The POW Mess: Former POW Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could be prosecuted for desertion, according to statements by Gen. Martin Dempsey, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty,” Dempsey said. But he went on, “Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred.” Some of Bergdahl’s former Army comrades are coming forward saying Bergdahl dropped his gear and walked away from his post five years ago.

   And President Obama is being accused of breaking the law for not informing Congress of his plan to trade away what’s been called the Taliban “Dream Team” for Bergdahl’s release. Obama said today, “Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he’s held in captivity. Period. Full stop. We don’t condition that.”

Deefense: President Obama in Poland today announced plans for a $1 billion fund to increase US military rotations to Europe. As Russia flexes its muscles in Ukraine, the president pledged continued US support for NATO as a cornerstone of American security.

While we’re on the subject, increased fighting was reported around Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine today. The government claims it eliminated rebel checkpoints and roadblocks. The rebels say they shot down a jet fighter and a helicopter.

The Minimum: The Seattle city council last night unanimously passed an ordinance setting the minimum wage in the city at $15 an hour. It will phase in over several years. Councilmember Tom Rasmussen said Seattle wants to narrow the “widening gap between the rich and the poor.”

No Joke: Bassem Youssef, the television satirist known as the Egyptian Jon Stewart has been booted off the air. Despite the popularity of his show, Youssef’s network cancelled the show that skewers the government a week after the army chief was elected president in a dubious vote. Youssef said, “The present climate in Egypt is not suitable for a political satire program. I’m tired of struggling and worrying about my safety and that of my family.”

Down in the Mines: Coal state Democrats immediately stood up to defend the industry after the Obama administration announced new regulations to curb greenhouse gases from coal-fired power plants. The nation’s 600 coal burning plants are the country’s largest source of carbon pollution. Alison Lundergan Grimes, the Democrat challenging Senator Mitch McConnell, said she would “fiercely oppose the president’s attack on Kentucky’s coal industry.”

Nation: NY Times reporter James Risen now faces the possibility of going to jail for refusing to identify a source after the Supreme Court turned down his appeal. The court gave no reason. Risen was subpoenaed to reveal his source for some of the information in his 2006 book “State of War.” Prosecutors are trying to prove the source was Jeffrey Sterling, a former CIA official. They believe Sterling gave Risen information about a CIA operation to sabotage Iranian nuclear research by having a Russian scientist sell the Iranians bogus blueprints. Where the matter goes from here is uncertain. The Justice Department could decide to drop their case against Risen, or press on.

Universe: Scientists have identified a new class of hard-surface planets they are calling “Mega-Earth.” They’ve spotted one that is 17 times the size of Earth and 11 billion years old. It defies the previous wisdom that once a planet is 10 times the size of Earth it would become gaseous, more like Jupiter or Saturn. The planet named Kepler-10c is about 560 light-years away and its surface gravity is three times that of Earth, making for flat-footed inhabitants if there are any.

The Obit Page: Robert Sallee, the last survivor of the infamous 1949 Mann Gulch fire in Montana that killed 12 smoke jumpers and a local man, has died at age 82. Sallee and another firefighter managed to scramble over the top of a ridge to escape the fire that overtook the other men. The leader, R. Wagner Dodge, survived by setting an “escape” fire, burning out the ground just uphill, and letting the larger fire pass around him.

The story became the subject of the book “Young Men and Fire” written by Montana native Norman Maclean, the author of “A River Runs Through It.” The incident forced the US Forest Service to learn more about the behavior of fire and how to protect wildland firefighters.

Yawn: Apple unveiled its new mobile operating system IOS 8.

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