The National Security Agency (NSA) made a former GOP political operative its top lawyer just days before President TrumpDonald TrumpIran convicts American businessman on spying charge: report DC, state capitals see few issues, heavy security amid protest worries Pardon-seekers have paid Trump allies tens of thousands to lobby president: NYT MORE leaves office, reportedly following an order from acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.

An NSA spokesperson confirmed that the agency was installing National Security Council (NSC) staffer Michael Ellis as the general counsel.

The Washington Post reported that Miller directed NSA Director Paul Nakasone to elevate Ellis to general counsel to do so by 6 p.m. Saturday.

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“Mr. Ellis accepted his final job offer yesterday afternoon,” an NSA spokesperson told The Hill in a Sunday statement. “NSA is moving forward with his employment.”

Pentagon General Counsel Paul Ney announced in November that Ellis would become the NSA general counsel, but he hadn’t started the job yet due to administrative procedures.

Ellis, a former chief counsel for Rep. Devin NunesDevin Gerald NunesNSA places former GOP political operative in top lawyer position after Pentagon chief’s reported order CIA chief threatened to resign over push to install Trump loyalist as deputy: report Bill Belichick turns down Medal of Freedom from Trump MORE (R-Calif.) who later joined the White House, will start in the role on Tuesday, a source familiar told CNN. 

The installation comes days before President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenFear of insider attack prompts additional FBI screening of National Guard troops: AP Iran convicts American businessman on spying charge: report DC, state capitals see few issues, heavy security amid protest worries MORE’s inauguration and will complicate the new administration’s potential efforts to immediately replace him, as the career civil service position makes it difficult for its occupant to be fired. But the incoming administration could reassign him to another position, The New York Times noted. 

Sources told the Times and the Post that Nakasone was not supportive of Ellis’s appointment over other career officials at the agency. 

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The NSA director and others reportedly feared that the White House attempted to “burrow” Ellis into the job against a policy that prevents an administration from inputting a political operative in career civilian positions before a transfer of power.

But a U.S. official told the Post that the Office of Personnel Management told Nakasone that the policy did not apply to intelligence community employees. 

A Defense Department spokesperson said the general counsel of the department operates as “the sole selection position” for the NSA’s general counsel.

“The Director of the NSA does not select or approve of candidates for the position of the NSA General Counsel,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“Once a candidate is selected through the merit system, given an offer and meets the requirements to be entered into the position, if that entry does not happen it exposes the Department, Agency and senior leadership to claims for a violation of the merit system principles and processes that are designed to protect the participants in such selections,” the statement added.

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“To be clear, congressional or media interest in a particular hiring action are not justification under the merit system principles and process to delay placing a selected qualified individual in a position,” it concluded.

When reached by phone, Ellis told the Post, “I don’t talk to the press, thank you,” and hung up. 

Ellis, who joined the White House in 2017 and became a lawyer on the NSC in 2019, overruled an official’s decision to clear former National Security Adviser John BoltonJohn BoltonNSA places former GOP political operative in top lawyer position after Pentagon chief’s reported order After insurrection: The national security implications McConnell won’t reprise role as chief Trump defender MORE’s book for publication, according to the Times. 

President Biden on Friday is set to sign an executive order expanding the scope of nutrition assistance programs, an effort to address a growing hunger crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and boosting worker protections. 

The latest Census Pulse survey found 13.7 percent of adults said they did not have enough to eat in the previous week, a figure that’s higher among Latino and Black households.

The executive order would reinterpret rules already in law, making benefits more generous. Benefits from the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer, a program to help families cover costs for food children normally get at school meals, would increase 15 percent, about $50 a month for a family with three children.

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The order would also expand the Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, to families that were previously deemed ineligible, to about 12 million people.

It will also kick off a process of reevaluating USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan, which serves as the basis for SNAP. Redefining what constitutes healthy nutrition through the plan could expand the level of benefits.

The order would also clarify that unemployed people have the right to refuse a job they deem unsafe without losing unemployment benefits.

Democrats and Republicans have sparred over employment and worker safety issues.

Republicans worry that overly-generous unemployment benefits and lax rules would encourage workers to stay home rather than return to work.

Last year, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellTrump selects South Carolina lawyer for impeachment trial McConnell proposes postponing impeachment trial until February For Biden, a Senate trial could aid bipartisanship around COVID relief MORE (R-Ky.) pushed to include liability protections for businesses that would shield them from coronavirus-related labor lawsuits in negotiations for a COVID-19 relief package.

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However, the issue was pushed off the table alongside aid to state and local governments.

