Tuesday morning news: March 12, 2024

WARNER: (gavel) Good afternoon. Thank you for appearing today before the Senate Intelligence Committee’s annual worldwide threats hearing.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Senate threats hearing: Border » The world is a very dangerous place. And if anyone needed a reminder, they got it on Capitol Hill Monday.

Intelligence and Pentagon officials testified about the top threats facing America.

GOP Sen. John Cornyn questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray:

JOHN CORNYN: I worry that among the people that are coming across the border that are evading law enforcement, that there are some people among those that mean to do us harm. Do you share that concern?

WRAY: I do.

Wray added that there are “a whole host of threats that emanate from the border.”

WRAY: The vast majority of the fentanyl that’s killing Americans is, of course, coming from Mexico. And the vast majority of the precursors for that fentanyl is coming from China.

Senate security threats hearing: Chinas, Russia » China was another big topic of conversation as its communist government continues to gear up for a possible future war with the United States.

And the top Republican on the panel, Sen. Marco Rubio again raised concerns about a highly popular Chinese-owned social media app.

RUBIO: They happen to control a company that owns one of the world’s best artificial intelligence algorithms. It’s the one that’s used in this country by TikTok.

The U.S. government has banned TikTok on government devices. Some members of Congress continue to float the idea of banning the app in the United States altogether. Intelligence officials have cited national security concerns related to the app.

Officials also testified about threats from Russia, including a cyber-warfare arms race and Moscow’s push to weaponize space.

Netanyahu responds to Biden » Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country must and will root out Hamas terrorists in the city of Rafah at the southern tip of Gaza. That despite protests from the White House. Netanyahu responded Monday to those who say Israel should stay out of Rafah.

NETANYAHU: This would be equivalent to saying, “Well, we’ll leave a quarter of the Nazi army in place, and we won’t go into Berlin, the last stronghold.”

President Biden has said he has a “red line” and doesn’t want to see an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah. Roughly half of the territory’s population is sheltering there to escape the war.

But Netanyahu says Rafah is the last remaining Hamas stronghold, and to leave Hamas intact within the city would mean losing the war.

Israel says it does have a plan to evacuate many civilians and minimize harm to non-combatants.

Biden Budget » President Biden has unveiled a $7.3 trillion budget proposal that he says lowers healthcare costs and provides tax relief to working families.

On the campaign trail in New Hampshire Monday, Biden pledged:

BIDEN: Nobody as long as I’m president who earns less than $400,000 – it’s a lot more than I ever made – will pay an additional penny in federal taxes. Nobody. Not a single cent. Nobody will pay a single penny more.

But critics say Biden’s plan to hike taxes on corporations would be a tax on all Americans, as the cost of those higher corporate taxes get passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.

Biden also wants to raise taxes on wealthy Americans, and claims the plan would reduce Washington’s overspending. But his budget would add almost another $2 trillion dollars to the national debt next year.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calls the budget an example of:

SCHUMER: The Democrats’ positive, proactive vision.

But Republicans call it another example of reckless spending.

While the budget highlights the president’s priorities, it is highly unlikely to be adopted by Congress.

Bob Menendez latest » New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has pleaded not guilty to new additional charges, including obstruction of justice.

Defense attorney Lawrence Lustberg:

LUSTBERG: This trial’s coming up very quickly — I think unjustly quickly. But we’ll be ready, and I am confident in the outcome.

The senator and his wife have been charged with taking bribes of gold bars, cash and a Mercedes in exchange for political favors that benefited the Egyptian government.

Menendez says he is innocent on all charges.

Florida parental rights bill settlement » The state of Florida is issuing guidance and clarification with regard to a parental rights law that drew the ire of pro-LGBT activists. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Critics erroneously dubbed it the “don’t say gay” bill. The measure enacted two years ago is aimed at shielding young children from LGBT indoctrination in school.

In a settlement with plaintiffs who sued over the law, the state’s Board of Education will send instructions to every school district. It will clarify that Florida law doesn't bar discussion of LGBT people or prohibit teachers from identifying themselves as LGBT.

But the law will continue to prohibit alternative gender and sexual ideologies as part of any official instruction.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's office described the deal as a “major win” for the Parental Rights in Education Act. An attorney for the state said “We fought hard to ensure this law couldn’t be maligned in court, as it was in the public arena by the media and large corporate actors.”

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Sweden flag raised at NATO headquarters » Sweden’s flag is now flying at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Under a steady rain, two soldiers raised the blue and yellow Swedish flag on Monday as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg looked on.

STOLTENBERG: Thirty-two flags flying together. They represent 32 nations working for a common purpose; to protect 1 billion people and preserve peace.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was also on hand for the ceremony.

He said Russia’s “brutal, full-scale invasion against Ukraine” convinced Sweden that joining the NATO alliance was “the only reasonable choice.”

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Keeping kids safe online in Florida. Plus, Pro-lifers respond to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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