The IRS is unable to produce some of the emails of former agency official Lois Lerner due to a computer crash, according to a statement from the House Ways and Means Committee.

Today, Ways and Means...

FBI Director James Comey confirmed Wednesday that the agency’s Phoenix office has opened a criminal investigation into the VA.

From CNN:

The FBI says it has opened a criminal investigation of the Veterans Affairs Department, which is grappling with a scandal over long waiting lists to provide care and allegations that paperwork was...

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, along with Defense Department General Counsel Stephen Preston, appeared Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee for a hearing to address The May 31, 2014 Transfer of Five Senior Taliban Detainees.

The agreement to release those five detainees when the U.S. arranged to recover Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl from captivity...

House lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday aimed at addressing some of the now high profile problems at Veterans Affairs facilities.

From the Associated Press:

United and eager to respond to a national uproar, the House overwhelmingly approved legislation Tuesday...

An audit released by the Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday indicated that more than 57,000 veterans have been waiting three months or longer for their first appointment with a VA facility.

From the Associated Press:

More than 57,000 U.S. military veterans have been waiting 90 days or more for their first VA...

A roundup of weekend links to catch up on stories you may have missed.

• A few updates on the Bergdahl story, on various topics and from various points of view…
  • From the NY Times, As Bowe Bergdahl Heals, Details Emerge of His Captivity
  • From the Washington Free Beacon, Rogers: Gitmo Release Has ‘Empowered the...

The Office of Special Counsel, a federal agency that “[protects] federal employees from reprisal and other prohibited personnel practices” and provides “a safe and secure channel for federal employees to disclose government misconduct,” said it is investigating allegations of retaliation against dozens of whistleblowers in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

From CBS...

Lawmakers in the Senate reached a deal Thursday on the framework of a bill intended to address some of the recently uncovered issues related to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

From the Associated Press:

Senior senators reached agreement Thursday on the framework for a bipartisan bill expanding veterans’ ability to get health care...

The U.S. military indicates it will conduct a new review into the circumstances of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s disappearance and captivity.

From USA Today:

The U.S. Army said Tuesday it will launch a new review into the circumstances surrounding Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl leaving his post and subsequent capture by the Taliban now that he has...

This is something you probably don’t see every day.

A Florida judge and a public defender allegedly got into a scuffle Monday, as a courtroom full of people witnessed the exchange of words that preceded the bizarre incident.

From WFTV:

Court deputies had to break up a physical fight between a Brevard County judge...

Since the news broke over the weekend regarding the recovery of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five detainees held at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, there have been mixed reactions from the public.  Many are obviously very critical of the decision to exchange what are now known to be some...

Saturday marked the one year anniversary of the Gezi Park protests that subsequently persisted for months in Turkey last year.  As many tried to gather to commemorate that anniversary, authorities responded on Saturday by blocking access to some locations and cracking down on some of the protesters.

From Reuters:

Turkish police fired teargas...

A U.S. soldier held for nearly five years has been released by the Taliban in exchange for five detainees held at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility.

From the New York Times:

The lone American prisoner of war from the Afghan conflict, captured by insurgents nearly five years ago, has been released to American...

Some links for your Friday evening reading and viewing.

• Politico reviews an early release of the chapter from Hillary Clinton’s book “Hard Choices”… Exclusive: Hillary Clinton’s Benghazi chapter
• Also related, from Politico… Darrell Issa forfeits John Kerry appearance on Benghazi
• While the problems at the VA have persisted for years, Ed Morrissey at HotAir...

The National Security Agency on Thursday released an April 2013 email exchange between former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and the NSA Office of General Counsel, saying it was the only correspondence it had from Snowden and that the email “did not raise allegations or concerns about wrongdoing or abuse.”

From Reuters:

An email...

Lawmakers in Minnesota have repealed a number of obsolete and unnecessary laws as part of an “unsession” initiative.  In addition, they also implemented several reforms aimed at cutting bureaucratic red tape, simplifying filing of tax returns and speeding the business permitting process, among other reforms.

From the Pioneer Press, Minnesota ‘unsession’ dumps...

The Washington Free Beacon is out today with another of its supercut videos, MSNBC: All Apologies, All The Time.

The video features various MSNBC hosts making apologies for statements they’d made or tweets they’d posted.  Some of those ex...