Gowdy Eviscerates Andrew McCabe: "I"ll Be Surprised If He"s Still An Employee Of The FBI By This Time Next Week"

Once again echoing the dinner conversations of a growing number of American households around the country, Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC) ripped into FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on Fox News regarding text messages released earlier this week between Agent Peter Strzok and lawyer Lisa Page that revealed an FBI plot, allegedly hatched in McCabe"s office, to prevent a Trump presidency at all costs.  Among other things, Gowdy said he would be somewhat shocked if McCabe was still an employee of the FBI "by this time next week."

"I"m still trying to figure out why 3 FBI agents are discussing politics in the Deputy Director"s office because you"re not supposed to discuss politics on Federal ground.  And FBI agents aren"t supposed to engage in politics for Hatch Act reasons."

 

"Remember, we were supposed to interview Andy McCable yesterday on another committee.  It was all setup and ready to go and then at the last minute they said he can"t come.  I"ll be shocked if he comes next week.  I"ll be a little bit surprised if he"s still and employee of the FBI this time next week."

 

"But the notion that 3 bureau agents would be conspiring or plotting on how to handle the outcome of a presidential election is the opposite of what you want in an objective, dispassionate, neutral FBI."

Trey Gowdy on Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe: “I’ll be a little bit surprised if he is still an employee of the FBI this time next week.” pic.twitter.com/v9SZxp443P

— Ryan Saavedra ???????? (@RealSaavedra) December 14, 2017

For those who aren"t familiar with the text messages in question, here is the text that Agent Peter Strzok sent to FBI lawyer Lisa Page, a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair, last summer:

Text-from Peter Strzok to Lisa Page (Andy is Andrew McCabe): "I want to believe the path u threw out 4 consideration in Andy"s office-that there"s no way he gets elected-but I"m afraid we can"t take that risk.It"s like an insurance policy in unlikely event u die be4 you"re 40"

— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) December 13, 2017

Meanwhile, if there is anyone out there who still harbors any remaining doubt that Special Counsel Mueller"s probe is anything but a farcical, politically-motivated witch hunt, then we highly recommend you also view this Trey Gowdy gem from earlier this week during a hearing with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. 

Of course, only time will tell if Gowdy is just engaging in some self-serving political grandstanding or if he"s intent upon firing some swamp creatures.

California Is Running Out Of Prisoners To Fight Its Deadly Wildfires

While many on the left have celebrated California’s push to legalize marijuana as a victory for a progressive, harm-reduction approach to combating addiction and crime, the pullback in the number of low-level prisoners entering the state’s penal system is leaving the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Court mandates to reduce overcrowding in the state’s prisons – combined with the legalization of marijuana, the most commonly used drug in America (aside from alcohol, of course) – have led to a sharp drop in the number of prisoners housed at state facilities in recent years. Interestingly, one byproduct of this trend is it’s creating headaches for the state officials who are responsible for coordinating the emergency wildfire response just as California Gov. Jerry Brown is warning that the severe fires witnessed this year – the most destructive in the state’s history – could become the new status quo.

To wit, since 2008, the number of prisoner-firemen has fallen 13%.

As the Atlantic reports, California has relied on inmates to help combat its annual wildfires since World War II, when a paucity of able-bodied men due to the war effort forced the state to turn to the penal system for help. More than 1,700 convicted felons fought on the front lines of the destructive wildfires that raged across Northern California in October.

While communities from Sonoma to Mendocino evacuated in the firestorm’s path, these inmates worked shifts of up to 72 straight hours to contain the blaze and protect the property residents left behind, clearing brush and other potential fuel and digging containment lines often just feet away from the flames. Hundreds more are on the fire line now, combatting the inferno spreading across Southern California.

But over the course of the last decade, their ranks have begun to thin. As drought and heat have fueled some of the worst fires in California’s history, the state has faced a court mandate to reduce overcrowding in its prisons. State officials, caught between an increasing risk of wildfires and a decreasing number of prisoners eligible to fight them, have striven to safeguard the valuable labor inmates provide by scrambling to recruit more of them to join the force. Still, these efforts have been limited by the courts, public opinion, and how far corrections officials and elected leaders have been willing to go...

With dry conditions expected to persist for the foreseeable future, California will need to adjust to this new reality. Meanwhile, the fate of the inmate-firefighting program lies in the balance between two trends: the increasing need for cheap labor, and the pending decline in incarceration.

The push to reduce overcrowding is a reaction to the rising incarceration rates of the 1990s, when President Bill Clinton declared gangsters and criminals “superpredators” and authorized stiff penalties for relatively minor drug offenses.

For inmates, the reduction in state prison populations that first nudged that balance was long overdue. In the 1990s and 2000s, increasingly severe overcrowding in California prisons compromised medical services for prisoners and led to roughly one preventable death each week. A federal court ruled in 2009 that the inadequate health care violated the Eighth Amendment’s embargo against cruel and unusual punishment, and ordered the state to reduce its prison population by just shy of 27 percent - a cut of nearly 40,000 prisoners at the time of the ruling. California appealed the decision, but the Supreme Court upheld it in May 2011.

As one might expect, the push to reduce overcrowding has had the greatest impact on the population of inmates in minimum security prisons. Typically, state officials prefer to recruit minimum security inmates who are already serving relatively light sentences and thus have the most incentive to cooperate and not cause problems (like disappearing into the wilderness).

Also, state guidelines prohibit the recruitment of certain violent criminals and, of course, sex offenders.

The pool of potential recruits was limited long before the courts’ mandate. It comprises only inmates who earn a minimum-custody status through good behavior behind bars and excludes arsonists, kidnappers, sex offenders, gang affiliates, and those serving life sentences. To join the squad, inmates must meet high physical standards and complete a demanding course of training. They also have to volunteer.

 

“But,” cautioned David Fathi, the director of the ACLU’s National Prison Project, “you have to understand the uniquely coercive prison environment, where few things are clearly voluntary.” In the eyes of criminal-justice reformers, corrections officials recruit inmates under duress. “In light of the vast power inequality between prisoners and those who employ them,” Fathi continued, “there is a real potential for exploitation and abuse."

