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In a letter to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus last week, five Democratic senators urged him "to increase smoke-free areas on bases" and give sailors more access to programs to stop smoking. "We urge you to do everything in your capacity to address this issue for our military men and women, including moving forward with the proposal to stop the sale of tobacco aboard all naval bases and ships," said the letter from Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Sherrod Brown D-Ohio.

On Wednesday, Panetta laid out a grim list of spending cuts the Pentagon will have to make in the coming weeks that he said will seriously damage the country's economy and degrade the military's ability to respond to a crisis. Criticizing members of Congress as irresponsible, Panetta said lawmakers are willing to push the country off a fiscal cliff to damage their political opponents. If Congress doesn't pass a budget, Panetta said, the Pentagon will have to absorb $46 billion in spending reductions in this fiscal year and will face a $35 billion shortfall in operating expenses. "My fear is...

"When asked by a federal judge whether he thought all Muslims are terrorists, he answered: "I'd say most of them are." A deal between prosecutors and Linn, 52, calls for him to be sentenced to 20 years next April. He pleaded guilty to intentionally damaging and destroying religious property and two gun-related charges.

If this sticky molten material came in contact with skin it would contribute to increased burn injury due to conductive energy transfer,” the report concluded. “The use of the NYCO material in an environment where there is potential for a flame or thermal threat is not recommended.” Sailors on ships are regularly exposed to the threat of fire, especially those working with or near planes or engines. The Navy removed its requirement that all uniforms be flame-resistant in 1996.

SEATTLE - The U.S. Army said Wednesday it will seek the death penalty against the soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a predawn rampage in March. The attack drew such angry protests that the U.S. temporarily halted combat operations in Afghanistan.

The threat of a longshoremen's strike this year once again looms over ports from Maine to Texas, after contract talks that had already been extended 90 days broke down once again today.

Grassroots Republican operatives and Movement conservatives are quickly turning against the GOP Establishment in the wake of the party's expensive defeat this election cycle. Republicans we spoke to this week voiced a near-universal disgust with the national Republican Party leaders and Washington political class, who are seen as having put personal financial interest above winning the election. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/karl-rove-gop-money-civil-war-republicans-2012-11#ixzz2ECkUPpGG

The plan to discourage retirees and families from relying on TRICARE has some support in the Senate. CBO says restricting Prime access to retirees under 65 and their family members would save as much as $10 billion a year. The servicemembers and retirees should be aware that the deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff” is likely to impact their families as much as the sequestration itself.

In the letter, Priebus says more than 130 members have committed to voting for his re-election, which suggests he has the chairmanship locked up for another term. Under party rules, 85 votes are needed to claim victory. “I am humbled by the over 130 RNC Members who I have talked to who have pledged their support and public endorsement for me to continue on as Chairman so we can finish the job that we started and continue to grow our Party,” Priebus writes Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/16/reince-priebus-to-run-again-for-rnc-chairman/#ixzz2CRRBKCUU

(CNN) - Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill's 84-year-old mother, Betty Anne Ward McCaskill, died on Monday, the senator from Missouri said in a statement on Monday. "For some time, mom's health has not been good, and our family takes comfort that she is now at rest," McCaskill wrote. "People all over the state have asked about her, and their prayers and concern have been greatly appreciated."

While Senator Claire McCaskill has engaged in political subterfuge by pushing a “war on women” against her opponent Representative Todd Akin, her husband’s Illinois business is being sued for sexual harassment. A female marketing employee of Sugar Creek, one of the largest and most valuable of Joe Shephard’s properties, filed suit against the company in 2009. Shepherd is the husband of Senator McCaskill who has before come under fire for having been accused of being “slumlord.”

The domestic violence in Shepard’s past is both shocking and repulsive in detail. On February 15, 1998, police were called to then-Mrs. Shepard’s house (the couple had been separated since June of the previous year) by a girlfriend. According to the police report (.pdf file), Mrs. Shepard said of her husband: Read on. Joseph entered my home. I told him to leave. He came up to me looking angry. I put my hands up to protect my breasts as they are sore (cancer). He has hit me before in the breast. He grabbed my wrist and arm and pushed me...

The second, and final, Missouri Senate debate between Republican Todd Akin and Democrat Claire McCaskill will be at 7 p.m. Thursday and broadcast live in Kansas City. The one-hour forum will be at Clayton High School near St. Louis and sponsored by the Clayton Chamber of Commerce, among other groups Read more here: http://midwestdemocracy.com/articles/akin-mccaskill-tee-it-thursday-night/#storylink=cpy

Verona, PA -- U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) and former U.S. Senator and Chairman of Patriot Voices Rick Santorum issued the following joint statement regarding their support of Todd Akin for the U.S. Senate in Missouri:

Akin told a crowd of supporters, ” In August I was given a trust , a trust to replace a senator that had not represented Missouri or our best interests.” He added, ” I have one purpose going into November and that’s replacing Claire McCaskill.” As the deadline to withdraw from the November general election ballot passed, Missouri’s Republican party issued a statement saying it will support Akin along with all the other Republican nominees on the ballot.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) says he will consider throwing his weighty financial support behind Rep. Todd Akin (R), the Missouri Senate candidate who has been shunned by party leaders in Washington.

“I regret to say that Congressman Akin has been subjected to disgraceful treatment at the hands of the GOP political bosses,” Dobson said. “They have withheld funds for his campaign, even though he won the GOP primary for the Senate seat. Karl Rove and Haley Barbour have said things about his character that are untrue. Their vicious opposition could get his Democratic opponent elected in his stead. That is curious since an Akin win could give the Senate majority to the Republicans.” Read more: http://conservativebyte.com/2012/09/dobson-blasts-vicious-gop-opposition-to-akin/#ixzz26kso7vot

A suspicious vehicle is being investigated in downtown Kansas City after police said a man walked into a government building and said he was a terrorist. Kansas City police sent a robot to investigate the man's car Friday after a bomb-sniffing dog detected some sort of explosive in the vehicle. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/14/bomb-threat-reported-at-government-building-in-kansas-city/#ixzz26TVpmlWs

A poll commissioned by Citizens United's political arm shows Todd Akin leading Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri. The poll by the CU political victory fund and conducted by Wenzel Strategies, shows Akin ahead by almost 5 points. Mitt Romney leads President Obama by 20 points.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Farm Bureau provided a boost for Senate candidate Todd Akin on Tuesday by reaffirming its endorsement of the Republican congressman despite his remarks about women's bodies being able to avert pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape." The Farm Bureau's support is important for Akin because its membership spans every county in the state. Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Missouri-Farm-Bureau-reaffirms-support-of-Akin-3856794.php#ixzz26DNEqNnU