Podcasts about veterans affairs

There's a new position in the U.S. government: Federal chief artificial intelligence officer. Gregory Barbaccia has begun to refer to himself as the Federal CAIO, in addition to his current role as the federal government's chief information officer. A recent interview with CNBC referred to him this way and a federal official focused on AI confirmed to FedScoop that Barbaccia had used that title in a recent meeting. In a social media post last week, Barbaccia also used both titles. The new title comes amid the Trump administration's continued focus on federal adoption of artificial intelligence. It follows the White House AI Action Plan, which was released last week and endorsed “transformative use of AI [that] can help deliver the highly responsive government the American people expect and deserve.” Still, the AI Action Plan makes no mention of a new position of CAIO for the whole federal government. Neither does the executive order that established the council or subsequent Office of Management and Budget actions. There was no federal CAIO in the Biden administration, and it's not clear any formal action has been taken to establish the position. Federal agencies are increasingly turning to generative artificial intelligence to further their missions, according to a new watchdog report that found use cases of the emerging technology jumping by ninefold in a selection of nearly a dozen agencies last year. In a report published Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office said generative AI use cases across a group of 11 federal agencies increased from 32 to 282 cases from 2023 to 2024, per an analysis of those agencies' inventories. The GAO laid out several ways these agencies harnessed generative AI last year, stating the technology can “improve written communications, information access efficiency, and program status tracking.” Examples included the Department of Veterans Affairs using automation for medical imaging processing in veterans' diagnostic services, along with the Department of Health and Human Services' initiative to extract information from publications regarding the containment of the poliovirus. HHS reported the largest jump out of the 11 agencies, going from seven generative AI use cases in 2023 to 116 in 2024, according to the report. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

Episode #103 Chas Sampson, a veteran who transitioned from the military to various roles, including the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs, now runs Seven Principles, a company that helps veterans with VA disability claims. Chas shared his journey from North Carolina to Virginia Beach, his military service, and his transition to civilian life. He emphasized the importance of having a plan and understanding the VA's rating system. Chas also discussed the challenges veterans face, including the need for comprehensive medical records and the impact of aging on disability ratings. Additionally, he discussed his involvement in representing NFL players for disability benefits, highlighting the similarities between the experiences of military and NFL veterans. Rob Robinson discusses the importance of planning and having assets, like the seven principles, for veterans transitioning from the military to business or other careers. He highlights the competitive nature of the NFL, noting only 350 players are drafted annually from 117,000 college football players. Emphasizing the need for good character and representation, he advises athletes to focus on their demeanor and communication skills. Robinson concludes by promoting the value of veterans' skills in entrepreneurship and encourages listeners to subscribe to his podcast for more resources and insights.As mentioned in the Podcast:  Seven Principles: https://sevenprinciples.com/ Grit: Angela Duckworth - https://a.co/d/9gop15Z Disclaimer: The content of the "Philosophy From the Front Line" podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This podcast does not offer legal, financial, or professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult appropriate professionals before making decisions based on the content presented. "Philosophy From the Front Line" assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content or actions taken based on the information provided during the podcast episodes.Fair Use Statement: This podcast may contain copyrighted material not specifically authorized by the copyright owner. "Philosophy From the Front Line" is making such material available to educate, inform, and provide commentary under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. copyright law (Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act). We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material.Used for non-commercial, educational, or research purposes.Critically analyzed, reviewed, or discussed.Used in a transformative way that adds new meaning or message to the original work.If you own any content used and believe it infringes on your copyright, don't hesitate to get in touch with us directly, and we will address the matter promptly. These statements are adapted from existing disclaimers used in previous episodes of the "Philosophy From the Front Line" podcast.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/philosophy-from-the-front-line--4319845/support.

You'd expect the Department of Veterans Affairs to lead on accessibility, given the community it serves. But a recent report from the VA's Office of Inspector General found that just four out of 30 sampled IT systems met federal accessibility standards under Section 508. The findings raise serious questions—not just for the VA, but for every agency building digital tools for the public. Joining me with the details on what went wrong, and how the department is working to get it right is Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Evaluations, Daniel Morris See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/ Want to listen to other episodes? www.Federaltechpodcast.com The current administration has a focus on reducing costs while also improving the delivery of goods and services. When it comes to handling data, innovations in code generated by artificial intelligence have enabled this remarkable goal. The challenge arises when transitioning from the data center to the hospital. " Fail early" may be a mantra for a software developer, but in a healthcare situation, it is unacceptable.   Today, we sat down with two executives from Phillips and explored the value of applying mobile technology to reduce cost and enhance patient outcomes in hospitals. Both gentlemen are military veterans, and the focus of the discussion is the Department of Veterans Affairs, which operates 170 medical centers and employs over 470,000 staff members. When examining the population of veterans, we can see that it has a wide distribution in rural areas. This can mean long trips for patients to get care. During the interview, we look at wearable devices that can provide information to physicians to help make treatment decisions. These can provide real-time health monitoring to act as an "early warning" system for patients. For example, it can detect signs of infectious diseases before symptoms appear.   Advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence enable Phillips to develop a risk score calculation that reduces exposure to vulnerable populations. Explore opportunities to further deploy Philips' remote monitoring and telehealth technologies within the VA healthcare system.

This week, we’re recorded live from the National Veterans Wheelchair Games! Join us as we connect with leaders from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America, explore logistics and medical support with the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, and meet two inspiring athletes. Guests include: Dave Tostenrude – National Veterans Wheelchair […] The post National Veterans Wheelchair Games appeared first on Minnesota Military Radio.

Several agencies under the Trump administration are going through some personnel changes. A top official at the State Department is taking over as the acting head of the General Services Administration, and President Trump is withdrawing his pick for lead of it at the Department of Veterans Affairs amid plans to shrink its tech workforce and budget. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Show SummaryOn today's episode, feature a conversation Maryalice Morro, a Navy Veteran, Healthcare professional, and former Hospital Administrator for both the Navy and the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Provide FeedbackAs a dedicated member of the audience, we would like to hear from you about the show. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about the show in this short feedback survey. By doing so, you will be entered to receive a signed copy of one of our host's three books on military and veteran mental health. About Today's GuestMaryalice Morro combines her energy and relentless enthusiasm to motivate and build high-performing teams. She is a visionary leader recognized for strategic planning, innovation, financial stewardship and talent management. She delivers quality outcomes while meeting project and financial goals. She recognizes the strengths in others and inspires them to achieve and surpass their goals by mentoring, supporting and creating the vision for their success.Maryalice is currently a consultant and works with aspiring leaders through formal and informal coaching and mentoring. She is an adjunct faculty for the Citadel's undergraduate nursing program, and several of Villanova University's certificate programs. She is the Program Coordinator for the Anne W. McNulty Institute's Women's Leadership Development Certificate Program and led the multidisciplinary team in creating this program. She serves as teaching faculty for University of Pennsylvania's Doctor of Nursing Practice, Executive Leadership track.Previously, Maryalice spent 35 years in government, with 29 years on active duty in the United States Navy, serving around the world in support of peacetime, humanitarian, and wartime missions. She was the Commanding Officer (CEO) of the Pensacola Naval Hospital and Chief of Staff for Navy Medicine East, serving 15 medical commands in the United States and abroad. She was appointed to the Senior Executive Service and was selected to serve as Director (CEO) for the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, GA, transforming an underperforming medical center into a vibrant healthcare center to meet the veterans' 21st century needs.Maryalice holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Villanova University, MSN from the Catholic University of America, MS from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and BSN from Villanova University. She is Board Certified by AACN as a Nurse Executive – Advanced.Links Mentioned During the EpisodeMaryalice Morro on LinkedInVillanova University Women's Leadership Development CertificatePsychArmor Resource of the WeekThis week's PsychArmor Resource of the Week is the PsychArmor Course Myths and Facts of Military Leaders. This course identifies four of the most popular myths about military leaders and how they don't align with the reality of working alongside Veterans and Service members. You can find the resource here:  https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/The-Myths-and-Facts-of-Military-Leaders Episode Partner: Are you an organization that engages with or supports the military affiliated community? Would you like to partner with an engaged and dynamic audience of like-minded professionals? Reach out to Inquire about Partnership Opportunities Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media Email PsychArmorPsychArmor on TwitterPsychArmor on FacebookPsychArmor on YouTubePsychArmor on LinkedInPsychArmor on InstagramTheme MusicOur theme music Don't Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Welcome back to The InDependent Spouse podcast! In this particularly exciting episode, Jess Sands sits down with the brilliant Felicity Mercer, wife to Johnny Mercer, who has navigated the unique challenges of armed forces life, the intense world of politics, and is now an award-winning business owner.  We cover it all, from meeting Johnny Mercer (MP and former Minister for State for Veterans Affairs) as children, reconnecting as adults when he was serving in Afghanistan, to supporting him through a whirlwind political career. Felicity shares candid insights into the realities of being a political wife – far from glamorous – including dealing with public scrutiny, death threats, and the toll it takes on family life.  She discusses the unexpected pivot from supporting her husband's public service to launching her own successful business, The Dress Barn, just six months ago. Discover how she's found pure joy in her new venture, applying years of experience to create a welcoming space for her clients, and even inspiring her own daughters to get involved. Felicity offers powerful advice for anyone in the military community looking to transition and start something new: "Don't overthink it. Just go for it!"  This episode is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and finding your own path amidst the extraordinary demands of military and political life. Key Takeaways: The Unseen Side of Public Life: Felicity offers a raw and honest look at the lack of glamour and the intense public hatred and threats that can come with being a political spouse. Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Despite the difficulties of military and political life, Felicity emphasizes the importance of laughter and finding humor in tough situations. Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship: Learn how Felicity channelled her experiences and a small investment into a thriving and joyful business that empowers other women. The Power of "Don't Overthink It": Felicity's core advice for military spouses considering a new venture is to overcome self-doubt, have a plan, and back yourself. Inspiring the Next Generation: Felicity shares how her business journey is influencing her daughters, teaching them about hard work, independence, and the joy of helping others. The Dress Barn: Felicity Mercer's award-winning business, located near the Devon/Cornwall border - https://dress-barn.co.uk/ Join the Course! Are you a military spouse looking to start your own business? Join The InDependent Spouse's Business Launch Accelerator course! This fully funded, 8-week online course covers everything you need to know about entrepreneurship as a military spouse or partner. It's available for any partner or spouse of serving regular or reservist armed forces personnel and is funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and the Ministry of Defence.  Learn more and sign up at milspo.co.uk/course. The course starts in September, and applications are open NOW!