Aside from the shrinking inmate population, a handful of inmate deaths this year while battling the NorCal wildfires is causing some low-level offenders to reconsider whether the incentives being offered by the state – credit toward parole, and a generous wage (at least by prison standards) – are really worth the risks.

Many inmates join the force to escape unpalatable prison conditions. In doing so they take on great personal risk, performing tasks that put them in greater danger than most of their civilian counterparts, who work farther from the flames driving water trucks and flying helicopters, among other activities. By contrast, inmates are often the first line of defense against fires’ spread, as they’re trained specifically to cut firebreaks—trenches or other spaces cleared of combustible material—to stop or redirect advancing flames. The work can be fatal: So far this year, two inmates have died in the line of duty, along with one civilian wildland-firefighter. The first, 26-year-old Matthew Beck, was crushed by a falling tree; the second, 22-year-old Frank Anaya, was fatally wounded by a chainsaw.

 

“Obviously this is not something that everyone is willing to volunteer for,” said Bill Sessa, a CDCR spokesman. “We’ve always been limited by the number of inmates who were willing to volunteer for the project.” Even when state prisons were at their most crowded, the camps where inmate firefighters live weren’t filled to capacity. And as the pool of qualified prisoners has contracted, he said, corrections officials have had to “work harder now than we did before to bring the camp to the inmates’ attention."

In an effort to entice more recruits to join up, state officials are trying to emphasize the benefits of volunteering to fight the blazes: Volunteer firefighters can receive visits from family out in the open, instead of behind a thick pane of glass. It also allows them to escape the confines of the prison – for a brief time at least.

But with legal marijuana rapidly draining the ranks of low level offenders, a sizable shortfall will likely to persist in the years to come.

And after the death and devastation wrought by this year’s fires, many inmates have good reason to reconsider.

After all, you can’t enjoy visits with family and friends when you’re dead.
 

FBI Investigating House Democrat For Paying His Opponent To Drop Out Of Race

Authored by Peter Hasson via The Daily Caller,

The FBI is investigating Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Bob Brady for conspiracy, false statements and campaign in relation to payments his campaign allegedly made to 2012 primary opponent Jimmie Moore in order to persuade him to drop out of the race, court documents reviewed by The Daily Caller show.

FBI special agent Jonathan R. Szeliga filed a search warrant request on November 1 in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for all emails associated with Brady’s campaign email, BobCongress@Aol.com

Szeliga asserted he had “probable cause to believe that Kenneth Smukler, Robert Brady, Donald ‘D.A.’ Jones, Jimmie Moore, and Carolyn Cavaness and others known and unknown have committed violations” including charges of conspiracy, false statements, producing false records, causing false campaign contribution reports and violating limits on campaign contributions and expenditures.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol Sandra Moore Wells signed the search warrant the same day, court records show. The search warrant was unsealed by the court last week, court documents show.

Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, first broke the news on Twitter.

Let’s break some news: A sitting member of Congress is being investigated by the FBI for false statements, conspiracy, and campaign fraud. They got a search warrant for his email and believe he’s lying. pic.twitter.com/YyT6WDABkX

— Seamus Hughes (@SeamusHughes) November 21, 2017

Federal prosecutors announced charges last month against, Kenneth Smukler and Donald Jones, in relation to the campaign finance probe.

Baltimore"s Weekend "Cease-Fire" Shattered As Off-Duty Cop Gunned Down

Baltimore’s second attempt at a 72-hour ‘cease-fire’ was cut short for the second time this year after an off-duty Washington police officer was killed and a women wounded on Saturday.

According to The Baltimore Sun homicide data base, Sgt. Tony Mason Jr.,40, was shot and killed on the upper west side at 2800 Elgin Avenue. Reports from NBC News, indicate Mason was struck by a fatal bullet inside a parked vehicle, where he was later transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital and died...

We regret to inform that @DCPoliceUnion member Sgt Tony Mason was shot and killed early this morning in West Baltimore. EOW 11-4-17. pic.twitter.com/KFDo2ZAojX

— Gregg Pemberton (@G_Pem) November 4, 2017

Unfortunately, Saturday’s shooting occurred just 26-hours into the 72-hour ‘Nobody Kill Anybody Baltimore Cease-Fire’ campaign empowered by community activist who seek change in Baltimore after 50-years of democratic controlled leadership and de-industrialization compounded with an opioid crisis has left the city in an utter mess. The last ‘cease-fire’ in August failed about 40-hours in, as two killings thwarted efforts by community activist. It appears that ‘cease’fire’ events will become more prevalent as the community attempts to raise awareness. The problem with Baltimore and many other cities across the United States is that democratic controlled leadership did not allow media to cover the complete mess in their inner cities. As consciousness increases across America, Americans are figuring out their empire is dying. People are now demanding change.

On Thursday, just one day before the ‘cease-fire’ started, 3 homicides pushed Baltimore’s murder count above 300 making it the third year in a row. Ever since the Ferguson effect in 2014, death and destruction has taken over the city. Sadly enough, The Economist is forecasting a record year for homicides with their models pointing to over 400.

Visualizing the Ferguson effect in Baltimore shows an increase in gun violence after events in Ferguson, Missouri (2014), Freddie Gray (2015), and Baltimore Riots (2015). These events have contributed to Baltimore’s demise, as the city is spiraling out of control plagued in gun violence and an opioid crisis. Yet, it goes unnoticed, despite Baltimore’s homicide rate is doubled of Chicago’s.

As of November 5th, Baltimore’s homicides for 2017 crested over 300. Notice how the homicides are not limited to a certain area of the city, but are wide spread. Oddly enough, homicides are contained with-in the I-95 corridor.

Last week, we warned “the idea of the second ceasefire failing is a very real possibility”, and as of Saturday morning it has.

The blackmarkets of Baltimore or specifically the opioid trade are simply not going to stop for a community led ‘cease-fire’. Listen to leaders of the ‘cease-fire’ back in August calling-out Baltimore and comparing it to a “warzone“.

Remaining events for Baltimore CeaseFire for Sunday:

 

3 Stories That Show Big Brother is Alive and Well

Via The Daily Bell

Getting Clever with Fear to Restrict the Internet.

