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MIKE ROGERS

Stay or go? Fence, Guard pose Capitol security questions

National Guard open a gate in the razor wire topped perimeter fence around the Capitol allow another member in at sunrise in Washington, Monday, March 8, 2021. The U.S. Capitol Police has asked for the fencing and the National Guard to remain, for now. As of Friday there were about 4,300 Guard troops in the city. "Our National Guard troops, who serve with great honor and distinction, are not law enforcement officers, and we will not abide the continued militarization of Capitol complex security,” wrote Sens. Coupled with the hiring of 350 additional officers, the report also recommends establishing a permanent “quick response force” within the Capitol Police but also at the National Guard in D.C. for emergencies.

More than 1,000 Guard troops now leaving DC; others stay on

According to the National Guard, troops from some states will stay in Washington for the entire two months. Military leaders were also concerned because governors initially expressed reluctance to have their troops stay in the city. Troops from the District of Columbia Guard will continue in the security mission. As of Friday there were about 4,300 Guard troops in the city. The National Guard Association of the United States also questioned the extension, noting that it was difficult for Guard leaders to find enough volunteers for the mission.

Stay or go? Fence, Guard pose Capitol security questions

National Guard open a gate in the razor wire topped perimeter fence around the Capitol allow another member in at sunrise in Washington, Monday, March 8, 2021. The U.S. Capitol Police has asked for the fencing and the National Guard to remain, for now. As of Friday there were about 4,300 Guard troops in the city. "Our National Guard troops, who serve with great honor and distinction, are not law enforcement officers, and we will not abide the continued militarization of Capitol complex security,” wrote Sens. Coupled with the hiring of 350 additional officers, the report also recommends establishing a permanent “quick response force” within the Capitol Police but also at the National Guard in D.C. for emergencies.

The Latest: Coronavirus vaccine provided to US Supreme Court

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)WASHINGTON — The justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are being provided with doses of the coronavirus vaccine. Health officials have raised alarm about a looming shortage in hospital beds and intensive care units. The tally for Thursday eclipsed the previous 24-hour high of 21 deaths reported Nov. 24. ___RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s Supreme Court says coronavirus vaccination can be made mandatory, delivering a blow to the nation’s nascent anti-vaccine movement. Intensive care units in some regions were at or near full capacity, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Biden moves forward without help from Trump's intel team

As he contests this year's election results, Trump has not authorized President-elect Joe Biden to lay eyes on the brief. National security and intelligence experts hope Trump changes his mind, citing the need for an incoming president to be fully prepared to confront any national security issues on Day One. That's the type of information that might be in the PDB, a daily summary of high-level, classified information and analysis on national security issues that's been offered to presidents since 1946. It is coordinated and delivered by the Office of the National Intelligence Director with input from the CIA and other agencies. Biden is missing out on all counts: More than a week into his transition, Biden doesn't have access to the PDB, the agencies or government resources to help him get ready to take charge.

Republican senators push for Biden to receive intelligence

The Senate Republicans advocated for Biden to receive the classified national security information even as they refused to acknowledge that the Democrat has won the presidential election, citing Trump's baseless claims of fraudulent votes. “At this point at least, I think he should absolutely be getting intelligence briefings," Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said of Biden. While only a handful of Republicans have called Biden the president-elect, most were comfortable Thursday challenging the Trump administration on withholding intelligence information, which could constitute a national security risk when Biden assumes office. Intelligence agencies have given generalized intelligence briefings — minus information on covert operations and sources and methods — for presidential nominees since 1952. Biden, a former vice president, has decades of experience in foreign affairs and national security.

Biden vows to 'get right to work' despite Trump resistance

– Vowing “to get right to work,” President-elect Joe Biden shrugged off President Donald Trump's fierce refusal to accept the election outcome as “inconsequential,” even as Democrats elsewhere warned that the Republican president's actions were dangerous. But just 71 days before he will be inaugurated, Trump and his allies seemed determined to make Biden's transition as difficult as possible. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, among six world leaders overall, congratulated Biden on his election. Meanwhile, Biden tried to stay focused on health care in the midst of the worst health crisis in more than a century. The closed-door meeting marked the first time a Biden transition official has addressed the Democrats' Senate caucus since last week's election.

Half a million jobless claims filed in Florida last week

The U.S. Department of Labor reported that more than 505,100 Floridians filed initial claims for unemployment benefits last week, pushing the state’s number of claims well past 1 million since businesses around the state started closing last month under lockdown orders from municipalities and then Gov. As of Tuesday, 1.7 million claims had been submitted but only 679,000 had been verified. Roughly 26 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the five weeks since the coronavirus outbreak began forcing millions of employers to close their doors. According to the Department of Labor, Georgia processed another 244,000 unemployment claims last week. In the five weeks since the crisis began, 1.1 million Georgians have filed for unemployment — more than one-fifth of the state’s workforce.

NSA data collection: House intelligence leaders announce major reforms

NSA data collection: House intelligence leaders announce major reforms Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Dutch Ruppersberger. – respectively the chairman and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee – announced their End Bulk Collection Act, which offers reforms to National Security Agency programs they say will satisfy advocates against personal privacy infringement while also meeting requirements to thwart terrorist activity.

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