General Tony Thomas speaking at the Aspen Forum on July 21, 2017 reveals the New York Times ran a story from leaked intelligence that foiled the capture of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

(Via Fox) In a wide-ranging interview moderated by Fox News’ Catherine Herridge, Thomas, who leads the Special Operations Command, said his team was “particularly close” to Baghdadi after the 2015 raid that killed ISIS oil minister Abu Sayyaf. That raid also netted his wife, who provided a wealth of actionable information.

“That was a very good lead. Unfortunately, it was leaked in a prominent national newspaper about a week later and that lead went dead,” Thomas said. “The challenge we have [is] in terms of where and how our tactics and procedures are discussed openly. There’s a great need to inform the American public about what we’re up to. There’s also great need to recognize things that will absolutely undercut our ability to do our job.” (read more)  Watch Video:

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Anthony Scaramucci was appointed to the position of White House Communications Director yesterday. Earlier today Scaramucci gave his first interview to Breitbart News Media to discuss his communication objectives.
In his first interview Breitbart reporter Matthew Boyle asks Scaramucci if he actually understands the Trump voter and the middle-class base of support for President Trump.  Scaramucci outlines his outlook and what he views as the greatest challenge in getting the America-First message and Trump agenda to remain the focus of policy and messaging (click the orange arrow to listen):
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The U.S. building industry is a manufacturing sector made up of individual smaller material sectors.  Steel rebar is one such sub-sector.
WILBUR ROSS – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross today announced the affirmative final determination in this antidumping duty (AD) investigation, finding that steel concrete reinforcing bar from Taiwan is being sold in the U.S. market at unfair prices.
The Commerce Department determined that exporters from Taiwan have sold steel concrete reinforcing bar in the United States at 3.50 percent to 32.01 percent at less than fair value based on factual evidence provided by the interested parties.
The Commerce Department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of steel concrete reinforcing bar from Taiwan based on these final rates.
“The United States can no longer sit back and watch as its essential industries like steel are destroyed by foreign companies unfairly selling their products in the U.S. markets,” said Secretary Ross. “We will continue to take action on behalf of U.S. industry to defend American businesses, their workers, and our communities adversely impacted by unfair imports.”
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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sean Spicer Twitter @PressSec

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Former RNC head and current White House Chief-of-Staff, Reince Priebus, discusses the communications team change at the White House today.  Anthony Scaramucci becomes Communications Director, Sarah Huckabee becomes White House Press Secretary and Sean Spicer leaves the White House.
Considering the abject failure of Reince to reign in his GOPe tribe’s attacks against President Trump, the countdown clock toward Lord Priebus’s exit appears to have begun.

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions was in Philadelphia today and specifically challenged the city to reconsider their decision to be a sanctuary city for illegal alien criminals.

“The residents of Philadelphia have been victimized,” Mr. Sessions told federal prosecutors here, denouncing the city for “giving sanctuary to criminals.”  (link)

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Social justice, political correctness, affirmative action, diversity policies and the predictable consequences therein, all converged in Minneapolis last week when a Somali police officer shot and killed a Australian woman in her pajamas; sketchy reason yet undetermined.

Today, amid the swirling controversy, the chief of diversity and policing resigned from office:

(Reuters) – Minneapolis police chief Janee Harteau resigned on Friday at the request of the city’s mayor, who said that she had lost confidence in Harteau following the fatal police shooting of an unarmed Australian woman.
The death of Justine Damond, 40, from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen fired through an open window of a police patrol car, has outraged her relatives and the public in Australia. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called it “shocking” and “inexplicable.”

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Many people might be familiar with the 2013/2014/2015 “Unaccompanied Alien Children” (UAC) crisis which stemmed from a specific President Obama policy/construct to allow a massive influx of South American migrants to enter the U.S.
Despite most media reports to the contrary, a considerable number of those UAC’s were teen and young gang members from South America, including MS-13 members. The aliens were granted entry by the Obama administration, supported by false assertions of refugee status and shipped to various regional locales.
Senator Ted Cruz, Media personality Glenn Beck and current NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch were part of the insufferable campaign to facilitate the influx.  We know this, because CTH investigated the origin and large-scale purpose of the entire program.  As time progressed it did not take long for many of these “UAC’s” to begin reengaging in illicit criminal activity in their relocated areas.
[Click here for a background on how it began] Today Reuters is reporting DHS intends to specifically target these illegal UAC criminal gang members for deportation.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. immigration agents are planning nationwide raids next week to arrest, among others, teenagers who entered the country without guardians and are suspected gang members, in a widening of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has announced a revised set of travel restrictions for U.S. citizens considering travel to the DPRK.
Once in full effect there will be a travel ban in place restricting all travel using U.S. passports.  U.S. humanitarian groups and entities requesting travel to the DPRK will need to request a specific passport from the State Department.

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) – The U.S. government on Friday said it will bar Americans from traveling to North Korea due to the risk of “long-term detention” in the country, where a U.S. student was jailed while on a tour last year and later died.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has authorized a “Geographical Travel Restriction” on Americans to forbid them from entering North Korea, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

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