Representatives from the seven countries (UK, USA, Germany, Italy, France, Canada, and Japan) known as the G7 which form the Council on Foreign Relations met to discuss what to do about extremist jihadi content on the internet. They want to work with tech giants to make sure anything that could recruit or train terrorists is taken down within two hours.

The United Kingdom actually proposed jailing anyone who even views extremist content online for up to 15 years! Of course, the governments will define “extremist content.” And as most things go, their definition will likely get looser over time.

For instance, when SWAT teams were introduced in America, the government claimed they would only be used in hostage situations. Today SWAT teams are used thousands of times a year, even for small-scale drug raids on non-violent suspects.

 

Prosecutors Pick a Target, THEN Find a Crime.

Practically anybody could be indicted for a crime if enough investigation went into their lives. There are so many laws, that we can’t go a day without breaking some statute.

Of course, most of us are not popular enough to draw the attention of U.S. prosecutors. But that is how they keep “the little guy” in line, by making examples out of the government’s enemies.

Reports indicate that Robert Mueller is on a fishing expedition to indict members of Trump’s team. If he can’t find any crimes, he will twist the law until something fits. Mueller and his team have done this in the past.

That’s the state of “justice” in America.

Fitbit and Pacemaker Info Used to Catch Criminals

Here’s the tough thing about Big Brother technology. In the beginning, it really is just used against actual criminals.

In one instance, a woman’s Fitbit, a watch monitoring her activity, cast doubt on her husband’s story. He said she was murdered by an intruder. He told the police a story about when she came home, what she did in the time before the supposed intruder showed up, and that she ran down into the basement. Based on information from the device, they could see the story was a fabrication.

In another case, prosecutors successfully subpoenaed information from a man’s heart rate monitor which proved he was awake when he claimed to be asleep before a fire started. He is going to trial for the arson, and a judge ruled that the evidence will be allowed to be presented.

The problem is the precedent it sets. Much like the SWAT raids in the example above, this information may at first be used to solve arsons and murders.

But what happens when it is used to fish for crimes instead? Or to frame someone in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Vegas Massacre Timeline Changes Again

Authored by Carey Wedler via TheAntiMedia.org,

Earlier this week, police investigating the Las Vegas shooting made headlines when they changed the official timeline of events in the deadly massacre on October 1.

They had initially reported that gunman Stephen Paddock shot Mandalay Bay security guard Jesus Campos after he fired into the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Campos was credited with stopping the attack. This week, the Los Angeles Times further summarized the original timeline:

“In a timeline released last week, investigators said Paddock had stopped firing at the concert across the street at 10:15 p.m., and the first police officers arrived on the floor at 10:17 p.m. and encountered the wounded Campos at 10:18 p.m., who directed the officers to Paddock’s suite.”

This summary came from a report released Monday of this week when the official story first changed. This week, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo announced Paddock had fired on Campos at 9:59 pm, a full six minutes before the attack began — not after he stopped shooting into the crowd. This created new questions as to why Paddock stopped firing on concertgoers considering it apparently was not a result of Campos diverting his attention.

Now, just days later, police have again changed their timeline, clarifying that Paddock did not actually shoot Campos six minutes before the rampage began.

The Chicago Tribune reports that amid claims from the MGM Hotel Group that contradict the second timeline offered Monday, authorities altered their sequence of events.

The Tribune noted that “new questions surrounding the shooting have centered on the law enforcement response and the timeline, which had been changed multiple times and challenged by MGM Resorts International, the Mandalay Bay’s owner.”

The outlet explained further:

“Lombardo had said on Monday that Campos, the guard, was shot at 9:59 p.m. and that the mass shooting began at 10:05 p.m., lasting for 10 minutes. This six-minute gap relayed by Lombardo left uncertain whether there was any lag in alerting police to the source of the gunfire during critical moments. Police said they arrived on the 32nd floor at 10:17 p.m., after Paddock had stopped firing.

“MGM, though, said it was ‘confident’ that the 9:59 p.m. time was inaccurate and ‘was derived from a Mandalay Bay report manually created after the fact without the benefit of information we now have.’ The company also disputed the suggestion of a lag and said the mass shooting began within a minute of Campos being shot on the 32nd floor.”

According to a statement from MGM:

“We know that shots were being fired at the festival lot at the same time as, or within 40 seconds after, the time Jesus Campos first reported that shots were fired over the radio.”

The Tribune summarized Lombardo’s most recent explanation:

“Upon investigation, [Lombardo] said, police learned that Campos first encountered a barricaded door on the 32nd floor at 9:59 p.m., and that he was fired upon by Paddock ‘in close proximity to’ 10:05 p.m., when police say the mass shooting began.

“’He attempted to relay that information via his radio and it was confirmed because he also relayed that information via his cell phone,’ Lombardo said. ‘So the timeline associated to both of those sources have been verified.’“

The sheriff did not specify when police were informed of the security guard’s report, saying on Friday that he was “absolutely offended” by allegations of incompetence within the department, and said that the shifting timeline was a result of the vast scope of the investigation and not an attempt to mislead anyone about the circumstances of the attack.

“This is a very dynamic event,” he said.

“A very big event. Thousands of people involved - humans involved - in documentation.”

Earlier in the week, Lombardo expressed frustration at questions over the changing timeline.

“Nobody’s trying to be nefarious, nobody’s trying to hide anything, and what we want to do is draw the most accurate picture we can,”

Daniel Oates, who served as police chief of Aurora, Colorado, when James Holmes opened fire on a movie theater in 2012, defended police’s changing story.

“I see this as being ridiculously hard on the people who are trying to get information out, get the totality of that story,” he said. “This stuff takes time.”

The Tribune reported that experts “cautioned that it can take time for even basic information about what occurred during events like the one in Las Vegas to come together” (though, in that article, the outlet did not identify specific experts beyond Oates).

Either way, the jumbled timeline continues to draw questions and skepticism, exacerbated further by reports at the end of this week that Campos ‘disappeared’ shortly before he was scheduled to appear at a press conference on Thursday.

The report is circulating mostly in right-wing corners of the news media; it was reported by Fox News and has been re-reported by several other right-leaning outlets. The general story appears to have been confirmed by ABC journalist Stephanie Wash, who tweeted Thursday evening: “Media scrum tonight as we learn security officer shot in Vegas attack, Jesus Campos’ whereabouts are unknown.”

