DNC deep in debt as RNC builds up $20 million war chest

The Republican National Committee keeps building its cash advantage over its Democratic rivals, strengthening the party’s position going into the election year – with the latest monthly reports showing the DNC with a major debt, while the RNC has accrued a $20M war chest.
The Republicans announced last week that they had raised $8.7 million in October, which they say broke a record for presidential off-year fundraising record.
“With just under a year until Election Day 2016 we’re seeing great enthusiasm for the GOP,” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in a press release.
Figures show the Republicans now have over $20 million cash on hand, with only $1.8 million in debts owed. The RNC has raised a total of $89.3 million to date in the current election cycle.
The figures stand in stark contrast to the DNC, that has only $4.7 million cash in hand, with $6.9 million in debts owed, putting the DNC in the red, according to FEC figures. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Democrats have so far raised $53.2 million this election cycle, significantly less than their Republican counterparts.
The DNC raised just shy of $4.5 million in October, but spent approximately $5.2 million.
The nearly $7 million in debt the DNC now has was in part due to a $2 million loan from union-owned Amalgamated Bank, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
The release of the numbers could increase pressure on DNC chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and could hamper the DNC’s push to retake the House and Senate, while also keeping the White House in 2016.
The Democratic National Committee did not respond to a request for comment.
One Republican strategist said that the number show the DNC is simply unable to get its act together, and that Democrats will have to rely on other sources of support in 2016 as a result.
“What is clear is that the future Republican presidential nominee can count on strong support from its party while the Democrats will have to resort to only relying on outside resources because the DNC simply can’t get its act together,” Ron Bonjean, an unaligned GOP strategist, told FoxNews.com.

FBI using elite surveillance teams to track at least 48 high risk ISIS suspects

With as many as 1000 active cases, Fox News has learned at least 48 ISIS suspects are considered so high risk that the FBI is using its elite tracking squads known as the mobile surveillance teams or MST to track them domestically. 
“There is a very significant number of people that are on suspicious watch lists, under surveillance,"  Republican Senator Dan Coats said.  
Coats, who sits on the Select Committee on Intelligence, would not comment on specifics, but said the around the clock surveillance is a major commitment for the bureau. "The FBI together with law enforcement agencies across the country are engaged in this. It takes enormous amount of manpower to do this on a 24-7 basis.  It takes enormous amount of money to do this," Coats explained.
These elite FBI teams are reserved for espionage, mob violence and high priority terrorism cases, like a joint terrorism task force case last June, where a 26 year old suspect Usaama Rahim, was killed outside a Massachusetts CVS.  When a police officer and FBI agent tried to question him, the Boston Police Commissioner said Rahim threatened them with a knife, and was shot dead.
With at least a dozen agents assigned to each case, providing 24/7 coverage, this high level of surveillance reflects the severe risk associated with suspects most likely to attempt copycat attacks after Paris.
"It is a big resource drain.  Yes it is.  Almost overwhelming,"  Coats said when asked about the demand placed on the FBI.   "There will be a lot of people over the Thanksgiving weekend that will not be enjoying turkey with their family.  They'll be out there providing security for the American people and the threat is particularly high during this holiday period."
One of the lessons of Paris is that the radicalization process can be swift.  According to published reports, friends of the female suspect who was killed in the siege of Saint Denis, Hasna Ait Boulahcen, abandoned her party life only a month before joining her cousin, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the plot's on the ground commander.  He was also killed in the siege.
The FBI Director James Comey has consistently drawn attention to this phenomenon, calling it the "flash to bang," that the time between radicalization and crossing the threshold to violent action can be very short. Last week, in a rare public appearance with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Comey would only say that "dozens" of suspected radicals have been under "tight surveillance."
"Together we are watching people of concern using all of our lawful tools.  We will keep watching them and if we see something we will work to disrupt it,"  Comey said.
Contacted by Fox News, an FBI spokesman had no comment on the high risk cases, nor the use of elite surveillance teams.

