Norway enacts new restrictions as coronavirus surges

Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg announced new coronavirus restrictions for the country as it attempts to stop a third wave of cases.

Reuters reports the new restrictions include nationwide a ban on alcohol being served in restaurants and bars, as well as an advisory against having any guests over.

“We see more signs of a new wave of infections,” Solberg said during a news conference.

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According to Reuters, Solberg said Norwegians must put their social lives on hold for the next two weeks.

“I ask you not to have any visitors at home. Wait a fortnight before inviting anyone home or visiting others,” she added.

These new restrictions come only one day after the country shut down university lectures and instructed students to stay home. Shops, kindergartens, elementary schools will remain open, Reuters notes.

On New Year’s Eve, the Norwegian government announced mandatory testing for travelers arriving in Norway, required to be done within 24 hours of arrival.

In the announcement, Solberg said, “We are now concerned about import infection as well as new outbreaks with new mutated versions of the virus. In addition, we are concerned that many will return to Norway after Christmas from countries with an increased level of infection.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Norway has confirmed 48,278 coronavirus cases so far and 436 deaths. On Dec. 29, the country broke its record for single day cases, reporting 2,125 coronavirus infections.

“The Government has been forced to take decisions very quickly,” Solberg said in her New Year’s address, reflecting back on 2020. “Often in situations fraught with uncertainty. We did not get everything right on our first try. But we have revised our decisions to incorporate what we are learning along the way.”

Norway’s health minister, Bent Hoeie, said at the beginning of December that the country planned on using the vaccines from Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer and BioNTech in the first quarter of 2021. Norway is reportedly seeking to immunize a quarter of its population in the first three months of 2021.

Facebook again clamping down on political ads

Facebook early Wednesday clamped down on political ads about the two Georgia Senate runoff elections held Tuesday.

The platform announced that it is barring the ads “in line with our existing nationwide social issues, electoral or political ads pause.”

“Any ads about the Georgia runoff elections will be paused and advertisers will no longer be able to create new ads about social issues, elections, or politics,” Facebook said.

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Users can “continue to post organically and run ads that are not about social issues, elections, or politics and that do not require a disclaimer” and will have to reconfirm their authorizations and disclaimers for any ads on “US social issues, electoral or political ads.”

Facebook first banned any new political ads in late October in an effort to battle the spread of misinformation ahead of and after the Nov. 3 general elections. That ban was extended as President TrumpDonald TrumpWarnock defeats Loeffler in Georgia Senate runoff The Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Eric Trump warns of primary challenges for Republicans who don’t object to election results MORE and Republicans railed against the presidential election results, leveling unproven claims that widespread voter fraud and irregularities handed President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenThe Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Warnock win puts Democrats within reach of Senate majority Eric Trump warns of primary challenges for Republicans who don’t object to election results MORE a victory.

Ads related to the Georgia runoffs were given the greenlight to run again on Dec. 15 in a partial lifting of Facebook’s ban.

Facebook has still not said when it will lift its nationwide temporary political ad ban, and its Tuesday announcement did not clarify when the prohibition on Georgia runoff ads would end. 

An analysis the nonprofit advocacy group Avaaz shared with The Hill on Monday found that nearly 100 ads released by the campaigns of Sen. Kelly LoefflerKelly LoefflerWarnock defeats Loeffler in Georgia Senate runoff The Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Warnock win puts Democrats within reach of Senate majority MORE (R-Ga.) and incumbent Republican David PerdueDavid PerdueThe Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Warnock win puts Democrats within reach of Senate majority Warnock declares victory in Georgia Senate runoff as race remains too close to call MORE, whose Senate term ended on Sunday, the Republican Party and top GOP super PACs included claims that had been debunked by third party fact-checkers. Some ads from other conservative-leaning groups appeared to use “discriminatory and sensationalist content” that seemingly violated Facebook’s policies.

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The reimposition of the Georgia ad ban comes in the aftermath of the two high-profile Senate runoffs that are set to determine control of the upper chamber.

Democrat Raphael Warnock is already projected to have defeated Loeffler and Jon Ossoff (D) currently holds a roughly 16,000-vote lead over Perdue, though that race is still too close to call.

Should Ossoff win, Democrats would hold a 50-50 majority in the Senate with Vice President-elect Kamala HarrisKamala HarrisThe Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Warnock win puts Democrats within reach of Senate majority Warnock declares victory in Georgia Senate runoff as race remains too close to call MORE having the ability to cast tie-breaking votes. His win would also mean that President-elect Joe Biden would enter office with Democratic control of both chambers of Congress, easing his path to passing legislative priorities and confirming members of his administration.

