House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) is out with a new video in his latest attempt to criticize Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) over the automatic cuts to defense due to sequestration.

In the video, set to a sad, melodic piano riff, McKeon says that House Republicans have offered plans to stop sequestration, “but the president maintains a veto threat over them and Harry Reid continues to block them in the Senate.”

The Topline: President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for nearly two hours ahead of the Group of 20 Summit in Mexico on Monday, and the White House was ready with a 1,600-word joint statement signaling all the two leaders agree on. In brief remarks both leaders gave after the meeting, Putting said the leaders had many “commonalities” on Syria, and Obama said they agreed there had to be a “cessation” of the violence.”

“We pledged to work with other international actors including the United Nations, Kofi Annan, and all the interested parties in trying to find a resolution to this problem,” Obama said.

In their public statements, however, the two leaders ignored many areas where they clash, not the least of which is the situation in Syria, from the dust-up over Russian-made attack helicopters in Syria last week to Russian marines headed to Syria to the U.N. Security Council vetoes.

Read more...

Two of the Air Force's premiere unmanned aerial drones are also the service's top two aircraft that are likely to crash and burn during a given operation. 

The leaders said they're united in the belief that the Syrian people should "independently and democratically choose their own future.”

Republicans expressed concerns after a series of racy emails involving Brett McGurk and a reporter were posted online.

Western intelligence agents in Syria are passing vital intelligence gathered by U.S. and British agencies to rebel forces in the country, according to a report in a British newspaper. 

House Democrats are urging President Obama to veto the upcoming defense budget bill being worked on by Congress, if the legislation restricts planned reductions to the U.S. nuclear stockpile. 

California Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) is calling for the Transportation Security Administration to improve its handling of injured members of the U.S. military.

Boxer, who is a co-chairwoman of the Senate's Military Families Caucus, said Monday in a letter to TSA Administrator John Pistole that the agency was not providing accurate information on its website for the "Military Severely Injured Joint Services Operations Center" program.

"I am pleased that the TSA partnered with the Department of Defense to establish the Military Severely Injured Joint Services Operations Center Program, which works to ensure that these men and women are treated with dignity and respect during the screening process and have a smooth and expeditious travel experience," Boxer said in her letter. "However, it has come to my attention that the TSA’s website does not include accurate, direct contact information for the ... program." 

McCain hopes Obama can “bring about some change” in Russia’s behavior as a result of his face-to-face meeting with Putin.