A.M. Links: Hagel Calls for Military Health Care Review, De Blasio Wants to Legalize Ferrets, Oldest-Ever House Member Ousted

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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is calling for a widespread review of the military health care system in the wake of recent troubling revelations about U.S. veterans' medical care.
Edward Snowden told Nightly News anchor Brian Williams that he "never intended" to wind up in Russia, but the U.S. State Department "trapped" him there. Secretary of State John Kerry called it "a pretty dumb answer, frankly."
A high school in Long Island is the latest to ban backpacks, forcing students to carry books and belongings in clear plastic bags.
The De Blasio administration is considering legalizing ferrets in New York City. They were banned there by Rudy Giuliani in 1998.
Wisconsin abortion providers testified in federal court Tuesday that requiring clinic doctors to have hospital admitting privileges creates unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles; state attorneys present witnesses today.
Ninety-one year-old Republican Rep. Ralph Hall—the oldest-ever member of the U.S. House (he once had a brush with Bonnie and Clyde)—lost a primary runoff against a little-known challenger in Texas.

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