Thanksgiving Cartoon

Turkeys flown from coops to troops stationed overseas for Thanksgiving

Our nation’s troops stationed overseas will feast on Thanksgiving dinners with all the trimmings this year, thanks to a federal service agency that provides everything from the actual birds to eggnog, marshmallows and stuffing.
Over 15,000 pounds of turkey and nearly 2,000 pies have been sent to troops in Afghanistan in time for a holiday meal, according to the Defense Logistics Agency, a federal service agency for the U.S. military.
"Being away from home and their families during the holidays is tough enough without considering the difficult and dangerous conditions our service men and women face,” Anthony Amendolia, with DLA Troop Support’s Subsistence supply chain, said in a statement to FoxNews.com. “Since they can't be home for the holidays, our employees are dedicated to bringing the holidays to them.”
DLA Troop Service is also sending another 37,000 pounds of turkey to service members in Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait.

Related Image

Expand / Contract

Volunteers from various departments aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) serve food to Sailors during a Thanksgiving lunch hosted by the ship. (U.S. Navy photo) (Public Domain)

The service will also provide to all service members overseas:

• 25,970 pounds of beef
• 17,130 pounds of ham
• 706 gallons of eggnog
• 3,360 pounds of marshmallows

In addition, some 202 cases of stuffing were destined for troops deployed to Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait.
DLA employees began gathering holiday meal requirements from all four military branches last May to ensure they could order and deliver the food in time.

Related Image

Expand / Contract

Nov. 27, 2014: Soldiers with Task Force Lifeliner, Joint Forces Command and United Assistance dive into one of the many pies and desserts offered in the dining facility at brigade support area in Buchanan, Liberia. (U.S. Army photo) (Public Domain)

“Whether they're on a remote base in Afghanistan or aboard a ship in the Indian Ocean, we take pride in ensuring our service members have a taste of home for the holidays,” Amendolia said.

Related Image

Expand / Contract

The DLA’s subsistence division is tasked every year with making sure that the troops are well fed at Thanksgiving, but this year they had to work harder to ensure that the packages got to their various destinations on time. That was because the avian flu outbreak in the U.S. has caused many foreign countries to place restrictions on American poultry products.
“Countries set different parameters, causing us to take atypical approaches to meet all needs, such as buying from foreign approved sources and use of more pre-cooked poultry,” Amendolia said.
Back stateside, Fort Bragg in North Carolina will be holding its annual Thanksgiving dinner for the second day Thursday.

Related Image

Expand / Contract

Culinary Specialist 1st Class John Mobley, from Philadelphia, prepares a turkey for carving for a Thanksgiving meal aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67). (U.S. Navy photo) (Public Domain)

Twelve of the sprawling Army post's dining halls have been serving traditional Thanksgiving meals since Wednesday.
Fort Bragg's cooks have prepared 2,500 pounds of whole turkeys, 2,400 pounds of prime rib beef, 2,600 pounds of smoked ham, 1,400 pounds of shrimp and 3,000 pies.

