Levin said he was "satisfied" with the language and was confident the administration would appeal a ruling striking the provisions.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher was barred from entering Afghanistan after remarks on alleged corruption in Karzai's government.

U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker is planning to leave his post, which could come as early as this month, according to reports.

Reuters first reported Crocker’s departure Monday evening, which broke as the NATO summit on Afghanistan was concluding, and said it could happen as soon as this month.

An embassy spokesman in Afghanistan confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday that the ambassador was planning to step down.

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Rep. Dana Rohrabacher has been severely critical of the Afghanistan government and has accused President Karzai of corruption.

The Topline: With the House wrapping up work on its version of the Pentagon's budget bill for fiscal 2013, it's now the Senate's turn to take a crack at the multibillion-dollar defense spending package. The Senate Armed Services subcommittees will start hammering away at their drafts of the legislation on Tuesday. The full committee will begin its marathon markup session on Thursday, with a final bill expected by Friday. Here's a few of the hot button issues we'll be tracking ...

Shields up: One issue that could ruffle a few feathers on the Senate side is House lawmakers' decision to finance a new missile defense shield for the Eastern seaboard. Members of the House Armed Services Committee want an East Coast missile shield up and running by the end of 2015. To get there, House members plunked down $100 million for the system in its version of the fiscal '13 defense bill. Reps. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) and Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) claim the missile shield will make sure U.S. borders are protected against missile threats from Iran and elsewhere. But in the Democrat-controlled Senate, GOP members could have to shield the missile shield from the budget axe.
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A trio of Democratic senators is pressing for improved housing policies for the nation's armed forces and their families, especially during deployment.

On Tuesday, Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) with Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden will discuss new plans to help service members with their housing needs and minimize the financial stresses that can be caused by deployment.

Military families have been disproportionately affected by the housing crisis, mainly because they often have trouble selling or buying a home when they receive transfer orders. 

Protesters targeted Boeing’s Chicago headquarters on the final day of the NATO summit to take aim at the defense contractor and aerospace manufacturer.

About 200 protesters in Chicago gathered outside of Boeing Monday, throwing paper airplanes and staging a “die in,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The military commander for the Middle East theater and President Obama don't see eye to eye when it comes to Iranian policy, the Daily Beast reports, with the White House scrapping CentCom chief James Mattis's proposal to send a third carrier group to the Persian Gulf.

The request was meant to deter Iran from ramping up tensions at a time when it was threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for international sanctions spearheaded by the United States. Mattis has said the three top concerns in his 20-country zone of responsibility are “Iran, Iran and Iran,” but the Obama administration wants to free up resources to refocus on Asia and the Pacific.

American military drones are returning to Iraq's skies months after U.S. troops withdrew from the country.