Today at Commission, environment review and the Donald

Karmenu Vella addresses a press conference on the environment implementation review | Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images

MIDDAY BRIEF, IN BRIEF

Today at Commission, environment review and the Donald

Commission does not rule out a US-EU summit in May.

By

2/6/17, 2:59 PM CET

Updated 2/6/17, 3:03 PM CET

After a day off for the EU summit in Malta on Friday, it was business as usual in the Commission.

Karmenu Vella, the European commissioner for environment and fisheries, presented the Commission’s environmental implementation review, which contained none of the usual rankings or naming and shaming found in these types of EU reports. The takeaways: POLITICO’s environment reporter Marion Solletty reports that all EU countries need to do more to tackle air pollution and biodiversity.

Over the weekend, the Commission’s first vice-president, Frans Timmermans, talked with Teodor Meleșcanu, the Romanian foreign minister, after Bucharest decided to withdraw a controversial decree decriminalizing some corruption offenses. Timmermans said the Commission was ready to provide any “legal expertise” to help with anti-corruption reforms in Romania.

Trump news …

The Commission confirmed the EU’s diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini will travel to the U.S. this week, as will Dimitris Avramopoulos, the migration and home affairs commissioner. He will meet John F. Kelly, Donald Trump’s new secretary for Homeland Security, to talk migration.

Talks are “ongoing” over a potential visit by the U.S. vice-president, Mike Pence, to the EU institutions in the coming weeks and the Commission did not rule out a U.S-EU summit in May after a NATO summit that Trump will attend.

The Commission declined to comment on the decision by a U.S. federal judge lifting the Muslim travel ban over the weekend.

On our way to Rome …

The Commission provided little insight into its preparation for the Rome summit on March 25 and its white paper ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

Reacting to suggestions by Angela Merkel that there could be a “two-speed” Europe in future, the Commission said: “Speed is important, but equally important is the direction of travel.” That means the Commission thinks a two-speed Europe will only work if national leaders also agree greater eurozone integration and institutional reforms.

The Commission did note, however, that while its job is to create unified European solutions, the euro and the Schengen system are proof of existing EU flexibility.

Authors:
Quentin Ariès 

Former Laura Bush staffer decries Taliban's treatment of women amid peace deal

The former chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush on Wednesday said that Afghan women are fearful for their future amid a peace agreement between Afghanistan’s government, the U.S. and Taliban forces due to be signed on Saturday.

In an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Anita McBride said that women studying at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul are worried about the future of women’s rights in a country where a reduction in efforts to drive out the Taliban looks to be imminent.

“They don’t want to go back,” McBride said, referring to the old system in Afghanistan under the Taliban that prevented women from attending universities. “This is one of the things they’re scared about now, and rightfully so.”

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“We know what the record of the Taliban is and its treatment towards women,” she continued. “We know what the record is of women who have beaten all odds to … function in this society, and who do you want to believe at this point?”

Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoOvernight Defense: Lawmakers tear into Pentagon over .8B for border wall | Dems offer bill to reverse Trump on wall funding | Senators urge UN to restore Iran sanctions Former Laura Bush staffer decries Taliban’s treatment of women amid peace deal Bipartisan Senate resolution would urge UN to renew Iran arms embargo, travel restrictions MORE said last week that a long-awaited peace deal between the U.S. and Taliban forces would finally be signed this Saturday, starting what the Trump administration hopes will be the first step to ending America’s longest-running war.

“Upon a successful implementation of this understanding, signing of the U.S.-Taliban agreement is expected to move forward. We are preparing for the signing to take place on February 29,” Pompeo said on Friday.

“Intra-Afghan negotiations will start soon thereafter, and will build on this fundamental step to deliver a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire and the future political roadmap for Afghanistan,” he continued. “The only way to achieve a sustainable peace in Afghanistan is for Afghans to come together and agree on the way forward.”

Fashion Notes: Melania Trump Touchdowns in Burberry, Celine for Football Game

First Lady Melania Trump scored a touchdown when she arrived in Alabama for a college football game, alongside President Trump, in winter crisp black cashmere and luxury sunglasses.

Melania Trump traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama with her husband for a college football game wearing a cashmere-wool blend peacoat by Burberry — the London-based house that former Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci has recently rebranded. The coat features a large lapel covered in a knit sweater.

