DEFENSE

It used to be a given that Florida would have a great defense, but that changed the last couple of seasons under former defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. New Gators defensive coordinator, Patric Toney, says the turnaround for Florida’s defense starts with the fundamentals.

It’s been said many times that Florida’s defense can’t be any worse in 2021 compared to the 2020 defense. On the surface, Florida’s defense in 2018 and 2019 were nice starts under defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Then, 2020 came and Florida’s defense held the team back from achieving a CFP push.

President Donald Trump says he plans to send federal agents to other cities as well. The Chicago Tribune, citing anonymous sources, reported Monday that Trump planned to deploy 150 federal agents to Chicago. The ACLU of Oregon has sued in federal court over the agents presence in Portland, and the organizations Chicago branch said it would similarly oppose a federal presence. One prominent Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who is from the libertarian-leaning flank of the party, came out publicly against the federal agents. "But the notion that a handful of federal crimes justifies a substantial deployment of federal law enforcement officers to show force on the streets is, to my mind, unprecedented.Federal law enforcement," Vladeck said, "is not a political prop.____Follow Gillian Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus

WASHINGTON The U.S., Canada and Mexico have agreed to keep their shared borders closed to non-essential traffic until at least late August because of COVID-19. Officials had said in recent days that another 30-day extension was likely before the expiration of the previous 30-day extension. The partial closure restricts crossing to commercial traffic, people returning to their home country and other travel deemed essential. The extension agreed to by the three countries would keep the border closed until Aug. 21. The border restrictions are intended to maintain the commercial cargo traffic that is vital to the economies of all three countries.

FILE - In this May 31, 2020, file photo, demonstrators kneel in a moment of silence outside the Long Beach Police Department in Long Beach during a protest over the death of George Floyd. Proposed federal legislation that would radically transform the nation's criminal justice system through such changes as eliminating agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration and the use of federal surveillance technology is set to be unveiled Tuesday, July 7, by the Movement for Black Lives. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)DETROIT – Proposed federal legislation that would radically transform the nation's criminal justice system through such changes as eliminating agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration and the use of surveillance technology was unveiled Tuesday by the Movement for Black Lives. Dubbed the BREATHE Act, the legislation is the culmination of a project led by the policy table of the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of more than 150 organizations. University of Michigan professor and criminal justice expert Heather Ann Thompson acknowledged the uphill battle, but noted that the legislation is being introduced at a highly opportune time. The polling found that the majority of Americans say the criminal justice system needs major changes, including many saying it needs a complete overhaul. “We are a generation that wants to make sure that the needs of all Black people are met,” Cullors said.

It did give critics of the deal another reason to say the Taliban shouldnt be trusted. So far the U.S. has reduced U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan from 12,000 to 8,600 a target reached ahead of schedule. Critics of the deal like Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., say the agreement is simply a cover for withdrawal.I have serious concerns with how this agreement has been pursued," Waltz said. I cant talk about the things that I have seen, Pompeo said on Fox News Channels Special Report. The U.N. report also reported six meetings between al-Qaida and Taliban senior leaders during the past 12 months while U.S.-Taliban talks were ongoing.

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court is leaving in place a decision that rejected environmental groups' challenge to sections of wall the Trump administration is building along the U.S. border with Mexico. The high court on Monday declined to hear an appeal involving construction of 145 miles (233 kilometers) of steel-bollard walls along the border in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. But a lower court dismissed the case. This is not the first time the Supreme Court has weighed in on border wall construction during the Trump administration. Last year, the high court gave the administration the go-ahead to tap billions of dollars in Pentagon funds to replace barriers along the border with Mexico in Arizona, California and New Mexico with more robust fencing.

WASHINGTON Military planes will conduct flyovers in a handful of major cities along the East Coast as part of this year's July Fourth celebration amid the coronavirus pandemic. From there, the military planes will join with other aircraft participating in the Salute to America" over Washington, D.C. Washington has held an Independence Day celebration for decades. President Donald Trump added to the mix of events last year with a speech and a display of tanks and warplanes. It said the president will deliver remarks, and the ceremony will include music, military demonstrations and flyovers. Trump plans to kick off Independence Day festivities with a showy display at Mount Rushmore the day before.