NYSE pulls plan to delist Chinese telecom giants

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) announced late Monday that it would not be moving forward with plans to delist three Chinese telecom companies with alleged ties to the nation’s military. 

The NYSE said in a brief statement that it had reversed its previous decision to delist the companies before Jan. 11 “in light of further consultation with relevant regulatory authorities,” though it gave no additional details. 

This comes less than a week after the stock exchange announced the planned delisting and suspension from trading for China Mobile Ltd., China Telecom Corp Ltd. and China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd.

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The NYSE issued the plans in compliance with a November executive order from President TrumpDonald TrumpAttorney says census count to determine congressional seats won’t be done until February Trump’s final push for Georgia runoff dominated by personal grievances Trump at Georgia rally says he hopes Pence ‘comes through for us’  MORE that prohibits U.S. investments in Chinese firms regulated by the military. The order is set to go into effect on Jan. 11. 

Trump argued in November that the executive order was necessary as the Chinese government seeks to influence “civilian Chinese companies to support its military and intelligence activities,” which he said presents an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the U.S. 

According to Bloomberg News, each of the three Chinese companies have separate listings in Hong Kong and have no significant presence in the U.S. outside of their listings. 

The Chinese government has accused the Trump administration of using national security to improperly justify actions that limit competition, warning that Trump’s order would negatively impact the U.S. and other investors around the world. 

The Associated Press reported that Hong Kong-traded shares in the three companies rose Tuesday following news of the NYSE’s decision. China Telecom rose approximately 5.7 percent, China Mobile increased 5.5 percent and China Unicom surged 6.7 percent.

WHO head 'disappointed' China is blocking entry of COVID-19 investigative team

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) is pressuring Beijing to allow an international team to investigate the origins of coronavirus in China after he said they are being blocked from entering the country.

“Today we learned that Chinese officials have not yet finalized the necessary permissions for the team’s arrival in China,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news briefing on Tuesday. “I am very disappointed with this news, given that two members had already begun their journeys and others were not able to travel at the last minute.”

He also said he has been in contact with Chinese officials and “I have been assured that China is speeding up the internal procedure for the earliest possible deployment.”

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President TrumpDonald TrumpWarnock defeats Loeffler in Georgia Senate runoff The Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Eric Trump warns of primary challenges for Republicans who don’t object to election results MORE has attacked the WHO for not being tough enough on China, where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected. The exact way in which the outbreak began in China remains unclear.

A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it is still working out the “necessary procedures” with the WHO, according to CNN.

“In order to ensure that the international expert group that comes to China can work smoothly, it is needed to fulfill the necessary procedures and make relevant specific arrangements,” said the spokesperson, Hua Chunying. “The two sides are still negotiating about this.”

Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who is part of the investigative team, told CNN the experts need to learn how the outbreak developed in China because there is “no country that doesn’t have risk of disease emergence.”

“It’s something we need to understand, so the whole world can prepare,” she said.

Hillicon Valley: US intel agencies blame Russia for massive SolarWinds hack | Website crashes mar early coronavirus vaccine rollouts | Google workers make waves with new union

Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill’s newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you don’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter with this LINK.

Welcome! Follow our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech team, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills) and Rebecca Klar (@rebeccaklar_), for more coverage.

A RUSSIAN WHO-DONE-IT: A coalition of top intelligence agencies on Tuesday formally announced that Russia was behind the recently discovered hack of IT company SolarWinds that compromised much of the federal government and thousands of other groups.

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The FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a joint statement that based on their initial investigation “an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor, likely Russian in origin, is responsible for most or all of the recently discovered, ongoing cyber compromises of both government and non-governmental networks.”

The statement was the first time the federal government has officially pinned the blame for the incident on Russia, though officials including President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenThe Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Warnock win puts Democrats within reach of Senate majority Eric Trump warns of primary challenges for Republicans who don’t object to election results MORE, Secretary of State Mike PompeoMike PompeoPro-democracy figures reportedly arrested in Hong Kong under sweeping national security law Hillicon Valley: US intel agencies blame Russia for massive SolarWinds hack | Website crashes mar early coronavirus vaccine rollouts | Google workers make waves with new union OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Intel agencies point finger to Moscow on hack | Trump orders carrier to stay in Mideast | Defense letter took two days MORE, and former Attorney General William BarrBill BarrHillicon Valley: US intel agencies blame Russia for massive SolarWinds hack | Website crashes mar early coronavirus vaccine rollouts | Google workers make waves with new union OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Intel agencies point finger to Moscow on hack | Trump orders carrier to stay in Mideast | Defense letter took two days US intel agencies blame Russia for massive SolarWinds hack MORE have said publicly they believe Moscow was responsible. 