Congress is back in session this week with the House wrapping up its work before its August recess. On the agenda: legislation to increase financial oversight of the Veterans Affairs department, and votes on bills to increase penalties on people who reenter the U.S. after being deported, and to reform the Clean Water Act's permitting process. The Senate still has another work week before leaving for their annual break. On their agenda: confirmation votes for several executive nominations. Hanging over all of this--the ongoing issue of the Jeffrey Epstein files. House Speaker Mike Johnson says doesn't have any plans to put a resolution on the floor that calls for the Trump administration to release Epstein files. Instead, he wants to give administration time to put out documents on its own. And yesterday was the six-month anniversary of the second Trump administration, and polls say Americans are giving the president mixed reviews. A new Decision Desk HQ poll shows the president's disapproval rating near its highest level since January. Meanwhile, a new CBS News poll shows Americans say they want the president to focus on consumer prices instead of raising tariffs. And the Washington Post's polling average showing a clear downturn in the president's approval rating on immigration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frm Congressman, Author of the ADAHappy ADA 35Tony Coelho has spent his entire adult life helping advance the lives of people with disabilities. He calls this his “ministry”. Congressman Steny Hoyer, former House Majority Leader, says that the disability community call him their “voice” and “champion.”Diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 22 years old, Tony's ministry is marked by significant milestones: primary author and sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — the most important piece of civil rights legislation in the last 40 years; advocating for the ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and convincing President Bill Clinton to establish the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor.  Tony continued to advocate for civil rights for individuals with disabilities by convincing President Barack Obama to issue an executive order enforcing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to hire people with disabilities as they have been doing since 1973 for women and minorities.  He went on to work with the Biden White House to improve access to the internet for individuals who are blind, deaf, and physically impaired.Tony is a former six-term United States Congressman from California, elected in 1978 and serving until 1989. He served on the Agriculture, Interior, Veterans Affairs, and Administration Committees during his tenure, specializing in disability rights. In 1986, Tony was elected House Majority Whip, the third most powerful position in the House of Representatives.After leaving Congress, Tony joined Wertheim Schroder & Company, Inc., an investment-banking firm in New York, where he served as a Managing Director and then as President and CEO of Wertheim Schroder Investment Services, a firm that he grew from $400 million to $4 billion in managed investments. He formed ETC w/TCI, an education and training technology company in Washington, D.C., where he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Currently, he serves on a number of corporate boards of directors and i  the founding partner of a national public affairs firm.© 2025 Building Abundant Success!!2025 All Rights ReservedJoin Me on ~ iHeart Media @ https://tinyurl.com/iHeartBASSpot Me on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yxuy23bAmazon Music ~ https://tinyurl.com/AmzBASAudacy:  https://tinyurl.com/BASAud

This week's guest on Off the Shelf is Ben Hall, chief executive officer of Golden State Medical Supply (GSMS). Hall shares the GSMS story, from its founding by an Air Force veteran in the 1980s to its role today delivering cost-effective, high-quality generic pharmaceuticals to the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. He discusses the role data management and analytics plays in delivering value to the customer across government and how GSMS is now supporting the brand name federal market. Finally Hall talks about the opportunities and challenges in driving domestic and near-shore manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration is creating a new classification for non-career employees. President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing Schedule G that would let agencies hire non-career employees who engage in policy-making or policy-advocating work. These employees would leave their position when the president's term is over. The EO says Schedule G will improve operations, particularly in agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs, by streamlining appointments for key policy roles. Current authorities under Schedule C or the new Schedule Policy/Career do not provide for non-career appointments to policy-making or policy-advocating roles. The White House says this leaves a gap in federal hiring categories.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This Day in Legal History: Narcotic Control ActOn July 18, 1956, the Narcotic Control Act was signed into law, marking a significant escalation in the United States' punitive approach to drug policy. The act built upon earlier federal narcotics legislation but went much further in increasing criminal penalties and tightening government control over narcotic drugs and marijuana. Under the new law, first-time offenders faced mandatory minimum sentences, and judges were stripped of discretion in sentencing for many drug crimes. Notably, the act introduced the possibility of the death penalty for those convicted of selling heroin to minors.The legislation was part of a broader postwar shift toward strict federal enforcement and reflected growing political and public fears about drug use, particularly in urban centers. It was championed by figures who saw narcotics as a moral and social threat, linking drug control to national security and public order. The law also expanded the jurisdiction of federal agencies, giving the federal government more authority to investigate and prosecute drug crimes that had previously been handled at the state level.Critics at the time and in later decades argued that the Narcotic Control Act laid the groundwork for mass incarceration and racial disparities in drug enforcement. The harsh penalties disproportionately impacted Black and Latino communities and did little to address the root causes of addiction. Nonetheless, the act stood as a turning point in the federal government's approach to narcotics—a hardline stance that would culminate decades later in the “War on Drugs.”A federal judge in Boston, Leo Sorokin, is considering whether to uphold a nationwide injunction against President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship. The order, issued in February, would deny U.S. citizenship to children born in the U.S. after February 19 unless at least one parent is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The case is being brought by attorneys general from 18 states and D.C., who argue the order violates the 14th Amendment and would disrupt federal benefit programs like Medicaid and SNAP.The legal challenge has gained new relevance following a June 27 Supreme Court ruling that discouraged lower courts from issuing broad, nationwide injunctions. However, the Court allowed for exceptions, including in class actions or when needed to provide “complete relief.” The states argue that a nationwide block remains necessary due to the wide-reaching impact of the order and the need for consistency across state lines. They also contend that the Supreme Court's recent decision does not apply in this instance.If Judge Sorokin rules in favor of the states, it would mark the second time this month a federal judge has blocked Trump's order. On July 10, Judge Joseph Laplante issued a similar injunction in New Hampshire after finding that children affected by the policy could proceed as a class. The Justice Department maintains that the original injunction was overly broad and asserts that individuals should contest their citizenship status individually.US judge weighs putting new block on Trump's birthright citizenship order | ReutersPresident Donald Trump is calling for the release of grand jury testimony related to Jeffrey Epstein, following backlash from some of his supporters over a recent Justice Department report. The report found no evidence supporting long-standing conspiracy theories about Epstein's death or alleged connections to powerful individuals. In response, Trump labeled the investigation a "scam" and urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all relevant grand jury material, pending court approval.Bondi confirmed shortly afterward that the Justice Department is prepared to ask the court to unseal the documents as early as Friday. Her earlier promises to disclose "a lot of names" and "flight logs" related to Epstein had generated anticipation among Trump's base, some of whom now express frustration over the lack of new revelations. Trump has dismissed concerns as politically motivated fabrications.The renewed focus on Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges, has caused a divide among Trump supporters—some of whom feel betrayed by the lack of transparency, while others back Trump's framing of the issue as a partisan hoax. The legal effort to unseal the grand jury materials could reignite public scrutiny over Epstein's connections and the broader handling of his case.Trump asks for release of grand jury documents in Epstein case | ReutersA U.S. appeals court appears likely to lift a temporary block on a Trump executive order that limits collective bargaining rights for federal workers in national security-related agencies. The 9th Circuit panel, composed of two Trump appointees and one Obama appointee, questioned whether they had authority to override the president's determination that union activities could interfere with national security functions.The order, issued by President Trump, applies to major departments like Justice, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and parts of Health and Human Services. It greatly expands existing national security exemptions by stripping union rights from a much larger group of federal employees. Judge James Donato had previously blocked the order for 21 agencies, citing potential violations of free speech protections for federal unions.During oral arguments, judges expressed skepticism toward union claims that the order was retaliatory and aimed at silencing opposition. The government's lawyer argued that the president has wide discretion in matters of national security, making his decisions largely immune from judicial review. However, one judge questioned whether there are any real limits to this power.The case could significantly impact how workplace conditions are set across the federal government and whether unions can continue to challenge executive policies in court. A ruling in favor of Trump's position would allow agencies to more easily change employment terms and sideline union input. A related lawsuit challenging union contracts is also pending in Texas.US court seem poised to lift block on Trump curbing union bargaining for federal workers | ReutersThis week's closing theme is by Georg Friedrich HandelThis week's closing theme comes from the grand, imaginative world of Georg Friedrich Handel, one of the towering figures of the Baroque era. Born in 1685 in Halle, Germany, Handel made his mark across Europe, eventually becoming a naturalized British citizen and composing some of the most enduring works in Western music. Known for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions, Handel blended German precision, Italian lyricism, and English choral tradition into a distinctive style that was both dramatic and deeply human.Among his lesser-known but richly rewarding operas is Xerxes (HWV 40), premiered in London in 1738. Loosely based on the Persian king Xerxes I, the opera mixes romantic entanglements, comedic elements, and royal intrigue—a blend that puzzled its first audiences but has found appreciation in modern revivals. Its opening aria, “Ombra mai fu”, sung by the title character in praise of a plane tree, is a moment of serene beauty that has outlived the opera's initial failure. Often referred to as Handel's Largo, this aria became wildly popular in the 19th century and is frequently performed at weddings, memorials, and ceremonial events.Xerxes was ahead of its time in its use of shorter arias and flexible structure, which some scholars view as anticipating later developments in operatic form. The character of Xerxes himself—proud, impulsive, and absurdly fixated on love—offered Handel the opportunity to explore both satire and sincerity within the same role. Though the opera was pulled from the stage after only five performances, its revival centuries later has secured its place in the canon.For all his dramatic genius, it is perhaps this simple ode to shade and stillness—Ombra mai fu—that captures Handel at his most tender. This week, we close with that brief moment of musical tranquility, a Baroque lullaby to a tree, sung by a king, composed by a master.Without further ado, Georg Friedrich Handel's  Xerxes, overture. Enjoy!  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