The Biden administration says the actions are an important step, but no substitute for legislation. Biden proposed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, which faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

“We are at a precarious moment in our economy,” said Brian DeeseBrian DeeseThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden’s crisis agenda hits headwinds Biden to expand food benefits, worker COVID-19 protections Bipartisan Senate gang to talk with Biden aide on coronavirus relief MORE, director of the National Economic Council.

“We hope that congress will move quickly to consider this important plan.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezOcasio-Cortez: Facebook, Zuckerberg ‘bear partial responsibility’ for insurrection Belfast’s Troubles echo in today’s Washington AOC’s Ministry of Truth MORE (D-N.Y.) on Friday condemned Facebook as well as co-founder and CEO Mark ZuckerbergMark Elliot ZuckerbergOcasio-Cortez: Facebook, Zuckerberg ‘bear partial responsibility’ for insurrection ‘Nationalize’ Facebook and Twitter as public goods Amazon cites death threats in push to keep Parler offline MORE for misinformation posted on the platform, arguing that both Zuckerberg and his company “bear partial responsibility” for the deadly Jan. 6 pro-Trump riot at the Capitol. 

In her monthly livestream town hall for constituents, the progressive congresswoman said that while Facebook is “trying to do as much damage control as possible” following the mob attack by removing accounts posting false information about the 2020 election, which served as the basis for the violent demonstration, Ocasio-Cortez said the effects of online misinformation were “coming for a long time.” 

“I believe that this is directly connected to the complete lack of accountability that monopolies like Facebook have to democracy,” the New York representative said in the virtual event, adding that the social media giant “knew” there was misinformation on its platform and “allowed it” anyway. 

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Ocasio-Cortez then referenced a viral moment in an October 2019 congressional hearing when she questioned Zuckerberg on the potential for widespread misinformation in political ads, with the congresswoman on Friday saying that this should have prompted the Facebook head to take action ahead of the 2020 election. 

“Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook bear partial responsibility for Wednesday’s events. Period,” she argued. “We knew this was a problem. We knew this so far out that, pre-COVID, I asked him specifically about election disinformation and its ties on Facebook to white supremacist organizations and the ties that Facebook’s fact-checking organizations have to other white supremacist outlets so that they could avoid being flagged and taken down.

“There’s a very clear link here,” the congresswoman added. 

Following the violent mob, Facebook announced an indefinite suspension of President TrumpDonald TrumpFacebook temporarily bans ads for weapons accessories following Capitol riots Sasse, in fiery op-ed, says QAnon is destroying GOP Section 230 worked after the insurrection, but not before: How to regulate social media MORE’s account at least until President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenMissouri woman seen with Pelosi sign charged in connection with Capitol riots Facebook temporarily bans ads for weapons accessories following Capitol riots Sasse, in fiery op-ed, says QAnon is destroying GOP MORE’s inauguration to limit the possibility of the further spread of Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of a “stolen” election.

Facebook on Friday announced that it is no longer allowing people to create new events near the White House, the Capitol or state Capitols until after the inauguration, with the FBI warning of possible future violence amid the presidential transition. 

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This came after Facebook said Monday it would take down content containing the phrase “Stop the Steal” under its Coordinating Harm policy after the deadly riot at the Capitol last week. The phrase had been used to promote debunked claims about widespread election fraud, which were boosted by Trump and other Republican lawmakers ahead of the insurrection. 

However, an analysis released Thursday by nonprofit advocacy group Avaaz found that 90 groups on Facebook promoting debunked election claims remained on the platform as of Wednesday. 

Ocasio-Cortez has repeatedly called on social media platforms to take action in preventing the spread of false information online and on Tuesday said in an Instagram Live Q&A that she was exploring media literacy initiatives in the wake of the Capitol mob attack. 

“We’re going to have to figure out how we rein in our media environment so that you can’t just spew disinformation and misinformation,” she said in the video. “It’s one thing to have differing opinions, but it’s another thing entirely to just say things that are false.”

President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin TrudeauJustin Pierre James TrudeauBiden, Trudeau agree to meet next month How Biden, Trudeau and AMLO can achieve North America’s promise White House: It will be ‘a bit of time’ before Biden’s first foreign trip MORE agreed to meet next month as Washington and Ottawa seek a reset in relations after four years of tension.

Biden and Trudeau spoke over the phone Friday in Biden’s first call with a foreign leader since he took office Wednesday. Trudeau’s office said in a readout of the conversation that the two agreed to “meet next month in order to advance the important work of renewing the deep and enduring friendship between Canada and the United States.”

