Following the announcement last week that Senator Elizabeth Warren will run for the office of President in 2020, U.S. House Representative Tulsi Gabbard announces today she will also be a candidate; a formal announcement will be made next week.
Don’t count out Gabbard. She fits the profile of a more likeable candidate who can unite several Democrat tribes.
In my opinion, unlike Warren, when the dust from an aggressive primary run begins to settle, Gabbard will be in the final four. However, historically speaking, no house representative without any prior executive experience (Governor etc.) has ever been able to win the nomination.  More likely the DNC will use Gabbard as a splitter to select their preferred and pre-selected nominee.
(more…)

Earlier this afternoon President Donald Trump held a cabinet room meeting with officials from multiple agencies to discuss the ongoing issues with border security.  In addition to the influx of illegal aliens, the scale of drugs and human trafficking is becoming a worsening crisis in the border region.
“The easy solution is for me to call a national emergency,” President Trump said. “But I’m not going to do that so fast as this is something Congress should do and we’re waiting for the Democrats to vote.” Adding, “what we need is common sense.”

New Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has officially suspended Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel today over his handling of the February 2018 shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Governor Desantis flew to Fort Lauderdale three days after taking office to remove Israel and he has appointed former police sergeant Greg Tony, 40, to serve as acting sheriff. Sheriff Tony worked for Coral Springs police for 12 years before leaving in 2016. He is the first African-American to serve as Broward’s sheriff.

(Via AP) […] DeSantis’ office issued a statement saying, “Sheriff Israel has repeatedly failed and has demonstrated a pattern of poor leadership. He failed to protect Floridians and visitors during the tragic Fort Lauderdale International Airport shooting in 2017. He failed in his duties to keep our families and children safe during the devastating shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. These incidents demonstrate Sheriff’s Israel’s repeated incompetence and neglect of duty.”
The statement added, “The families of the victims deserve accountability.”
(more…)

In the last 24 hours The Epoch Times has become a conduit for leaked information from inside the joint House congressional committee (Oversight/Judiciary) that was investigating DOJ and FBI corruption. [Two Stories: See Here and See Here]
The joint House committee previously requested approval from the DOJ and FBI for transcripts of all witness testimony to be released.  In response, Deputy FBI Director David Bowditch, citing possible interference with the Mueller investigation, refused to release the transcripts.  However, it appears someone from within the committee, likely Mark Meadows, following a pattern previously exclusive to John Solomon (The Hill), is now leaking those witness transcripts to The Epoch Times.
The leaked transcripts are not being made available; however, articles are being written from those who are reviewing them.  The first is an article by Jeff Carlson about the testimony by former FBI lawyer Lisa Page.  It is a lengthy article and I would urge all who are interested in her testimony to read it: SEE HERE.  There is a wealth of new information that fills in many of the gaps from prior research.

One of the immediately interesting aspects of the Page testimony goes directly to the issue of why the witness transcripts are not being released, and the inherent risk to the small group inside the DOJ and FBI who were coordinating the Clinton and Trump probes.
Lisa Page outlines the people who were at the center of the “small group team” within the FBI (emphasis mine):
(more…)

San Diego local news station KUSI shares how they were contacted by CNN “asking if a reporter could give them a local view of the debate surrounding the border wall and government shutdown.”  However, after KUSI agreed to provide a reporter with extensive knowledge of the effectiveness of a border wall, CNN changed their mind.

(VIA KUSI) […] We believe CNN declined a report from KUSI because we informed them that most Border Patrol Agents we have spoken to told us the barrier does in fact work.
We have continuously been told by Border Patrol Agents that the barrier along the Southern border helps prevent illegal entries, drugs, and weapons from entering the United States, and the numbers prove it.  (link)

(more…)

Video recap from the White House:

Speaking from the southern U.S. border in Texas, Rio Grande sector, President Trump discusses the border security challenges with Fox host Sean Hannity.
President Trump outlines how the border wall issue is simply a matter of “common sense.” Recent polling would indicate the majority of Americans agree with President Trump:

79% of Americans agree there is a crisis at the border.

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

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

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 †

The president will win the political argument over the need for a border wall, and the reasons are simple: (1) most common-sense Americans agree with the need; and (2) democrats, only comfortable within their echo-chamber, always over-play their hand.
It really is that simple.  There is a genuine crisis at the border; and illegal entry into the United States is a national security issue.  Two recent articles today outline the issue:

(CNN Reports) […] Mexican authorities found at least 20 bodies, most of them burned, along a dirt road in the northern state of Tamaulipas near the US border, officials said.  The bodies were found Wednesday afternoon near four charred pickup trucks and a sedan in the rural community of Refugio Hinojosa near the town of Miguel Aleman, federal police said. (link)

(more…)