Media scrum tonight as we learn security officer shot in Vegas attack, Jesus Campos’ whereabouts are unknown. pic.twitter.com/Jk09tRlPsX

— Stephanie Wash (@WashNews) October 13, 2017

“Jesus Campos was set to do 5 intvs tonight per union president, but they’ve lost contact. ‘We were in a room & we came out & he was gone,’” she also tweeted.

Jesus Campos was set to do 5 intvs tonight per union president, but they’ve lost contact. “We were in a room & we came out & he was gone”

— Stephanie Wash (@WashNews) October 13, 2017

An independent journalist reported on Twitter that Campos’ family is under a gag order, however that remains unconfirmed.

Despite an influx of criticism and claims of cover-ups, Lombardo insists they are simply doing their best to relay information to the public and gather information and suggested the timeline could continue to change.

“There is no conspiracy between the FBI, between LVMPD and the MGM,” he said this week.

“Nobody is attempting to hide anything in reference to this investigation. The dynamics and the size of this investigation requires us to go through voluminous amounts of information in order to draw an accurate picture.

Florida Sheriff Will Check For Warrants At Hurricane Shelters

Authored by Mac Slavo via SHTFplan.com,

If you have a warrant out for your arrest and manage to safely make it to a Florida hurricane shelter while Hurricane Irma barrels down on the state, a Florida sheriff will make sure you’re escorted right to jail.

As Hurricane Irma approaches his state, a county sheriff in Florida said that law enforcement authorities would check the identities of people who turn up at shelters and take to jail anyone found to have an active arrest warrant. On Wednesday, Grady Judd, the sheriff in Polk County, announced the maneuver in a series of messages on Twitter.

If you go to a shelter for #Irma and you have a warrant, we"ll gladly escort you to the safe and secure shelter called the Polk County Jail https://t.co/Qj5GX9XQBi

— Polk County Sheriff (@PolkCoSheriff) September 6, 2017

“We cannot and we will not have innocent children in a shelter with sexual offenders & predators,” the sheriff said, adding law enforcement officers would be posted at shelters to check IDs. “If you have a warrant, turn yourself into the jail — it’s a secure shelter.”

We cannot and we will not have innocent children in a shelter with sexual offenders & predators. Period. https://t.co/DlhqjqFrkM

— Polk County Sheriff (@PolkCoSheriff) September 6, 2017

A spokeswoman for the sheriff, Carrie E. Horstman, said that the authorities hoped the effort would encourage turnout at shelters if county residents know they are safe. Horstman said, “We hope it actually leads to more people turning themselves in.” In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Ms. Horstman said that officers are obligated to take a person into custody if there is a warrant for their arrest and that in some misdemeanor cases a person can be released on bond immediately before they even go to a shelter.

“Our hope even before they reach a shelter is that they will turn themselves into law enforcement prior to that,” she said. “It is normal protocol to have an accountability log and to know the names of each person going in,” she said. “We need to know who is in there.”

But not everyone was thrilled with the Sheriff’s announcement, however.

So basically this guy is encouraging anyone with a warrant, which are issued for things such as outstanding parking tickets, to risk death?

— Alt Sarah H. Sanders (@AltUSPressSec) September 6, 2017

The Polk County sheriff’s announcement that the authorities would use the hurricane as an opportunity for arrests drew widespread criticism online, leading some to question just how far the checks would go, such as whether Sheriff Judd would jail those wanted on traffic or drug charges, The Orlando Sentinel reported.

Oh hey and look at this history they have of framing people https://t.co/NRBivBWvRy

— Brooke Binkowski (@brooklynmarie) September 6, 2017

The backlash over this announcement was swift and more appear to be against the arrests at the shelters than for them. These announcements also come as word of police turning away volunteers bringing supplies to Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas, and yelled at for trying to help others.

The sheriff’s office made these announcements as residents of the state of Florida stocked up on supplies or made preparations to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma. Making arrests a top priority over human lives appears callous to Florida residents, especially in the wake of the damage currently being inflicted by Irma on the Caribbean.

The massive hurricane, which battered the northeast Caribbean on Wednesday is now moving on to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. According to a majority of the latest projections, the Category 5 hurricane could make landfall in Florida by Sunday, although it was unclear where exactly that might happen. But the state is already bracing for impact. On Wednesday, Governor Rick Scott activated the state National Guard and declared a state of emergency across the state.

Polk County boasts a population of over 600,000 people, and none of the hurricane shelters have begun accepting evacuees just yet.

63 Shot, 8 Dead In Chicago's 2nd Most Violent Weekend Of 2017

More people were shot in Chicago over this past weekend than any other this year, except for the Fourth of July weekend that spanned four days.  According to the Chicago Tribune and police data, a total of 63 people were shot and 8 were killed as violence erupted all over the city.

At least 63 people were shot in the city, and eight of them were killed, police said.  More than half of them were wounded over 13 hours from Saturday to early Sunday.  At least 16 more people were shot through the day Sunday, including three on the same street in South Austin.

The level of violence exceeded the 52 shot on the three-day Memorial Day but fell short of the 102 hit by gunfire over the long Fourth of July weekend, according to Tribune data.  Still, fewer people have been shot in Chicago this year than at this time last year: 2,435 compared to 2,710.

The wounded included a 14-year-old boy grazed in the chest and left knee while he walking with his sister and a friend just before 9:30 p.m. Friday in Pilsen.

An officer-involved shooting Saturday night left 33-year-old man with graze wounds to the head. Police said he confronted police with a gun and an officer fired.

The violence in Chicago continues despite the Trump administration sending in dozens of ATF agents to work with the Chicago Police Department back in June.  Per U.S. News, ATF agents were sent in to assist with ballistics information intended to help cops track down suspect quicker while identifying repeat offenders.

The ATF is sending 20 agents to Chicago to supplement ongoing efforts and coordinate with local agencies on a strike force aimed at solving shooting cases and using collected evidence and ballistics to find and stop gun traffickers, the Chicago Sun Times reported. They will join some 35 to 40 ATF agents already assigned to Chicago.