The long-waisted black coat was paired with oversized aviator acetate shades by Celine, a departure from her usual Yves Saint Laurent sunglasses. The shades retail for about $500.

Of course, what Mrs. Trump look is complete without her favorite style of Manolo Blahniks. This pair of Manolos are black to match the look and suede for the ultimate winter vibe.

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John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder

Schumer asks Justice Department to probe Grenell's consulting work

Senate Minority Leader Charles SchumerCharles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerTrump passes Pence a dangerous buck Democratic mega-donor reaching out to Pelosi, Schumer in bid to stop Sanders: report Trump administration freezes funding for study of hurricane barriers: report MORE (D-N.Y.) is requesting the Justice Department investigate whether acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Richard Grenell failed to disclose previous work for foreign entities.

 

Schumer on Wednesday released a letter to John Demers, the assistant attorney general for national security, asking that he “immediately” open an investigation into reports that Grenell did not disclose the work, a potential violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

 

“If the reports regarding the nature of Mr. Grenell’s undisclosed work with foreign entities are accurate, he may be subject to potential civil and criminal liability as well as vulnerable to blackmail in his new position in the Intelligence Community,” Schumer wrote.

 

The New York Democrat is asking the Justice Department to determine whether Grenell violated federal law and, if so, refer him for “enforcement action consistent with Justice Department policies and without regard to any political considerations.”

 

“Any illegal activity would obviously disqualify him from serving as the Director of National Intelligence or in any other position of public trust,” Schumer added.

 

CNN reported this week that before joining the Trump administration Grenell’s company earned more than $100,000 from a foundation tied to the Hungarian government.

 

ProPublica also reported that Grenell, in 2016, wrote articles defending Vladimir Plahotniuc, a Moldovan politician, but did not register under FARA. Plahotniuc was sanctioned by the U.S. government last month.

 

Craig Engle, an attorney with the law firm Arent Fox LLP who told ProPublica he was responding on Grenell’s behalf, said Grenell was not required to register under FARA “because he was not working at the direction of a foreign power.”

 

President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump passes Pence a dangerous buck Overnight Health Care — Presented by American Health Care Association — Trump taps Pence to lead coronavirus response | Trump accuses Pelosi of trying to create panic | CDC confirms case of ‘unknown’ origin | Schumer wants .5 billion in emergency funds Trump nods at reputation as germaphobe during coronavirus briefing: ‘I try to bail out as much as possible’ after sneezes MORE last week tapped Grenell to take over for Joseph MaguireJoseph MaguireSchumer asks Justice Department to probe Grenell’s consulting work Grenell asks top intel official to remain in role amid lawmaker concerns John Ratcliffe back under consideration by Trump for top intel job MORE as acting DNI, prompting fierce attacks from Democrats and other critics who argue that his appointment was based solely on loyalty and not experience in intelligence matters. Grenell, a vocal Trump supporter, previously served as a spokesman for the United Nations.

 

Schumer, in his letter, also questioned whether Grenell misled the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing to be ambassador to Germany about whether he was paid for the op-eds.

 

Sen. Ben CardinBenjamin (Ben) Louis CardinSchumer asks Justice Department to probe Grenell’s consulting work Democrats worried about Trump’s growing strength Senate Democrats queasy over Sanders as nominee MORE (D-Md.) asked Grenell as part of written questions if he was paid for writing the opinion pieces, including those relating to Moldova. Grenell said in his written response that he did not receive any compensation for the work and that the op-eds were not written at the direction of someone else.

“I did not receive any compensation for that work. I believe strongly in confronting threats to democracy, and all of those views were my own opinion,” Grenell wrote in response to Cardin’s question.

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Man accused of trying to blow up vehicle at Pentagon

An Arkansas man is in police custody Tuesday after allegedly attempting to blow up a vehicle at the Pentagon.

According to the Justice Department, 19-year-old Fayetteville native Matthew Dmitri Richardson was approached by a patrolling Pentagon police officer after the officer watched Richardson light a piece of fabric on fire and then put it inside a vehicle’s gas tank.

When questioned, Richardson reportedly said that he was going “blow this vehicle up [and] himself.” The officer attempted to detain Richardson, but he fled on foot toward Virginia State Route 110 and on to Route 27, eventually jumping a fence into Arlington National Cemetery. He was later apprehended by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency Police Emergency Response Team in the vicinity of Arlington House.

