Bernie Sanders: Blue Wave Is Dead; Midterms Will Be "Very, Very Close"

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) says he "doesn't believe" that there will be a so-called "blue wave" of Democratic victories sweeping the midterm elections, and that it will be a "very, very close" situation. Speaking with The Hill's Krystal Ball on Monday while stumping from Iowa Democrat J.D. Scholten, Sanders said that the outcome from the November 6 elections will be determined by a "handful of votes." "You know a lot of people talk about this "blue wave" and all that stuff - I don't believe it. I happen to think that on election night we're gonna find a very, very close situation, and that maybe a handful of votes determining whether Democrats gain control of the House." "We have an entity able to stand up to [President] Trump or we don’t," added the former Presidential candidate whose aspirations for the Oval Office were derailed after Hillary Clinton and the DNC "rigged the primary" against him in 2016. Sanders - rumored as a 2020 hopeful against Donald Trump, told Hill.TV that he's doing everything he can to promote promising Democratic candidates such as Scholten - stating "we desperately need his voice" in Congress. Democrats will need to pick up 23 seats during midterms in order to take back control of the House.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-22/bernie-sanders-blue-wave-dead-midterms-will-be-very-very-close

Long-awaited cyber agency nears, but will it change anything much

The upcoming lame-duck session of Congress is poised to deliver the top item on the Department of Homeland Security's wish list — a bill paving the way for the DHS to create the government's first cyber-specific agency — but whether that translates into real security improvements remains an open question. The department's cyber responsibilities range from sharing “threat indicators” — the telltale signs of a possible coming hack — with businesses and other government agencies and helping the private sector secure critical infrastructure, like telecom networks.

The DHS has received mixed reviews over the years on these functions, which led to some congressional hesitancy to codify its cyber role. For instance, “timeliness and relevance are still the top-tier complaints” about how the DHS handles its cyber info-sharing, said Melissa Hathaway, who served as a top cybersecurity adviser to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The agency's intervention isn't always in time, and it struggles to recognize and prioritize the truly meaningful threats. And, said the chief information security officer of a prominent developer of cybersecurity products, “People are generally not aware of the DHS tools.” That means companies that fear they’re a target of cyber-crime call the FBI instead.

Proponents of the bill say it’ll iron out a few such wrinkles. Consolidating and clarifying the DHS's cyber functions in a standalone Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency was the brainchild of House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and his legislation passed that chamber almost a year ago. McCaul, over three terms as chairman dating back to the beginning of 2013, has systematically bolstered the DHS's cyber capabilities; by the end of the year, it’s likely that eleven significant cyber bills produced by his committee will have been signed into law, including the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, designed to facilitate info-sharing between the DHS and the private sector, as well as a passel of bills in 2014. In the process, McCaul managed to navigate concerns from other committees that the DHS might be gaining cyber authority at the expense of departments under their jurisdictions, working out painstaking agreements with his congressional counterparts in negotiations that sometimes stretched over years. McCaul — who is term-limited out of the chairmanship even if Republicans hold the House — was often a one-man band drumming up support for the DHS's cyber work among rank-and-file lawmakers, many of whom were ill-disposed toward the department because of its controversial immigration and airport security policies. The cyber-agency bill was a prime example — work on that began almost immediately after passage of the Cybersecurity Act in December 2015, and is only now coming to fruition. McCaul says the bill answers the question of who to call for help in fending off cyber attacks. Under the current DHS structure, most but not all cyber functions are clumped into the National Protection and Programs Directorate, to be renamed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency under the bill. “The National Protection and Programs Directorate has been a leader in U.S. cybersecurity efforts for over a decade, but as the threat continues to grow and evolve, so should we,” said its current leader, DHS under secretary Christopher Krebs.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/technology/long-awaited-cyber-agency-nears-but-will-it-change-anything-much

Here's how long it takes to walk from Mexico's southern border to the US

The journey that thousands of Central American migrants are making through Mexico to the southern U.S. border could take a month or even longer, depending on which section of the border they're hoping to reach. What started as a group of 160 Honduran nationals fleeing violence and a poor economy in early October has evolved into a 7,000-person caravan of migrants hoping to get to the United States where they can either apply for asylum at ports of entry or illegally enter the country. But before they get to the United States, weeks of walking lay before them. The migrants did not bring vehicles with them on the journey and most are carrying a bag. Some have speculated the group might reach the border by Election Day, which is just two weeks away. But that's optimistic for those traveling on foot.

Mexico's southern border is shared with Guatemala. From that border, it is 1,125 miles by foot to McAllen, Texas. At three miles an hour, that's 375 hours, or about 38 days if they walk 10 hours a day. The trip would bring the group through Mexico's Chiapas, Veracruz, and Tamaulipas states along the Gulf of Mexico.

