Lawmakers Want to Overturn Civil War-era Ban on Attorneys: A bill introduced by members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee would permit veterans to hire lawyers to represent them in efforts to obtain federal benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. A law enacted nearly 150 years ago prohibits veterans from seeking legal help to work through a maze of VA regulations and provisions. Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), the co-sponsor of the legislation, said, “This overdue change will significantly improve veterans’ access to the VA and expedite just outcomes.”
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.