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Court documents that were found on Richardson reveal that he was arrested just days before on two counts of “felony assault on a law enforcement officer in Arlington County.”

The vehicle that Richardson is accused of trying to blow up belongs to an active-duty service member who has no relation to Richardson, separate court documents show.

Richardson was set to appear in federal court at 2 p.m. Tuesday. He is being charged with “maliciously attempting to damage and destroy by means of fire, a vehicle used in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce.” A conviction of the crime carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison with a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Updated at 3:24 p.m.

Facial recognition company says hacker accessed database

Clearview AI, a tech startup that has compiled billions of photos for facial recognition software, announced Wednesday that it had lost its entire client list to a data breach.

The Daily Beast obtained a statement that the startup sent to its customers which said that someone had “gained unauthorized access” to its customer database.

Clearview AI has contracts with numerous law enforcement agencies and police departments.

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“Security is Clearview’s top priority,” Tor Ekeland, a company attorney, told The Daily Beast.

“Unfortunately, data breaches are part of life in the 21st century. Our servers were never accessed. We patched the flaw, and continue to work to strengthen our security,” he added.

The firm saw significant criticism in January when The New York Times reported on the company’s contracts with law enforcements. According to the Times, Clearview AI has mined more than 3 billions photos from the internet, including from popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. These photos reportedly stay within the company’s database even after they’ve been deleted by the original user. 

The Times’s investigation led to Clearview AI receiving cease-and-desist letters from Google, Facebook and Twitter.

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Earlier in February, Clearview AI founder and CEO Hoan Ton-That tried to assuage concerns about his company’s technology, telling CNN that his goal is to build a “great American company” with “the best of intentions,” and that he’d never sell his technology to U.S. adversaries such as Iran, Russia and China.

Bipartisan Senate resolution would urge UN to renew Iran arms embargo, travel restrictions

A bipartisan pair of senators is urging the United Nations to renew sanctions on Iran that are set to expire in October.

Sens. Pat ToomeyPatrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeyNSA improperly collected US phone records in October, new documents show Overnight Defense: Pick for South Korean envoy splits with Trump on nuclear threat | McCain blasts move to suspend Korean military exercises | White House defends Trump salute of North Korean general WH backpedals on Trump’s ‘due process’ remark on guns MORE (R-Pa.) and Jacky RosenJacklyn (Jacky) Sheryl RosenOvernight Defense: Lawmakers tear into Pentagon over .8B for border wall | Dems offer bill to reverse Trump on wall funding | Senators urge UN to restore Iran sanctions Bipartisan Senate resolution would urge UN to renew Iran arms embargo, travel restrictions Schumer reminds colleagues to respect decorum at State of the Union speech MORE (D-Nev.) are introducing a resolution this week calling on the United Nations to “at a minimum” renew the penalties, which include an arms embargo and travel restrictions.

“Clearly the Iranian regime plans on continuing to destabilize the region and provoke America and its allies,” Toomey said in a statement obtained by The Hill ahead of its release. “It would be a grave mistake to allow sanctions against Iran to expire. This bipartisan resolution calls on the United Nations to extend these sanctions and would reaffirm the international community’s opposition to Iranian aggression.”

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At issue is a United Nations Security Council resolution that was passed in 2015 in support of the nuclear deal between Iran and several world powers.

Under the resolution, an arms embargo on Iran, as well as an arms export ban, is set to lift Oct. 18. The resolution also said travel restrictions on officials and entities involved in Iran’s nuclear and missile programs will expire in October, while an asset freeze on those individuals and groups will expire in 2023.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump passes Pence a dangerous buck Overnight Health Care — Presented by American Health Care Association — Trump taps Pence to lead coronavirus response | Trump accuses Pelosi of trying to create panic | CDC confirms case of ‘unknown’ origin | Schumer wants .5 billion in emergency funds Trump nods at reputation as germaphobe during coronavirus briefing: ‘I try to bail out as much as possible’ after sneezes MORE withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran, kicking off a spike in tensions that came to a head when a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

The Trump administration has been urging the United Nations to renew the arms embargo and travel restrictions, warning that allowing the sanctions to expire will let Iran spread what it describes as a destabilizing activity.

