Crosstalk: July 31, 2017

Below is a sample of news stories from Jim's latest 'round-up' program:

--11 month old Charlie Gard, who was denied the chance for medical treatment in the U.S., has passed away.
--The news shows of the 3 broadcast networks gave more time to covering a baby whale than to the case of Charlie Gard.
--Senators McCain, Murkowski and Collins joined with all other Democrats to keep Obamacare, at least for now.
--A 'tweet' from President Trump advised that the U.S. government will not allow transgenders to enter the military.
--About 250 troops have officially come out as transgender since the Obama administration lifted the ban on transgender troops in 2016.
--The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is outraged by President Trump's decision to ban transgenders from serving in the military. They allege that there are 15,000 transgenders currently serving.
--Retired General Jack Keane said the Pentagon was surprised by the President's transgender decision.
--The cost of active duty transgender surgeries and those of new recruits over a ten year period could total 1.349 billion dollars.
--Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wants to overhaul military education and training to regain the art of war fighting.
--Former transgender, Walt Heyer, agrees with President Obama's military transgender decision.
--6 Republicans have publicly criticized the transgender decision by the president.
--California is on its way to passing a law that makes it illegal to call transgender senior citizens a pronoun they do not like.
--A Wisconsin company is set to become the first in America to allow employees to have a microchip implanted in their hand. While it won't be used to track employees, it will allow them to buy things in the break room, log into computers, open doors, etc.
--The House of Representatives passed a measure to fund President Trump's promised border wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.
--North Korea launched a ballistic missile today.
--U.S. General Mark Milley, Chief of Staff of the Army, said that North Korea's July 4th test of an ICBM showed its capabilities were advancing significantly and faster than many had expected.
--The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has hinted there may be only a few more months left to solve the North Korean dilemma via diplomacy.
--North Korea has threatened to launch a powerful nuclear 'hammer' at the heart of the U.S. if President Trump attempts a regime change in Pyongyang.
--Sailor error and not technology error is said to blame for a U.S. ballistic missile interceptor failure earlier this year.
--The news media in Hawaii is reporting that the state is formulating a preparedness plan for the unlikely event that North Korea launches an intercontinental ballistic missile.
--A pair of armed Chinese fighter jets flew dangerously close to a U.S. Navy Reconnaissance plane flying in the East China Sea on Sunday.
--China is preparing for a crisis along the North Korean border.
--China has built one of the world's largest hack-proof computer networks in a bid to protect state secrets from prying eyes.