2021 index of u. S. Military strength. This is the seventh edition of the index and the index has come one of the flagship publications. Our goal has been unchanged. It is to provide both the leaders of this country and the American Public a premiere open source and author tatetive of Armed Services and their ability to protect the nation. I think we have not only achieved that goal but continued with this effort. And this years edition is the best ever. In addition to our usual subjects, it includes National Security concerns and one of these is the emergent of the new space force. We have a new chapter on the subject of space this year and look more hearing from the editor of the new index in his presentation later. Today as part of our launch, we welcome a speaker with decades of matters, representative Mac Thornberry. He was the first elected to congress in 1994 and has supported a Strong National defense since. He is currently the Ranking Member of the house Armed Services committ
Collins this hearing will come to order. Good morning. Next week americans will honor our nations veterans who have paid the price for our freedom in times of conflict and served as our shield in times of peace. Today, nearly 20 million americans have earned the title of veteran. Im proud to say that maine is home to more than 114,000 veterans. The second highest percentage in our entire country. We owe them such a great debt. The gratitude we express in words on veterans day can repay this debt only in small measure. A truly grateful nation must match its words with actions. As we will learn today, one issue that calls for our immediate action is to fight a newer enemy facing our veterans and that is those relentless con artists who seek to rob them of their life savings and defraud them of the benefits they have earned in service to our country. Often, veterans fall victim to the same scams that this committee has highlighted in recent years such as the irs imposter scam, the grandpa
Good morning. Next week, americans will honor our nations veterans who have paid the price for our freedom in times of conflict and served as our shield in times of peace. Today, nearly 20 million americans have earned the title of veteran. Im proud to say that maine is home to more than 114,000 veterans. The second highest percentage in our entire country. We owe them such a great debt. The gratitude we express in words on veterans day can repay this debt only in small measure. A truly grateful nation must match its words with actions. As we will learn today, one issue that calls for our immediate action is to fight a newer enemy facing our veterans and that is those relentless con artists who seek to rob them of their life savings and defraud them of the benefits they have earned in service to our country. Often, veterans fall victim to the same scams that this committee has highlighted in recent years such as the irs imposter scam, the grandparent scam, the romance scam, the jamaica
Our reporter ben king has the details. When drinkers gather at londons King Charles Pub this evening, there will be a new tax regime in place. Changes announced in March Come Into Effect today taxing stronger drinks more and weaker drinks less. At the same time, Alcohol Duties rise with inflation up by io. I . The result a complex series of changes. 12 sparkling wine will be i9p cheaper as higher rates for fizz are abolished. A can of pre mixed gin and tonic will be 5p cheaper. But a bottle of 12 still wine will rise 44p. A bottle of vodka up 76p and a bottle of 20 port up £1. 30. So among drinkers, there will be some winners and losers. But the wine and spirits industry, which sees many of its products hit with higher taxes, says customers will see higher prices and less choice. We have the biggest duty increase in almost 50 years at the same time as we have inflation rife and a cost of living crisis. On top of that, we have Raw Materials like glass that are increasing in price expon
Lies of the land seeing Rural America for what it is and isnt is your book. The opening line in the book is the lies about Rural America is preposterous on its face. What you mean by that . Steven i mean that we use rural to describe vastly different parts of the country. There is no really good definition of it. Rural america turns out to be a remarkably diverse label to cover all kinds of different areas of the country. The greenbelt in the great plains, areas of northern maine, parts of appalachia which were once cold country, we are talking about vast parts of the American Southwest, they all get labeled rural but they are dramatically different in all kinds of ways. How do you define it for the purpose of your book . Steven i very studiously avoid trying to define it. [laughter] one of the things i found interesting when i jumped into the project was that lots of people have been trying to define the term for a long time and no one has come up with a real answer. I think at the en