Thomson's nomination as CIA inspector general comes as Trump is attacking the inspector general and whistleblower system. Trump has fired or replaced inspectors general across the federal government in recent months, including the former watchdogs for the intelligence community and State Department. "If I was fired for doing my job in a lawful way, in an appropriate way, then I would be fired,'' Thomson said. The White House Counsel's office interviewed him before his nomination, but he did not speak personally with Trump, Thomson said. "I never perceived any kind of loyalty test at all with regard to the president,'' Thomson said.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, obtained the redacted report from the Justice Department after it was introduced as evidence in a court case this year involving stolen CIA hacking tools. The 2017 report was produced one year after the theft of sensitive tools for hacking into adversaries' networks that were developed by the CIA's specialized Center for Cyber Intelligence. The disclosure of the hacking tools featured prominently in the trial this year of Joshua Schulte, a former CIA software engineer accused of stealing a large trove of the agencys hacking tools and handing it to WikiLeaks. He was convicted in March of only minor charges after a jury deadlocked on more serious espionage counts against him, including the theft of the hacking tools. The CIAs cyber tools were gone in an instant.

In this June 1, 2020, photo, police stand in smoke as they clear the area Lafayette Park as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, near the White House in Washington. The Trump administrations use of smoke bombs and pepper balls to rout civil rights demonstrators from Lafayette Park near the White House has added a new chapter to the sites storied history as a soapbox for social and political unrest. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON The Trump administration's use of smoke bombs and pepper balls to rout civil rights demonstrators from Lafayette Park near the White House has emboldened protesters and added a new chapter to the site's storied history as soapbox for social and political unrest. Police action at those locations didnt deter demonstrators from returning and Levy said he doesnt think it will keep protesters away from Lafayette Park either. Law enforcement officials say dozens of officers were injured during protests in the park that Monday and the previous weekend.

Barrs comments in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday were his most detailed explanation yet of what unfolded outside the White House earlier this week. They come after the White House and others said repeatedly that the attorney general ordered officers to clear the park. Earlier in the week, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters it was Barr who made the decision to push back the security perimeter outside the White House on Monday morning. Barr said it was a Park Police tactical commander an official he never spoke to who gave the order for the law enforcement agencies to move in and clear the protesters. Members of the National Guard were present but didn't engage with the protesters, Barr said.

He later watched with dismay Trump's hard-line response to the police killing of George Floyd and the civil unrest that followed. Lund, who is white, now plans to vote a straight Democratic ticket and rejects any effort by Trump to put a silver lining on the nation's pain. "Even the most die-hard Trump supporters are exhausted.Trump is leading a nation grappling with unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression. She said she wasn't going to support Trump before Floyds death but is now considering recruiting new Democratic voters. But back in Wisconsin, a state Trump narrowly carried four years ago, the restaurant worker Lund isn't so sure.

Barrs comments in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday were his most detailed explanation yet of what unfolded outside the White House earlier this week. They come after the White House and others said repeatedly that the attorney general ordered officers to clear the park. Earlier in the week, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters it was Barr who made the decision to push back the security perimeter outside the White House on Monday morning. Barr said it was a Park Police tactical commander an official he never spoke to who gave the order for the law enforcement agencies to move in and clear the protesters. Members of the National Guard were present but didn't engage with the protesters, Barr said.

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he opposes use of the Insurrection Act, which would allow President Donald Trump to use active-duty military forces for law enforcement duties in containing street protests. But interest in exerting that extraordinary federal authority appeared to be waning in the White House. Trump added, (thank you President Trump! He was also angry about the news coverage revealing he had been rushed to the White House bunker during Fridays protests. They had been in Washington to coordinate with federal law enforcement officials but were diverted to the White House to brief Trump on military preparations, the officials said.