President TrumpDonald TrumpWarnock defeats Loeffler in Georgia Senate runoff The Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Eric Trump warns of primary challenges for Republicans who don’t object to election results MORE, by contrast, has suggested China may have been involved. 

Read more about the ongoing cyber incident here.

CRASHING COVID SITES: Websites that counties are using to offer coronavirus vaccine appointments are crashing, causing further issues in the nation’s rocky rollout. 

Several counties in Florida reported delays and website crashes Monday, pushing them to offer solely phone bookings. And the largest county in Texas had to temporarily take down a website after ineligible residents tried to book slots.

The tech issues may be amplified as states ramp up rollouts and increase the number of groups eligible for vaccinations.  

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Read more about the glitches here. 

GOOGLE UNION OFFERS NEW MODEL: The decision by the Alphabet Workers Union to launch this week as a minority union could present an alternative framework for organizing at other Silicon Valley giants.

Minority unions — most commonly organized in states that prohibit collective bargaining by government employees — do not seek recognition from the National Labor Relations Board and do not have formalized bargaining power.

Alphabet Workers Union and Communications Workers of America representatives who spoke to The Hill gave two main reasons for choosing to pursue this model: growth opportunities and inclusivity.

The union at Alphabet and its subsidiary Google started with a little over 220 members, but they are hopeful that the attention being paid to the group as well as the ability to speak about it in public will increase those numbers.

The massive size of Alphabet, which employs upward of 120,000 workers worldwide, is considered another reason to go with the nontraditional unionization route.

Read more.

GEORGIA ON EVERYONE’S MIND: As voters flocked to the polls in Georgia on Tuesday to cast their ballots in two heated Senate races, officials saw few election security-related hiccups.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) said in a statement that the wait times were low at voting sites, and that “everyone should be confident in the reliability of the votes.”

There were a few polling pad malfunctions at at least one polling station, but state and federal officials stressed that intensely watched elections were overall secure on Tuesday.

Read more about the Senate race here.

CYBER THREATS ON LAND AND SEA: The White House on Tuesday rolled out a new plan to secure the maritime sector against cybersecurity threats that may hurt national security.

The plan lists a set of priorities for the government to pursue in ensuring the maritime sector is secure against vulnerabilities from new information technologies. President Trump described it as a “a call to action for all nations to join us in protecting the vital maritime sector that interconnects us.”

Read more about the plan here.

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AMAZON EXPANDS AIR FLEET: Amazon will purchase 11 jets to add to its delivery fleet.

This is the first time that the retail giant has purchased rather than leased an airplane, a signal of its intentions to continue growing its independent air cargo operations.

Four of the used Boeing 767-300 jets will be purchased from WestJet planes and seven will be acquired from Delta.

Read more.

Lighter click: The election night thirst trap returns

An op-ed to chew on: Russia hack requires new cybersecurity paradigm

NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB:

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‘Lazy,’ ‘Money-Oriented,’ ‘Single Mother’: How Union-Busting Firms Compile Dossiers on Employees (Motherboard / Lauren Kaori Gurley)

Proud Boys and Hardcore Trump Supporters Are Turning Their Backs on Cops (Vice / Tess Owen)

In Georgia, Facebook’s Changes Brought Back a Partisan News Feed (The Markup / Corin Faife)

OVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA finalizes 'secret science' rule, limiting use of public health research | Trump administration finalizes rollback of migratory bird protections | Kerry raises hopes for focus on climate security at NSC

HAPPY TUESDAY! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill’s roundup of the latest energy and environment news. Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Beitsch at rbeitsch@thehill.com. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccabeitsch. Reach Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@thehill.com or follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin.

Signup for our newsletter and others HERE

STUDY UP: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday finalized one of its most controversial rules, limiting the types of studies the agency can weigh when crafting its policies.

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The rule has been one of the top concerns for public health advocates and environmentalists who say it will restrict the EPA’s ability to consider landmark public health research and other studies that do not make their underlying data public.

Dubbed by former EPA Administrator Scott PruittEdward (Scott) Scott PruittOVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA finalizes ‘secret science’ rule, limiting use of public health research | Trump administration finalizes rollback of migratory bird protections | Kerry raises hopes for focus on climate security at NSC EPA finalizes ‘secret science’ rule, limiting use of public health research White House appears to conclude review of EPA ‘secret science’ rule MORE as a way to battle “secret science,” the agency has billed the rule as a transparency measure.

But critics say it’s unnecessary for the agency to review spreadsheets full of sensitive personal health data or proprietary business information rather than evaluating the scientific underpinnings of the research itself.

So what does the agency have to say about it?