The Department of Veterans Affairs' acting chief information officer doubled down on the agency's reshaping of its IT workforce, telling lawmakers in a Monday hearing that change is “challenging” but “necessary.” Eddie Pool told members of the House VA's subcommittee on technology modernization that the agency's Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is pushing forward with workforce reductions as the division increasingly turns to automation and other technology modernization efforts. “This reorganization, reallocation of positions, is designed to cut bureaucratic overhead, accelerate decision making and focus every OIT position on delivering secure, reliable and modern IT solutions to improve veterans' lives,” Pool said in opening remarks at the hearing. Subcommittee Chair Tom Barrett, R-Mich., lauded the VA OIT's “smarter, not bigger” strategy in its fiscal 2026 budget request, asking Pool if technology improvements can alleviate the need for manual, human processes. “Absolutely,” Pool responded. “It is about automating what we can automate.” In its fiscal 2026 budget, the VA OIT requested funding to support approximately 7,000 full-time equivalent employees, marking an 11.7% decrease from its fiscal 2025 budget request, according to Carol Harris, the director of information technology and cybersecurity for the Government Accountability Office. Former White House national security adviser Mike Waltz brushed aside criticisms Tuesday that he put sensitive military operations at risk by holding discussions about military strikes in a Signal group chat, claiming the app's use was authorized by the federal government's top civilian cyber agency. In a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Waltz — who has been nominated to represent the U.S. at the United Nations — was pressed about his short tenure as President Donald Trump's top national security official. In particular, he was grilled by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., for his use of the end-to-end encrypted messaging application Signal to coordinate with other officials over airstrikes on Houthi rebels.While much of the initial attention was focused on Waltz adding journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat, national security experts were also aghast by government officials at the highest levels coordinating highly sensitive military operations using a free application. The incident is widely viewed as contributing to Waltz's departure just months after leaving Congress to take the role, and his subsequent shuffling to a new nomination at the U.N. “The use of Signal is not only … authorized; it was recommended in the Biden-era CISA guidance,” he said. Waltz was referencing a piece of 2024 guidance put out by CISA on mobile security. He later read from a portion of the guidance, which recommended using “only end-to-end encrypted communication” and to “adopt a free messaging application to secure communications that guarantees end to end encryption, particularly if you are a highly targeted individual, such as Signal or other apps.” The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

Leah  breaks down everything veterans need to know about rotator cuff injuries and how they relate to VA disability claims. As a U.S. Army veteran and former C&P examiner, she explains the causes, symptoms, and medical evidence needed to support a claim, while also walking viewers through how the VA rates these shoulder conditions under diagnostic codes 5200–5203. With real data, expert insights, and actionable tips—like seeking a nexus letter and understanding the role of range-of-motion testing—Leah offers a clear, veteran-friendly guide to navigating the claims process with confidence.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department have over 100 sharing agreements to help deliver health care services. These agreements provide greater access to health care for veterans while also saving money for the federal government. But the agencies don't evaluate their effectiveness or track opportunities to expand them for more federal news networks. Anastasia Obis spoke to the Government Accountability Office's Alyssa Hundrup,See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In an NTD Exclusive, Steve Lance sits down with U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins. They talk about leading the department through faith and compassion, cutting wait-times for veterans, and the historic parade in Washington celebrating the Army's 250th Anniversary.

This week, we explore educational opportunities and support for Minnesota's military community at Saint Paul College, delve into inclusion efforts and the 35th anniversary of the ADA with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, and get an update from the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Guests include: Alan Duff – Saint Paul College Julie Severson […] The post Saint Paul College and 35th Anniversary of the ADA appeared first on Minnesota Military Radio.

This Day in Legal History: Richard and Mildred Loving ArrestedOn this day in legal history, July 11, 1958, Richard and Mildred Loving were arrested in Central Point, Virginia, for violating the state's Racial Integrity Act, which banned interracial marriage. The couple had legally wed in Washington, D.C., but upon returning to Virginia, they were charged with "cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth." Richard, a white man, and Mildred, a Black and Indigenous woman, pled guilty and were sentenced to one year in prison, suspended on the condition that they leave the state for 25 years.The Lovings relocated to Washington, D.C., but their desire to return home ultimately led to a pivotal civil rights case. In 1963, they wrote to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who referred them to the ACLU. Attorneys Bernard Cohen and Philip Hirschkop took up their case, arguing that Virginia's law violated the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. After years of legal battles, the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court.In Loving v. Virginia (1967), the Court unanimously struck down laws banning interracial marriage, declaring that "the freedom to marry… may not be infringed by the State." Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote that Virginia's law served no legitimate purpose "independent of invidious racial discrimination." The decision invalidated similar laws in 15 other states.The Lovings never sought to become civil rights icons—they simply wanted to live as a married couple in their home state. Their quiet determination reshaped American constitutional law, affirming marriage as a fundamental right and setting a legal precedent that continues to influence equal protection jurisprudence.The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily paused a lower court ruling that had blocked President Donald Trump's executive order removing collective bargaining rights for large segments of the federal workforce. U.S. District Judge James Donato had issued the initial injunction in June, finding the executive order likely violated federal employees' First Amendment rights and targeted unions viewed as adversarial to Trump. The appeals court's administrative stay keeps the order in limbo while it considers the administration's appeal, with oral arguments scheduled for July 17.Trump's order affects 21 federal agencies and would make it easier to discipline or fire employees while restricting union challenges. The order notably broadened national security exceptions to collective bargaining beyond intelligence agencies like the CIA and FBI. Unions argue the move is retaliatory and affects many workers who don't handle national security matters.Earlier, a Washington, D.C. judge blocked the same order at seven agencies, including the DOJ and Treasury, but that ruling is also stayed pending appeal. The Trump administration has also filed lawsuits to void existing union contracts, though one such suit by the Treasury was dismissed for lack of standing. A related case remains pending in Texas.US court pauses block on Trump eliminating union bargaining for federal workers | ReutersThe White House is currently reviewing federal agency layoff plans following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that permits large-scale downsizing of the government workforce. Two senior officials confirmed the review is aimed at minimizing future legal challenges by ensuring all plans comply with congressional rules and civil service regulations. Coordination is being handled through the White House Counsel's Office and the Office of Personnel Management. Although no specific timeline has been announced, officials say the layoffs are an "immediate priority," with a goal to reduce the size of government swiftly.The ruling, welcomed by the Trump administration, allows agencies to act on plans developed earlier this year under the guidance of the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk. However, the administration acknowledged that labor contracts and due process protections still apply, and lawsuits are expected even if legal thresholds are met.The State Department has already confirmed it will begin issuing termination notices imminently, having proposed nearly 2,000 job cuts in May. Overall, about 260,000 federal employees have already exited through firings, resignations, or early retirements since January. The layoffs are expected to affect more than a dozen departments, including Agriculture, Commerce, and Veterans Affairs.White House reviews mass federal layoff plans, aims for swift action | ReutersMahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and permanent U.S. resident, has filed a $20 million claim against the Trump administration, alleging false imprisonment and malicious prosecution. Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist, was detained for over 100 days by immigration authorities who accused him of undermining U.S.–Israel relations. His legal team submitted the claim under federal rules requiring damages claims to be filed before a lawsuit. Homeland Security dismissed the claim as "absurd," defending its actions as lawful.Khalil argues his arrest was politically motivated, targeting him for his pro-Palestinian speech, and says he would accept an official apology and a policy change as an alternative to monetary compensation. He was released on bail in June after a federal judge ruled his detention violated his First Amendment rights. The case has drawn widespread attention from civil rights and Palestinian advocacy groups, who accuse the administration of equating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.Trump has publicly pledged to deport foreign students participating in anti-Israel protests, and Khalil was the first high-profile detainee under this initiative. His lawyers continue to challenge his deportation, and the administration has six months to respond to his compensation claim.Mahmoud Khalil seeks $20 million from Trump administration over immigration arrest | ReutersThis week's closing theme is by George Gershwin.This week's closing theme is dedicated to one of America's most iconic composers—George Gershwin, who died on July 11, 1937, at just 38 years old. Though his life was short, Gershwin's musical legacy is vast, bridging the worlds of classical music and jazz with unprecedented flair. His compositions resonate with a distinctively American voice, and no piece captures that better than Rhapsody in Blue. Premiered in 1924, the work opens with a now-famous clarinet glissando and bursts into a vibrant, restless energy that seems to embody the optimism and chaos of early 20th-century New York.Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, Rhapsody in Blue was Gershwin's first major attempt to merge classical form with jazz idioms. What emerged was a concerto-like work that thrilled audiences and critics alike and marked the beginning of serious recognition for jazz as a concert-hall art form. Gershwin performed the piano solo himself at the premiere, having written much of it in a hurry and leaving some sections to be improvised on the spot.His sudden death from a brain tumor shocked the music world. It cut short the career of a composer who had already revolutionized American music and was poised to do much more. In works like Porgy and Bess and An American in Paris, Gershwin demonstrated a rare ability to synthesize European traditions with American vernacular music. But Rhapsody in Blue remains his most enduring testament—a collision of elegance, innovation, and vitality.As we reflect on Gershwin's passing this week, we close with Rhapsody in Blue, a work that continues to pulse with life nearly a century after its premiere. Its blend of bluesy lyricism and orchestral sweep makes it a fitting tribute to a composer whose voice was silenced too soon.Without further ado, George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

What if giving birth left you with nightmares, hypervigilance, and a constant sense of dread — and no one believed you? Worse, what if you didn't think it mattered because, after all, the baby is healthy? In this eye-opening episode, host Gabe Howard talks with ADAA member expert Dr. Lauren Sippel about a condition many have never heard of: postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Sippel explains what postpartum PTSD really looks like, why it's often misdiagnosed, and how to tell the difference between typical new parent stress and clinical trauma. Often overshadowed by postpartum depression and dismissed by loved ones and providers, postpartum PTSD is a silent struggle affecting far more people than we realize. If you or someone you love has felt lost or dismissed after childbirth, this conversation could be life-changing. Special thanks to Evernorth Health Services for providing funding for today's episode. Additional Links: PC-PTSD-5—infographic (self-screening tool): https://adaa.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/How%20to%20Know%20If%20You%20Should%20Talk%20with%20Your%20Healthcare%20Provider%20About%20PTSD.pdf Postpartum Support International website: https://www.postpartum.net/ “There are so many things that can happen in that delivery. I've heard about the peaceful ones. I personally had two unmedicated ones that were not intentionally unmedicated. There was a lot of screaming. And my babies were healthy. And some things went as smoothly as expected and some things did not go as planned. And one of them was pretty scary. And thankfully I did not experience PTSD symptoms from that. Could I tell you why, Gabe? Absolutely not. And if I did, I probably couldn't tell you that either.” ~Lauren M. Sippel, PhD Our guest, Lauren Sippel, PhD, is the Deputy Director of the Northeast Program Evaluation Center in the Department of Veterans Affairs and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She co-leads the ADAA PTSD Special Interest Group. Her research focuses on improving the quality and effectiveness of psychotherapies, particularly those for PTSD, using strategies such as medication augmentation and family involvement. Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe is also the host of the "Inside Bipolar" podcast with Dr. Nicole Washington. Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can't imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We got two great guests for you this hump day. First, we talk to Brandon Roberts, an investigative journalist for ProPublica about the error prone AI program that DOGE implemented to determine Veterans Affairs cuts. We also discuss how FDA cuts have made it difficult to regulate the quality and safety of pharmaceuticals imported from other countries. Then we talk to Memo Torres an award-winning food and lifestyle Journalist and director of L.A. Taco who has been doing incredible work covering ICE's attacks on California. Check out their coverage here: L.A. TACO - Celebrating The Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles. Also if you are in the LA area and you spot ICE agents in the wild notify L.A. Taco by emailing tips@lataco.com and they will spread the word. In the fun half we watch Hakeem Jeffries struggle to cope with the idea of getting primaried. Then we check in with Dave Rubin and his old boss, Glenn Beck. They provide some clarity on the future of the Democratic party and their plot to destroy the west. Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors SHOPIFY: Sign up for a $1/month trial period at shopify.com/majority   SUNSET LAKE: Use coupon code “Left Is Best” (all one word) for 20% off of your entire order at SunsetLakeCBD.com Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/  

