Pentagon: Extremists pose threat to military
Domestic extremist groups pose a serious threat to the military by seeking to recruit service members into their ranks and, in some cases, joining the military to acquire combat experience, according to a Pentagon report released Tuesday.
The report, prepared last year at the request of Congress, did not assess whether the problem of extremism in the military is growing, but it cited examples of service members with extremist affiliations. It said the number of current and former military members who ascribe to white supremacist ideology is unknown.
“Military members are highly prized by these groups as they bring legitimacy to their causes and enhance their ability to carry out attacks,” the report said. “In addition to potential violence, white supremacy and white nationalism pose a threat to the good order and discipline within the military.”
The military has long been aware of small numbers of white supremacists and other extremists in its ranks, but the problem burst into public awareness after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, where an outsized number of military veterans and some current members were present.
Raimondo confirmed commerce secretary
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Gina Raimondo, governor of Rhode Island and a former venture capitalist, as the next secretary of commerce. Her nomination was approved, 85-15.
A moderate Democrat with a background in the financial industry, Ms. Raimondo is expected to leverage her private and public sector experience to oversee a sprawling bureaucracy that promotes and regulates U.S. business.
Under Ms. Raimondo, the Commerce Department is likely to play a crucial role in several of President Joe Biden’s policy efforts, including spurring the U.S. economy, building out rural broadband and other infrastructure, and leading America’s technology competition with China. The department also carries out the census and oversees U.S. fisheries, weather monitoring and economic data gathering.
Myanmar police fire tear gas at protests
Police in Myanmar repeatedly used tear gas and rubber bullets Tuesday against crowds protesting last month’s coup, but the demonstrators regrouped after each volley and tried to defend themselves with barricades as standoffs intensified.
Authorities have escalated their crackdown on the protests in recent days. The United Nations said it believed at least 18 people were killed on Sunday when security forces fired into crowds, while a rights group said more than 1,000 people were detained over the weekend.
Despite the crackdown, demonstrators have continued to flood the streets — and are beginning to more rigorously resist attempts to disperse them. Hundreds, many wearing construction helmets and carrying makeshift shields, gathered in Myanmar’s largest city of Yangon, where a day earlier police had fired repeated rounds of tear gas. They dragged bamboo poles and debris to form barricades, chanted slogans and sang songs at the police lines.