Earlier this month, after the U.S. Navy discovered a cache of weapons on board a dhow in the Arabian Sea that it said bore signs of Iranian origin, Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoOvernight Defense: Lawmakers tear into Pentagon over .8B for border wall | Dems offer bill to reverse Trump on wall funding | Senators urge UN to restore Iran sanctions Former Laura Bush staffer decries Taliban’s treatment of women amid peace deal Bipartisan Senate resolution would urge UN to renew Iran arms embargo, travel restrictions MORE tweeted it was “another example of the world’s largest state sponsor of terror the Islamic Republic of Iran continuing to defy the UN Security Council.”

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“The world must reject Iran’s violence and act now to renew the expiring @UN arms embargo on #Iran,” Pompeo added in a second tweet.

Toomey and Rosen’s resolution would state that allowing the U.N. sanctions to expire would “enable Iran to undertake aggressive and destabilizing actions in the Middle East that threaten the security of the United States and that of our allies,” according to a draft obtained by The Hill.

The resolution would also urge “the international community to fully enforce” the restrictions on Iran and “calls upon the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution on Iran that, at a minimum, extends the dates by which the aforementioned restrictions on Iran and on arms technology suppliers” are set to expire.

While the Trump administration has struggled to get international support for its Iran pressure campaign, the European signatories of the nuclear deal earlier this year triggered a dispute mechanism in the agreement that could lead to the reimposition of U.N. sanctions, including the arms embargo.

France, Germany and the United Kingdom turned to the dispute mechanism after Iran breached several key limits of the deal in an effort to pressure the United States to provide sanctions relief or for Europe to find a viable workaround for the U.S. sanctions.

“In the face of increasing threats in the region from Iran and its proxies, the U.S. must remain strong in our resolve,” Rosen said in a statement. “The United Nations arms embargo has limited the flow of sophisticated weapons to Iran and restricted Iran’s ability to provide its proxies with arms. If the embargo expires, Iran will be free under international law to purchase and transfer an array of weapons, posing a threat to the security of the United States and our allies, including Israel.”

Trump passes Pence a dangerous buck

President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump passes Pence a dangerous buck Overnight Health Care — Presented by American Health Care Association — Trump taps Pence to lead coronavirus response | Trump accuses Pelosi of trying to create panic | CDC confirms case of ‘unknown’ origin | Schumer wants .5 billion in emergency funds Trump nods at reputation as germaphobe during coronavirus briefing: ‘I try to bail out as much as possible’ after sneezes MORE on Wednesday named Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceTrump passes Pence a dangerous buck Overnight Health Care — Presented by American Health Care Association — Trump taps Pence to lead coronavirus response | Trump accuses Pelosi of trying to create panic | CDC confirms case of ‘unknown’ origin | Schumer wants .5 billion in emergency funds Trump nods at reputation as germaphobe during coronavirus briefing: ‘I try to bail out as much as possible’ after sneezes MORE as his administration’s point person on the response to the frightening coronavirus that threatens to race around the globe, tapping his most loyal partner for what may be his administration’s most fraught moment.

 

The decision to hand Pence authority – and responsibility – for what could be the most significant crisis of Trump’s three years in office reflects both the president’s aversion to bucks stopping on his desk and his level of trust in a partner he had viewed with skepticism at the beginning of their relationship.

 

Trump announced Pence’s new responsibilities Wednesday night, a day after returning from a brief sojourn to India, during which the public was jolted to the reality of a dangerous pandemic reaching American shores.

 

While he was gone, senior officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised serious alarms about the likelihood that the virus would spread here, and both Republican and Democratic senators voiced concerns that the administration’s request for emergency funding was inadequate.

 

Trump on Wednesday continued to downplay the threat the virus poses as he defended his administration’s initial response to the outbreak. At the same time, he demonstrated little knowledge of his team’s planned response, and contradicted the dire warnings voiced by senior public health officials just the day before.

 

“The risk to the American people remains very low,” Trump said in a press conference. “We’re very, very ready for this – for anything.” 

 

That message stood in stark contrast to what Nancy Messonnier, who heads the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on Tuesday.

 

“It’s not a question of if this will happen, but when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illnesses,” Messonnier said. “Disruption to everyday life might be severe.”