In this episode of Better Buildings for Humans, host Joe Menchefski sits down with Stephen Parker, architect and mental health planner at Stantec, to explore the power—and responsibility—of trauma-informed design. Stephen shares how his personal and professional experiences have fueled his mission to create spaces that foster safety, dignity, and belonging for people in crisis. From veterans living with PTSD to individuals overcoming addiction, Stephen explains why the built environment is never neutral—and how even simple details like door placement, daylight, and acoustic privacy can make or break a healing experience. They also discuss cultural competency, the hidden triggers in institutional settings, and the crucial role of co-design with communities. This conversation is a masterclass in designing buildings that heal not just bodies, but hearts and minds.More About Stephen ParkerStephen Parker is a dedicated Mental + Behavioral Health Planner with significant healthcare projects across the US, Canada, China, Kenya, Australia and India. A Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Rising Star, Parker is a proponent of “architect as advocate” for colleague, client, and community alike, he believes strongly in leadership through service. Stephen has served a diverse client base, including the Cleveland Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, helping develop the VA's new Inpatient Mental Health Design Guide. An accomplished design researcher and pro bono community designer, Stephen is a Behavioral Health Business Future Leader, AIA AAH Best Healthcare Designer Under 40, ENR Top 20 Under 40 Young Professional, HCD Rising Star, HFSE George Pressler Under 40 Award recipient, and ULI Health Leader. Stephen championed the AIA Strategic Council's Mental Health + Architecture during the pandemic and is a US representative to the International Union of Architects' Public Health Group. He currently serves as Associate Director for the Design in Mental Health Network headquartered in England, Founding Member of the Center of Health Design's Behavioral & Mental Health Environment Network, among other service leadership roles at organizations advocating for mental health environments from the Arctic to Australasia.CONTACT:https://www.stantec.com/en/people/p/parker-stephen https://healthcaredesignmagazine.com/trends/2024-hcd-conference-preview-evolving-crisis-care-models-in-behavioral-health/67229/ https://www.stantec.com/en/projects/united-states-projects/s/southeast-psychiatric-treatment-center-norristown-state-hospitalhttps://www.mentalhealthdesignandbuild.com/story/44645/drawn-together-through-lived-experiencehttps://www.stantec.com/en/projects/united-states-projects/w/womens-hospital-perinatal-mental-health-unithttps://urbanland.uli.org/planning-design/returning-home-advancements-in-mental-health-design-for-u-s-veteran-facilitieshttps://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/rising-stars-2024-stephen-parkerWhere To Find Us:https://bbfhpod.advancedglazings.com/www.advancedglazings.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/better-buildings-for-humans-podcastwww.linkedin.com/in/advanced-glazings-ltd-848b4625https://twitter.com/bbfhpodhttps://twitter.com/Solera_Daylighthttps://www.instagram.com/bbfhpod/https://www.instagram.com/advancedglazingsltdhttps://www.facebook.com/AdvancedGlazingsltd

The Supreme Court has upheld President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the federal workforce. The decision opens the door to massive layoffs and restructuring across key agencies like the EPA, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a forceful dissent. Critics warn of unchecked executive power. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed with the latest news from a leading Black-owned & controlled media company: https://aurn.com/newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Veterans Affairs says it's no longer pursuing widespread layoffs as part of a plan to downsize its workforce. Instead, the VA expects tens of thousands of employees to leave the agency voluntarily by the end of the fiscal year. That means the VA is no longer considering a department wide reduction-in-force and Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more details. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tipan Lopez v. Att'y Gen. U.S., No. 24-1444 (3d Cir. June 30, 2025) nexus; subordinate; religion; Evangelical Christian; M-R-M-S-; incorporation of international law; no animus requirement; fervent but unsuccessful resistance to torture can be acquiescence; Ecuador  Matter of A-A-F-V-, 29 I&N Dec. 118 (BIA 2025) suspected gang members with tattoos; bisexual individuals; state exception policy in El Salvador; prison conditions; sharing criminal information with El Salvador;  standard of review; use of statistical information  Lanoue v. Att'y Gen. U.S., No. 24-2583 (3d Cir. July 1, 2025) deceit; INA § 101(a)(43)(M)(i); 18 U.S.C. § 287; 18 U.S.C. § 2; false claims to Veterans Affairs; $10,000 amount; restitution; retroactive INA § 212(h) waiver; not an applicant for admission when under investigation  Sponsors and friends of the podcast!Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli and Pratt P.A.Immigration, serious injury, and business lawyers serving clients in Florida, California, and all over the world for over 40 years.Cerenade"Leader in providing smart, secure, and intuitive cloud-based solutions"Demo Link!Click me too!Stafi"Remote staffing solutions for businesses of all sizes"Promo Code: STAFI2025Click me!Gonzales & Gonzales Immigration BondsP: (833) 409-9200immigrationbond.com Want to become a patron?Click here to check out our Patreon Page!CONTACT INFORMATIONEmail: kgregg@kktplaw.comFacebook: @immigrationreviewInstagram: @immigrationreviewTwitter: @immreviewDISCLAIMER & CREDITSSee Eps. 1-200Support the show

Are you the kind of person who takes pride in sticking it out during difficult work situation to the point where you don't always know when it's time to move on or have any strategy for how to know when to endure and when to move on? We can definitely all grow from those tough experiences. But there is also growth in the wisdom gained from knowing how to strategically use the right timing to move on. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:Dr. Sonja Batten has taken multiple bold moves in her career, moving across sectors and leadership roles. In this episode, we'll take an insider's look into what one leader learned (good and bad) about taking big leaps, especially when others might not. ***ABOUT OUR GUEST:Dr. Sonja Batten is an experienced and transformational leader, with demonstrated success in the private sector consulting, government health care, and nonprofit industries. Sonja has provided her unique blend of candid, decisive, and sometimes vulnerable leadership in policy, administrative, clinical, research, and academic contexts, having served as an executive at a Fortune 500 company, a Chief Clinical Officer at a fast-growing nonprofit, and a Senior Executive in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She was also the first Deputy Director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as the first Associate Director for Women's Health Research at Yale University. In addition to being a licensed clinical psychologist, she is also a Certified Executive Coach, and Change Management Practitioner, and provides training to mental health practitioners around in the world on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Dr. Batten has expertise in authentic leadership style and voice and has authored two books and dozens of scientific articles. ***IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CAN I ASK A FAVOR?We do not receive any funding or sponsorship for this podcast. If you learned something and feel others could also benefit, please leave a positive review. Every review helps amplify our work and visibility. This is especially helpful for small women-owned boot-strapped businesses. Simply go to the bottom of the Apple Podcast page to enter a review. Thank you!***LINKS:www.gotowerscope.comhttps://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/www.flexibleedgesolutions.com www.sonjabatten.com#FederalCareer#FindingYourVoice#CareerPath#ItsAllInTheTiming#TheHardSkillsTune in for this empowering conversation at TalkRadio.nyc

Jim talks with a man who says he can’t afford accessibility renovations and had to make a tough call Plus – What is the worst tourist trap in Canada? GUEST: Jamie Tremblay – Canadian veteran Lorraine Sommerfeld - columnist at driving.ca

President Donald Trump submitted a nomination Tuesday for Ryan Cote to serve as assistant secretary of information and technology and CIO of the Department of Veterans Affairs. If confirmed by Senate vote, it would be Cote's second run as a CIO under Trump. He served in the IT chief role at the Department of Transportation during the first Trump administration. Cote started his career as a U.S. Marine but went on to hold jobs in technology at firms like HP, Northrop Grumman, Gartner and IBM, before he entered federal service in 2019 at Transportation. Since leaving government at the end of Trump's first term, Cote has served as a board adviser for a company called Nubeva and as a so-called “private” global CIO, according to his LinkedIn profile. The VA has been without a Senate-confirmed CIO since the Trump administration took office. Kurt DelBene held the role during the previous administration. Eddie Pool, the agency's deputy CIO for connectivity and collaboration services, has been serving as the acting CIO. The Department of Defense is standing up a joint interagency task force to tackle drone threats, according to a senior officer. “We recently did a session with the secretary of defense and we are going to stand up a joint interagency task force” focused on thwarting drones, Gen. James Mingus, vice chief of staff of the Army, said during an event Wednesday co-hosted by AUSA and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), as it is known in DOD parlance, is a key challenge for the military. Commercial technology has evolved in recent years such that drones on the civilian market are extremely cheap to buy and simple to operate. It has also become less challenging to 3D print parts and devices that can fly. This has made it significantly easier for nation-states and terrorist groups to procure these types of systems and strap bombs to them, allowing adversaries to level the playing field against higher-tech combatants such as the U.S. military. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

In this episode of Cancer Registry World, Kerry Rowe, Oncology Data Program Manager for the National Oncology Program at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, joins Dr. Rick Greene to share insights about the critical role cancer registries play within the VA system. They also explore the history and future direction of the Veterans Cancer Registry. Tune in to learn more about this vital work supporting veteran cancer care.

