Most of the coverage of the President's plan to improve healthcare for veterans, announced yesterday, revolved around the establishment of a new electronic medical records system that will allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to more easily access military health records. But some veterans groups will be more pleased with a less publicized aspect of the plan: an increase in funding for vets suffering from mental health problems or traumatic brain injury. In his remarks, the President said:

Because the nightmares of war don't always end when our loved ones return home, this budget also meets the mental health needs of our wounded warriors.  Untold thousands of servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or other serious psychological injury.  The growing incidence of suicide among active military returning veterans is disturbing.  Sometimes the deadliest wounds are the ones you cannot see, and we cannot afford to let the unseen wounds go untreated.  And that's why this budget dramatically increases funding for mental health screening and treatment at all levels.  It increases the number of vet centers and mobile health clinics, expanding access to this needed care in rural areas.  And it helps reduce the stigma of seeking care by adding mental health professionals to educate veterans and their families about their injuries and their options.

And because thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have suffered from Traumatic Brain Injury, one of the signature injuries of these wars, this budget improves services for cognitive injuries.  And many with TBI have never been evaluated by a physician.  And because such injuries can often have long-term impacts that only show up down the road, this funding will help ensure they receive the ongoing care they need.

The administration will also attempt to tackle veteran homelessness by funding a pilot program to help prevent veterans from losing their homes.

1. Is it a little tone deaf for the President to be ordering pizza from interstate during a recession?

2. While Obama did well by Jewish communities with last night's Seder, how do America's Catholics feel about the President eating pizza on Good Friday, a day when devout Catholics usually fast or refrain from eating meat?

Okay. We're done. No more pizza talk this week. 

When Katie wrote earlier this week that the White House asked some Midwest pizza makers to come bake deep-dish pies for the first family, we thought it was a fun enterprising story about life on Pennsylvania Avenue. Pizza in the White House? Oh those Obamas. They're just like the rest of us!

But it turns out that everything -- and apparently everything -- that POTUS does is a political statement, least of which being his pizza choice. Here's why: White House staff extended the come-bake-for-us invitation to two pizza makers from St. Louis even though the Obamas are from Chicago, which also happens to be the origin and epicenter of deep-dish pizza. At first Chicago pizza-bosses didn't believe it. Then, when confirmed, they got insulted.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the snub has ruffled feathers in Obama's home town. "I like his economic policy—I think he's going to get us out of trouble. I like his foreign policy—he's making friends around the world. His pizza policy is going to have to change," Marc Malnati, who owns 30 pizzerias around Chicago, told the Tribune. Other hometown pie brokers were simply bemused at why Obama would want pizza that is "not as good as ours." The White House's original reasoning was that Obama remembered the St. Louis pizza that he had on the campaign trail as the best he had ever tasted. But when asked for a response to the hurt feelings in the Windy City, the White House declined to comment.

Let's just hope Obama, who grew up in Hawaii, doesn't develop an itchin' for those delicious New England pineapples.

Andy Barr over at Politico is reporting that President Obama will not be receiving an honorary degree when he gives the commencement address at Arizona State University on May 13. A spokesperson for ASU told Barr that: "It’s normally awarded to someone who has been in their field for some time...Considering that the president is at the beginning of his presidency, his body of work is just beginning." But Obama will be receiving an honorary degree from Notre Dame when he delivers their commencement address on May 17.

If the six member panel that decides who gets honorary degrees isn't excited about Obama, ASU students are making up for it. Each graduate receives up to six tickets for the ceremony, and some enterprising students are trying to make a quick buck out of Obama's appearance. CNN reports that students are scalping their tickets for between $60 and $100 on craigslist. I guess they're just doing their part for the economy.

Our favorites this morning from around the web:

Why not go to three?
When Utah instituted a four-day work week for state employees last summer, legislators thought the biggest savings would be on energy no longer needed to power buildings all week. What they're getting instead is a surprising increase in worker satisfaction and productivity. (NPR)

Lost footing on social issues
A rise in debate over social issues -- gay marriage, immigration, gun control -- has put social conservatives on the defense. But this time, without sympathetic allies in the White House or congress, conservative group leaders are left to form obscure Internet campaigns and cause procedural interruptions. (Politico)

She didn't win, but you could
Hillary Clinton can't raise money anymore to pay off the last of her campaign debt. Fortunately for her, Dem pal James Carville has taken the lead and added some incentives. Donate $5 to Hillary and you could spend a day with him in Washington. Or see the American Idol finale live. (Washington Times)

44's real historical parallel
It seems like Barack Obama has been compared to almost every major president in history. But analysts are missing what historians call the most apt parallel: Obama's striking similarity to Lyndon Johnson. (CNN)

Hitting the bottom
Breaking news and choosing his words strategically, White House economic adviser Larry Summers said Thursday that the economic free fall will end soon. Before anyone got too hopeful, he cautioned that even so, job losses would continue. (NPR)

Bobbing in a new kind of battle
Responding to the pirate threat in the Indian Ocean, a U.S. Navy destroyer arrived on the scene this week to meet a bobbing lifeboat of the offenders. But despite having the strongest navy in the world, the U.S. government is quickly finding it has surprisingly few options for such an unconventional enemy. (NY Times)