 

Trump’s efforts to brush off the threat of the coronavirus are a deliberate repeat of the Obama administration’s early mistakes in its efforts to combat growing public anxiety over the spread of the Ebola virus in the summer of 2014. 

 

Then, the administration lost control of its “keep cool” approach after two American missionaries who had contracted Ebola in Liberia were brought back to the United States for treatment, a decision private-citizen Trump sharply criticized at the time in dozens of tweets. 

 

Now, Trump has insisted that the coronavirus will not spread significantly throughout the U.S., even though the nation has already treated at least 58 patients and his own experts are warning about a significant outbreak.

 

“We’re ready to adapt and we’re ready to do whatever we have to as the disease spreads, if it spreads,” Trump said Wednesday.

 

Minutes later, CDC Deputy Director Anne Schuchat said: “We do expect more cases, and this is a good time to prepare.”

 

In a deeply worrying new development, news broke while Trump was speaking on Wednesday that the first case of coronavirus with an unknown connection to any existing case in the U.S. had been diagnosed at the University of California-Davis hospital in Sacramento County.

 

 

The threat of further community spread underscores both the opportunity and the danger facing Trump’s new coronavirus czar, his own vice president. For Pence, the new responsibilities represent his boldest stride onto the national stage since he debated Sen. Tim KaineTimothy (Tim) Michael KaineTrump passes Pence a dangerous buck Republicans give Barr vote of confidence The Hill’s Morning Report — AG Barr, GOP senators try to rein Trump in MORE (D-Va.) during the 2016 election campaign — and also the biggest risk of his political life.

 

Since being named Trump’s vice presidential nominee almost four years ago, Pence has played the faithful lieutenant, the ever-deferential servant who never breaks ranks from a president whose tone and temperament is so fundamentally different from his own.

 

On Wednesday, he once again praised Trump as he took control of the response.

 

“From the first word of an outbreak of the coronavirus, the president took unprecedented steps to protect the American people from the disease,” he said.

 

Pence is a former governor who dealt with a serious HIV outbreak in his home state of Indiana while in office, so he knows something about outbreaks and the critical role the federal government plays in response. 

 

But the coronavirus is not like Ebola or HIV: Those viruses are very difficult to transmit, requiring physical contact with a bodily fluid of an infected person. The coronavirus transmits much more easily, through droplets emitted by coughs or sneezes. And neither Ebola nor HIV can live on surfaces; it is unclear how long the coronavirus can survive outside a human body.

 

Public health officials – including some of those most closely involved in the Obama administration’s response to the Ebola outbreak – have also warned that the virus’s spread inside the United States is virtually inevitable.

 

“It’s inevitable that it will be spread within the US,” former CDC director Tom Frieden told The Hill in an interview. “Now how widespread it is, how much harm it causes, that only time will tell.”

 

Now, Pence faces two potential outcomes: If the virus does not spread within the country, he will win credit for leadership in a time of crisis, Trump’s thanks for confronting a threat to the ticket’s re-election hopes this year, and potentially a major chit toward his own hopes of running for president in what appears to be an increasingly crowded field of Republicans vying for a post-Trump nomination in 2024.

 

But if the virus does begin spreading widely within the United States, Pence risks taking the blame. Trump has already falsely castigated House Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTrump passes Pence a dangerous buck Overnight Health Care — Presented by American Health Care Association — Trump taps Pence to lead coronavirus response | Trump accuses Pelosi of trying to create panic | CDC confirms case of ‘unknown’ origin | Schumer wants .5 billion in emergency funds Stone judge under pressure over calls for new trial MORE (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck SchumerCharles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerTrump passes Pence a dangerous buck Democratic mega-donor reaching out to Pelosi, Schumer in bid to stop Sanders: report Trump administration freezes funding for study of hurricane barriers: report MORE (D-N.Y.) for supposedly raising fears about the virus, and there is little to suggest he would not blame Pence for a widespread outbreak if it meant he perceived avoiding blame himself.

 

For years rumors have circulated that Trump is interested in or considering dumping Pence from the ticket during his 2020 re-election campaign. Trump has denied those rumors, and so has Pence. Yet in handing him oversight responsibility for the coronavirus, the president has given his No. 2 the chance to prove himself fireable.

