Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

February 14, 2017

	Republicans join renewed calls for probe after Flynn resigns Top Senate Republicans on Tuesday joined a renewed call by Democrats on Capitol Hill for a full investigation of the Trump administration’s ties to Russia following the resignation of National Security Adviser Mike Flynn.   In unanimous vote, Senate confirms Shulkin as VA Secretary In a unanimous vote Monday night, the Senate confirmed David Shulkin as the next secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, making him the most easily confirmed of all President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.   US troops prepare to back Iraqi push into west Mosul 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers are honing Iraqi security forces’ urban combat skills ahead of a planned offensive to eject the Islamic State group from the western half of Iraq’s second largest city.   Russia hosts Afghan conference to reassert Central Asia role Russia intends to host a meeting of regional powers aimed at devising a solution to Afghanistan’s 16-year-old war, despite a warning by the top U.S. commander that Moscow’s increasing involvement in the country was threatening its stability.   NATO to review command structure as alliance defense ministers meet NATO’s top official said Tuesday that the alliance will review its command structure to ensure it can respond to new threats, a move that comes as President Donald Trump is pressuring allies to increase military spending and adapt to threats such as terrorism.   Malaysia officials: North Korean leader’s estranged half-brother slain in Kuala Lumpur The older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was assassinated Monday at Kuala Lumpur airport, telling medical workers before he died that he had been attacked by a chemical spray, a Malaysian official told The Associated Press.   USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group begins assault on Islamic State The USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group left Virginia on Jan. 21 and arrived in the Mediterranean on Feb. 2. It replaced the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which returned to Norfolk onDec. 30, leaving a brief gap in U.S. carriers in the region.   Republicans block Dem effort to get Trump's tax returns  House Republicans on Tuesday blocked an attempt by Democrats to use an obscure law to obtain President Donald Trump's tax returns from the IRS.   Official: Russia has deployed missile in violation of treaty  Russia has deployed a cruise missile in violation of a Cold War-era arms control treaty, a Trump administration official saidTuesday, a development that complicates the outlook for U.S.-Russia relations amid turmoil on the White House national security team.   Pentagon: Russian aircraft flew too close to US destroyer in Black Sea Several Russian aircraft flew close to a U.S. destroyer conducting routine operations in the Black Sea in three separate incidents last week that were deemed “unsafe and unprofessional” by the ship’s commander, an American military spokesman said Tuesday.