John McHugh News

The Army is investigating a soldier who helped train cadets at West Point amid allegations that he made secret videos of female cadets, the latest in a rash of cases that have brought heavy political pressure on the Pentagon to crack down on sexually oriented offenses in the ranks.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel addresses a news conference in this file photo. Hagel's staff is drafting a directive to deal with sexual misconduct issues in the military in the wake of an investigation involving an Army sergeant.

The Army announced Tuesday that a sergeant first class assigned to an assault prevention program at Fort Hood, Texas, is under investigation for sexual assault.

The Pentagon released an alarming report this week showing sexual assault in the military is on the rise, raising the question: are the country's armed services capable of policing their own ranks? Currently, senior officers have the power to decide whether court-martial charges can be brought against subordinates.

Two recent stories are colliding as the Army tells Congress that sequestration may force cuts to sexual assault prevention and response : In a written statement submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 23, Army Secretary John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Gen.

Hurdling criticism: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is expected to approve the nomination of Thomas Perez to head up the Labor Department in an afternoon vote on Wednesday.

Rep. Buck McKeon says he's not planning to retire at the end of his term, but that hasn't stopped Republican colleagues from eyeing his committee chairmanship and Democrats from targeting his seat.

The Pentagon is preparing to ask Congress soon for more authority to shift funds to cope with automatic spending cuts, confronting lawmakers with another exception to the "sequester" just days after they gave a break to the flying public and the airline industry.

Hedge-fund billionaire, Obama mega-bundler and high-stakes poker player Marc Lasry dropped his bid last week for that fine ambassadorship in Paris.

Duncan Hunter is a Republican California congressman. He's a congressman because his daddy was a congressman.