A bill would help soldiers with brain injuries.

Rep. Grier Martin, a Raleigh Democrat who served in Afghanistan, said he filed the bill to help veterans who fall through the cracks of the military health care system.

Currently, the state's Medicaid system pays for traumatic brain injuries suffered up to the age of 21, which are considered developmental disabilities.

But Martin said that leaves out a lot of veterans.

"For the most part, if you're a soldier and you get (traumatic brain injury) in combat, you're aged out of that," he said.

Though many get care while on active duty through the Department of Defense and later through the Veterans administration, some can't make it to those hospitals.

The bill would direct state government to apply for a waiver from Medicaid to help people 22 and older with brain injuries.

As the federal government moves ahead with its prosecution of Blackwater employees involved in civilian deaths in Iraq, U.S. Rep. David Price says the courts — not the Department of Defense — will decide whether the guards can be prosecuted under the law.

Blackwater guards killed 17 civilians on Sept. 16, 2007, in Baghdad during a convoy detailed to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Barb Barrett reports.

The U.S. Department of Defense told Price in December 2007 that because Blackwater was working for the Department of State during the incident, the guards could not be subject to prosecution in the United States. The letter came from Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England.

The U.S. Department of Justice now disputes that. It filed a legal brief last week arguing that Defense and State were working together, and therefore the guards could be prosecuted.

A Memorandum of Understanding signed Dec. 5, 2007, — after the incident — says the State and Defense departments will "jointly develop, implement and follow core standards" of private security contractors such as Blackwater.

The memo says the standards would include a "clear legal basis for holding (U.S. Government) private security contractors accountable under U.S. law."

Price spokesman Paul Cox said this morning that, "regardless of the views expressed in the Deputy Secretary's letter, it's up to the courts alone to determine whether these security contractors fall under federal criminal jurisdiction."

An advisory group is worried about the future of the state's military bases.

In a nine-page report for Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue, a group of retired military officials, state legislators and others argued that Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg and other bases face some hurdles.

The report notes that all of the bases are now located within cities, causing a potential for friction with local government. On a related note, it cautions that the area around the bases could be developed in ways that are "incompatible" with military uses, limiting their future expansion. 

"Only if the (U.S. Department of Defense) continues to perceive its North Carolina facilities as desirable will North Carolina continue to reap the benefits of economic development opportunities," the report says.

Participants were also interested in promoting existing military contracts among existing state businesses, getting community colleges and state universities more involved in military training and research, and replacing National Guard equipment damaged overseas.

A third major area of concern was qualify of life for members of the military.

The group said veterans hospitals need to work harder to meet the needs of female veterans, health care benefits should be available throughout the state and state taxes on military pensions should be lifted. 

As previously noted, the report called for a Cabinet secretary on military affairs.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole has a new ad attacking her Democratic rival, Kay Hagan.

What the ad says: The ad begins with images of a small dog barking and jumping at a fence. Narrator: "They call her 'Fibber Kay Hagan.' Fib after fib, she tries to turn us against Elizabeth Dole. But we know Elizabeth has been consistently voted one of the 10 most admired women in the world. Her clout works wonders for North Carolina. So bark away Fibber Kay. That dog don't hunt." Dole: "I'm Elizabeth Dole and I approve this message." Text on the screen says Dole "saved jobs," "saved bases," "saved farmers" and "helped sheriffs."

The background: The ad does not specify who "they" are who call Hagan "Fibber Kay."

The Dole campaign said they did not come up with the nickname, but they did not know who did.

"We're not sure who coined it, but we hear people call Kay Hagan 'Fibber Kay' on the campaign trail and we hear it frequently," said spokesman Hogan Gidley.

A search of North Carolina newspapers, blogs and Web sites did not return any references to "Fibber Kay" from before the ad began airing, and nearly all written since were about the ad itself.

The ad does not name any of the supposed "fibs" that Hagan has made.

MOST ADMIRED: Every year since 1948, the Gallup organization has surveyed a random group of Americans on the men and women in the world they most admire.

As secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation under President Reagan, Dole first made the top 10 in 1987, returning three years later as secretary of the Labor department.

Though she received votes in other years, she returned to the top 10 as the wife of presidential candidate Bob Dole and president of the American Red Cross. Between 1996 and 2003, she was ranked between third and tenth place.

She also landed in ninth place in 2005, but she has not been on the list in the last two years.

She was in the top 10 a total of 11 times — the same number as the poet Maya Angelou and news anchor Barbara Walters.

JOBS AND BASES: The U.S. Department of Defense announced a round of base closings and other changes in 2005 as part of a regular program begun at the end of the Cold War. The multi-year process is designed to be insulated from political pressure.

Some North Carolina leaders had feared the loss of thousands of jobs — something that never materialized. A number of politicians, including Dole and Democratic Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, have claimed credit for North Carolina's relative success, but there is no way to quantify how much each helped.

FARMERS: In 2004, Congress and President Bush approved a buyout of the Depression-era system of price supports — or quotas — for tobacco leaf. Cigarette companies financed the buyout, passing on the costs to consumers.

The buyout is designed to put $9.6 billion into the pockets of quota owners and growers over 10 years. Some farmers have used the money to reinvest in the crop, while others chose to change crops or retire.

