Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

March 13, 2017     DODEA schools get hiring freeze exemption The Department of Defense Education Activity plans to resume filling teaching and other staff vacancies at its schools, now that its request for an exemption from the federal civilian hiring freeze has been approved, school officials said Monday.   US, South Korea begin computer-simulated exercise amid tensions with the North The two-week command-post drill known as Key Resolve was being conducted simultaneously with a two-month field-training exercise called Foal Eagle that began March 1.   US to deploy new Gray Eagle attack drone system in South Korea The U.S. military is deploying a new Gray Eagle attack drone system in South Korea as it moves to bolster capabilities against a growing threat from the North.   Man sentenced to 6 years in pot-smuggling case at Yokota Air Base A Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national has been imprisoned for smuggling marijuana through the U.S. military postal service.   Former Fort Drum family sees Appalachian Trail hike as chance to heal A former Fort Drum soldier and his family of seven will spend about the next six months hiking the Appalachian Trail, as they look to heal the wounds of post-traumatic stress and come closer as a family.   Almost killed in Afghanistan, veteran has now been painted by the president who sent him there Four years after the Taliban blew off most of his left arm in Afghanistan, former Army Sgt. First Class Ramon Padilla traveled to Dallas for a wounded warrior golf tournament. For putting advice, he relied on the man who sent him to war.   Senior Calif. National Guard officer accused of jealousy, illegal career blockade against subordinate Two lawsuits accuse the senior officer of California’s National Guard, Maj. Gen. David Baldwin, of illegally telling subordinates to block a high-ranking officer’s transfer to another state — and there’s an ongoing probe ordered by the governor’s office into the alleged misconduct.   Tillerson heads to Asia with North Korea tensions high  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plunges this week into the increasingly volatile situation in North Asia with visits to Japan, South Korea and China, the region's central players for dealing with North Korea's missile launches and nuclear tests. Complicating the mission are Chinese concerns about how the U.S. has responded so far.   Congress' analyst: 14M lose coverage under GOP health bill  Fourteen million Americans would lose coverage next year under House Republican legislation remaking the nation's health care system, and that figure would grow to 24 million by 2026, Congress' nonpartisan budget analysts projected Monday. The figures dealt a blow to a GOP drive already under fire from both parties and large segments of the medical industry.   White House appears to soften Trump's claim on wiretapping  The White House on Monday appeared to soften President Donald Trump's unproven assertion that his predecessor wiretapped his New York skyscraper during the election. The shift came as the Justice Department faced a deadline to provide lawmakers evidence to back up Trump's explosive claim.   NATO chief seeks to reassure Trump on defense budgets  Jens Stoltenberg says in his annual NATO report released Monday that "we still do not have fair burden sharing within our Alliance."