What to Know
- Two weeks since 17 died in the deadliest school shooting in Florida history, classes will resume at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
- The security clearance of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner has been downgraded, significantly reducing his access to classified info
- Ryan Seacrest is speaking out about the sexual harassment allegations leveled against him, continuing to deny the claims
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Classes Resuming at Douglas High Weeks After Mass Shooting
Two weeks to the day from when 17 people lost their lives in the deadliest school shooting in Florida history, classes are set to resume at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Students and teachers will be on a modified schedule for the remainder of the week, in class from 7:40 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. before returning to a full schedule next week. Teachers and staff spent two this week prepping for the return, while students and parents were on campus last Sunday for an orientation. Support services will be available throughout the week for students, staff and even parents who need help in dealing with the return to school and the tragic events that surrounded the school’s closure. The Parkland school’s principal, Ty Thompson, tweeted that the focus of the next three days will be “comfort, not curriculum” while advising students they don’t need to bring backpacks and to come ready to start the healing process, adding the hashtag “#RECLAIMTHENEST” in honor of their mascot, the Eagles. The walkway leading onto the campus remains lined with flowers and photographs, memorials to the students and teachers killed in a Valentine's Day massacre that forever altered their lives and thrust them into the center of the nation's gun debate.
Jared Kushner's Security Clearance Downgraded
The security clearance of White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner has been downgraded, significantly reducing his access to classified information, according to two people informed of the decision. Kushner had been operating with an interim clearance at the "top secret/sensitive compartmented information" level for more than a year. Now he is authorized to access information only at the lower "secret" level, according to a White House official and a person familiar with the decision, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. Neither source was authorized to discuss the decision publicly. The news set off rampant speculation among Trump allies that Kushner's days in the White House might be numbered. On the same day, the departure of a third Kushner ally in the West Wing in as many months was announced. And the selection of a Kushner ally to serve as Trump's 2020 campaign manager appeared to suggest the campaign could provide Kushner with a convenient place to land after his White House duties end. Kushner lost his access to the nation's deepest secrets after chief of staff John Kelly ordered that White House officials with interim clearances pending since before June 1, 2017, be cut off if they hadn't received permanent clearances by last Friday. A White House official confirmed to The Associated Press that Kelly's order has been implemented.
Russia “Compromised” 7 U.S. States Before 2016 Election, Officials Say
Local
The U.S. intelligence community developed substantial evidence that state websites or voter registration systems in seven states were compromised by Russian-backed covert operatives prior to the 2016 election — but never told the states involved, according to multiple U.S. officials. Top-secret intelligence requested by President Obama in his last weeks in office identified seven states where analysts — synthesizing months of work — had reason to believe Russian operatives had compromised state websites or databases. Three senior intelligence officials told NBC News that the intelligence community believed the states as of January 2017 were Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Texas and Wisconsin. The officials say systems in the seven states were compromised in a variety of ways, with some breaches more serious than others, from entry into state websites to penetration of actual voter registration databases. NBC News reached out to all seven states that were compromised, as well as 14 additional states the Department of Homeland Security says were probed during the 2016 election. To this day, six of the seven states deny they were breached, based on their own cyber investigations.
Ryan Seacrest Denies Sexual Harassment Allegations
Ryan Seacrest is speaking out about the sexual harassment allegations leveled against him. One day after Variety published one woman's account of "unwanted sexual aggression" by the television personality while working as his personal stylist, Seacrest continues to deny the claims. Seacrest shared in a statement, "Much has been said about the #MeToo and Times Up movement(s) and the importance of providing women and men with the opportunity to share their stories of workplace misconduct, in an effort to change our culture and the systemic inequalities that exist. I absolutely support this cause unequivocally and applaud all the brave souls who have come forward to share their stories." "Sadly, last fall I became one of the accused," he continued, "which I promptly revealed proactively to the network involved and to the public. And to be equally clear, those accusations were then investigated by an independent third-party over the course of a two-month process and involved dozens of interviews that included me, the accused and countless others. Ultimately, my name was cleared. I eagerly participated in the investigation in order to demonstrate my innocence because I know my truth, and I believe in due process." Seacrest first faced the accusations in November, prompting E! to launch an investigation. Three months later, the network said no sufficient evidence to corroborate the allegations was discovered.