Dole supported the buyout during her 2002 campaign and was a vocal advocate in Congress, along with other senators from tobacco-growing states.

SHERIFFS: Since 1996, the federal government has offered a test program for sheriff's deputies to investigate illegal immigration.

Though immigration enforcement is typically handled by the federal government, the goal of the 287(g) program is to start deportation proceedings on illegal immigrants who are arrested for non-immigration related crimes.

In North Carolina, a handful of sheriffs' offices, including Mecklenburg and Wake counties, have signed up for the program, which Dole has promoted.

The federal government pays for the cost of training deputies in immigration enforcement and grants sheriffs' offices access to immigration records.

Is the ad accurate? There is no way to verify the "Fibber Kay" nickname or who coined it and no evidence it has been used. Dole has been consistently ranked among the most admired women in the world. Though the ad's claims are vague, Dole did help farmers and sheriffs in Congress, but there is no way to quantify her role in saving the state's military bases.

— Ryan Teague Beckwith and David Ingram

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's campaign has a new ad responding to an earlier ad responding to an earlier ad from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. 

What the ad says: The ad begins with a clip from an anti-Dole ad: "'I'm telling you Liddy Dole is 93.' '93?'" It moves to a profile image of Dole and then images of people involved with the military, farming and law enforcement. Narrator: "Does Kay Hagan think we believe that? Elizabeth Dole's got firepower. She just received the Best of Congress award. She saved our military bases and thousands of jobs -- saved our farmers -- and gave sheriffs tools to fight illegal immigration." Person on a park bench: "She's dedicated her life to helping us." Dole: "I'm Elizabeth Dole, and I approved this message."

The background: The opening clip is from an ad paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, an independent group legally prohibited from coordinating with Kay Hagan's campaign. It is not a Hagan ad, though Hagan has made the same criticism.

DOLE AT 93: The "93" criticism refers to an annual study conducted since 2005 by the Congressional data service Knowlegis. The study ranks members of Congress on their power.

After scoring in the middle of the pack the first two years, Dole's rating plummeted to 93rd when Republicans became the minority in the Senate in 2007.

Her rating was also low due to fewer mentions in the news media and service on less powerful committees on banking and armed services.

Dole's campaign says those committees are important to North Carolina, home to a number of banks and military bases.

BEST OF CONGRESS: Working Mother magazine named Dole one of the "Best of Congress" in August. The award is not a general look at effectiveness. It measures lawmakers' support for issues important to working mothers, including medical leave, and their support for "family-friendly" policies in their own offices.

Fifty lawmakers applied for the award. The magazine gave it to 24 of them.

MILITARY BASES: The U.S. Department of Defense announced a round of base closings and other changes in 2005 as part of a regular program begun at the end of the Cold War. The multi-year process is designed to be insulated from political pressure.

Some North Carolina leaders had feared the loss of thousands of jobs — something that never materialized. A number of politicians, including Dole and Democratic Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, have claimed credit for North Carolina's relative success, but there is no way to quantify how much each helped.

FARMERS: In 2004, Congress and President Bush approved a buyout of the Depression-era system of price supports — or quotas — for tobacco leaf. Cigarette companies financed the buyout, passing on the costs to consumers.

The buyout is designed to put $9.6 billion into the pockets of quota owners and growers over 10 years. Some farmers have used the money to reinvest in the crop, while others chose to change crops or retire.

Dole supported the buyout during her 2002 campaign and was a vocal advocate in Congress, along with other senators from tobacco-growing states.

SHERIFFS: Since 1996, the federal government has offered a test program for sheriff's deputies to investigate illegal immigration.

Though immigration enforcement is typically handled by the federal government, the goal of the 287(g) program is to start deportation proceedings on illegal immigrants who are arrested for non-immigration related crimes.

In North Carolina, a handful of sheriffs' offices, including Mecklenburg and Wake counties, have signed up for the program, which Dole has promoted.

The federal government pays for the cost of training deputies in immigration enforcement and grants sheriffs' offices access to immigration records.

Is the ad accurate? The ad implies incorrectly that Hagan's campaign sponsored the ad attacking Dole. It also omits any detail on the "Best of Congress" award, and there is no way to quantify her role in helping the state's military bases. Otherwise, it is accurate.

— David Ingram and Ryan Teague Beckwith

U.S. Rep. David Price this afternoon said he welcomes input on his oversight bill on private security contractors, but he called the White House's concerns about the legislation "unfounded."

The Bush administration’s opposition, Price said, "should infuriate anyone who believes in the rule of law."

"The fact is the administration has an embarrassing track record for investigating and prosecuting misconduct by contractors working in our name," Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, said in a statement.

He said that, contrary to White House concerns, the bill's intent is well-defined, putting all private security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan under the same law that now applies to contractors working for the U.S. Department of Defense, Barb Barrett reports.

Many contractors, including the Blackwater employees involved in a Sept. 16 shooting in Baghdad, work for the U.S. Department of State or other agencies. There is some question about whether they are subject to U.S. federal law; Price's bill would clarify that they are.

His bill is expected to begin debate on the House floor late this afternoon; a full vote may be postponed until Thursday.

After the jump, the full text of his statement.

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