Jon Stewart presses for a breakthrough to get the first 9/11 troops full care

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first U.S. troops to deploy after the 9/11 attacks are suffering from radiation exposure that the government has yet to officially recognize 23 years later. And it’s a final group that comedian Jon Stewart can’t leave behind. Troops sent to a former Soviet base in Uzbekistan found clumps of yellow powder that a Defense Department site assessment showed was highly radioactive uranium. In the years since, thousands of these veterans have reported cancers, kidney problems and other medical conditions. But their care is not covered under a major veterans aid bill. Stewart is pressing the Biden administration for changes to get these veterans’ medical bills covered. Some of them met this week with a Defense Department official.