VA in 2026 looks to get EHR rollout back on track, embark on health care reorganization

The Department of Veterans Affairs is embarking on major changes next year. It’s looking to get the rocky rollout of a new Electronic Health Record back on track. VA medical facilities already using the system have been beset with problems for years. Meanwhile, the VA is planning to roll out the biggest reorganization of its health care operations in decades. Here’s a look ahead at VA’s plans for 2026. VA EHR next steps VA is planning for its new EHR from Oracle-Cerner to go live at 13 sites in 2026…

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The Capitol building looks like it always has, but it has a new architect

More than any other building, the U.S. Capitol stands as the symbol of the republic. The building itself is just one of many in an historical collection encompassing 18 million square feet of building space over 570 acres. Overseeing it all, the architect of the Capitol. The current architect has held the job for just about a year. Thomas Austin joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Interview transcript: Tom Temin: I don’t know where you begin to talk about what the Architect of the Capitol does these days, but let’s…

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We’re About to Find Out What Mass Deportation Really Looks Like

This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here. The Trump administration is working hard to convince the public that its mass-deportation campaign is fully under way. Over the past several weeks, federal agents have seized foreign students off the streets, raided worksites, and shipped detainees to a supermax prison in El Salvador using wartime powers adopted under the John Adams administration. The tactics have spread fear and created a showreel of social-media-ready highlights for the White House. But they have not…

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What Going ‘Wild on Health’ Looks Like

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the bear-fondling, gravel-voiced Camelot scion, is President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, where presumably he will “go wild on health,” to quote Trump. His nomination has raised concerns among public-health experts because many of Kennedy’s views on health are, well, wild. To be sure, among Kennedy’s battier ideas are a few reasonable ones, such as reducing obesity and cracking down on direct-to-consumer drug commercials and conflicts of interest among researchers. But these are eclipsed by some troubling ones, such…

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Congress looks to require military drone corps, which Army leaders oppose

The House Armed Services Committee’s draft defense policy bill would require the Army to establish a separate drone branch, but Army leaders continue to push against the idea. A provision in the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the defense bill would require the Army to establish a drone corps as a basic branch of the service. Gen. James Rainey, who leads the Army Futures Command, said it is too early for setting up a separate drone branch. One of the main priorities for the service right now is to…

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Biden urged to step up attacks; U.S. looks to ‘degrade capabilities’ after militias injure 3 troops

The Biden administration faced renewed pressure Tuesday to hit back harder against Iran-backed militias in the Middle East after a Christmas Day drone attack in Iraq left three American troops injured, with one of them in critical condition. The Washington Times stories: White House

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