Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted that broad burn pit protection was a high priority for legislators in 2022. “From our standpoint, if you were there, you qualify,” she stated. “We don’t have to go through any torturous process to decide if somebody’s illness depended on something that they were exposed to,” she added. In 2021, emotional testimony from comedian and advocate …

Based on the number of illegal vessels the United States Coast guard has intercepted since October 2021, illegal immigration has tripled since 2021. “People illegally entering the U.S. using smugglers put their lives in the hands of criminals,” warned Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Mark Cobb. “Migrant smugglers are ruthless criminals who only care about profit,” he added.  But these invectives …

A little over a year into his presidency, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani became the first leader of a Persian Gulf nation to meet with President Joe Biden when he arrived in the U.S. capital in January 2022. Biden asked al-Thani if hsi government would be willing to divert natural gas away from existing customers to Europe if a Russia-Ukraine conflict …

Officials in Moscow recently charged that American private military contractors are stockpiling chemical weapons near Ukrainian villages in violation of various treaties and laws. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that about 100 contractors near Avdeevka and Krasny Liman had deployed tanks with “unidentified chemical weapons.” Additionally, “for the completion of the provocations,” the American contractors were training Ukrainian soldiers. …

Officials in the West African nation and international battleground said Canada and about a dozen European nations wrongfully accused it of partnering with the shadowy Wagner Group. Government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga acknowledged that the government had hired “Russian trainers.” However, “elements of a private security company” had not been deployed in Mali, he insisted. “[Mali] formally denies these baseless allegations …

In a largely symbolic move, the European Union stated that “the Wagner Group is responsible for serious human rights abuses in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mozambique.” Furthermore, the EU blacklisted eight individuals, including former Russian Military Intelligence (GRU) officer, and suspected Wagner Group founder, Dimitriy Utkin. France was the most outspoken nation. Officials labeled the …

The struggling Caribbean nation cannot seem to get off the ropes. In fact, one journalist said Haiti “is a place that could explode very easily and at any time, because the situation is so bad.” During the summer of 2021, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, thousands of Haitain migrants were deported, and a strong earthquake devastated much of the country. …

Based on a comprehensive, nine-month review, U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized significant upgrades to American military facilities throughout the Indo-Pacific region. In light of rising tensions, mostly over Taiwan, China has been Biden’s main foreign policy priority. As part of the Guam expansions, the U.S. will also upgrade military facilities in Australia. Additionally, a DoD official said the Americans …

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it would be “unfortunate” if mercenaries closely associated with the Kremlin took sides in an ongoing dispute as the country is poised to return to democracy. Mali “remains a linchpin for future stability in the Sahel [area between the Sahara and the Sudanese savannahs] and we have deep concerns about that stability and deep …

The White House announced that government contractors will have until January 2022 to comply with a mandatory coronavirus vaccine rule. Two federal agencies, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, had passed mandatory vaccination rules that had a December 8, 2021 compliance deadline. According to the White House, the delay “will make it …

YPG (People’s Defense Unit) fighters indiscriminately launched rockets into Afrin, a Syrian town near the Turkish border, killing at least three people and seriously wounding several others. During 2018, a large-scale offensive mostly cleared terrorist fighters from the region. Therefore, construction crews in Afrin were busy building bridges, hospitals, schools, and other infrastructure items in a bid to lure residents …

Not all war wounds are immediately visible. Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at a higher rate than veterans of any other conflict in American history. As outlined below, even if you receive other benefits, like Defense Base Act benefits, you could also be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits. These injuries are …