It's not clear which parts of the U.S. southern border the migrants are looking to reach. The 1,000-person caravan that traveled from Central America in the spring went west to Southern California, but that route is more than twice as long the one to southern Texas. To reach California, migrants would have to travel 2,500 miles across west Mexico. It would take almost three months on foot, based on 10 hours of walking each day.

President Trump has repeatedly blamed Democratic lawmakers for enticing migrants to travel to the U.S. without having applied for asylum at a U.S. consulate in one's home country ahead of time. He said the new caravan is a result of lawmakers not fixing "loopholes" that allow the majority of families and children smuggled north to avoid prosecution and to be released from federal custody shortly after being apprehended. Trump said aid to Central American countries would now be cut off or curtailed after they failed to rein in their own people.

Although Mexico and the U.S. had talked last week about how to deal with the caravan that originated in Honduras, the Mexican government and military were unable to stop its progression. Honduras, where the group originated, has the highest murder rate in the world. The country is home to 8.25 million people and has reported 90.4 murders for every 100,000 residents, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. U.S. Customs and Border Protection would not comment on when it expects the caravan to reach the southern border. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/heres-how-long-it-takes-to-walk-from-mexicos-southern-border-to-the-us

>>3571441

Maybe it is Anon, take a second look, kek

>>3571461

No question in my mind..they didn't walk. Not to mention hydration…where would they carry that for the long journey..

>>3571469

I thought it was John Kerry

>>3571482

Certainly, I haven't heard of anyone collapsing or dying from dehydration, hunger or exposure to the heat..either, which would be obvious imo..

>>3571515

I agree with your statements. I believe this will not stop them from their crazy games.

Trump administration set to scrap much of Obama's labor legacy in 2019

The Trump administration will release rewritten versions of two major Obama-era labor rules early next year, administration officials say: The 40 hour-a-week overtime pay rule and a rule determining when corporations can be held legally liable for workplace violations by their franchisees. The changes would undo much of Obama's legacy on labor law. Both are eagerly awaited by business groups. The administration has added both to its fall regulatory agenda, setting the likely announcement sometime by March.

The new rules will cap two years in which the Trump administration has systematically torn down much Obama’s work to make federal rules and regulations more union-friendly. Most of what Obama did involved reinterpreting existing rules rather than shepherding new laws through Congress, meaning that the Trump administration just needed to re-re-interpret them. “Much of President Obama’s legacy was written in sand. Instead of pursuing bipartisan legislation and working with congress, his administration ruled via regulation knowing that congressmen and senators would never go along,” said F. Vincent Vernuccio, senior fellow at the free-market Mackinac Center. “Obama’s labor rules are the perfect example of this end run around congress.”

The reliance on administrative action, rather than legislative, cuts both ways — the Trump administration has used rulemaking extensively, too, to pursue its aims. But business groups argue the Trump administration is being more methodical and precise about following that process to the letter and that, accordingly, its efforts are likely to prove more lasting. “Anything done through a rulemaking, generally speaking, can be undone," said Patrick Hedren, vice president for labor policy at the National Association of Manufacturers. "That applies to anything done in the Obama administration or the Trump administration.” He added: “That said, when agencies do a good job of talking with the public and taking input from all sides, all sectors, then they do a better job in the final rule. Then it becomes much tougher as practical matter for a future administration to say it wants to go in a different direction.” Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta formally announced earlier this year that his department would revisit the Obama administration’s expansion of the number of workers covered by the federal overtime rule. The prior administration said the rule covered any employee who makes up to $47,000 annually, more than twice the level under previous administrations.

Obama’s version of the rule was struck down by a Texas court in 2016. To ensure it remains down, a new version will come out in January or February, according to administration sources speaking anonymously. The new rule will set the cut-off level below Obama’s $47,000 level, although it is unclear where exactly the new level will be set. Acosta has told Congress that while the Obama administration put it too high, the old level of $23,000 had not kept pace with the economy and an increase is merited.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/trump-administration-set-to-scrap-much-of-obamas-labor-legacy-in-2019

>>3571640

I believe this is another desperate attempt to get the board shut down…Too late for all of (((them))) It won't work!

>>3571710

Kek, I would think twice, in their shoes, kek

Report: Longtime Hillary Clinton Aide Lied About Personal Email Use

Longtime Hillary Clinton aide Philippe Reines repeatedly lied about using a personal email address to communicate with reporters, records show. Emails uncovered after Gawker successfully sued the State Department show that Reines regularly corresponded with reporters using a personal Gmail address, despite previously dismissing the suggestion as a "cockamamie theory," saying his personal email account "is about the last place I want to be emailing reporters or conducting work." Gawker's initial request under the Freedom of Information Act was initially denied after the State Department claimed to have no record of Reines's correspondence with reporters. The emails, about 18,000 in total, are coming to light now thanks to a successful legal appeal.