It was not immediately clear if the meeting would be in-person or virtual. The White House’s readout of the conversation said the two “agreed to speak again in a month,” and White House press secretary Jen PsakiJen PsakiBiden under pressure to deliver more COVID-19 shots Biden, Trudeau agree to meet next month Democrats seek answers on impact of Russian cyberattack on Justice Department, Courts MORE said Friday that it would be “a bit of time” before Biden’s first foreign trip. 

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Canada has historically been the first foreign trip for any new U.S. president.

The two readouts said Biden and Trudeau spoke on an array of issues, chiefly the need to combat the coronavirus pandemic and bolster cooperation between the U.S. and Canada on other issues such as climate change and strengthening economic cooperation.

“The Prime Minister and the President recognized that both countries’ fundamental priority is to end the global COVID-19 pandemic. They discussed collaboration on vaccines and acknowledged that the two countries’ efforts are strengthened by existing exchanges of medical personnel and the flow of critical medical supplies,” according to the Canadian readout of the call. “The two leaders discussed working closely together to defeat COVID-19 by responding to new variants and following expert advice.

“The Prime Minister and President discussed their shared vision for sustainable economic recovery, creating jobs, and growing the middle class,” it continued. “To that end, they discussed strengthening Canada-U.S. supply chain security and resilience.”

The White House also said Biden “acknowledged Prime Minister Trudeau’s disappointment regarding the decision to rescind the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, and reaffirmed his commitment to maintain an active bilateral dialogue and to further deepen cooperation with Canada.”

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Biden signed an executive order this week scrapping a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, the controversial 1,200-mile structure that carried oil from Canada to the U.S. Climate activists had panned the project, saying the pipeline would carry oil made from tar sands — whose production is carbon intensive — over sacred indigenous lands.

Despite the early disagreement over the Keystone XL pipeline, both Biden and Trudeau have voiced a desire to normalize relations that were roiled under former President TrumpDonald TrumpMcCarthy says he told Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene he disagreed with her impeachment articles against Biden Biden, Trudeau agree to meet next month Trump planned to oust acting AG to overturn Georgia election results: report MORE.

The previous administration adopted a more adversarial stance with Ottowa, slapping tariffs on Canadian products and insisting on scrapping the North American Free Trade Agreement and replacing it with a new deal. Trump also panned Trudeau as “very dishonest and weak,” and Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade adviser, once said “there’s a special place in hell” for the prime minister. 

“We have so much alignment — not just me and President Biden, but Canadians and President Biden,” Trudeau said at a press briefing earlier Friday. “I’m very much looking forward to working with President Biden.”

President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenMissouri woman seen with Pelosi sign charged in connection with Capitol riots Facebook temporarily bans ads for weapons accessories following Capitol riots Sasse, in fiery op-ed, says QAnon is destroying GOP MORE and congressional Democrats have signaled plans to raise taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations, but significant hurdles remain even with Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

This month’s Democratic sweep of Senate runoffs in Georgia, giving Democrats control of the Senate for the first time since 2014, increases the odds of tax proposals advancing through Congress. However, slim margins in both the House and the Senate mean enacting tax increases will prove challenging.

“Getting them to agree on a legislative proposal will not be easy,” said Jorge Castro, a former congressional aide and counselor to the IRS commissioner during the Obama administration who now works on tax law at Miller & Chevalier.

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Biden’s campaign tax proposals included rolling back President TrumpDonald TrumpFacebook temporarily bans ads for weapons accessories following Capitol riots Sasse, in fiery op-ed, says QAnon is destroying GOP Section 230 worked after the insurrection, but not before: How to regulate social media MORE’s 2017 tax-cut law for taxpayers with income above $400,000, taxing capital gains at the same rates as ordinary income for people with income above $1 million and raising the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent.

Democrats broadly think that wealthy people and corporations are not paying enough in taxes. A debate over how best to raise taxes on the rich was front and center during the Democratic presidential primary, with some Democratic candidates, such as Sens. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenPorter loses seat on House panel overseeing financial sector OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Nine, including former Michigan governor, charged over Flint water crisis | Regulator finalizes rule forcing banks to serve oil, gun companies | Trump admin adds hurdle to increase efficiency standards for furnaces, water heaters DeVos mulled unilateral student loan forgiveness as COVID-19 wracked economy: memo MORE (D-Mass.) and Bernie SandersBernie SandersSenate Democrats leery of nixing filibuster ‘Almost Heaven, West Virginia’ — Joe Manchin and a 50-50 Senate Biden to seek minimum wage in COVID-19 proposal MORE (I-Vt.), taking more aggressive positions than Biden and calling for a wealth tax.