The Veterans Affairs Department is coming under heightened scrutiny after it emerged that artificial intelligence likely played a role in VA's decisions on which contracts to cut as part of the Trump administration's purported efficiency push.Edward Graham, who covers VA for our partner publication Nextgov/FCW, joins for this episode to break down what is known so far about VA's use of AI in that process and efforts to get more transparency into what unfolded.ProPublica broke the story first on June 6 and published a follow-up June 10.VA is far from alone in making DOGE-related contract cuts since President Trump took office in January, but this storyline at that agency is drawing ire from some lawmakers and contractors who lost work there.Ed takes our Ross Wilkers through the many moving pieces inside VA, so buckle up to gain many insights into this much-sought after customer for many companies in the market.Lawmakers demand review of VA's AI-driven contract cutsDemocrats raise alarm over AI-driven contract cuts at VAFunding for further EHR deployments ‘vitally important,' VA secretary saysDraft proposal looks to put EHR reform measures back on the table

Veterans vs. Trump: How Vote Vets is Fighting BackIn this episode of the Lean to the Left Podcast, special guest Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of the Vet Voice Foundation discusses howTrump administration policies are harming veterans and how her organization, Vote Vets, is fighting back.Joined by Arthur Hill of North Carolina and Robert Thompson of Georgia, the conversation explores recent harmful decisions affecting the Department of Veterans Affairs, such as canceling vital contracts and the ability of VA doctors to discriminate based on political and marital status. They also touch on the broader societal impacts these issues have and the influential power of veteran voices in driving change. Janessa shares insights into her organization's mission, advocacy efforts, and the importance of elevating veterans' voices in democracy. The episode also offers a glimpse into the Vote Vet's role in recent elections and its support for candidates who will fight for veterans rights and benefits, including the ongoing fight against policies that harm veterans and their families.CHAPTERS:00:00 Introduction and Special Guest Announcement00:35 Veterans Under the Trump Administration02:41 Meet Vanessa Goldbeck: Advocate for Veterans03:24 Vote Vets and Vet Voice Foundation04:25 Success Stories and Election Impact07:23 Challenges and Advocacy Efforts09:31 Veterans' Voting Rights and Legal Battles17:51 Diversity and Inclusion in the Military34:12 Public Lands and Environmental Advocacy39:15 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

It's Casual Friday and Sam is still hosting solo today as Emma continues to neglect the show for her “honeymoon”. Whatever. On the program today we listen to Sen Kirsten Gilibrand (D-NY) lose her mind and spew a stream of racist sewage out of her mouth towards Zohran Mamdani. Ryan Grim joins for a wrap up of the week's news. Subscribe to Ryan's newsletter here Drop Site News Dr Adam Gaffney joins us to discuss how proposed cuts to Medicaid will ultimately kill people. In the fun half we watch Sen Jon Ossoff (D-GA) expose VA Sec Collins for having no plan to execute the proposed $17-18 billion in cuts to medical services for the Veterans Affairs. Rep Liccardo (D-CA) exposes the Trump adminstration for dropping cases against those who have contributed to his slush fund. We also visit radical Mormon fundamentalist, Glen Beck as he uses tired 9/11 era Islamophobia to attack Zohran. All that and more, folks. Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today's sponsors: NUTRAFOL: Get $10 off your first month's subscription + free shipping at Nutrafol.com when you use promo code TMR10 SUNSET LAKE: Use the code LEFTISBEST to save 20% at SunsetLakeCBD.com  on all their farm fresh CBD products for people and pets. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/

Nearly two decades ago, the Department of Veterans Affairs came under scrutiny for a massive data breach. The incident involved a stolen laptop and the personal information of more than 26 million veterans. The breach served as a wake up call for the VA and for the rest of the federal government on the importance of information security. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday wrote about the VA data breach for our 25th anniversary series, and he joins me now to discuss it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this video, Leah B from Prestige Veteran Medical Consulting—an Army veteran and former compensation and pension examiner—explains everything veterans need to know about cataracts and VA disability benefits. She breaks down what cataracts are, how they may be caused or worsened by military service (such as through trauma, radiation, or steroid use), and the two paths to service connection: primary and secondary. Leah also details how the VA rates cataracts under diagnostic code 6027, the role of pre- and post-operative evaluations, and what documentation veterans should gather to support their claim—including medical records, lay statements, and physician opinions. She emphasizes the importance of CMP exams and encourages veterans to seek help from accredited professionals when filing or appealing claims. 

Washington Times Commentary Editor Kelly Sadler interviews Robert Wilkie, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs, about the U.S. Army's birthday.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins attempted to assuage lawmakers' concerns Tuesday over how the agency plans to deliver critical health tech services amid drastic cuts to its workforce. Appearing before the Senate Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Collins said the VA is full steam ahead on planned deployments of its oft-troubled electronic health record at additional facilities, and is also pushing forward on the rollout of its External Provider Scheduling tool. The VA said in February that it had dismissed 1,000 employees, while the Associated Press reported in March that it planned to cut 80,000 staffers. The Oracle EHR system, meanwhile — plagued by technical problems since its launch during the first Trump administration — is scheduled to be deployed at 13 medical facilities by 2026. A suite of Elastic products will be discounted for agencies by up to 60% under a new deal announced Tuesday by the General Services Administration. The agreement, part of the GSA's OneGov strategy to modernize how the government purchases goods and services, will give agencies access to discounts of Elastic's self-managed solution starting at 27.5%, climbing to higher savings based on governmentwide annual spending. Stephen Ehikian, GSA's acting administrator, said in a press release that the pact “represents a significant step in our efforts to drive cost efficiencies and modernize IT infrastructure across the federal government.” Additionally, discounts start at 15% for FedRAMP Moderate cloud deployments via GovCloud, jumping to 32% at the top volume tier. The pricing options are locked in for orders made prior to Sept. 30, 2027. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

 In this episode of Management Matters, host James-Christian Blockwood talks with Secretary Bob McDonald and Commissioner Martin O'Malley, two seasoned government executives from Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration, to discuss approaches to public service, leadership philosophies, and the transformative changes they implemented in their respective roles. They explore the challenges of modernizing government, the importance of leadership in change management, and the role of data-driven decision-making and technology in improving government services. The conversation also touches on the future of Social Security and veteran services, emphasizing the need for hope and effective leadership in navigating these challenges.Support the Podcast Today at:donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.comMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comFollow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT 

This week, we explore the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts to end Veteran homelessness, learn how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District is supporting wildfire response in Los Angeles, and get an update from the MN Patriot Guard. Guests include: Derek Holt – Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Col. Eric Swenson […] The post Ending Veteran Homelessness and MN Army Corps of Engineers Wildfire Recovery appeared first on Minnesota Military Radio.