Obama administration tells states they can't block resettlement of refugees

WASHINGTON –  Amid a growing political controversy, the Obama administration told state officials Wednesday that states do not have legal authority to refuse to accept Syrian refugees.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement said in a letter to state resettlement officials that states may not deny benefits and services to refugees based on a refugee's country of origin or religious affiliation.
States that do not comply with the requirement would be breaking the law and could be subject to enforcement action, including suspension or termination of the federally funded program, according to the letter, signed by the director of the federal resettlement office, Robert Carey.
The letter came after more than two dozen governors, mostly Republicans, vowed to block efforts to resettle Syrian refugees in their states following the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. The governors said they fear that militants planning a terror attack could enter the country under the guise of seeking refuge from war-torn Syria. In the House, lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly to erect higher hurdles for Syrian and Iraqi refugees.
The Obama administration counters that the vetting process is thorough and can take up to two years. President Barack Obama has said the U.S. will remain a welcoming place for refugees from around the world.
The letter from the federal resettlement office said would-be refugees "are subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to the United States." The screening process is "multi-layered and intensive" and involves multiple law enforcement, national security and intelligence agencies across the federal government, the letter said.
A spokesman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which oversees refugee resettlement in the state, said the letter will not change the state's position of blocking Syrian refugees.
The commission will continue to follow the directive of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has called for Texas not to participate in the resettlement of Syrian refugees, said Bryan Black, a spokesman for the Texas commission. A spokesman for Abbott declined to comment.
The letter sent Wednesday, first reported by the Houston Chronicle, largely tracks with what legal experts have been saying since Abbott and other governors said they would not accept Syrian refugees due to security concerns fueled by terrorist attacks in Paris. Abbott has cited a specific part of the law that he says gives him authority to block Syrians, but experts largely have disagreed.
Roughly 2,200 Syrian refugees have been allowed in over the last four years. Obama has outlined a goal of bringing 10,000 more Syrian refugees to the U.S. during the current budget year.
The House bill would add a requirement for the Homeland Security secretary, along with the head of the FBI and the director of national intelligence, to certify that each refugee being admitted poses no security threat.
A spokeswoman in the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the resettlement office, said 49 states and the District of Columbia have refugee resettlement programs. Wyoming does not have a refugee resettlement program. Want to be safe from terror attacks move to Wyoming.

Paul campaign slams CNN, says emails show reporter 'colluding' with Clinton aide

Rand Paul’s presidential campaign slammed CNN on Wednesday after emails were released that the campaign claimed showed a reporter “colluding” with a Hillary Clinton aide to “attack” the Kentucky senator.
The tweet last week criticizing a House bill limiting Syrian refugees. But her communications with then-Clinton State Department official Philippe Reines turned up Tuesday in a batch of emails obtained and published by Gawker.

CNN global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott

CNN global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott, already has been suspended over a separate incident – a
In those January 2013 emails, Reines appears to give Labott suggestions for tweets. Phil Kerpen, president of the conservative American Commitment, first flagged the exchange about Paul.
In it, Labott shares the following tweet, in reference to Clinton’s Benghazi committee testimony, with Reines. (TWEET) Elise Labott ✔ @eliselabottcnn

Sen Paul most critical on committee of Clinton, but a little late to the #Benghazi game.Not sure he was at many of the 30 previous briefings

10:19 AM - 23 Jan 2013

This was right after she asked Reines whether he was sure Paul wasn’t “at any hearings.”
The Paul campaign on Wednesday said CNN’s correspondent was working with Reines to discredit Paul, and called on the network to “address” the “bias” exhibited – particularly ahead of a CNN-hosted debate next month.
"The liberal media has taken their Clinton sycophancy to a new low. CNN needs to address this bias and lack of journalistic integrity,” Doug Stafford, Paul’s chief strategist, said in a statement. “This email revelation should give Republicans pause as to their coverage and possibility of fair treatment towards Sen. Paul during the next debate. All eyes will be on CNN's response to their employee colluding with Hillary Clinton in order to attack a prominent U.S. senator on their dime."
The campaign specifically cited a Daily Caller report that said the reporter coordinated with Reines.
A representative with CNN has not responded to a request for comment.
Kerpen said on Twitter, as he posted screenshots of multiple email exchanges, that Labott “Tweets on request!”
Another exchange from Jan. 23 showed Reines telling Labott: “I suggested a good Tweet.”
Labott asks what he suggested, and Reines responds, “Pin.”
This may have been a reference to a BlackBerry messaging system. Labott tells Reines she put her BlackBerry “near the window” and “will get back to you.”
A few minutes later, she writes, “Done.”
The tweet sent in that time period was:(TWEET) Elise Labott ✔ @eliselabottcnn

Clinton: I tried to be transparent. I could have joined the 18 ARBs, kept it classified and then said goodbye. That is not who I am.