“Too often Congress shirks its responsibility and defers important decisions to regulatory agencies. These regulators then invoke science to justify their actions, often without letting the public study the underlying data. Part of transparency is making sure the public knows what the agency bases its decisions on,” EPA Administrator Andrew WheelerAndrew WheelerOVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA finalizes ‘secret science’ rule, limiting use of public health research | Trump administration finalizes rollback of migratory bird protections | Kerry raises hopes for focus on climate security at NSC EPA finalizes ‘secret science’ rule, limiting use of public health research White House appears to conclude review of EPA ‘secret science’ rule MORE wrote in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal late Monday before the rule was unveiled.

The first version of the 2018 rule sparked major pushback — the 600,000 comments it elicited made it one of the EPA’s most commented-on regulations ever. Its merits were even questioned by the agency’s independent science board, who said the agency had not resolved how to protect sensitive data.

“Their own scientists said this is just a bad idea, and they said, ‘Well we’re doing it anyway.’ If it’s about better science, don’t you think the scientists might know something about that?” said Andrew Rosenberg, director at the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

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“They’re blocking epidemiological research during the biggest epidemiological crisis in the past 100 years.”

And how does it work, exactly?

Tuesday’s rule is the third iteration, a slightly narrower take than earlier versions by focusing on dose-response studies that show how increasing levels of exposure to pollution, chemicals and other substances impact human health and the environment rather than all studies. It would allow the administrator to make an exception for any study they deem important.

But rather than apply to just the agency’s rulemakings, the rule will affect all “influential scientific information” at the agency, a broad term that could exclude public health research as the agency issues guidance or takes other actions. 

Critics argue the rule takes a page from the book of the tobacco industry, which sought to undermine science linking its products to cancer.

“It’s a page ripped straight from the science denial playbook of the tobacco and lead paint industries. If capable of shame, the polluter toadies leading Trump’s EPA should be ashamed,” Sen. Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseOVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA finalizes ‘secret science’ rule, limiting use of public health research | Trump administration finalizes rollback of migratory bird protections | Kerry raises hopes for focus on climate security at NSC EPA finalizes ‘secret science’ rule, limiting use of public health research Durbin to become top Democrat on Judiciary panel, keep No. 2 spot MORE (D-R.I.) said in a statement.

In the case of its latest rule, the EPA could block consideration of Harvard’s 1993 six cities study, which linked air pollution to premature death. It’s conclusions have formed the basis for many of the EPA’s air pollution rules.

Wheeler, who announced the rule at an event with the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a conservative think tank, said it would not block previous studies from being used. 

The rule, however, essentially creates various tiers for research. Studies with public data would get priority over those that don’t. 

Rosenberg said peer reviewers don’t need to look at raw data, and instead look at basic methods, statistics and results to see if they support the studies’ conclusion.

“Fundamentally what the tiering system does is substitute non-scientific criteria — availability of data — for weighing the study or deciding how important the study is. Whether the data is available or not has nothing to do with whether science is strong and whether it’s showing strong evidence of a health impact,” Rosenberg said, adding that he doubts members of the public will go through millions of lines of raw data to evaluate EPA’s work.

Read more about the rule here.

BIRD IS THE WORD: The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has finalized a rule rolling back protections for migratory birds, according to a document that will be published in the Federal Register this week. 

The new rule changes the implementation of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) so that companies are no longer penalized for accidentally or incidentally harming or killing these birds. 

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The MBTA has protected more than 1,000 different species of birds for more than 100 years by punishing companies whose projects cause them harm. 

The Trump administration has argued, however, that companies should only be punished for intentionally killing the animals, though it has admitted that relaxing these rules may cause companies not to carry out best practices that limit incidental bird deaths. 

The rule follows a 2017 legal opinion from Daniel Jorjani, the now-solicitor for the Interior Department, in which he argued that applying the rule to incidental or accidental harm “hangs the sword of Damocles over a host of otherwise lawful and productive actions” and “inhibits otherwise lawful conduct.”

That opinion was struck down in court this year. U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni wrote that the “Jorjani opinion’s interpretation runs counter to the purpose of the MBTA to protect migratory bird populations.”

However, in a statement supporting the rule on Tuesday, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt pointed to a 2015 court decision that has supported the administration’s interpretation. 

“This rule simply reaffirms the original meaning and intent of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by making it clear that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will not prosecute landowners, industry and other individuals for accidentally killing a migratory bird,” he said. 

The MBTA played a part in the case against BP following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. BP pleaded guilty to charges including a violation of the MBTA.

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The company paid $100 million to support wetlands reservation and conservation as part of a settlement. 

An agency environmental impact statement published in November found that the rule changes would have “likely negative” effects on migratory birds. 