The goal is to use ballistics information submitted to a national database to identify when guns are used in multiple shootings and connect them to new cases. The beefed-up strike force, equipped with a mobile lab to quickly test new evidence, will help law enforcement build criminal cases against shooters and those providing the guns.

"We"ve been doing this all along but now it"s being amped up," Dave Coulson, a spokesman for ATF in Chicago, told the Sun Times. "It"s a more concerted effort."

"The goal is the prosecute as many of these guys as possible federally where they will serve longer prison terms," Anthony Riccio, head of the Chicago Police Department"s organized crime unit, told the paper.

Meanwhile, the following daily tracking graph from HeyJackAss! helps to put the surge in violence this past weekend into perspective.

Per the Chicago Tribune, this weekend"s shootings occurred across the city, from Rogers Park on the Far North Side, where a 32-year-old man was killed early Sunday, to West Pullman on the Far South Side, where seven people were shot outside a banquet hall a few hours later the same day.

Finally, as we"ve noted before, 2017 is still shaping up to be every bit as devastating for the residents of Chicago as 2016 was. 

FBI Unexpectedly Releases Confidential Employee Evaluations Of James Comey

In an unexpected, impromptu release, on Tuesday morning the FBI"s "Records Vault" twitter account released a trove of information, divulging "Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results" among which are annual results for the years 2013 through 2017, but more notably, the confidential employee evaluation results for now-former Director James Comey.

FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results: https://t.co/bs66406HSv

— FBI Records Vault (@FBIRecordsVault) August 16, 2017

It is unclear why the FBI releases this data now, although like on previous occasions, it was likely prompted by an external FOIA request.

In the description of the survey results, the FBI notes the following:

The FBI Annual Employee Survey (AES) provides an opportunity for employees to anonymously share their perspective on the performance of FBI leaders and the organization.

The AES is comprised of two surveys: the Leadership Survey, measuring employees" perceptions of their supervisors" leadership abilities; and the Climate Survey, measuring employees" attitudes about their work, work environment, and the FBI as a whole. The FBI analyzes the data to help improve current leadership, pick new leaders, and encourage employees to express ideas on how management and the FBI can improve.

Each survey item is rated on a five-point scale. Each rating is averaged by the number of respondents. The following scoring breakdown is congruent with the scoring ranges identified by Human Resources senior level executive in the Senior Leader selection process:

• Average scores between 1.0 and 2.99 indicate potential areas of concern which could worsen if not addressed. A focus on development in these areas would be recommended.


• Average scores between 3.0 and 3.80 indicate positive feedback in these areas with potential for improvement.


• Average scores between 3.81 and 5 indicates success in those areas.

FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results (2013)
FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results (2014)
FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results (2015)
FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results (2016)
FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results (2017)
FBI Director James Comey Climate Survey Results (2015-2017)

In the charts below, we have summarized the disclosed results from Comey"s survey results, broken down across 4 key verticals: i) Personal Characteristics and Values, ii) Leading People, iii) Managing Work and iv( Miscellaneous. While there are not drastic changes over the roughly 3 years during which Comey was FBI Director, there appears to be a notable downward shift in Comey"s evaluations by anywhere from 36 respondents (in 2015) and 48 (in 2017).

While there are more details in the full evaluations, here is the core breakdown:

Personal Characteristics and Values:

Leading People:

Managing Work

Miscellaneous.

The full Comey Survey Results are below (link)

"One Down, 216 To Go" - NY Rep Received Threatening Email After Virginia Shooting

Following the shooting this morning at a practice session for the Republican Congressional baseball team that left five people with gunshot wounds – including House Minority Whip Steve – worries that more leftist-inspired violence could rock the capital have left Congressional offices on high alert.

While Congressional offices receive no shortage of hate mail – some of which is disturbing or even threatening, a message received in the wake of today’s shooting by the office of New York Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney understandably raised some red flags:

“One down, 216 to go…” the email’s subject line read.

In the body, the sender – who apparently espouses leftist political views, said that Republican lives “are forfeit” because of the policies they advocate.

“Did you NOT expect this? When you take away ordinary peoples very lives in order to pay off the wealthiest among us, your own lives are forfeit. Certainly, your souls and morality were lost long before. Good riddance."

Hannah Andrews, a spokeswoman for Tenney’s office, told the Hill that the message was “particularly disheartening” because it arrived in the wake of today’s shooting, which was carried out by 66-year-old, never-Trumper and Bernie Sanders supporter James Hodgkinson of Belleville, Ill., who was killed when Capitol Police officers Crystal Griner and David Bailey returned fire. The attack unfolded at a baseball field in Alexandria, Va.

"Although our office receives threats like these regularly, today’s message was particularly disheartening following this morning’s tragic events."

The Hill didn’t specify whether the FBI, Secret Service or Capitol Police are looking into who sent the email.

Andrews also lamented the deteriorating state of American political discourse, where people on either side of the political spectrum now view those on the opposite end with genuine contempt and hatred.

"The level of discourse in politics today is truly unfortunate. Our nation was founded on the principle of free speech, and it’s vitally important that we have a robust debate on the issues. However, protections under the first amendment do not extend to violence," Andrews added. Hodgkinson apparently owned a home inspection business though his license had expired in November 2016 and was not renewed.

In a response to the shooting, Sanders said he was “sickened” when he learned that the shooter was a former volunteer on his campaign.

Violence from far-left activist is increasingly becoming a problem in America – something that local police departments and the FBI have noted. Violent clashes have erupted in Portland, Ore. After the far-left Antifa group confronted peaceful conservative protesters, whom they blamed for a stabbing attack on a Portland commuter train that left two dead and a third injured.

As we reported earlier this morning, Hodgkinson allegedly asked Rep. Jeff Duncan whether it was Republicans or Democrats on the practice field before opening fire. We"ve covered all of the key developments throughout the morning here.

"Cry Safety... And Let Slip The Dogs Of Control"

Authored by Eric Peters via EricPetersAutos.com,

Whatever their failings, machines generally don’t second-guess you. Turn them on, turn them off. Point them in a certain direction. Command them to move or spin or do whatever it is they were made to do and – assuming they are not broken – they will usually do it.