 

Meanwhile, early signs point to a widespread outbreak, one that has already leapt from China to South Korea, Italy and Iran. Add in the troubling case near Sacramento, unconnected to any previously known transmission chain, and millions of Americans could be at risk of coming down with the virus.

 

Trump has set expectations for stopping a readily and easily transmissible virus almost impossibly high. It will be up to Pence to meet those expectations — or to face the consequences of a mercurial boss determined to avoid responsibility.

 

–This report was updated on Feb. 27 at 5:48 a.m.

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Two Florida residents sue to keep Sanders off Democratic primary ballot

Two Florida Democrats are suing to keep Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersWinners and losers from the South Carolina debate Five takeaways from the Democratic debate Sanders most searched, most tweeted about candidate during Democratic debate MORE (I-Vt.) off the party’s primary ballot and to prevent the state from certifying the votes he receives.

Frank Bach, a retired letter carrier, and George Brown, a retired social worker, filed the complaint in Leon County Circuit Court on Monday, alleging Sanders should not be included in the state’s Democratic primary because he identifies as an Independent.

The Florida primary is scheduled for March 17.

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The two Tallahassee residents are asking the Florida Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee, both of which are named as defendants, to disqualify the Vermont progressive from the ballot and block certification of his votes.

“The plaintiffs have the right to cast their March 17 Democratic presidential preference primary votes for those who are really Democrats, not independents, and are entitled to this court’s protection of their right to vote for a Democrat, with the results not diluted by Defendant Sanders’ unlawful participation as an independent interloping improperly in the (primary),” the complaint says.

The complaint acknowledges that it’s too late to remove Sanders from all ballots, as thousands of Floridians have already voted by mail. 

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“Defendant Sanders is clearly an independent and is clearly not a Democrat, by his own definition,” the complaint said. “His current ‘day job’ is as a United States senator and he has consistently, proudly asserted his service in that role as independent.”

The two Florida residents are represented by Karen Gievers, who is married to Bach, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

She said in a statement to The Hill that the plaintiffs don’t understand why Sanders did not switch his affiliation and become a Democrat before the certification deadline.

“Since he did not change his affiliation, he clearly continues to be an Independent, which means he can run for president in Florida, but as an Independent, not as a Democrat,” Gievers said in a statement.

The lawsuit comes at a time when Sanders is extending his delegate lead over other White House hopefuls. Sanders won the nominating contests in New Hampshire and Nevada and came in a close second in Iowa.

Several Democratic lawmakers are sounding the alarm as Sanders, who identifies as a democratic socialist, gains popularity, warning that his policies are too liberal to beat President TrumpDonald John TrumpWinners and losers from the South Carolina debate Five takeaways from the Democratic debate Democrats duke it out in most negative debate so far MORE.

Saudi military students resume US flight training: report

Saudi military students have returned to U.S. flight training, three months after a Saudi student shot and killed three U.S. sailors in Pensacola, Fla. 

The U.S. Navy released a statement obtained by The Hill saying the flight training resumed Tuesday after it was suspended for 850 Saudi students following the December shooting. Operational training, such as flying and other training outside the classroom, was able to start after more safety restrictions were added. 

“The Navy is making every effort to minimize disruptions to our foreign national partners while implementing the revised security initiatives,” the statement said. “Foreign military training remains one of the most effective tools to advance U.S. national security, and these actions will enable the Navy to continue to strengthen our alliances and build our partnerships.”

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The Navy also banned international students from owning personal firearms and restricted where they can go on bases. The students needed to agree to the terms to be allowed in the program.  

Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperSaudi military students resume US flight training: report Overnight Defense: Lawmakers tear into Pentagon over .8B for border wall | Dems offer bill to reverse Trump on wall funding | Senators urge UN to restore Iran sanctions Bipartisan Armed Services leaders tear into Pentagon over use of .8B for border wall MORE asked for a review process to be finished by March 13 to see if U.S. officials could detect signs of radicalization that they may not have noticed when a student joined. 

The precautions follow Saudi Air Force officer Mohammed Alshamrani killing three sailors and injuring eight others late last year. The Justice Department announced it had sent 21 Saudi military students back after discovering that they had posted jihadist or anti-American opinions or had come in “contact with child pornography.”

Updated: 10:30 p.m.