“Fewer entities would likely implement best practices…resulting in increased bird mortality,” that assessment said. 

Read more about the final rule here.

KERRYING CLIMATE INTO NATIONAL SECURITY: Security experts are hopeful that former Secretary of State John KerryJohn KerryOVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA finalizes ‘secret science’ rule, limiting use of public health research | Trump administration finalizes rollback of migratory bird protections | Kerry raises hopes for focus on climate security at NSC The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Georgia election day is finally here; Trump hopes Pence ‘comes through for us’ to overturn results Kerry raises hopes for focus on climate security at NSC MORE will use his special envoy role on the National Security Council (NSC) to focus not just on emissions reductions but the broader risks posed by climate change.

The first-of-its-kind position at the NSC has been branded as a sort of international climate czar who will be responsible for shepherding the U.S. through negotiations after President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenThe Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Warnock win puts Democrats within reach of Senate majority Eric Trump warns of primary challenges for Republicans who don’t object to election results MORE rejoins the Paris climate agreement on Jan. 20.

But beyond the diplomatic realm, Kerry’s seat at the NSC table presents an opportunity to push for more robust planning around the national security impact of climate change.

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“Some people see climate change as a long term threat and not an immediate issue we need to deal with,” said Erin Sikorsky, deputy director for the Center for Climate and Security, who joined the organization last month after serving for three years in the Trump administration as a deputy director on the National Intelligence Council.

“We need strategies for dealing with the current climate security risks that are already happening that the national security landscape in the U.S. will be dealing with in the next year to four years,” she added.

U.S. military facilities are already seeing the effects of climate change with sea level rise, hurricanes and wildfires. In 2018, storms racked up $9 billion in damages at just three stateside bases.

But far worse consequences could be yet to come.

Climate change is expected to disrupt agriculture and water supplies while increasing global tensions.

Security experts say the federal government needs to be planning for those international conflicts, both within and between nations, as well as the potential for climate refugees.

“The truth is there is no international system for dealing with the refugee climate crisis. These people do not get afforded the legally protected status of refugees,” said Andrew Holland, chief operating officer at the American Security Project, a Washington-based think tank.

That kind of disruption — whether it’s terrorist groups using climate-related economic insecurity and food shortages as a recruitment tool or countries fighting over water rights — “is a world in which the U.S. military is not powerful enough to keep the lid on all the global crises that are happening,” Holland said.

At the tail end of the Obama administration, the Pentagon and other agencies were asked to assess how climate change would impact national security. Since then, Democratic lawmakers have fumed that the Defense Department has done only a cursory review of climate risk during the Trump administration, failing to even mention the base damage from the 2018 storm season.

“Until President TrumpDonald TrumpWarnock defeats Loeffler in Georgia Senate runoff The Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Eric Trump warns of primary challenges for Republicans who don’t object to election results MORE put his heavy hand on the scales, there was quite a bit of work being done by various security apparatuses,” said former Rep. Denny HeckDennis (Denny) Lynn HeckExclusive: Guccifer 2.0 hacked memos expand on Pennsylvania House races Heck enjoys second political wind Incoming lawmaker feeling a bit overwhelmed MORE (D-Wash.), who, before retiring this year, sponsored a bill calling for a Climate Security Intelligence Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The Biden administration could get the ball rolling again, and there’s hope Kerry could help integrate climate change into existing analyses, evaluating how it intersects and exacerbates other security risks.

Sikorsky gave the example of Russia, where the melting Arctic is expected to open new shipping passageways. Moscow is already reinforcing its military presence in the north as a way of protecting what they see as a domestic transport route.

Sikorsky, along with Heck, is among those who have called for additional climate-related offices within the NSC, a move she says could put a permanent focus on the issue and ensure climate is considered in a range of decisions across presidential administrations.

“With functional issues across the national security apparatus, you need senior champions in NSC and other places to make sure they’re paid attention to and focused on or otherwise they get shunted to the side,” she said. 

Read more about what Kerry could do here.

WHAT WE’RE READING:

Banks Blast Rule That Would Force Lending to Oil, Gun Firms, Bloomberg reports

Oil soars near $50 after OPEC and Russia agree to roll over production cuts, CNN reports

Massachusetts lawmakers send climate bill that would reduce state’s carbon footprint to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk, MassLive reports

Janet YellenJanet Louise YellenOVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA finalizes ‘secret science’ rule, limiting use of public health research | Trump administration finalizes rollback of migratory bird protections | Kerry raises hopes for focus on climate security at NSC Washington state neighbors underscore internal Democratic tensions Zaid Jilani: Yellen’s speaking fees are both ‘routine’ and a return to ‘influence peddling’ MORE owns fossil stocks. Does that matter? E&E News reports

ICYMI: Stories from Tuesday…

Trump administration finalizes rollback of migratory bird protections

Massachusetts to require 100 percent of car sales to be electric by 2035

EPA finalizes ‘secret science’ rule, limiting use of public health research

Kerry raises hopes for focus on climate security at NSC

Polar vortex shifting southward due to spiking temperatures around North Pole

FROM THE HILL’S OPINION PAGES:

From rhetoric to reality: Achieving climate justice, write Alice Kaswan, a law professor at the University of San Francisco and Shalanda Baker, a law professor at Northwestern University. 