Dr. John Sweetenham and Dr. Erika Hamilton highlight key abstracts that were presented at ASCO25, including advances in breast and pancreatic cancers as well as remarkable data from the use of structured exercise programs in cancer care. Transcript Dr. Sweetenham: Hello, and welcome to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. John Sweetenham. Today, we'll be discussing some of the key advances and novel approaches in cancer care that were presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting. I'm delighted to be joined again by the chair of the Meeting's Scientific Program, Dr. Erika Hamilton. She is a medical oncologist and director of breast cancer and gynecologic cancer research at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tennessee.  Our full disclosures are available in the transcript of this episode. Dr. Hamilton, congratulations on a fantastic meeting. From the practice-changing science to the world-renowned speakers at this year's Meeting, ASCO25 really reflected the amazing progress we're seeing in oncology today and the enormous opportunities that lie ahead of us. And thanks for coming back on to the podcast today to discuss some of these advances. Dr. Hamilton: Thanks, Dr. Sweetenham. I'm happy to join you today. It really was an impactful ASCO Annual Meeting. I probably am biased, but some great research was presented this year, and I heard lots of great conversations happening while we were there. Dr. Sweetenham: Yeah, absolutely. There was a lot of buzz, as well as a lot of media buzz around the meeting this year, and I think that's probably a good place to start. So I'd like to dive into abstract number LBA3510. This was the CHALLENGE trial, which created a lot of buzz at the meeting and subsequently in the media. This is the study that was led by the NCI Canada Clinical Trials Group, which was the first randomized phase 3 trial in patients with stage III and high-risk stage II colon cancer, which demonstrated that a post-treatment structured exercise program is both feasible and effective in improving disease-free survival in this patient group. The study was performed over a long period of time and in many respects is quite remarkable. So, I wonder if you could give us your thoughts about this study and whether you think that this means that our futures are going to be full of structured exercise programs for those patients who may benefit. Dr. Hamilton: It's a fantastic question. I think that this abstract did create a lot of buzz. We were very excited when we read it. It was highlighted in one of the Clinical Science Symposium sessions. But briefly, this was a phase 3 randomized trial. It was conducted at 55 centers, so really a broad experience, and patients that had resected colon cancer who completed adjuvant therapy were allowed to participate. There were essentially 2 groups: a structured exercise program, called ‘the exercise group,' or health education materials alone, so that was called just ‘the health education group.' And this was a 3-year intervention, so very high quality. The primary end point, as you mentioned, was disease-free survival. This actually accrued from 2009 to 2024, so quite a lift, and almost 900 patients underwent randomization to the exercise group or the health education group. And at almost 8 years of follow-up, we saw that the disease-free survival was significantly longer in the exercise group than the health education group. This was essentially 80.3% of patients were disease-free in exercise and 73.9% in the health education group. So a difference of over 6 percentage points, which, you know, at least in the breast cancer world, we make decisions about whether to do chemotherapy or not based on these kind of data. We also looked at overall survival in the exercise group and health education group, and the 8-year overall survival was 90.3% in the exercise group and 83.2% in the health education group. So this was a difference of 7.1%. Still statistically significant. I think this was really a fantastic effort over more than a decade at over 50 institutions with almost 900 patients, really done in a very systematic, high-intervention way that showed a fantastic result. Absolutely generalizable for patients with colon cancer. We have hints in other cancers that this is beneficial, and frankly, for our patients for other comorbidities, such as cardiovascular, etc., I really think that this is an abstract that deserved the press that it received. Dr. Sweetenham: Yeah, absolutely, and it is going to be very interesting, I think, over the next 2 or 3 years to see how much impact this particular study might have on programs across the country and across the world actually, in terms of what they do in this kind of adjuvant setting for structured exercise. Dr. Hamilton: Absolutely.  So let's move on to Abstract 3006. This was an NCI-led effort comparing genomic testing using ctDNA and tissue from patients with less common cancers who were enrolled in but not eligible for a treatment arm of the NCI-MATCH trial. Tell us about your takeaways from this study. Dr. Sweetenham: Yeah, so I thought this was a really interesting study based, as you said, on NCI-MATCH. And many of the listeners will probably remember that the original NCI-MATCH study screened almost 6,000 patients to assess eligibility for those who had an actionable mutation. And it turned out that about 60% of the patients who went on to the study had less common tumors, which were defined as anything other than colon, rectum, breast, non–small cell lung cancer, or prostate cancer. And most of those patients lacked an eligible mutation of interest and so didn't get onto a trial therapy. But with a great deal of foresight, the study group had actually collected plasma samples from these patients so that they would have the opportunity to look at circulating tumor DNA profiles with the potential being that this might be another way for testing for clinically relevant mutations in some of these less common cancer types. So initially, they tested more than 2,000 patients, and to make a somewhat complicated story short, there was a subset of five histologies with a larger representation in terms of sample size. And these were cholangiocarcinoma, small cell lung cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic, and salivary gland cancer. And in those particular tumors, when they compared the ctDNA sequencing with the original tumor, there was a concordance there of around 84%, 85%. And in the presentation, the investigators go on to list the specific mutated genes that were identified in each of those tumors. But I think that the other compelling part of this study from my perspective was not just that concordance, which suggests that there's an opportunity there for the use of ctDNA instead of tumor biopsies in some of these situations, but what was also interesting was the fact that there were several clinically relevant mutations which were detected only in the circulating tumor DNA. And a couple of examples of those included IDH1 for cholangiocarcinoma, BRAF and p53 in several histologies, and microsatellite instability was most prevalent in small cell lung cancer in the ctDNA. So I think that what this demonstrates is that liquid biopsy is certainly a viable screening option for patients who are being assessed for matching for targeted therapies in clinical trials. The fact that some of these mutations were only seen in the ctDNA and not in the primary tumor specimen certainly suggests that there's some tumor heterogeneity. But I think that for me, the most compelling part of this study was the fact that many of these mutations were only picked up in the plasma. And so, as the authors concluded, they believe that a comprehensive gene profiling with circulating tumor DNA probably should be included as a primary screening modality in future trials of targeted therapy of this type. Dr. Hamilton: Yeah, I think that that's really interesting and mirrors a lot of data that we've been seeing. At least in breast cancer, you know, we still do a biopsy up front to make sure that our markers, we're still treating the right disease that we think we are. But it really speaks to the utility of using ctDNA for serial monitoring and the emergence of mutations. Dr. Sweetenham: Absolutely. And you mentioned breast cancer, and so I'd like to dwell on that for a moment here because obviously, there was a huge amount of exciting breast cancer data presented at the meeting this year. And in particular, I'd like to ask you about LBA1008, the DESTINY-Breast09 clinical trial, which I think has the potential to establish a new first-line standard of care for metastatic HER2+ breast cancer. And that's an area where we haven't seen a whole lot of innovation for around a decade now. So can you give us some of the highlights of this trial and what your thinking is, having seen the results? Dr. Hamilton: Yeah, absolutely. So this was a trial in the first-line metastatic HER2 setting. So this was looking at trastuzumab deruxtecan. We certainly have had no shortage of reports around this drug, initially approved for later lines. DESTINY-Breast03 brought it into our second-line setting for HER2+ disease and we're now looking at DESTINY-Breast09 in first-line. So this actually was a 3-arm trial where patients were randomized 1:1:1 against standard taxane/trastuzumab/pertuzumab in one arm; trastuzumab deruxtecan with pertuzumab in another arm; and then a third arm, trastuzumab deruxtecan alone. And what we did not see reported was that trastuzumab deruxtecan-alone arm. But we did have reports from the trastuzumab deruxtecan plus pertuzumab versus the chemo/trastuzumab/pertuzumab. And what we saw was a statistically significant improvement in median progression-free survival, 26.9 months up to 40.7, so an improvement of 13.8 months, over a year in PFS. Not to mention that we're now in the 40-month range for PFS in first-line disease. Really, across all subgroups, we really weren't able to pick out a subset of patients that did not benefit. We did see about a 12% ILD rate with trastuzumab deruxtecan. That really is on par with what we've seen in other studies, around 10%-15%. I think that this is going to become a new standard of care in the first-line. I think it did leave some unanswered questions. We saw some data from the PATINA trial this past San Antonio Breast, looking at the addition of endocrine therapy with or without a CDK4/6 inhibitor, palbociclib, for those patients that also have ER+ disease, after taxane has dropped out in the first-line setting. So how we're going to kind of merge all this together is, I suspect that there are going to be patients that we or they just don't have the appetite to continue 3 to 4 years of trastuzumab deruxtecan. And so we're probably going to be looking at a maintenance-type strategy for them, maybe integrating the PATINA data there. But how we really put this into practice in the first-line setting and if or when we think about de-escalating down from trastuzumab deruxtecan to antibody therapy are some lingering questions. Dr. Sweetenham: Okay, so certainly is going to influence practice, but watch this space for a little bit longer, it sounds as though that's what you're saying. Dr. Hamilton: Absolutely.  So let's move on to GI cancer. Abstract 4006 reported preliminary results from the randomized phase 2 study of elraglusib in combination with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel versus the chemo gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel alone in patients with previously untreated metastatic pancreatic cancer. Can you tell us more about this study? Dr. Sweetenham: Yeah, absolutely. As you mentioned, elraglusib is actually a first-in-class inhibitor of GSK3-beta, which has multiple potential actions in pancreatic cancer. But the drug itself may be involved in mediating drug resistance as well as in some tumor immune response modulation. Some of that's not clearly understood, I believe, right now. But certainly, preclinical data suggests that the drug may be effective in preclinical models and may also be effective in combination with chemotherapy and potentially with immune-modulating agents as well. So this particular study, as you said, was an open-label, randomized phase 2 study in which patients with pancreatic cancer were randomized 2:1 in favor of the elraglusib plus GMP—gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel—versus the chemotherapy alone. And upon completion of the study, which is not right now, median overall survival was the primary end point, but there are a number of other end points which I'll talk about in just a moment. But the sample size was planned to be around 207 patients. The primary analysis included 155 patients in the combination arm versus 78 patients in the gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel arm. Overall, the 1-year overall survival rate was 44.1% for the patients in the elraglusib-containing arm versus 23.0% in the patients receiving gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel only. When they look at the median overall survival, it was 9.3 months for the experimental arm versus 7.2 months for chemotherapy alone. So put another way, there's around a 37% reduction in the risk of death with the use of this combination arm. The treatment was overall well-tolerated. There were some issues with grade 1 to 2 transient visual impairment in a large proportion of the patients. The most common treatment-related adverse effects with the elraglusib/GMP combination was transient visual impairment, which affected around 60% of the patients. Most of the more serious treatment-related adverse events included neutropenia, anemia, and fatigue in 50%, 25%, and 16% of the patients, respectively. So the early results from this study show a significant benefit for 1-year overall survival and for median overall survival with, as I mentioned above, a significant reduction in the risk of death. The authors went on to mention that the median overall survival for the control arm in this study is somewhat lower than in other comparable trials, but they think that this may be related to a more advanced disease burden in this particular study. Of interest to me was that right now: there is no apparent difference in progression-free survival between the 2 arms of this study. The authors described this as potentially indicating that this may be related in some way to immune modulation and immune effects on the tumor, which, if I'm completely honest, I don't totally understand. And so, the improvement in overall survival, as far as I can see at the moment, is not matched by an improvement in progression-free survival. So I think we probably need to wait for more time to elapse to see what happens with the study. And so, I think it certainly is an interesting study, and the results are intriguing, but I think it's probably a little early for it to actually shift the treatment paradigm in this disease. Dr. Hamilton: Fantastic. I think we've been waiting for advances in pancreatic cancer for a long time, but this, not unlike others, we learn more and then learn more we don't realize, so. Dr. Sweetenham: Right. Let's shift gears at this point and talk about a couple of other abstracts in kind of a very different space. Let's start out with symptom management for older adults with cancer. We know that undertreated symptoms are common among the older patient population, and Abstract 11002 reported on a randomized trial that demonstrated the effects of remote monitoring for older patients with cancer in terms of kind of symptoms and so on. Can you tell us a little bit about this study and whether you think this approach will potentially improve care for older patients? Dr. Hamilton: Yeah, I really liked this abstract. It was conducted through the Veterans Affairs, and it was based in California, which I'm telling you that because it's going to have a little bit of an implication later on. But essentially, adults that were 75 years or older who were Medicare Advantage beneficiaries were eligible to participate. Forty-three clinics in Southern California and Arizona, and patients were randomized either into a control group of usual clinic care alone, or an intervention group, which was usual care plus a lay health worker-led proactive telephone-based weekly symptom assessment, and this was for 12 months using the validated Edmonton Symptom Assessment System. So, there was a planned enrollment of at least 200 patients in each group. They successfully met that. And this lay health worker reviewed assessments with a physician assistant, who conducted follow-up for symptoms that changed by 2 points from a prior assessment or were rated 4 or greater. So almost a triage system to figure out who needed to be reached out to and to kind of work on symptoms. What I thought was fantastic about this was it was very representative of where it enrolled. There were actually about 50% of patients enrolled here that were Hispanic or Latinos. So some of our underserved populations and really across a wide variety of tumor types. They found that the intervention group had 53% lower odds of emergency room use, 68% lower odds of hospital use than the control group. And when they translated this to actual total cost of care, this was a savings of about $12,000 U.S. per participant and 75% lower odds of a death in an acute care facility. So I thought this was really interesting for a variety of reasons. One, certainly health care utilization and cost, but even more so, I think any of our patients would want to prevent hospitalizations and ER visits. Normally, that's not a fantastic experience having to feel poorly enough that you're in the emergency room or the hospital. And really showing in kind of concrete metrics that we were able to decrease this with this intervention. In terms of sustainability and scalability, I think the question is really the workforce to do this. Obviously, you know, this is going to take dedicated employees to have the ability to reach out to these patients, etc., but I think in value-based care, there's definitely a possibility of having reimbursement and having the funds to institute a program like this. So, definitely thought-provoking, and I hope it leads to more interventions. Dr. Sweetenham: Yeah, we've seen, over several years now, many of these studies which have looked at remote symptom monitoring and so on in this patient population, and many of them do show benefits for that in kinds of end points, not the least in this study being hospitalization and emergency room avoidance. But I think the scalability and personnel issue is a huge one, and I do wonder at some level whether we may see some AI-based platforms coming along that could actually help with this and provide interactions with these patients outside of actual real people, or at least in combination with real people. Dr. Hamilton: Yeah, that's a fantastic point.  So let's talk a little bit about clinical trials. So eligibility assessment for oncology clinical trials, or prescreening, really relies on manual review of unstructured clinical notes. It's time-consuming, it's prone to errors, and Abstract 1508 reported on the final analysis of a randomized trial that looked at the effect of human-AI teams prescreening for clinical trial eligibility versus human-only or AI-only prescreening. So give us more good news about AI. What did the study find? Dr. Sweetenham: Yeah, this is a really, a really interesting study. And of course, any of us who have ever been involved in clinical trials will know that accrual is always a problem. And I think most centers have attempted, and some quite successfully managed to develop prescreening programs so that patients are screened by a health care provider or health care worker prior to being seen in the clinic, and the clinical investigator will then already know whether they're going to be eligible for a trial or not. But as you've already said, it's a slow process. It's typically somewhat inefficient and requires a lot of time on the part of the health care workers to actually do this in a successful way. And so, this was a study from Emory University where they took three models of ways in which they could assess the accuracy of the prescreening of charts for patients who are going to be considered for clinical trials. One of these was essentially the regular way of having two research coordinators physically abstract the charts. The second one was an AI platform which would extract longitudinal EHR data. And then the third one was a combination of the two. So the AI would be augmented by the research coordinator or the other way around. As a gold standard, they had three independent oncology reviewers who went through all of these charts to provide what they regarded as being the benchmark for accuracy. In a way, it's not a surprise to me because I think that a number of other systems which have used this combination of human verification of AI-based tools, it actually ultimately concluded that the combination of the two in terms of chart accuracy was for the most part better than either one individually, either the research coordinator or the AI alone. So I'll give you just a few examples of where specifically that mattered. The human plus AI platform was more accurate in terms of tumor staging, in terms of identifying biomarker testing and biomarker results, as well as biomarker interpretation, and was also superior in terms of listing medications. There are one or two other areas where either the AI alone was somewhat more accurate, but the significant differences were very much in favor of a combination of human + AI screening of these patient charts. So, in full disclosure, this didn't save time, but what the authors reported was that there were definite efficiency gains, and presumably this would actually become even more improved once the research coordinators were somewhat more comfortable and at home with the AI tool. So, I thought it was an interesting way of trying to enhance clinical trial accrual up front by this combination of humans and technology, and I think it's going to be interesting to see if this gets adopted at other centers in the future. Dr. Hamilton: Yeah, I think it's really fascinating, all the different places that we can be using AI, and I love the takeaway that AI and humans together are better than either individually. Dr. Sweetenham: Absolutely.  Thanks once again, Dr. Hamilton, for sharing your insights with us today and for all of the incredible work you did to build a robust program. And also, congratulations on what was, I think, a really remarkable ASCO this year, one of the most exciting for some time, I think. So thank you again for that. Dr. Hamilton: Thanks so much. It was really a pleasure to work on ASCO 2025 this year. Dr. Sweetenham: And thank you to our listeners for joining us today. You'll find links to all the abstracts we discussed today in the transcript of this episode. Be sure to catch up on all of our coverage from the Annual Meeting. You can catch up on my daily reports that were published each day of the Annual Meeting, featuring the key science and innovations presented. And we'll have wrap-up episodes publishing in June, covering the full spectrum of malignancies from ASCO25. If you value the insights you hear on the ASCO Daily News Podcast, please remember to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.   More on today's speakers: Dr. John Sweetenham   Dr. Erika Hamilton @erikahamilton9   Follow ASCO on social media:  @ASCO on Twitter  ASCO on Bluesky  ASCO on Facebook   ASCO on LinkedIn     Disclosures:     Dr. John Sweetenham:     No relationships to disclose    Dr. Erika Hamilton: Consulting or Advisory Role (Inst): Pfizer, Genentech/Roche, Lilly, Daiichi Sankyo, Mersana, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Ellipses Pharma, Olema Pharmaceuticals, Stemline Therapeutics, Tubulis, Verascity Science, Theratechnologies, Accutar Biotechnology, Entos, Fosun Pharma, Gilead Sciences, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Medical Pharma Services, Hosun Pharma, Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Jefferies, Tempus Labs, Arvinas, Circle Pharma, Janssen, Johnson and Johnson   Research Funding (Inst): AstraZeneca, Hutchison MediPharma, OncoMed, MedImmune, Stem CentRx, Genentech/Roche, Curis, Verastem, Zymeworks, Syndax, Lycera, Rgenix, Novartis, Millenium, TapImmune, Inc., Lilly, Pfizer, Lilly, Pfizer, Tesaro, Boehringer Ingelheim, H3 Biomedicine, Radius Health, Acerta Pharma, Macrogenics, Abbvie, Immunomedics, Fujifilm, eFFECTOR Therapeutics, Merus, Nucana, Regeneron, Leap Therapeutics, Taiho Pharmaceuticals, EMD Serono, Daiichi Sankyo, ArQule, Syros Pharmaceuticals, Clovis Oncology, CytomX Therapeutics, InventisBio, Deciphera, Sermonix Pharmaceuticals, Zenith Epigentics, Arvinas, Harpoon, Black Diamond, Orinove, Molecular Templates, Seattle Genetics, Compugen, GI Therapeutics, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Dana-Farber Cancer Hospital, Shattuck Labs, PharmaMar, Olema Pharmaceuticals, Immunogen, Plexxikon, Amgen, Akesobio Australia, ADC Therapeutics, AtlasMedx, Aravive, Ellipses Pharma, Incyte, MabSpace Biosciences, ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Pionyr, Repetoire Immune Medicines, Treadwell Therapeutics, Accutar Biotech, Artios, Bliss Biopharmaceutical, Cascadian Therapeutics, Dantari, Duality Biologics, Elucida Oncology, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Relay Therapeutics, Tolmar, Torque, BeiGene, Context Therapeutics, K-Group Beta, Kind Pharmaceuticals, Loxo Oncology, Oncothyreon, Orum Therapeutics, Prelude Therapeutics, Profound Bio, Cullinan Oncology, Bristol-Myers Squib, Eisai, Fochon Pharmaceuticals, Gilead Sciences, Inspirna, Myriad Genetics, Silverback Therapeutics, Stemline Therapeutics

