Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

July 22, 2017     Advancing veterans’ access to medical marijuana hinges on Monday vote A measure allowing veterans easier access to medical marijuana garnered bipartisan support in Congress last year and nearly became law. A vote Monday could be the end of the line this year in another attempt to pass it.   Trump helps commission $12.9B aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford President Donald Trump helped hand over the USS Gerald R. Ford to the Navy on Saturday and said the state-of-the-art aircraft carrier will send a "100,000-ton message to the world."   Distinctive church among the survivors in Mosul A historic church thought to have been blown up by the Islamic State has been found intact following the liberation of Mosul’s Old City.   Congressman wants ‘second chance’ for veterans facing deportation One Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is seeking a second chance for veterans who were convicted of crimes and face the possibility of deportation.   Female sailors in training to become special operators, including SEAL According to a report on National Public Radio, two female sailors are vying for Navy special operations jobs previously closed to women.   US airstrike accidently kills more than a dozen Afghan police Friday’s strike on a security forces compound in Gereshk district was part of a U.S.-supported operation against Taliban militants in the area.   Vet groups urge House to reject plan to fix VA's budget gap Eight major veterans' organizations on Saturday urged Congress to provide emergency money to the Department of Veterans Affairs without cutting other VA programs as the House moved quickly to address a budget shortfall that threatened medical care for thousands of patients.   Democrats herald agreement on sweeping Russia sanctions bill Congressional Democrats announced Saturday that a bipartisan group of House and Senate negotiators have reached an agreement on a sweeping Russia sanctions package to punish Moscow for meddling in the presidential election and its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria.   Mattis says US still debating 'big ideas' on Afghan plan The Trump administration is still sorting out "the big ideas" for a new Afghanistan strategy, beyond troop levels and other military details, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday.   Duterte vows not to come to US: 'I've seen America, and it's lousy' Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, previously praised and invited by President Donald Trump to come to the White House, said he won't visit the United States during or after his term because the country is "lousy."   Member of elite Navy unit has come out as transgender The unidentified person, who came out in October, is a Navy Special Warfare Combatant Craft Crewman and appears to be the first member of the elite unit to identify as transgender.   Woman gets prison for embezzling $750K from former astronaut The Justice Department says Sarah Coffelt was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle Thursday to prison and three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay restitution of $788,886.