Proven programs, not false hopes — engaging farmers in climate solutions, write Jeanne Merrill, the policy director with the California Climate & Agriculture Network and Chris Schreiner, the executive director of Oregon Tilth

OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Intel agencies point finger to Moscow on hack | Trump orders carrier to stay in Mideast | Defense letter took two days

Happy Tuesday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Ellen Mitchell, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.

THE TOPLINE: A group of U.S. intelligence agencies on Tuesday formally accused Russia of being linked to the recently discovered hack of IT group SolarWinds that compromised much of the federal government.

The FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) attributed the effort to Russia. The group had set up a cyber unified coordination group in December after the compromise of SolarWinds was revealed.

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“This work indicates that an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor, likely Russian in origin, is responsible for most or all of the recently discovered, ongoing cyber compromises of both government and non-governmental networks,” the agencies said in a joint statement around their investigation into the cyber incident.

Still digging: The agencies emphasized that “at this time, we believe this was, and continues to be, an intelligence gathering effort. We are taking all necessary steps to understand the full scope of this campaign and respond accordingly.”

The federal agencies described the incident Tuesday as “a serious compromise that will require a sustained and dedicated effort to remediate, and vowed to “continue taking every necessary action to investigate, remediate, and share information with our partners and the American people.”

The background: Reuters first reported last month that the Commerce and Treasury departments had been hacked as part of the attack on SolarWinds, which counts the majority of federal agencies and U.S. Fortune 500 companies as customers.

Since then, agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration have confirmed they were affected by the attack, with hackers potentially present in these systems since March.

SolarWinds reported in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last month that up to 18,000 of its customers had potentially been compromised.

Trump seeks to distract: President TrumpDonald TrumpWarnock defeats Loeffler in Georgia Senate runoff The Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Eric Trump warns of primary challenges for Republicans who don’t object to election results MORE addressed the hack — among the worst cyber incidents in American history — in a tweet last month in which he questioned whether China was involved. Both the Chinese and Russian governments have denied involvement.

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“The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control,” Trump tweeted. “Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!).”

But other officials point to Moscow: Both Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Attorney General William Barr have previously said they believed Russia was behind the cyber espionage incident, while President-elect Joe Biden described the hack as a “grave risk to our national security.”

Biden said last month that the attack had all the hallmarks of a Russian cyber operation, and urged Trump to officially designate the nation as behind the incident.

“It certainly fits Russia’s long history of reckless disruptive cyber activities, but the Trump administration needs to make an official attribution,” Biden said. “This assault happened on Donald Trump’s watch when he wasn’t watching. It’s still his responsibility as president to defend American interests for the next four weeks.”

Pompeo doubled down Tuesday on accusing Russia of hacking the SolarWinds software, telling Bloomberg News that the incident “was in fact a Russian operation,” though emphasizing that the U.S. constantly faces cyberattacks from other nations including China, North Korea and Iran.

TRUMP ORDERED AIRCRAFT CARRIER TO STAY IN MIDDLE EAST: President Trump ordered Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller last week to reverse bringing the aircraft carrier the USS Nimitz home and keep the vessel in the Middle East, CNN reported on Monday.

The carrier had been ordered last week to return home in a show of de-escalating tensions with Iran.  

An unidentified defense official told CNN that Miller’s de-escalation goals had not been formally adopted. The call home took some commanders by surprise, multiple officials told the outlet, and U.S. Central Command also wanted the carrier to remain in the region.

Why things changed: Trump reportedly reversed the decision following a White House meeting Sunday.

Miller said in a Sunday statement that “Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials, I have ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment.”

Some U.S. officials were also concerned that Iran could stage an attack on the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and the Iraqui Shia military leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Iran reacts: Following the reversal of the aircraft carrier move, Iranian officials said Monday that Tehran has resumed 20 percent uranium enrichment levels that it reached prior to the Obama-era 2015 nuclear agreement that the U.S. left in 2018.

Iran on Monday also seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz hours before announcing its nuclear increase, according to multiple reports. The U.S. State Department has called for the tanker’s release.