Leah breaks down everything veterans need to know about Parkinson's disease and VA disability, with a clear focus on ratings, connection, and benefits. She explains how Parkinson's disease can be service-connected through direct, presumptive, or secondary pathways—especially for those exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, or toxic chemicals during military service. Leah covers how the VA rates Parkinson's (starting at 30% but often much higher when all symptoms are considered), what documentation is required to build a strong connection to service, and the wide range of benefits available—from monthly compensation to caregiver support, adaptive housing grants, and priority healthcare. 

Our anonymous guest this week reached out after we had VA whistleblower "Johnny" on back for Episode 282 in March. She's a long time employee of Veterans Affairs, is a doctor, and has evidence of further corruption at the VA that she wanted to expose. She gets into what she sees as a greater effort to privatize more components of veterans healthcare with the Trump administration. We get into all of this, as well as what Kris has been up to being away from the show the past three weeks. Follow us:http://instagram.com/battlelinepodcasthttp://x.com/battlelinepod For 15% off select Fort Scott Munitions products use the promo code Battleline at http://fsm.com   For full video of this episode, head over to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@battlelinepodcast     

David Waldman continues to lounge in the Virgin Islands, perhaps a letdown for those of us who had favorited him in local Pedro Pascal look-alike contests, but not for you loyal listeners out there, as David made certain that there wasn't the slightest interruption in our KITM service. Of course, this show was pre-recorded last week, so listening to it you might not be aware that Donald K. Trump is an egomaniacal loser so bent on self-aggrandizement that he's ready and willing to destroy the world to get it. Or that his deplorable followers are so deluded and demented that they've become individual ISIS wannabees, hiding behind every bush. In Not-Weaponizing Government news, the Rurals have become less illegal, while the Urbans have become more illegal than ever before. Pro-Lifers might cut back on their assassinations if only their pro-life government killed more first. VA doctors are finally allowed to euthanize Democrats and unmarried. The Department of Veterans Affairs will be able locate and eliminate Libs much more efficiently due to the efforts of DOGE and its installation of AI into agency systems. Anyone with a Social Security number can now be doxed with a push of a button. That could ruin or even kill most people, but for some it could make them millions, maybe billions! DOGE can do just about anything, other than find federal waste and fraud, because that stuff is really rare.

After anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement rioters shut down two Veterans Affairs offices in Los Angeles, the VA secretary criticized the state's Democrat leaders for prioritizing illegal immigrants over veterans.   “Don't tell me that you're really overly concerned about veterans if you're allowing the riots to get to a point where we can't take care of our veterans,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins told The Daily Signal in an interview.   Because of the riots, more than 600 veteran appointments were canceled, and the Veterans Affairs Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center was closed the entire week. The Los Angeles VA Regional Benefit Office is also closed.   Amid the riots, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass have blamed President Donald Trump for the violence, saying his deployment of National Guard and Marines exacerbated tensions. “They should have looked at this much more in depth and not with a political stance of illegals who come into our country, who fly other flags and claim to be a part of something that frankly, there's a privilege to be here in this country as a citizen and to other things,” Collins said. Subscribe to The Tony Kinnett Cast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tony-kinnett-cast/id1714879044⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Keep Up With The Daily Signal Sign up for our email newsletters:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.dailysignal.com/email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠     Subscribe to our other shows:  Problematic Women:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.dailysignal.com/problematic-women⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Victor Davis Hanson: https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL9809784327   Follow The Daily Signal:  X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=DailySignal Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Truth Social:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1    Thanks for making The Daily Signal Podcast your trusted source for the day's top news. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode 58 of The CX Tipping Point Podcast, Kshemendra Paul shared his journey from Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur to senior federal executive, highlighting his leadership roles at the Department of Justice, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. His work focused on improving government performance through data, fraud prevention, and information sharing—most notably with the Recovery Act and the national suspicious activity reporting initiative.The conversation emphasized the role of data as a strategic asset, especially in fraud reduction, internal controls, and improving services for veterans. Kshemendra advocated for better enterprise-level data use, identity verification tools, and integrated platforms to support transparency, efficiency, and trust in government.He also discussed the success of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) project in NYC, which used predictive analytics to identify at-risk youth, and called for stronger federal data leadership, including the establishment of a Federal Chief Data Analytics Officer.Finally, Kshemendra shared his upcoming retirement plans, a renewed focus on advocacy, and personal reflections—including his passion for hiking, skiing, and family. Kshemenda is available on LinkedIn or via email at kshemendra.paul@gmail.comKshemendra Paul is a seasoned leader, recognized for his pioneering results and solutions using data,  architecture, and information sharing and safeguarding to improve government on behalf of the American people. As a widely lauded executive, Kshemendra routinely applied his unique perspective to addressing complex challenges, contributing to reducing risk, and enhancing operational efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity. His insights explore how organizations can leverage data for impactful decision-making, improved outcomes, and greater protection of stakeholders. His focus now is policy advocacy. He also serves on boards, and advises organizations and leaders.Recent Op-Ed:"Moving Federal Enterprise Risk Management Beyond Compliance Theater" – FedScoop, April 2025Thank you for listening to this episode of The CX Tipping Point Podcast! If you enjoyed it, please consider subscribing, rating, and leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners! Stay Connected: Follow us on social media: LinkedIn: @DorrisConsultingInternational Twitter: @DorrisConsultng Facebook: @DCInternational Resources Mentioned: Citizen Services Newsletter 2024 Service to the Citizen Awards Nomination Form