And won’t try to nudge you to do what they think is best.

Electronic gadgets, on the other hand . . .  .

They pre-empt and nudge. Do things you didn’t ask them to – and won’t do things you want them to. They turn on – and off- at random, according to their own lights. They are not broken, either.

Which means, of course, they can’t be fixed.

They seem to literally have a mind of their own – and in a very real sense, they do. They are programmed to guess/intuit/anticipate your needs – whether you need them to or not.

It is like having an insolent intern or personal assistant who is useful to you in some ways but an aneurism-inducing  aggravation in other ways. And unlike the intern or PA – whom you can fire and replace with a more deferential one who actually does do what you ask without giving you lip or funny looks or unsanctioned advice – and doesn’t do things you didn’t ask them to – electronic gadgets are pretty much all the same. In particular, their annoying penchant to pre-empt; to nudge you along certain pathways of the software’s – that is, the programmer’s – choosing.

Always because the programmer has decided it’s good for you.

To – in  a very real way  – parent you.

It most definitely isn’t a master-servant relationship, as it ought to be. As it was, with machines.

And it is spreading.

Do you see”safety” anywhere? Where is he?

Apple announced the other day that the next iPhone will lock you out whenever your car is moving. No texting, either sending or receiving. Nor swiping or tapping, either.

For your saaaaaaaaaaaafety, of course.

Just like the saaaaaafety features built into the latest cars that lock you out of many of the “infotainment” features while the car is moving.

Also for saaaaaaaaaaafety.

And automatically – parentally – mute or turn down the volume of the radio whenever the car’s transmission is put into Reverse. Or refuse to allow you to turn off the traction control. Flashes a red light at you when you exceed the speeeeeeeeed limit (yes, really).

And more.

Apples’ new “feature” – as it is being marketed – will be built into iOS 11, the latest software for their sail fawns. This will spread, as it always does. You will not be able to say No Thanks.

Your sail fawn has decided that you are not capable of safely answering a call or sending a text while driving. Because some people cannot. The people who can’t handle a car regardless.

But it will peremptorily assault you in the middle of night, while you are trying to sleep, with a piercing Amber Alert – about a disappeared kid 50 miles away that you can do precisely zero to assist. What are you supposed to do? Put on a fire hat and run outside and look for the kid?

You cannot delete Amber Alert, either. Or even turn it off.

They are talking about doing the same with “important” announcements from Dear Leader. Amber Alerts expanded to Emergency Alerts. The “emergency” being whatever they decide it is.

Dear Leaders alerts. Wait and see.

Since people have stopped paying attention to their Tele-Prompt-ered “speeches,” they will  be force-fed to us, via dey sail fawns. Unctions to vote. Maybe to remember to eat your veggies today, too.

 

It’s demoralizing. Like being ankle-tied to your stretch-pants-wearing sixth grade teacher .

And it’s not just Apple, either.

Nissan, according to reports, is giving serious thought to making its new cars mobile Faraday Cages – impenetrable to radio signals. Texts could not be sent or received from within. Ditto emails and other real-time updates. (Satellite radio transmissions will be a problem; no word as to how that will be allowed through.)

GM and Volvo are playing with the idea of fitting their new cars with built-in “passive” alcohol sensors; the steering wheel and other surfaces would sample your skin – and if the car decides you’ve had one-too-many, it won’t start.

For saaaaaaaafety, again.

All buckled in for saaaaaaafety!

The Kia Cadenza I test drove this week (reviewed here) is a nice car, overall – but like almost all new cars, has a suffocating suite of saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafety technologies that you cannot skip. Among them, sensors for the profusion of air bags built into the car (eight of them) that are so sensitive to weight that they sound the alarm if a laptop or hoagie from Subway is left unbuckled in the passenger seat. Literally, an alarm will sound – and the only way to shut the thing up is to buckle up the laptop or the sandwich.

A great, retarded Skynet is descending.

Or rather, a Skynet that considers us retards is descending. We haven’t been targeted for termination. Just pre-emptive lobotomization. All of us – because some of us deserve to be so regarded (and treated).

Cry saaaaaaaaafety!  . . . and let slip the dogs of control.

"Chicago Is A War Zone": Police Suicide Rate Surges To 60% Above The National Average

During his early days on the force, 30-year-old, rookie Chicago police officer, Scott Tracz, was described by colleagues as an "upbeat" cop who had always dreamed of becoming a police officer to help people in his city.  That is, until he sat in a black sports car outside his girlfriend"s suburban house late last year, put his gun to his head and took his own life.  Per Reuters:

Tracz had long dreamed of becoming a police officer to help others. But working in the violence-stricken Chicago Lawn district, he came face to face with the city"s violent crime. The area accounted for 58 of the city"s more than 760 murders last year, as well as 228 shootings.

"He would say, "You can never imagine what the human race is capable of doing," then he would just put his head down," said his cousin Maciaszek, 46.

Unfortunately, stories just like the one of Scott Tracz are becoming all too common on the Chicago police force as officers deal with the psychological side effects of having to go to work every single day in Chicago"s "war zone."

"Chicago is a war zone," said Alexa James, the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Chicago. "They (officers) are seeing the worst day of everybody’s life every day."

"Suicide is killing officers, alcohol is killing officers, at a far greater rate than ambushes, but there is not the same sense of urgency around this issue," said Christy Lopez, a former Justice Department official who led the Chicago federal probe.

Chicago police"s suicide rate was 29.4 per 100,000 department members between 2013 and 2015, the report said, citing police union figures. The department disagreed in the report, putting the rate at 22.7 suicides per 100,000 members. Both estimates were higher than the national average of 18.1 law enforcement suicides per 100,000.

As we"ve noted many times in the past, Chicago"s homicide rate in 2016 soared to levels not seen since the mid-90s when gang wars plagued the streets of cities all around the nation (charts via HeyJackAss!).

And, things aren"t getting any better so far in 2017...

...particularly in the city"s South and West side neighborhoods.

To add insult to injury, because of Chicago"s onerous gun laws that permanently prohibit anyone who has been involuntarily committed for in-patient mental health treatment from carrying a gun, a requirement for cops, the folks working for the Chicago PD generally refuse mental health services out of fear of losing their job.

