93-3-3-WMR Audio on Demand presents the Preston and Steve show podcast.

And now, Preston and Steve's news update with Kathy Romano.

Today is Wednesday, February 23rd. Good morning, Kathy.

Good morning in the news this morning. The Pentagon approved the deployment of 700 unarmed

National Guard troops to the nation's capital as it prepares for truck or convoys that are planning protests against pandemic restrictions.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the request Tuesday from the District of Columbia government and the U.S. Capitol Police, the Pentagon said in a statement Tuesday night.

The troops would be used to assist with

traffic control during demonstrations expected in the city in the coming days, the Pentagon said.

400 guard members from the District of Columbia Guard will be joined by 300 guard members

from other states, according to the statement. Guard members will not carry firearms or take part

in law enforcement or domestic surveillance activities, the Pentagon said.

Modeled after the recent trucker protest in Canada, separate truck convoys have been planned through

online forums with names like the People's Convoy and the American Truckers Freedom Fund,

all with different starting points, departure dates, and routes. A group from Pennsylvania is planning

to head to D.C. to take

part and disrupt the highways. Area law enforcement, including the Maryland State Police,

Metropolitan Police Department in D.C. and the United States Capitol Police are closely

monitoring the situation and in some cases ramping up security to deal with the possibility

of major disruptions in the days leading up to and around President

Joe Biden's State of the Union address on March 1st. A mainline school board meeting went on

for hours Tuesday night with debate over its mask mandate for staff and students as districts

across the area contemplate changes. The Radner School Board ultimately voted unanimously to

...