Over half of Americans now live with at least one chronic condition, yet our healthcare system still revolves around episodic, reactionary care instead of continuous, coordinated support.We talk with Dr. Jaewon Ryu—former CEO of Geisinger and now CEO of Risant Health—about how integrated delivery systems are reshaping the way care is paid for and delivered. With decades of experience spanning medicine, law, government, and leadership at some of the most respected healthcare institutions, Dr. Ryu offers a rare inside look at what it takes to scale value-based care in a fragmented system.We cover:

Nicolle Wallace on Kilmar Abrego Garcia being faced with criminal charges upon his return to the U.S., the stakes of Trump and Musk's ugly public breakup, and thousands of veterans rallying in DC today to protest the Trump Administration's proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Joined by: Lisa Rubin, Harry Litman, Tim Miller, Matt Dowd, Tyler Pager, Kyle Lewis, Rev. Al Sharpton, Paul Rieckhoff, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Lee Gelernt, and Mike Schmidt.

Today we catch up with Allison Gill, Navy veteran, former VA executive, and host of The Daily Beans, to talk about how the Trump administration and the GOP's latest “Billionaire Bailout Bill” are impacting America's military, veterans, and working families.Allison breaks down the real-world consequences of proposed Republican cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, including plans to fire tens of thousands of VA workers and privatize veterans' healthcare. She shares her personal experience as a veteran and VA insider, exposes the hypocrisy of “support the troops” rhetoric, and explains why so many in the military and veteran community still fall for the GOP's propaganda, even as their benefits are threatened. Jojo and Allison also tackle the influence of Fox News and disinformation on military bases, the media's failure to hold power accountable, and the dangerous rise of propaganda in American politics. Plus: a candid look at why knowledge is the antidote to anxiety, how community can break the gaslighting cycle, and what keeps both of them Sane(ish) in a world gone mad.Subscribe, rate, and share Sane(ish)—and follow Jojo from Jerz on YouTube for video episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday, June 4th, 2025Today, a federal judge rules that prisons must continue to provide gender affirming care to transgender inmates; FEMA staff was left confused after the director said he was unaware that there's a hurricane season; the Department of Veterans Affairs has ordered scientists NOT to publish in medical journals without permission from the administration; Jonathan Joss from  King of the Hill and Parks and Rec was murdered in his neighborhood in what his husband describes as a hate crime; Poland narrowly elects the Trumpian candidate in a global reversal of recent elections; Mayor Ras Baraka is suing Alina Habba and ICE for false arrest and vindictive prosecution; DOGE is actually making government less efficient and more expensive; Trump is weighing new names for Navy ships; Musk blasts the Billionaire Bailout Bill on social media; and Allison delivers your Good News.Thank You, Native PathGet up to 66% Off, free shipping, and a 365-Day Money Back Guarantee at nativekrill.com/dailybeansSat June 14 10am – 12pm PDT AG is hosting NO KINGS Waterfront Park, San Diego— If you can't make it to San Diego, head to fiftyfifty.one or indivisible.org or mobilize.us to find your local rally, or organize one yourself! Donation link - secure.actblue.com/donate/fuelthemovementMSW Media, Blue Wave California Victory Fund | ActBlueCheck out Dana's social media campaign highlighting LGBTQ+ heroes every day during Pride Month -  Dana Goldberg (@dgcomedy.bsky.social)Guest: Guest: Daniel Knowles - Midwest correspondent at The EconomistElon Musk's failure in governmentDaniel Knowles - Economist, @dlknowles - BlueSky, @dlknowles) - Twitter Stories:Nawrocki's win turns Poland toward nationalism and casts doubt on Tusk's centrist government | AP NewsJonathan Joss, 'King of the Hill' voice actor, killed in San Antonio shooting | NBC NewsMusk blasts Trump's agenda bill as a ‘disgusting abomination,' catching White House officials off guard | CNN PoliticsFEMA staff baffled after head said he was unaware of US hurricane season, sources say | ReutersExclusive: US veterans agency orders scientists not to publish in journals without clearance | Trump administration | The GuardianNavy set to rename USNS Harvey Milk, mulls new names for other ships named for civil rights leaders | CBS NewsNewark mayor sues New Jersey's top federal prosecutor after arrest at immigration detention site | AP NewsJudge orders Trump admin to maintain gender-affirming care for transgender inmates | POLITICOMissoula, MT Adopts Pride Flag As "Official Flag," Legally Defying Ban On Flying It | Erin In The MorningDOGE vowed to make government more ‘efficient' — but it's doing the opposite | The Washington PostGood Trouble: Trump Burger has locations in Bellville, TX(979-270-5062)Flatonia, TX (361-865-3893)Kemah, TX (281-532-6305)Houston, TX (346-718-2850)THEY HAVE REQUESTED THAT PEOPLE STOP CALLING AND ASKING IF THEY SERVE CHICKEN TACOS!Proton Mail: free email account with privacy and encryptionFind Upcoming Demonstrations And Actions:250th Anniversary of the U.S. Army Grand Military Parade and CelebrationSchedule F comments deadline extended to June 7th Federal Register :: Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service50501 MovementJune 14th Nationwide Demonstrations - NoKings.orgIndivisible.orgShare your Good News or Good Trouble:dailybeanspod.com/goodFrom The Good NewsIndivisibleNOENEMIES - FacebookFlobotsWho is Jeanette Vizguerra, immigrant rights activist fighting deportation in Denver? - CBS ColoradoJ-Rex - SpotifyCancer Care | Southeast PA | Tower HealthReminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Federal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen.Share your Good News or Good Trouble:https://www.dailybeanspod.com/good/ Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewrote , Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote,Dana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/Patreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts

In the next installment of the Big Ideas for Smaller Government series, host David From welcomes back Jeremiah Mosteller, Policy Director at Americans for Prosperity, to take a hard look at spending within the Department of Veterans Affairs—and what reforms are needed to better serve those who served us. Mosteller breaks down how the VA's budget has quadrupled since 2004 even though the veteran population has declined by 30%. From bloated staffing levels to $4 million contracts for services that now cost just $5,000, this episode exposes how wasteful spending is draining resources from veterans and taxpayers alike. The conversation also focuses on one reform with huge potential impact: site-neutral payments. Right now, hospitals owned by large systems can charge the federal government far more than local, independent clinics for providing the exact same services to veterans. This creates perverse incentives, drives up costs, and limits care options. Adopting site-neutral payments would save taxpayers an estimated $14 billion—and give veterans more access to timely, local care. Mosteller also exposes how top VA officials actively discourage use of the Community Care Program, forcing veterans to wait months or drive hours for treatment—while simultaneously helping process healthcare claims for unauthorized migrants. This episode makes one thing clear: reforming the VA isn't about spending less on veterans—it's about spending smarter so veterans get the care they've earned.

Tuesday, May 27th, 2025Today, documents reveal disarray at the Department of Veterans Affairs imperiling patient care; veterans balk at Trump's plans to end protections from Afghans deportations; a new Texas bill forces schools to display the ten commandments; Trump's image of dead 'white farmers' came from Reuters footage in Congo and not South Africa; leader Schumer has announced Democrats will unanimously vote against the Billionaire Bailout Bill; more on the Supreme Court decision in Trump v Wilcox; how to rain on Trump's June 14th military parade; and Allison delivers your Good News.Thank You, Fast Growing TreesGet 15% off your first purchase.  FastGrowingTrees.com/dailybeansAG is hosting - NO KINGS Waterfront Park, San Diego - Sat June 14 10am – 12pm PDTDonation link - secure.actblue.com/donate/fuelthemovementMSW Media, Blue Wave California Victory Fund | ActBlueStories:Veterans recoil at Trump plan to end Afghans' deportation protection | The Washington PostDisarray at Department of Veterans Affairs imperils patient care, internal documents reveal | US military | The GuardianTrump's image of dead 'white farmers' came from Reuters footage in Congo, not South Africa | ReutersTexas bill requiring Ten Commandments in public schools moves closer to governor's desk | NBC NewsLaw for lawlessness - by Leah Litman | Public NoticeGood Trouble: How to Rain on Trump's Military Parade - by Adam KlasfeldThere is a link to a shareable Host Toolkit to help everyone get involved. It will not take care of itself. If you can't find one local to you - create and host one yourself.Sure Would be a shame if nobody showed up to Donald's fascist birthday parade250th Anniversary of the U.S. Army Grand Military Parade and CelebrationFind Upcoming Demonstrations And Actions:Schedule F comments deadline extended to June 7th Federal Register :: Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service50501 MovementJune 14th Nationwide Demonstrations - NoKings.orgIndivisible.orgShare your Good News or Good Trouble:dailybeanspod.com/goodFrom The Good NewsPACK Gives38. How The West Was Stolen: The Oregon Land Fraud King with Allison GillMorgan St. Jean | YouTubeReminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Mega Happy Hour Zoom Call - you can interact with not just me and Harry Dunn, Andy McCabe, and Dana Goldberg. They'll all be there this Friday 5/23/2025 at 7 PM ET 4 PM PT. Plus, you'll get these episodes ad free and early, and get pre-sale tickets and VIP access to our live events. You can join at patreon.com/muellershewrote for as little as $3 a month. Federal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen.Share your Good News or Good Trouble:https://www.dailybeanspod.com/good/ Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewrote , Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote,Dana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/Patreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts