Thank You for Your Service: As the Veterans Administration scandal becomes a political talking point,the inspector general for the VA says 1,700 veterans were sidelined by the VA facility in Phoenix, never given an appointment or even put on a waiting list. Their waiting times were not included in official performance reports. “To date our work has substantiated serious conditions at the Phoenix facility,” the report says. Inspectors also found that 1,400 patients who actually were on a wait list never got appointments. After an accusation that 40 VA patients in Phoenix died waiting for care, 26 facilities around the country are being investigated.

Nation: The gap-toothed City of Detroit needs to tear down about 40,000 dilapidated and abandoned buildings at a cost of $850 million, according a report commissioned by the Obama administration. The report also recommends that thousands more buildings should be fixed or torn down. That’s just the little ones. The report also says enormous abandoned factories that look like a nuclear wasteland should be torn down or refurbished at the cost of another $1 billion.

Ukraine: Twelve Ukraine soldiers were killed, including a general, when rebels shot down a military helicopter yesterday during heavy fighting around the city of Sloviansk. The helicopter was shuttling troops to a hill where the army had established a fighting position. Sloviansk has been the object of low-level civil war in recent weeks. The Associated Press reports that rebels have been bolstered by Russian veterans and battle-experienced Chechens.

Foreign: Facing criticism that his foreign policy is weak, President Obama’s speech to West Point graduates yesterday laid out a path of military restraint while building international coalitions to handle difficult customers like Russia and Syria. Obama said, “Since World War II, some of our most costly mistakes came not from our restraint, but from our willingness to rush into military adventures without thinking through the consequences — without building international support and legitimacy for our action; without leveling with the American people about the sacrifices required.  Tough talk often draws headlines, but war rarely conforms to slogans.”

The president said the West Pointers would have to be ready for action, but, “we have to work with others because collective action in these circumstances is more likely to succeed, more likely to be sustained, less likely to lead to costly mistakes.”

iBucks for Beats: Apple computer has agreed to buy Beats electronics, the maker of hip-looking earphones, for $3 billion. For that, they also get rapper Dr. Dre, one of the founders of Beats. What Apple really wants is not the headgear though, but Beats’ streaming music service. The forerunner in music digital downloads, Apple is behind in the streaming game.

The Patriot: NSA leaker Edward Snowden described himself as a patriot last night in an interview with NBC’s Brian Williams. “How can it be said that I did not serve my government when all three branches have made reforms as a result of it?” he asked. “Being a patriot doesn’t mean prioritizing service to government above all.”

He went on to say, “It means knowing when to protect your country, when to protect your Constitution, when to protect your countrymen from the violations and encroachments of adversaries.” The adversaries “do not have to be foreign countries,” he said. “They can be bad policies.”

Flight 370: Australians in charge of the search say the missing Malaysian airlines jet is not in the area where detectors heard pings believed to be from the jet’s black box. After a thorough search of the ocean floor, “the area can now be discounted as the final resting place of MH370” a statement from the search coordination center said yesterday.

The Pitts: A spectator leaped over a barrier at a Hollywood movie opening last night and hit actor Brad Pitt in the face. Pitt was there for the opening of “Maleficent” starring his life partner Angelina Jolie. The assailant was tackled by a cop and Pitt wasn’t hurt.

You Haul: Google announced plans to build a self-driving car that’s so autonomous it doesn’t have a steering wheel. It also doesn’t have an accelerator or brake pedal. The car “sees” and navigates with the help of cameras, lasers, and radar. You’ll be able to drink and not drive home.

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