Some officers believe that seeking counseling will result in the loss of their Firearm Owner Identification Card, a requirement to carry a firearm under state law, according to current and former officers, as well as health officials. That view is mistaken, say Justice Department officials.

Still, "If someone thinks I have talked to EAP they think I’m unstable, so I’m not going to call," said one veteran officer, who asked not to be identified.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in February the department"s past approach to mental health was wrong. In a report issued in March, the department said it would review mental wellness support services.

"Law enforcement historically has been seen as a very macho profession," Johnson said at a public forum about police reform. "To say you needed help was seen as a sign of weakness and we were wrong for looking at it that way, we were simply wrong."

But hey, at least the Obama administration sought to help Chicago Police officers by dropping a DOJ study, one week prior to departing the White House, effectively labeling their department as nothing more than a bunch of racist, hate-mongering bullies who routinely resort to the use of "deadly force" in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.

50,000 People Per Year Are Hospitalized From Police Injuries

The level that things have reached on every front is outrageous, exclaims SHTFplan.com"s Mac Slavo, and it isn’t just police, the entire system is out of control.

Hospitals kill at least 100,000 patients per year due; the monetary system is a spreading virus and a fraud. No transaction in society represents what it seems on face value; it is discounted, it is corruption.

How much farther can things deteriorate before they collapse? We have only history to guide us, and time to wait. Be ready for what is coming, and stay vigilant.

Study: Police-Inflicted Injuries Send More Than 50,000 To Emergency Rooms EVERY YEAR

Authored by Lily Dane via The Daily Sheeple,

A new study published by JAMA Surgery found that from 2006 to 2012, there were approximately 51,000 emergency department visits per year for patients injured by law enforcement in the United States, with this number stable over this time period.

From the press release:

During this time period, there were 355,677 ED visits for injuries by law enforcement, and frequencies did not increase over time. Of these visits, 0.3 percent (n = 1,202) resulted in death. More than 80 percent of patients were men, and the average age of patients was 32 years. Most lived in zip codes with median household income less than the national average, and 81 percent lived in urban areas. Injuries by law enforcement were more common in the South and West and less common in the Northeast and Midwest. Most injuries by law enforcement resulted from being struck, with gunshot and stab wounds accounting for fewer than seven percent. Most injuries were minor. Medically identified substance abuse was common in patients injured by police, as was mental illness.

The most common cause of injury was “being struck by or against” which accounted for approximately 77 percent of the ER visits.

Lead study author Dr. Elinore Kaufman, a surgical resident at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, told Live Science that mental illness was common, affecting 20 percent of people injured. She added that the study’s estimate of 51,000 emergency room visits per year does not include deaths that occur at crime scenes or people who are injured but do not seek medical attention.

Of the findings, the study authors wrote,

While public attention has surged in recent years, we found these frequencies [approximately 51,000 ED visits per year] to be stable over 7 years, indicating that this has been a longer-term phenomenon.

While it is impossible to classify how many of these injuries are avoidable, these data can serve as a baseline to evaluate the outcomes of national and regional efforts to reduce law enforcement-related injury.

According to The Counted, a database maintained by The Guardian, 1,146 people were killed by police in the US in 2015, and 1,092 lost their lives to law enforcement in 2016.

The Washington Post maintains a database called Fatal Force that tracks police shootings. So far in 2017, according to the database, 295 people have been fatally shot by police in the US.

A website called Killed By Police lists people who have been killed by police by all means, including gunshot, taser, restraint/physical force, chemical, vehicle, and “other.” The site is updated regularly, and as of the time of this writing, 343 deaths by law enforcement are documented.

FBI Allegedly Investigating Mayor of Berkeley, CA For Inciting Riot And Ordering Police to Stand Down - CNN Doing Damage Control

Last night, domestic terrorists on the UC Berkeley campus successfully barred conservative gay Jew Milo Yinnopoulos from expressing his opinion, after Antifa-incited riots closed down a speaking engagement. CNN - by the way, is in full propaganda damage control mode over this. Check out the CNN app notification popup:

And check out this headline:

Are you kidding me? 

As fires raged and Trump supporters were assaulted with shovels and pepper spray by masked anarchists, the mayor of Berkeley, CA, Jesse Arreguin, allegedly ordered SWAT and campus police to stand down.

Here"s a picture from a redditor claiming to be 100 officers hanging out in the student union building while the violence was occurring (post):

A comment in the thread:

In comes the cavalry?

According to Mike Cernovich, Trump"s FBI is investigating:

Civil Rights section of FBI has opened an investigation into mayor @JesseArreguin, for inciting riots and ordering to police to stand down. pic.twitter.com/uy5EbgcvSm

— Mike Cernovich ???????? (@Cernovich) February 2, 2017

Mayor Arreguin denies he ordered them to stand down:

We shall see...

Cernovich has put out the call for any victims of violence at last night"s riots:

If you were a victim of violence at the Berkeley riots, DM me. We are reaching out to lawyers for a civil rights lawsuit.

— Mike Cernovich ???????? (@Cernovich) February 2, 2017

And there are still some heroes left in the world, extinguishing bullshit.

MMA fighter Jake Shields helps man from ‘being jumped by thugs’ in the middle of UC Berkeley violencehttps://t.co/OhXwBPSz7Z

— Mike Cernovich ???????? (@Cernovich) February 2, 2017

Meanwhile, the rabid left is calling for a military coup.

You"re being ridiculous Sarah - and you"re a moron if you think the military isn"t with Trump.

By the way:

U.S. Code 2385:

Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or

Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or

Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof—

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.

Content originally generated at iBankCoin.com * Follow on Twitter @ZeroPointNow

Homeland Security Ignores Judge, Continues Enforcing Trump's Travel Ban

Following a tumultuous night, in which late on Saturday evening a Brooklyn Federal Judge issued a partial ban on Trump"s immigration order, on Sunday morning the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying it planned on continuing to “enforce all of the president’s executive orders in a manner that ensures the safety and security of the American people.” The DHS said the court order would not affect the overall implementation of the White House order and the court order affected a small number of travelers who were inconvenienced by security procedures upon their return, Fox News first reported.