Still, he was stunned by a Friday night phone call saying President Donald Trump had fired him. He demoted Glenn Fine as acting Defense Department watchdog, stripping him of oversight of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief effort. Democrats have raised questions about whether a Transportation Department acting inspector general who was removed was replaced for political reasons, too. All presidents take umbrage at inspector general oversight, a post-Watergate concept meant to root out waste, fraud and corruption. Chuck McCullough, the intelligence community inspector general under Obama, said he maintained a sparsely decorated office, aware he could be fired any time.

But that doesn't mean the investigation, led by U.S. Attorney John Durham of Connecticut, doesn't carry its own political consequences. He was named last year by Barr to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation. Durham's investigation is one of multiple inquiries the department has undertaken in connection with the FBI's probe into potential coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. In the statement, released through the Justice Department, Durham said he disagreed with the inspector general about the investigation being properly predicated. Trump is likely to seize on any modicum of questionable activity during the FBIs counterintelligence probe, which morphed into special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation.

2 official in the Pentagon's office of inspector general, Glenn Fine, resigned Tuesday, several weeks after he was effectively removed as head of a special board to oversee auditing of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus economic relief package. In April, Trump also fired Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general who forwarded to Congress a whistleblower complaint that ultimately led to the presidents impeachment in the House. A spokeswoman for the Pentagon's Office of Inspector General, Dwrena Allen, said Fine was not asked to resign. 2 official in 2015 and had previously been inspector general at the Department of Justice from 2000 to 2011. Although O'Donnell is now the acting inspector general at the Pentagon, Trump has nominated Jason Abend to be the permanent IG.

WASHINGTON The Trump administrations new strategy for coronavirus testing puts much of the burden on states while promising to provide supplies such as swabs and material to transport specimens. The plan, which was delivered Sunday to members of Congress, drew harsh criticism Monday from Democrats. In a joint letter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. and Washington Sen. Patty Murray said the administration still does not have a serious plan for increasing testing to stop the spread of the virus.The report comes as the U.S. death toll from the pandemic is approaching 100,000. The HHS document, which The Washington Post first reported, recommends that all states have an objective of testing a minimum of 2 percent of their population in May and June.The Democratic lawmakers, who released the HHS report along with their joint letter, said it confirms that President Trumps national testing strategy is to deny the truth that there arent enough tests and supplies, reject responsibility and dump the burden onto the states.The Trump Administration still does not take any responsibility for ramping up our nations testing capacity, instead pushing the burden onto the states forcing states to compete with each other to procure vital supplies to administer tests from the private market, the lawmakers wrote. They also called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to act on the $3 trillion virus release package passed earlier this month by the House, saying it would deliver a clear strategy and $75 billion for the testing and contact tracing necessary to stop the spread of this vicious virus.

President Donald Trump calls them super-duper" missiles though theyre better known as hypersonic weapons. Critics argue that hypersonic weapons would add little to the United States ability to deter war. Trump occasionally mentions his interest in hypersonic weapons, sometimes without using the term. Russia last December said its first hypersonic missile unit had become operational. But critics see hypersonic weapons as overkill and potentially an extension of the arms race that led to an excessive nuclear buildup by the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

FILE - In this Dec. 8, 1983 file photo, Annie Glenn speaks during an interview in Newport, N.H. Glenn, the widow of astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn and a communication disorders advocate, died Tuesday, May 19, 2020, of COVID-19 complications at a nursing home near St. Paul, Minn., at age 100. During WW II, the Korean war and two flights into outer space, Annie patiently waited for her John to come home, Butland said. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Annie Glenn Award was created to honor people who overcome a communication disorder. The university bestows an Annie Glenn Leadership Award annually. The Glenns served on the board of the college, now Muskingum University, and Annie Glenn was named a distinguished alumni fellow in speech communications.

President Donald Trump stands as Chief of Space Operations at US Space Force Gen. John Raymond, second from left, and Chief Master Sgt. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON The U.S. Space Force the newest branch of the armed services now has its own flag. Defense Department officials presented President Donald Trump with the Space Force flag during a short Oval Office event on Friday. The Space Force, which was officially established in December, is the first new military service since the U.S. Air Force was established in 1947. The 16,000 airmen and civilians that make up the Space Force technically remain part of the Air Force, which previously oversaw offensive operations in space.