Midday Roundup: Secret Service admits bungling White House intrusion

Not-so-secret grilling. Secret Service Director Julia Pierson faced some tough questions from Congress this morning after the media discovered the intruder who jumped over the White House fence got much further than officials previously said. The Secret Service at first claimed Omar Gonzalez only made it through the front door on Sept. 19 before agents stopped him. But Gonzalez, a former soldier, made it all the way to the East Room after overpowering an agent and running down the hall. The president and first lady had just left the building. Pierson acknowledged the agency’s security plan “was not properly executed.” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House oversight committee castigated Pierson for the agency’s failure to do its job and warned the next intruder might be a terrorist. “An intruder walked in the front door of the White House, and that is unacceptable,” he said. “Commonsense tells us that there was a series of security failures—not an instance of praiseworthy restraint.”

Staying in Afghanistan. A small contingent of American troops will remain in Afghanistan after this year, when most foreign forces plan to leave the country. The U.S. troops will help train, equip, and advise Afghan soldiers and police forces. Newly elected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signed the Bilateral Security Agreement one day after he was sworn into office following the country’s first democratic transition of power. His predecessor, Hamid Karzai, refused to sign the agreement because it shields U.S. personnel from prosecution under Afghan law for any crimes they might commit. The need for help from foreign forces has grown in the last few months as Taliban fighters have increased attacks in hopes of regaining control of the country.

Serial killer. Police in Virginia say a man arrested on charges of abducting an 18-year-old college student earlier this month could be responsible for the unsolved kidnapping and murder of another college student in 2009. Morgan Harrington, who was 20 at the time, disappeared after getting separated from her friends at a Metallica concert. Her body was found three months later. Police announced yesterday that Jesse Matthew Jr.’s arrest last week yielded a new forensiclink to Harrington’s case. Matthew, who ran from police and was apprehended near Galveston, Texas, is suspected of snatching Hannah Graham from a popular mall area in Charlottesville, Va. Police have so far found no sign of her. Matthew previously attended Liberty University and volunteered as a football coach at an area high school.

Puzzling paralysis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the cases of 10 children in Colorado who are suffering from a neurological condition that’s causing weakness in their limbs, and, in some cases, paralysis. Doctors do not know whether the symptoms will be permanent. Several of the children tested positive for enterovirus D68, which has cased severe respiratory illness in children across the country. A small group of children in California suffered from a similar neurological condition last year, and at least two of them tested positive for the enterovirus. “That doesn’t prove cause and effect, but it’s circumstantial evidence,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The cause of the paralysis “still remains a puzzle.”

Prayer penalty. Officials with the National Football League, who have no shortage of things to apologize for these days, said today a Kansas City Chiefs player should not have been penalized for dropping to his knees and praying in the end zone after making a touchdown during last night’s game against the New England Patriots. Safety Husain Abdullah is a devout Muslim. Referees charged him with unsportsmanlike conduct and gave the team a 15-yard penalty. The NFL rulebook prohibits players from celebrating while on the ground, but includes an exception for prayer. After the game, the Council on American-Islamic Relations asked the league to clarify the policy and acknowledge the official made a mistake. In postgame interviews, Abdullah said he thought he was penalized for sliding to the ground.