4:01 PM - 23 Jan 2013

Names of key Paris attackers were known to Belgian mayor in 2014

Molenbeek Mayor Francoise Schepmans (Idiot)

The names of at least three of the ISIS terrorists who carried out this month's deadly attacks in Paris were known to the mayor of a Brussels suburb in early 2014, it was revealed this week.
Molenbeek Mayor Francoise Schepmans admitted to The New York Times that she had received a list containing more than 80 names and addresses of people suspected of links to Islamic militants. The paper reported that the list of names included Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected mastermind of the Nov. 13 attacks; as well as Brahim and Salah Abdeslam, one of whom blew himself up on that deadly night while the other fled to Belgium after apparently abandoning his suicide mission.
"What was I supposed to do about them? It is not my job to track possible terrorists," Schepmans told the paper, adding that tracking homegrown terrorists "is the responsibility of the federal police."
The Daily Telegraph reported that Brahim and Salah Abdeslam lived together in an apartment visible from the mayor's office approximately 100 yards from Molenbeek City Hall. A third Abdeslam brother, Mohamed, who has repeatedly called for Salah Abdeslam to turn himself in, works in the city administration.
The Times report did not clarify what Schepmans did with the information she was given. Elsewhere in the report, the mayor of Verviers, where police broke up a terror plot led by Abaaoud in January, told The Times she was informed by Belgium's security services that her town was home to 34 suspected jihadists.

More on this...

• Police search for man seen with Salah Abdeslam

• France trying to piece together a coalition to go after ISIS

• French ambassador on security changes after Paris attacks

"All I was given was a number," Muriel Targnion told the paper. "No names, no addresses. Nothing."
The latest revelations are sure to add scrutiny to Belgium's intelligence failings, which have given rise to a community of Islamic extremists in the heart of Western Europe. The French newspaper Le Monde, referred to Molenbeek, just west of the center of Brussels, as a "clearing house for jihadism".
The sense of unease in Belgium was heightened earlier this week after 15 of 16 people detained in a series of anti-terror raids Sunday night were released without charge the following day. No explosives or firearms were seized.
Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon said the raids had been designed to foil an imminent attack in Brussels.
"There were indications that there would be attacks on Sunday evening and they did not materialize," Jambon said, adding that otherwise "you don't impose terror level 4," the highest possible.
France and Belgium continue to hunt Salah Abdeslam, as well as a second fugitive believed to have played a role in the attacks.
Mohamed Abrini, who Belgian authorities have described as "armed and dangerous," was seen with Salah Abdeslam two days before the attacks on a highway gas station en route to Paris.
Speaking on RTL radio, Mohamed Abdeslam said he shares the pain of victims' families and wishes he and his family could have done something to prevent the Nov. 13 bloodshed.
"Let him turn himself in for his parents, for justice, for the families of victims, so that we can find out what happened," Mohamed Abdeslam said.
He said his brothers had shown no signs of radicalization. Mohamed Abdeslam said he saw them a few days before they left their Brussels suburb for Paris, but had no idea what they were plotting, and hasn't heard from Salah since.
In the Belgian capital, schools reopened Wednesday despite the city remaining on the highest possible alert level. Authorities raised it on Saturday saying the threat of a further attack was serious and imminent.
Police armed with automatic weapons stood guard outside schools, while Brussels' subway system partially reopened, bringing a sense of relative normalcy back to the city.
The heightened alert level had shut down shops, schools and the subway system in Brussels since Saturday. The Belgian government also ordered health and emergency services to take precautionary measures to ensure their services aren't infiltrated by extremists.
"When ambulances arrive, we have to see from where they come, who is in it," Health Minister Maggie De Block told VRT network. "Really as a precaution."

Same old republican regime cartoon