ALL 10 LIVING FORMER US SECDEFS SIGNED LETTER TO TRUMP IN TWO DAYS: Former U.S. ambassador and defense official Eric Edelman said on Monday that it took only two days for all 10 former Defense secretaries to sign a letter that denounced efforts to involve the military in U.S. election disputes.

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Edelman drafted the letter with the help of former vice president and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, ABC News reported. According to Edelman, Cheney told Edelman he would sign the letter if he convinced other Defense secretaries to do the same.

“There’s the firing of Esper right after the election, there’s the installation of this cadre of political appointees around (acting Secretary of Defense Chris) Miller there, there’s the rush for the exit in Afghanistan,” Edelman told ABC News with regards to motivation for the effort.

Other motivations: Edelman added that the letter was also motivated by concerns stemming from comments made by former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, who suggested in an interview with Newsmax in mid-December that the president might use martial law to change the outcome of the election in some battleground states.

What the letter said: In their letter published in a Washington Post op-ed on Sunday, the former Defense secretaries warn that involving the U.S. armed forces in the election would lead into “unlawful and unconstitutional territory.”  

Addressing current Pentagon officials, the letter said, “We call upon them, in the strongest terms, to do as so many generations of Americans have done before them. This final action is in keeping with the highest traditions and professionalism of the U.S. armed forces, and the history of democratic transition in our great country.”

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

The Hudson Institute will hold a webinar on “U.S.-India Defense Ties: Partnership of the 21st Century,” with former Indian Integrated Defense Staff Chief Vice Adm. Shekhar Sinha at 12 p.m. 

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The House and Senate will meet in a joint session to count electoral votes of the 2020 presidential election in the Senate Chamber at 1 p.m.

The Intelligence National Security Alliance will hold a virtual discussion on “The Space Force’s intelligence priorities,” with Air Force Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback, Space Force director of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, at 4:30 p.m. 

ICYMI

— The Hill: Trump administration rolls out plan to secure maritime sector against cyber threats

— The Hill: Trump administration imposes additional sanctions on Iran amid increasing tensions

— The Hill: Wisconsin Governor mobilizes National Guard ahead of decision in Jacob Blake shooting

— The Hill: Bowser to DOJ, Pentagon: DC isn’t asking federal law enforcement to assist with protests

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— New York Times: Targeted Killings Are Terrorizing Afghans. And No One Is Claiming Them.

— Stars and Stripes: Family of Fort Hood sergeant questions Army’s effort to find him before he died

— Military Times: The VA has vaccinated nearly a third of its workforce

Trump issues order banning transactions with 8 Chinese apps

President TrumpDonald TrumpWarnock defeats Loeffler in Georgia Senate runoff The Memo: Georgia voters deliver blow to Trump Eric Trump warns of primary challenges for Republicans who don’t object to election results MORE on Tuesday issued an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese apps, citing concerns about data privacy.

The order, which goes into effect in 45 days, prohibits transactions with Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office. The order builds on previous efforts by Trump to outlaw the use of WeChat and TikTok on similar grounds.

“The United States has assessed that a number of Chinese connected software applications automatically capture vast swaths of information from millions of users in the United States, including sensitive personally identifiable information and private information, which would allow the [People’s Republic of China] and [Chinese Communist Party] access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information,” Trump said in the order.

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The president cited past cyber attacks connected to China, including a 2014 hack of the Office of Personnel Management and the 2017 Equifax hack that compromised the personal information of millions of Americans.

SHAREit allows users to transfer files from one device to another; CamScanner can be used as a PDF scanner; Tencent QQ is a messaging app; VMate is a video editing app; WeChat Pay can be used within the WeChat messaging app to make payments while AliPay is another payment app; and WPS Office is an app akin to Microsoft Office.

“I stand with President Trump’s commitment to protecting the privacy and security of Americans from threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party, and the Department of Commerce will leverage the authorities of  the E.O. to continue our mission to secure the nation, the economy, and the people of the United States,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur RossWilbur Louis RossTrump issues order banning transactions with 8 Chinese apps US set to blacklist dozens of Chinese firms, including top chipmaker: report Supreme Court tosses challenge to Trump’s immigrant census plan MORE said in a statement.

But with the order not going into effect until next month, it will fall to the incoming Biden administration to decide whether to enforce it or rescind it. China policy is one of the more complicated areas for Biden as his team weighs which policies to leave in place amid simmering tensions with Beijing.

Trump had previously issued an executive order in August banning transactions between U.S. companies and ByteDance, which is the parent company of TikTok, as well as Tencent Holdings, which owns WeChat.

The TikTok ban has yet to go into effect after it was stalled in court.

