afghanistan to end; police more involved in fighting than policing The European Union is ending its police mission in Afghanistan after nearly a decade, but says a group of advisers will return next year to provide additional support to Afghan police whose effectiveness has been hampered by the country’s deteriorating security.   Marine commander relieved of duty after string of crashes Lt. Col. Wade Workman, commander of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232, which has been plagued with crashes, was relieved of duty "due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to continue to serve in that position," the Marine Corps said in a statement.   Obama retaliates against Russia for election hacking  In a sweeping response to election hacking and other meddlesome behavior, President Barack Obama on Thursdaysanctioned Russian intelligence services and their top officials, kicked out 35 Russian officials and closed down two Russian-owned compounds in the U.S. It was the strongest action the Obama administration has taken to date to retaliate for a cyberattack.   2 Guardsmen dead after Apache crash in Texas Two Army National Guardsmen were killed Wednesday afternoon when the AH-64 Apache helicopter that they were flying crashed into Galveston Bay in Texas, the state’s National Guard said.   Families discover old munitions in aging vets' homes As World War II veterans grow older and leave their longtime homes, police say family members are finding decades-old munitions that may be as dangerous as ever. Such was the case this week in Oregon.   Point-of-service controls keeping Rx savings on track The Department of Defense pharmacy program is on track to slice $1.3 billion off projected drug costs from 2014 to 2019, thanks to higher beneficiary co-pays, tighter point-of-service rules and recent streamlining of prescription drug processes across the military, said Dr. George E. Jones, chief of pharmacy operations for the Defense Health Agency (DHA).   Exploding jet canopy was reason for temporary grounding of Super Hornets, Growlers A Growler’s canopy exploded off the jet earlier this month, which led the Navy to temporarily ground Super Hornet and Growler squadrons, according to a Naval Safety Center summary of the incident.   Obscure EU rule may have saved lives in Berlin Christmas market attack The truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin last week may have been cut short when the truck automatically deployed its brakes, the result of European Union regulations that require automatic braking systems on large trucks.   Trump considering privatizing some veterans care, but no formal plan yet After bashing President Obama over Israel and transition issues — but then saying they had a nice phone conversation — Donald Trump and aides on Wednesday floated the idea of creating a new "public-private" system for veterans health care.   Trump holds Q&A, discusses new jobs, Israel, Obama President-elect Donald Trump applauded the return of 8,000 jobs to the U.S. and hailed his transition discussions with President Barack Obama in a series of comments that amounted to the most detailed interaction he's had with journalists since before the election.