Sending shockwaves through the intelligence community, it was reported yesterday that newly appointed Acting DNI Richard “Ric” Grenell asked the intelligence community, specifically including Shelby Pierson, to produce the underlying intelligence within the briefing she gave to the House Intelligence Committee.
Well, what do you know…. All of a sudden today, anonymous intelligence officials are reporting to CNN that Ms. Pierson “overstepped” her position, was “misleading” in her briefing, and “mischaracterized” the underlying intelligence.   Imagine that.

Washington (CNN)-The US intelligence community’s top election security official appears to have overstated the intelligence community’s formal assessment of Russian interference in the 2020 election, omitting important nuance during a briefing with lawmakers earlier this month, three national security officials told CNN.

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Several new outlets have been reporting today on the death of Philip Haney, a DHS whistleblower who became well known for outlining how the Obama administration downplayed issues surrounding domestic radical Jihadist activity and Islamic terrorism.

It is being reported by Amador County, CA, sheriff’s office that Haney died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  However, many people are questioning the finding.

CALIFORNIA – Department of Homeland Security (DHS) whistleblower Philip Haney was found dead in Amador County, Calif., on Friday, according to local authorities.

Haney, 66, “appeared to have suffered a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the Amador County Sheriff’s Office said in a release. Sheriff and coroner Martin A. Ryan shared the initial details of the case.

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As people start looking at the background behind a data reporting application, “the App”, that was deployed by the Iowa Democrat party and DNC for data collection as used in the Iowa Caucus, a new development has surfaced.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), working in coordination with state elections officers, have an existing relationship to ensure computer systems and data collection systems are safe and secure.  Today the DHS reports their offer to review the data system was rebuked by the Iowa Democrat Pary.

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Earlier today the federal Coronavirus Task Force established by President Trump held a press conference to explain the U.S. response status and answer media questions.
The task force is being led by HHS Secretary Alex Azar and includes:  Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health; Ken Cuccinelli, Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security; Matthew Pottinger, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor.
[Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] – SECRETARY AZAR: Well, good afternoon, everyone. I’m Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Chairman of the President’s Task Force on the Novel Coronavirus.

I’m going to start by turning things over to Dr. Robert Redfield, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to discuss the current situation on the novel coronavirus. Dr. Redfield.

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House minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Mike McCaul, Rankimg Member of House Committee on Homeland Security, hold a press conference with the media pool immediately following the bipartisan White House briefing on Syria.
Apparently once Nancy Pelosi finished her political meltdown and stomped out of the briefing, the remaining democrats and republicans engaged in a healthy discussion with U.S. military leadership and President Trump about the purpose of the U.S. draw-down.

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Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mark Morgan holds a press conference to update on the status of ongoing border security and immigration enforcement.  [Video and Transcript Below]
Border arrests fell to roughly 51,000 in August, a more than 60 percent decrease from 133,000 arrests in May, which was the peak of the recent surge. [CPB Press Release] However, Commissioner Morgan emphasized that Mexico must continue to do more to secure the border.  Morgan said Mexico has taken “meaningful and unprecedented steps” to stop migrants passing through its country, “but they need to do more.”

U.S. and Mexican officials are scheduled to meet tomorrow to discuss ongoing efforts and expectations from the Trump administration to continue avoiding tariffs. President Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador deployed thousands of troops from a newly formed National Guard to intercept migrants and keep them from reaching the U.S. Southern border.  AMLO does not want to face U.S. tariffs on Mexican products.
[Transcript] ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Good morning. And thank you all for being here today.
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Earlier today President Trump delivered remarks on updated Hurricane Dorian preparations from the Oval Office.  In addition to the hurricane updates, President Trump held an an impromptu press conference. [Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] Oval Office – THE PRESIDENT: We thought we’d give you an update on the hurricane. We got lucky in Florida — very, very lucky indeed. We had — actually, our original chart was that it was going to be hit — hitting Florida directly. Maybe I could just see that, Kevin. It was going to be hitting directly, and that would have affected a lot of other states. But that was the original chart.
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President Trump travels to FEMA Headquarters for a briefing on the current state of storm preparedness in advance of Hurricane Dorian having impact on the U.S. coastline.

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WHITE HOUSE – President Donald J. Trump received a briefing today from senior members of his Administration and Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia, Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and Governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina on the Federal and State efforts underway to prepare for and respond to Hurricane Dorian at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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After federal authorities raided seven chicken processing facilities in Mississippi last week evidence is now surfacing (within probable cause affidavits – full pdf below) of willful and intentional illegal hiring practices.  But don’t look for all the employers to be prosecuted.
The Washington Post has an excellent outline of the seven facilities citing dozens of instances where evidence shows each company knew they were hiring people who were not legally eligible for work.
In a surprising number of cases the illegal employees were arrested by Border Patrol in California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona and released on electronic-monitoring programs, including ankle bracelets, to await court dates.
According to the affidavits federal authorities tracked the GPS locators on some of the employees and found they were illegally working in all of the facilities.  During interviews with the workers they stated how friends and family members in Mexico and Guatemala told them where to go for work in Mississippi.
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The White House has announced the Trump administration will enforce long-standing immigration laws that require entrants to be economically self-sufficient and limits public welfare benefits.   An entry alien who is -or becomes- dependent on public welfare assistance, is known as a “public charge”.   Aliens will be barred from entering the United States if they are deemed likely to become public charges, or welfare dependent.
These immigration rules have been in place for over 100 years, and generally were strictly enforced until the last 25 years.  The Trump administration is re-enforcing the rules.

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The enforcement action will have a direct bearing on the current immigration process as most border arrivals are economic migrants manipulating asylum claims.  Immigration based on self-sufficiency has been U.S. law for generations.
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