Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

March 5, 2017 2 vets win Agent Orange exposure cases from Okinawa There have long been rumors that Agent Orange was stored or used on Okinawa, but no one has been able to find proof. Now two servicemembers who served on the Japanese island during the Vietnam War era have won court cases claiming they developed ailments from exposure to the toxic defoliant. Robots take center stage at Aviano tech challenge International teams from Netherlands and Germany showed eight teams from Department of Defense Education Activity schools that they’ve got some work to do if they want to compete against the best in the world. Pentagon plan to seize Raqqa calls for significant increase in US participation A Pentagon plan for the coming assault on Raqqa, the Islamic State capital in Syria, calls for significant U.S. military participation, including increased Special Operations forces, attack helicopters and artillery, and arms supplies to the main Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighting force on the ground, according to U.S. officials. Wave of Islamic State car bombs targets Iraqi troops in west Mosul  Iraqi troops encountered the "heaviest" clashes yet with Islamic State group fighters Sunday in western Mosul since the start of the new push more than two weeks ago, according to a senior commander. Offering no evidence, White House calls for probe into Trump wiretap claims A former senior-level intelligence official flatly denied that President Donald Trump or his campaign aides were wiretapped using intelligence authorities during the 2016 election, just minutes after the White House - offering no evidence - called for an investigation into Trump's claim that then-President Barack Obama had ordered such surveillance. Bahrain parliament approves military trials for civilians  Activists warn the amendment will allow an undeclared state of martial law on the island near Saudi Arabia that's home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. ‘False prophet’: Duterte, the Catholic Church and the fight for the soul of the Philippines A world of sin. A weary savior. Filipinos know the story well. Since coming to power last summer, President Rodrigo Duterte has used biblical language to build a case for mass killings, vowing to sacrifice himself, even his son, to cleanse the nation of crime. Northern Californian pushes for national recognition for 'Rosies' A remarkably spry nonagenarian (she still drives a pickup with a stick shift), Phyllis Gould is cautiously pinning her hopes on congressional resolution, the best chance she has to make history one more time. Ouch: taking the sting out of medical expenses Medical expenses are a burden whenever they hit, but a recent study found they're most common around this time of year. Defense investors fear Trump's plan will meet gridlock Donald Trump's presidency was quickly seen as a win for defense companies, who hope to benefit from what the commander in chief has vowed would be a military buildup of historic proportions. But after weeks of euphoric stock valuations, some analysts are warning such optimism could be misplaced given the dynamics in Congress.