“The president’s executive orders remain in place—prohibited travel will remain prohibited, and the U.S. government retains its right to revoke visas at any time if required for national security or public safety,” the statement said.

However, the DHS also added it would "comply with judicial orders" not to deport detained travelers affected by President Donald Trump"s order.

In a separate report from the NY Post, the ACLU was said to be getting “multiple reports” that federal customs agents are siding with President Trump — and willfully ignoring a Brooklyn federal judge’s demand that travelers from seven Muslim countries not be deported from the nation’s airports.

“The court’s order could not be clearer… they need to comply with the order,” Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants Rights project, told The Post late Saturday. “It’s enough to be a serious concern,” Jadwat said of the reports.

Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to the White House, said, "Nothing in the Brooklyn judge"s order in anyway impedes or prevents the implementation of the president"s executive order which remains in full, complete and total effect."

As reported before, just before 9pm on Saturday, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in New York issued an emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from nations subject to President Donald Trump"s travel ban, saying travelers who had been detained had a strong argument that their legal rights had been violated. The stay was ordered after lawyers for the ACLU filed a court petition on behalf of people from seven predominantly Muslim nations who were detained at airports across the country as the ban took effect.

Homeland Security said the order affects a small amount of people traveling internationally. The DHS said the order was the “first step towards reestablishing control over America"s borders and national security.”

Prior to the ruling, Trump’s travel ban sparked protests around the country at several international airports. Demonstrators ranged from a few dozen people to thousands. Protests are scheduled to continue on Sunday at least seven cities: Orlando, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, Washington and Chicago, mostly at airports.

Under Trump"s order, it had appeared that an unknown number of foreign-born U.S. residents now traveling outside the U.S. could be stuck overseas for at least 90 days even though they held permanent residency "green cards" or other visas.  

However, an official with the DHS said Saturday night that no green-card holders from the seven countries cited in Trump"s order had been prevented from entering the U.S. Trump also billed his sweeping executive order as a necessary step to stop "radical Islamic terrorists" from coming to the U.S. It included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program. 

Early on Sunday, Trump in his first official statement since the Brooklyn Court ruling stayed his ground and tweeted that "our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world - a horrible mess!

Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world - a horrible mess!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017

The DHS said in the statement that they “will faithfully execute the immigration laws, and we will treat all of those we encounter humanely and with professionalism.” They also added that they plan to ensure the safety of the American people by making sure those entering the U.S. pose no threat.

The full DHS statement is below:

Department Of Homeland Security Response To Recent Litigation

The Department of Homeland Security will continue to enforce all of President Trump’s Executive Orders in a manner that ensures the safety and security of the American people. President Trump’s Executive Orders remain in place—prohibited travel will remain prohibited, and the U.S. government retains its right to revoke visas at any time if required for national security or public safety. President Trump’s Executive Order affects a minor portion of international travelers, and is a first step towards reestablishing control over America"s borders and national security.

Approximately 80 million international travelers enter the United States every year. Yesterday, less than one percent of the more than 325,000 international air travelers who arrive every day were inconvenienced while enhanced security measures were implemented. These individuals went through enhanced security screenings and are being processed for entry to the United States, consistent with our immigration laws and judicial orders.

The Department of Homeland Security will faithfully execute the immigration laws, and we will treat all of those we encounter humanely and with professionalism. No foreign national in a foreign land, without ties to the United States, has any unfettered right to demand entry into the United States or to demand immigration benefits in the United States. 

The Department of Homeland Security will comply with judicial orders; faithfully enforce our immigration laws, and implement President Trump’s Executive Orders to ensure that those entering the United States do not pose a threat to our country or the American people.

Austin Becomes Ground Zero For Sanctuary City Battle As Texas Governor Vows To Cut State Funding

Late last week, according to the Austin American- Statesman, the newly elected sheriff of Travis County, Texas, Sally Hernandez, vowed to limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials saying that she would only honor immigration holds for suspects booked into the Travis County Jail on charges of capital murder, aggravated sexual assault and "continuous smuggling of persons".

Traditionally, the county has honored nearly all requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold a suspect booked into jail when agents have wanted to investigate their status further.

However, effective Feb. 1, sheriff"s officials will honor so-called immigration holds or "detainers" placed by federal authorities only when a suspect is booked into the Travis County Jail on charges of capital murder, aggravated sexual assault and "continuous smuggling of persons."

Otherwise, federal agents must have a court order or arrest warrant signed by a judge for the jail to continue housing a person whose immigration status is in question, according to Hernandez"s policy, which she released Friday.

"The public must be confident that local law enforcement is focused on local public safety, not on federal immigration enforcement. Our jail cannot be perceived as a holding tank for ICE or that Travis County deputies are ICE officers," Hernandez said in a video announcement.

Of course, the declaration from Hernandez drew an immediate reaction from Texas Governor Greg Abbott who promptly promised to cut state funding for the rogue Travis County and take steps to enact "stiffer penalties" as well.

The Governor"s Office will cut funding for Travis County adopting sanctuary policies. Stiffer penalties coming. https://t.co/yYxeXql3xL

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 20, 2017

According to Vocativ, the Travis County Police Department receives $1.8 million in annual grants from the state of Texas.  That said, at roughly 1% of their overall police budget, we suspect the the funding shortfall won"t be a sufficient deterrent for Travis County"s defiant new Sheriff.

Abbott, a Republican, has threatened to withhold nearly $1.8 million in state law-enforcement grants following Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez’s decision to buck state law and no longer honor all jail detainers sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A detainer is a request to state and local jails to notify federal agents when they are about to release an undocumented immigrant from custody.

“This is not a pronouncement of sound public policy; it is a dangerous game of political Russian roulette — with the lives of Texans at stake,” Abbott wrote in a letter to Hernandez on Monday. “Unless you reverse your policy… your unilateral decision will cost the people of Travis County money that was meant to be used to protect them.”

Of course, Trump also repeatedly vowed during his campaign to cut federal funding for sanctuary cities, a move that he is expected to officially confirm later today, along with a series of other national security initiatives, during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security.

Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017

With that, it seems the time has come for many of America"s liberal cities to: (a) get used to policing their streets with smaller budgets or (b) actually start enforcing laws.