JIM COOPER

The Pentagon is taking a rare look at whether it is properly prepared for an emergency in which the portable communications system nicknamed the “nuclear football," which always accompanies the president, is lost or stolen.

WASHINGTON – There's little doubt that Nancy Pelosi will be reelected House speaker when the new Congress convenes Sunday. It could take a high-wire act for her to get there, largely thanks to the pandemic. “Yeah, I do,” Pelosi told a reporter this week when asked if she had the votes wrapped up. Miller-Meeks is certain to vote against Pelosi to be speaker. “It’s extraordinarily tricky” for Pelosi, said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., an 18-year congressional veteran.

The Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville led to communications outages over hundreds of miles in the southern U.S., raising concerns about the vulnerability of U.S. networks. The blast seriously damaged a key AT&T network facility, an important hub that provides local wireless, internet and video service and connects to regional networks. AT&T customers lost service — phones, internet or video — across large parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. At some hospitals, electronic medical records, internet service or phones stopped working. It's not as if the physical vulnerability of communications networks comes as a surprise.

WASHINGTON – There's little doubt that Nancy Pelosi will be reelected House speaker when the new Congress convenes Sunday. It could take a high-wire act for her to get there, largely thanks to the pandemic. “Yeah, I do,” Pelosi told a reporter this week when asked if she had the votes wrapped up. Miller-Meeks is certain to vote against Pelosi to be speaker. “It’s extraordinarily tricky” for Pelosi, said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., an 18-year congressional veteran.