The odds of any tax increases on the wealthy went up after Democrats won the Georgia runoffs. The victories will give Democrats and Republicans each 50 seats in the Senate, with Vice President-elect Kamala HarrisKamala HarrisHarris to be sworn in by Justice Sotomayor using Thurgood Marshall’s Bible In calling out Trump, Nikki Haley warns of a more sinister threat On The Money: Retail sales drop in latest sign of weakening economy | Fast-food workers strike for minimum wage | US officials raise concerns over Mexico’s handling of energy permits MORE having the ability to break ties.

Sen. Ron WydenRonald (Ron) Lee WydenSection 230 worked after the insurrection, but not before: How to regulate social media Senate Democrats leery of nixing filibuster Overnight Health Care: Biden unveils COVID-19 relief plan | Post-holiday surge hits new deadly records | Senate report faults ‘broken’ system for insulin price hikes MORE (D-Ore.), the incoming chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, said on a call with reporters Wednesday that raising taxes on the wealthy and businesses was among his priorities.

Wyden in 2019 released a proposal to tax high-income people’s investment gains annually rather than when the investments are sold. He said he plans to do further work on this proposal.

“If you are a nurse in America taking care of COVID patients, you don’t get to defer paying your taxes. But if you’re a billionaire, you can defer, defer, defer some more and then pretty much never pay any taxes at all,” he said. “My plan would put a stop to that.”

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Wyden also said he wants to roll back “corporate tax giveaways” in Trump’s 2017 law as well as the cuts for high earners. Additionally, he said he wants to close the carried interest “loophole” that benefits investment-fund managers, and better target a tax deduction for income from noncorporate businesses created by Trump’s law.

Biden, however, does not appear to be in a rush to push through his revenue-raising campaign proposals. Instead, he is focusing on immediate coronavirus relief legislation, with provisions aimed at decreasing taxes for low- and middle-income households. 

The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal that Biden unveiled Thursday did not include any tax increases but would provide for direct payments of $1,400 per person and would expand the earned income and child tax credits.

Biden also indicated he is willing to increase the deficit substantially at this time.

“It’s not just that smart fiscal investments, including deficit spending, are more urgent than ever,” Biden said Thursday. “It’s that the return on these investments — in jobs, in racial equity — will prevent long-term economic damage and the benefits will far surpass the costs.”

Biden did say, however, that he plans to pay for any “permanent investments” by making sure the wealthy pay their “fair share” of taxes and by doing away with tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas. In the coming weeks, Biden is expected to unveil a proposal on infrastructure, manufacturing and clean energy.

When Democrats do decide to move ahead with tax legislation, they could face difficulties reaching an agreement on a package that would have enough support to pass.

Since Democrats will control both the House and the Senate, they will be able to use a process called budget reconciliation that would allow them to pass tax- and budget-related legislation with just a simple majority in the Senate rather than the 60 votes otherwise needed to advance bills. Republicans used the same process to pass the 2017 tax cut law.

But the 50-50 split in the Senate means every Democratic senator would need to support a tax-increase bill for it to pass if no Republicans are on board. Democrats also have a razor-thin majority in the House.

If Democrats want to pursue tax increases on the wealthy and businesses, they’ll have to craft a bill that can be supported by progressives such as Warren and Sanders and moderates such as Sen. Joe ManchinJoseph (Joe) ManchinSenate Democrats leery of nixing filibuster Manchin: Removing Hawley, Cruz with 14th Amendment ‘should be a consideration’ ‘Almost Heaven, West Virginia’ — Joe Manchin and a 50-50 Senate MORE (D-W.Va.).

When Manchin first ran for Senate in 2010, he said he wouldn’t increase taxes during that rough economic time coming on the heels of the Great Recession. A spokesperson for the senator didn’t respond to an inquiry from The Hill on Thursday about Manchin’s current line of thinking on potential tax increases.

Mark Mazur, a former Obama administration Treasury Department official who now is director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, noted that former President Obama, who had a bigger Senate majority than Biden will have, started his presidency in dismal economic times and as a result delayed rolling back his predecessor’s tax cuts for the wealthy until several years into his presidency, when the economy was further along in its recovery.

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Mazur predicted that because of the narrow Democratic majorities, tax increases would be a “huge lift” even if lawmakers use the reconciliation process.