The revelation is interesting given that the scandal surrounding Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email address, hosted on a private server, during her time as secretary of state, and the fact that Hillary, according to her, has been completely honest and more transparent than anyone in American history. The emails obtained by Gawker show Reines repeatedly bashing POLITICO in correspondence with New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich, referring to the Virginia-based gossip blog as "toilet stall graffiti." Reines also challenged POLITICO's Glenn Trush to take a lie-detector test, and called then-POLITICO editor Ben Smith a "MORON." Reines is a notorious Beltway figure for many reasons, including the fact that he is a raving sycophant who snitches on his co-workers. It's weird that he would work for someone who is such a model of honesty and transparency.

https://freebeacon.com/blog/longtime-hillary-clinton-aide-lied-about-personal-email-use/

Note: This is old, but worth digging into what he has been up to, seems like he may have plenty to be guilty of..

Hillary Clinton Gatekeeper Phillipe Reines Under Fire for Crude Joke About Donald Trump Jr’s Wife

Former Hillary Rodham Clinton spokesman Phillipe Reines is under fire for a crude joke he made on Twitter on Wednesday about the wife of President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr. Reines, while tweeting out a link to a salacious New York Post Page Six story about an ex-boyfriend of Vanessa Trump, made comments for which he is being admonished nearly universally.

The Page Six story details how Vanessa Trump, when in high school, dated a man who was part of a violent street gang. The tasteless story from Page Six–it is unusual for a news outlet to run a piece like this about someone’s time as a minor during their high school years–has drawn fire from Republicans close to the White House. One GOP strategist close to the Trump White House was shocked and dismayed that the New York Post would run such a piece, and said it signals a larger problem inside Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation–which owns the Post. “With all the problems that News Corp has had with their treatment of women, it’s shocking that they would allow Page Six to publish a story that is nothing short of a racist, sexist attack on a private citizen. Clearly Roger Ailes wasn’t the problem,” the GOP strategist said. While the Post is facing its own questions over the story’s publication–which came complete with an interview with Vanessa Trump’s ex-boyfriend from her high school days–it’s Reines who is catching the vast majority of flack for what he tweeted about the piece. A former Trump White House official, Andy Surabian, is calling on top Democrats to publicly disavow Reines for his “morally repulsive” behavior.

“Philippe Reines’ disgusting tweet wasn’t just vile as even Chelsea Clinton noted, it was nothing more than thinly veiled racist garbage and the media should call it out as such. Reines should be ashamed of himself for stooping to such a low level,” Surabian, a former special assistant to President Trump who served as the director of the Trump campaign’s war room in 2016, told Breitbart News. “Hillary Clinton, Liz Warren, Nancy Pelosi, and anyone else who purports to stand for women has an obligation to call out Reines’ morally repulsive comments. This should be the last nail in Philippe Reines’ political coffin.” Chelsea Clinton, Hillary and Bill Clinton’s daughter, has already called out Reines for his tweet. But Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Liz Warren, and most other top Democrats remain silent on the vile commentary from the man Politico described last year as “Hillary Clinton’s longtime gatekeeper.”

Donald Trump, Jr., and Vanessa Trump are separated right now and going through the divorce process. “After 12 years of marriage, we have decided to go our separate ways,” they said in a joint statement in mid-March per the New York Times. “We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families. We have five beautiful children together and they remain our top priority. We ask for your privacy during this time.”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/05/09/hillary-clinton-gatekeeper-phillipe-reines-under-fire-for-crude-joke-about-donald-trump-jrs-wife/

>>3571819

>>3571829

He looks heavily drugged…doesn't he?

>>3571883

I know they will fail, it's amazing how they just keep going, energizer bunny like, kek

Mike Morell, Cited in ‘Russia Hacking’ Stories, Works for Longtime Clinton Aide Phillippe Reines

Snippets of important info here:

Mike Morell, the former acting director of the CIA, is generating headlines for claiming that alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election amounts to “the political equivalent of 9/11.”

Absent from the news media coverage of Morell’s statements is that he is known for his leading role in helping to craft the infamously misleading talking points used by Obama administration officials to blame the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attacks on a YouTube video.

The news media also failed to mention that Morell, who abruptly resigned from the CIA in June 2013, took a job that year at the Beacon Global Strategies firm, where he still works as senior counselor.

Beacon was founded by Phillippe Reines, who served as Communications Adviser to Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state. From 2009-2013, Reines also served in Clinton’s State Department as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Strategic Communications. Reines is the managing director of Beacon.

https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2016/12/14/mike-morell-cited-in-russia-hacking-stories-crafted-misleading-benghazi-talking-points/

>>3571918

It certainly is. Maybe they finally get a voice and a brain of their own…no one to whisper in their ear anymore.

>>3571914

Nice, thinking that was their next move, and maybe Reines is the instigator.

>>3571993

Or as they say now, drama queens…kek, doesn't matter what gender.

>>3572009

I thought it was interesting as well. He is probably more heavily involved than realized…maybe the walls are caving in on him now.

>>3572027

I like it !!

>>3572029

That will be well received news to those who are having to train these people for their jobs.