Top US admiral would 'welcome' Biden review of nuclear strategy

The general in charge of the U.S. nuclear arsenal said Tuesday he would “welcome” a review by the incoming Biden administration of the country’s nuclear weapons strategy, but lashed out at critics of the military’s plans for new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

“I welcome an examination of the nation’s strategy here,” U.S. Strategic Command chief Adm. Charles Richard told reporters. “I recommend that based on the threat. The threat is moving so fast that even given the time since the last Nuclear Posture Review warrants another look at it to make sure that we still endorse our strategy, and we have sufficient capability to execute that strategy.”

When asked about outside groups recommending Biden cut a program to replace existing ICBMs, Richard pushed back.

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“I don’t understand, frankly, how someone in a think tank, who actually doesn’t have their hands on the missile looking at the parts, the cables, all of the pieces inside — that thing is so old,” Richard said.

Richard went on to say he has had meetings with the Biden transition team that have “gone very well,” with plans for more, but did not provide details of the conversations.

The Trump administration conducted a Nuclear Posture Review that came out in 2018, as well as separate reviews on issues such as missile defense and space.

The Trump administration’s nuclear review in some ways followed the Obama administration’s 2010 Nuclear Posture Review, such as endorsing the modernization of the triad. But it deviated in other ways, such as calling for new weapons like the low-yield submarine-launched warhead that has since been deployed and raising the possibility of using nuclear weapons to respond to non-nuclear attacks.

The Biden administration is expected to conduct its own Nuclear Posture Review and is reportedly considering cuts to nuclear modernization programs.

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One program that could be targeted is the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), the next-generation intercontinental ballistic missiles set to replace aging Minuteman III missiles. The contract to build the missiles was awarded just last year.

The program has long been a target of arms control advocates and some Democrats who say it would be more cost-effective to extend the life of the Minuteman IIIs. Some want to eliminate the land component of the triad altogether because of what they see as its high risk for accidental nuclear war.

On Tuesday, Richard argued in support of the GBSD, saying the 50-year-old Minuteman III missiles will soon be too old to extend their lives.

“It is getting past the point of ‘it’s not cost effective to life-extend Minuteman III.’ You’re quickly getting to the point you can’t do it at all,” Richard said. “That thing is so old that in some cases the drawings don’t exist anymore, or where we do have drawings, they’re like six generations behind the industry standard. And there’s not only anybody that’s not working that can understand them, they’re not alive anymore.”

Richard also said he would recommend any review taken under the Biden administration to be broader than just the nuclear portfolio.

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“More broadly, I think a Nuclear Posture Review is too narrowly defined,” Richard said. “We face global threats, and then to parse our examination of those into a Nuclear Posture Review, a Missile Defense Review, a space review, a cyber review kind of misses the totality of what the strategic threat to this nation and our allies are. And I would recommend a broader based strategic review as opposed to parsing it out in pieces.”

Biden will also quickly be faced with a decision on whether to extend a nuclear treaty with Russia known as New START. The treaty expires two weeks after Biden takes office. Biden has said he would extend it, but did not specify for how long.

Richard sidestepped several questions about recommendations to Biden on extending the treaty, saying such decisions are “political” and that he would “simply provide best military advice about the implications whichever way you wish to go on.”

JR Hosts WWE '13 Panel (Video), SMS Comedy Match & NXT Stars Profiled

– This week’s NXT Superstar of the week is Leo Kruger, while Summer Rae is the NXT Diva of the Week.

– WWE.com has a feature up looking at NXT published photos of NXT star Bo Dallas, son of WWE producer Mike “IRS” Rotunda. Dallas is seen as one of the top young developmental stars at NXT.

– WWE taped a match between Daniel Bryan and Tyson Kidd for this weekend’s Saturday Morning Slam show. The match received rave reviews from fans, who noted that it was a very entertaining comedy match that will appeal to the young audience of the show.

– THQ sent in this video from SummerSlam weekend, where Jim Ross hosted a panel of Superstars, Divas and Mike Tyson to hype the upcoming WWE ’13 video game.

“As if SummerSlam wasn’t enough of a WWE summer treat, the latest THQ news release will give you even more reason to drool like a hungry fan. WWE Games organized an unbelievable crew of talent to make up quite possibly the greatest WWE panel ever. And we’re ready to reveal the whole shebang, one part at a time.”

“WWE Champion CM Punk, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mike Tyson, Dolph Ziggler, AJ Lee, Brodus Clay & The Funkadactyls, Cameron and Naomi, and special moderator Jim Ross. Join the panel as they visit “Attitude Era” memories, compare talent between WWE’s various eras and so much more.”

* CM PUNK’s Next Feud, When BROCK LESNAR Is Returning & WM29 Plans