1 Experts: Trump SEAL Team Reveal Creates Major Security Risk
President Trump may have accidentally revealed classified information on social media by showing the faces of an elite team of Navy SEALs that have been deployed to Iraq. The President and First Lady Melania Trump, along with other senior White House aides, made a surprise visit this week to soldiers at the Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. While meeting with troops, they posed for selfies and signed autographs. After the visit, when Air Force One had left Iraqi airspace, Trump posted a video on his Twitter feed. The video showed the President and First Lady posing for photographs with a group of soldiers who appeared to be members of Navy SEAL Team Five. The faces of the soldiers were not blurred out, which is customary for elite troops in special forces units. Posting the video was a break from traditional procedures that are usually strictly enforced and designed to safeguard the identities of U.S. special operation forces, especially when deployed to a combat zone. "The deployments of special operation forces, including Navy SEALs, are classified events, as to protect those men and women that are on the front lines of every overt and covert conflict the United States is involved in,” a Defense Department official said.
2 Congress Set To Discuss Shutdown, As White House Blames Dems
We are seven days into a partial government shutdown and congressional Democrats and President Trump are showing no signs of reaching a deal to reopen the government. Instead, it appears the shutdown could last until 2019. The President has only a few more days left to try and negotiate a deal while he has the help of full GOP control in Washington. Democrats are set to take control of the House on January 3, giving them significant new leverage over future spending negotiations. Trump is showing no signs of backing down either. "The President has made clear that any bill to fund the government must adequately fund border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs, criminals, MS-13 gang members, child smugglers, and human traffickers into our communities – and protect the American people," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. Sanders went on to say, "The Democrat party is openly choosing to keep our government closed to protect illegal immigrants rather than the American people. The President does not want the government to remain shut down, but he will not sign a proposal that does not first prioritize our county's safety and security." Democrats say they have been willing to negotiate with the White House on more money for border security, but they do not trust that the President will accept any agreement.
3 Sears Down To Its Last 24 Hours
A 125-year-old retail company may only have one more day to live. Sears has been trying to hold on after they filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. A last-ditch effort at survival may come in the way of a $4.6 billion offer by Chairman Eddie Lampert to buy the struggling company out of bankruptcy through his ESL Investments hedge fund. Lampert’s offer calls for about 500 Sears stores to remain open and would keep 50,000 of the retailer’s workers employed. If a deal can't be struck, liquidators will break the company up into pieces and end the 125-year-old company. As of yesterday afternoon, Lampert had not submitted his bid ahead of today's deadline. If Lampert submits a bid, Sears’ advisers would have until January 4, 2019, to decide whether he is a “qualified bidder.”