First Lady Michelle Obama visited US troops at al Udeid AB, Qatar, on Tuesday, joined by late night talk show host Conan O’Brien. Obama was in Qatar to talk about the value of girls’ education, but told airmen and other service members she wanted to spend some time with them “because I know what you guys are doing for this country, and I have always been in awe of what you do,” according to a White House transcript. Obama talked about her Joining Forces Initiative, which she said she started with Jill Biden “because we wanted to rally Americans to honor and support not just you, but your families.” Air Force TSgt. Emmanuel Santillan, from St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, said it was nice to see leadership supporting the troops. “We aren’t forgotten,” he said. Obama also arranged for vanilla, pistachio, and mocha Cold Stone ice cream to be brought in, because no ice cream has been available on the base for the past two months. Three dozen service members were selected by their commands to meet Obama.
The Chinese spy balloon may have popped, but funding to protect against similar threats is inflating, according to the Department of Defense. The high-attitude surveillance balloon that traversed the U.S. in late January and early February prompted last-minute additions to the Pentagon's budget of around $90 million for measures to…