While there are some differences among Democrats about how best to raise taxes on the rich, the party was united in opposing Trump’s 2017 tax law and could find common ground rolling back those tax cuts for the wealthy.

Indivar Dutta-Gupta, co-executive director for the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality and a board member of the progressive group Tax March, said reversing Trump’s tax cuts for high-income households is one area where there’s broad agreement in the party.

“By and large, there’s a lot of unity among Democrats against the aspects of the Trump tax law that disproportionately go to the highest income households,” he said.

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins and top infectious diseases expert Anthony FauciAnthony FauciAstraZeneca vaccine distribution begins in Brazil Biden and UK prime minister discuss NATO, multilateralism during call Sunday shows preview: All eyes on Biden administration to tackle coronavirus MORE warned on Saturday that more data is needed to understand if the UK coronavirus strain is more deadly and more contagious. 

“These are serious situations that we are following very closely,” Fauci said in an interview on MSNBC. “If necessary, we will adapt to it,”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday that there is evidence the U.K. strain of the coronavirus spreads more quickly and has higher mortality rates. 

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Collins said that it is not clear why the U.K. strain would be more deadly or more contagious since the data is only preliminary, Thomson Reuters Foundation reported. The change could be from the virus or from external sources such as troubles in the health care system. 

“Let’s take this as something to watch closely,” Fauci said, adding that there is no evidence the current vaccine being distributed in the U.S. won’t work to protect people from the U.K. strain. 

The U.K. strain is confirmed to be in at least 10 states in the U.S. The strain could become the dominant one by March, as it has proved to be twice as contagious as the current dominant strain in the U.S. 

There is more concern over the South African strain of the virus due to how it could affect the efficacy of the vaccine being distributed. There are currently no reported cases of the South African strain in the U.S. 

“We are somewhat more concerned about a South African variant,” Collins said. 

Fauci said it is a bit more “ominous for the South African isolate because the mutations there” make it so the vaccine isn’t as effective. However, he also said it is still “within the framework” of the vaccines in the U.S. and that the vaccines provide protection against the strain. The vaccine can be modified if needed, he commented. 

The U.S. has been hit hard by the coronavirus, with more than 400,000 deaths. Measures to fight the virus, including testing for international travelers, are being implemented on Jan. 26.

Spain’s Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Miguel Ángel Villarroya, resigned from his position after reports that he received the coronavirus vaccine ahead of other priority groups, according to a report from Reuters. 

Villarroya resigned on Saturday after receiving public backlash for allegedly skipping the line to get inoculated. Like many other countries, including the United States, Spain has prioritized health care workers and the elderly, two of the most exposed and vulnerable groups to the virus. 

Defense Minister Margarita Robles reportedly talked to Villarroya after reports of his vaccination emerged on Friday to ask if they were true, according to the wire service. 

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Robles did not explicitly say if Villarroya got the vaccine in the statement about his resignation but did say that Villarroya “never intended to take advantage of unjustifiable privileges which damaged the image of the Armed Forces and put in doubt the honour of the general,” according to Reuters.  

Villarroya was at daily media briefings to represent the military and update the public on how troops were helping care for citizens last year when the pandemic began. 

The wire service reported that the general’s actions had damaged the image of the armed forces in Spain. 

Robles’s statement said Villarroya “took decisions which he thought to be correct” but those decisions “damaged the public image of the Armed Forces.”

The news comes as several public figures have made waves in the country for jumping the priority line in Spain. 

The country has also been one of the hardest hit in Europe after France and has seen a death toll of more than 55,000 since the pandemic began, with cases still going up. The country is at almost 2.5 million coronavirus cases.

— The live events section at WWE.com has Tommy Dreamer listed for two house shows in August, which seems to indicate that WWE expects him to still be with the company after his current contract ends on June 6th. To see the listings, click here and here.

Go to http://prowrestlingevents.tk or http://prowrestlingevents.webs.com for info about upcoming wrestling shows worldwide. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

— As reported shortly before WrestleMania, Batista is featured on a Wolverine-inspired cover for WWE Magazine. The headline of the June 2009 issue reads: “New, Improved, Unleashed. Batista Strikes Back! – This Animal Is Coming Home… For Revenge!” Click here to see the cover.

— In birthday news, SmackDown wrestler Ricky Ortiz turned 34 years old on Tuesday, SmackDown wrestler Jimmy Wang Yang turned 28 years old on Wednesday, and ECW wrestler Zack Ryder turned 24 years old on Thursday.

See Kelly Kelly & Jillian Hall’s *HUGE* screw-up on Raw! (>>)