- Trump had threatened Insurrection Act to control protests against ICE
- Minnesota governor mobilizes National Guard amid rising tensions
- 11th Airborne Division soldiers in Alaska on standby, reports say
- Confrontations high after ICE agent killed Renee Good
Washington
Commanders RB Stronger After Being Cut
The Washington Commanders are happy that they offered running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. a second chance.
Rodriguez, a sixth-round pick by the Commanders in the 2023 NFL Draft, was cut by the team ahead of the 53-man roster deadline out of training camp. He bounced from the practice squad to the active roster throughout the season until he was signed to the 53-man roster on Nov. 9. Two weeks later, he was released, only to come back three days later.
Even though Rodriguez has had ups and downs, Commanders coach Dan Quinn admires his attitude.
“One of the hardest parts of the job is releasing somebody and that happens at the biggest junction as you know, like at the end in the training camp,” Quinn said of Rodriguez. “And for some they’re going go come back, whether it’s on the practice squad or the 53. And for others it’s the end of the road. And so, the amount of players that have offered up what’s going on here with their teammates, I’ve tried to share that to them because it’s not like that everywhere that they feel a connection of things being different here in a locker room full of people that are pulling in the same direction. And so, I try to share that with them and Chris would be an example of that. How badly he wants to be a part of it here and vice versa.”
With Austin Ekeler likely out for the season, Rodriguez should become a key piece to the Commanders run game behind Brian Robinson Jr.
Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.
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Washington
Pentagon readies 1,500 troops to possibly deploy to Minnesota, US media say
Jan 18 (Reuters) – The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, the site of large protests against the government’s deportation drive, U.S. media reported on Sunday.
The army placed the units on prepare-to-deploy orders in case violence in the northern state escalates, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed defense officials, adding that it is not clear whether any of them will be sent.
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The White House told the Post in a statement that it is typical for the Pentagon “to be prepared for any decision the President may or may not make.” The Pentagon and the White House did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters for comment.
President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to use the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces if officials in the state do not stop protesters from targeting immigration officials after a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
THREAT OF TROOPS FOLLOWS SURGE OF IMMIGRATION AGENTS
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
The soldiers subject to deployment specialize in cold-weather operations and are assigned to two U.S. Army infantry battalions under the 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska, the Post and ABC News reported.
Confrontations between residents and federal officers have become increasingly tense in Minneapolis, Minnesota’s most-populous city, after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, on January 7 as she was driving away after being ordered to exit her car.
Trump, a Republican, has sent nearly 3,000 federal agents from ICE and Border Patrol to Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul since early last week, as part of a wave of interventions, mostly to cities run by Democratic politicians.
He has said troop deployments in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Memphis and Portland, Oregon, are necessary to fight crime and protect federal property and personnel from protesters. But this month he said he was removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, which have faced legal setbacks and challenges.
Local leaders have accused the president of federal overreach and of exaggerating isolated episodes of violence to justify sending in troops.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, against whom the Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation, has mobilized the state’s National Guard to support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies, the state Department of Public Safety posted on X on Saturday.
Trump has repeatedly invoked a scandal around the theft of federal funds intended for social-welfare programs in Minnesota as a rationale for sending immigration agents in. The president and administration officials have repeatedly singled out the state’s community of Somali immigrants.
The Insurrection Act is a federal law that gives the president the power to deploy the military or federalize National Guard troops inside the U.S. to quell domestic uprisings.
The law can be invoked when there are “unlawful obstructions, combinations or assemblages or rebellion” against federal authority. If the president deems those conditions have been met, he may use the armed forces to take actions “to enforce those laws or suppress the rebellion.
Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and William Mallard
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Washington
Bellevue vs. Renton: Watch Washington boys high school basketball tilt live tonight
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Bellevue travels to Renton High School on Friday night for a nonleague matchup that pits two surging programs coming in on win streaks. The Wolverines (12-2) enter riding momentum from last season’s state quarterfinal appearance, while the Red Hawks (7-8) look to build consistency under head coach Rashaad Powell.
Head coach Warren King returns a deep senior class led by Jackson Skaggs, Max Harrity, Eduardo Molina, Kenny Shin, Trevin King and Nick Norrah. The Wolverines also feature junior Tayten Jones, giving them a balanced roster capable of competing with any team in the state.
The Red Hawks counter with their own weapons. Senior Isaac Elegan anchors the lineup, while junior scorer Sudan Luok provides offensive firepower. Junior co-captains Julius White-Kelly, Nick Jarvis and Jalen Taylor round out a core that has shown flashes this season.
Opening tipoff is set for 8 p.m. PT on Friday, January 16 with a live TV broadcast on NFHS Network.
• WATCH: Bellevue vs. Renton basketball is livestreaming on NFHS Network
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How to watch Bellevue vs. Renton basketball livestream
What: Wolverines, Red Hawks set for Friday night Showdown in Renton
When: Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. PT on Friday, January 16
Where: Renton High School | Renton, Washington
Watch live: Watch Bellevue vs. Renton live on the NFHS Network
Washington
National Guard troops to stay on Washington, DC, streets through 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — National Guard troops will be on the streets of Washington, D.C., until the end of the year, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press.
The memo, signed by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and dated Wednesday, said “the conditions of the mission” warranted an extension past the end of next month to continue supporting President Donald Trump’s “ongoing efforts to restore law and order.”
Meanwhile, Trump said this month that for now he was dropping his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, which had provoked legal challenges. He also backed off a bit Friday from his threat a day earlier to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to quell protests in Minnesota.
In Washington, troops have been charged with patrolling the streets and picking up trash. Trump has asserted repeatedly that crime has vanished in the city.
Two National Guard troops from West Virginia that were part of the mission in D.C. were shot the day before Thanksgiving. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries.
The National Guard has about 2,400 troops in Washington, with about 700 from D.C. and the rest from 11 states with Republican governors, including Indiana, South Carolina, Alabama and Oklahoma.
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