Sharyl Attkisson

Untouchable Subjects. Fearless, Nonpartisan Reporting.

Sharyl Attkisson

"Historic increases" and border issues create backlogs in U.S. Trusted Traveler Programs

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports an historic increase in new applications and renewals for its Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP), and significant delays processing them.

Backlogs blamed on:

  • Historic increases in new applications and renewals
  • Humanitarian and security crisis on southern border
  • Extended, partial government shutdown
  • CBP processes 100,000 - 200,000 applications and renewals/month

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) "Precheck" program started in December 2011 at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. It has since expanded to several hundred airports.

It's part of a group of programs, including "Global Entry," that are administered by the Department of Homeland security. They enable travelers to go through quicker security at participating airports and when crossing international borders-- after paying a fee and passing a background check.

But customers have been suffering long delays in having their applications processed.

I discovered this for myself when I applied to renew my "Global Entry" pass on July 23, 2019.

It's as if the application went into a black hole.

Actually, it just went somewhere into the bowels of the Department of Homeland Security. After four months, I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever be heard from again.

Here's how the process works. After applicants fill out an online form and pay a fee, they're told to wait for "conditional approval." The website warns you won't get an email or other notification when approval is given: you have to log into the website to check every day (or as often as you figure it's worth checking).

After checking daily for awhile, you may start to realize this is a process that isn't going to take a day or two. Maybe weeks. You keep logging in to check. Weeks go by. Still--nothing.

For me, a big moment of realization came when the wrong mail was delivered to my home about a month and a half after I'd filled out my application and paid the fee. This particular mail was intended for my next door neighbor. It was his Global Entry renewal pass. When I delivered it, the neighbor's wife lamented about her spouse had waited months for his "conditional approval," logging into the TSA website to check day after day, week after week, month after month.

One clue as to what's wrong comes from a red alert that appears when applicants log into the Homeland Security website to check their status. It explains that "the extended partial government shutdown has resulted in a substantial backlog."

Until reading this, I wasn't aware we were even having an "extended partial government shutdown." It was time to put in a query to the Department of Homeland Security!

I got a timely response from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where my query was referred.

First, they explained that we are not in an extended, partial government shutdown. The shutdown referred to in the red alert is the one that spanned about two months during December 2018 and January 2019. Apparently, that brief shutdown is still drastically slowing the processing of applications almost a year later.

But perhaps an even bigger factor, says CBP, is the "historic increase in new applications and renewals." And there's a third issue impacting the time it takes to process: the border crisis.

"These record numbers combined with the partial government shutdown and the additional deployment of CBP personnel in response to the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border created a considerable backlog," a CBP spokesman told me.

The spokesman went on to say that, in recent months, there's been "significant progress" in reducing the backlog.

For new Global Entry applicants, about 65% of applications are processed within zero to 15 days, and about 30-35% of applications require more than 90 days to process.

Customs and Border Protection spokesman

CBP told me that only about one-third of applications require more than 90 days to process.

(Lucky me. I'm about to enter my fifth month...)

CBP also notes: "As of April 2019, membership is being extended from 6 months to 1 year beyond the expiration date provided that the member submits a renewal application before their membership expires. During this 1-year extension, cards will remain valid for use."

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Sen. Graham chides Republican colleagues for not doing more to defend Trump

The head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) seemed to express frustration and imply that his hands are tied when it comes to Republicans providing a counterpoint to Democrat-led impeachment hearings, which began today in the House of Representatives.

On Fox News Tuesday night, host Sean Hannity asked Graham why the Republican-controlled Senate isn’t holding simultaneous hearings.

At issue, according to Trump supporters, is alleged corruption involving Democrats’ involvement with Ukraine, the 2016 elections, Ukrainian energy company Burisma where Joe Biden’s son served on the board, then-Vice President Biden’s threat to withhold U.S. aid unless Ukraine fired the prosecutor investigating Burisma, the alleged impeachment whistleblower, and the House Democrats’ impeachment push. 

Graham indicated that some of those controversies are under the purview of different Republican-led Senate committees, whose chairman have not moved to hold hearings.

“The whistleblower is under the jurisdiction of the Intel Committee, all things about Hunter Biden is under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Relations Committee,” Graham stated.

Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Chairman of Senate Intelligence Committee

Richard Burr (R-N.C.) is chairman of Senate Intelligence Committee. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committe.

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Graham went on to indicate that he felt his Republican colleagues should be doing more. “If I were Chairman Risch, I would call the State Department officials in to express concerns about a conflict of interest with Hunter Biden and see where that takes you.”

“If I were Chairman Risch, I would call the State Department officials in to express concerns about a conflict of interest with Hunter Biden and see where that takes you.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

Graham also implied that some other Senate Republicans are not being outspoken enough.

“The first thing I want my colleagues in the Senate to do is step up and say ‘What’s going on in the House is unfair, unAmerican, we’re not going to bless it,’ and I’d like my colleagues in the Senate to say ‘There is no quid pro quo here’ because the money was given to the Ukraine and Hunter Biden, Joe Biden were not investigated.’ I’d like Republicans to speak up and say ‘This is a bunch of garbage.”

Democrats say President Trump engaged in an improper quid pro quo with Ukraine, withholding U.S. aid to get political dirt on Biden for his own political purposes in the 2020 campaign.

Trump's supporters say the President properly sought Ukraine's cooperation in investigating corruption and foreign interference in the 2016 campaign, as well as the alleged involvement of Democrats. They also point out that "political dirt" was neither discussed nor delivered, campaign 2020 was not referenced, and a temporary hold on U.S. aid was lifted.

If the Democrat-controlled House votes to impeach President Trump as expected, the case then goes to the Republican-controlled Senate for a trial to see if Trump should be removed from office. That would take a two-thirds "super majority" or 67 votes.

The current political makeup of the Senate is 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats (including two independents).

Watch the full interview below. The operative segment begins approximately five minutes into the interview.

Fight improper government surveillance. Support Attkisson v. DOJ and FBI over the government computer intrusions of Attkisson's work while she was a CBS News investigative correspondent. Visit the Attkisson Fourth Amendment Litigation Fund. Click here.

Most are "very dissatisfied" with Congress

Most people are not pleased with Congress, according to the latest unscientific poll here at SharylAttkisson.com.

When asked, "How do you feel about Congress, overall?" 97% stated they were "Very dissatisfied." Add in the "Somewhat dissatisfied" and we're up to a full 98%.

Read the full results below. Meantime, be sure and vote in our latest poll at SharylAttkisson.com on the home page. Look for the black box in the right sidebar or scroll way down on the mobile site!

How do you feel about Congress, overall?

1% Very satisfied

0% Somewhat satisfied

1% Somewhat dissatisfied

97% Very dissatisfied

1% I don't care

Fight improper government surveillance. Support Attkisson v. DOJ and FBI over the government computer intrusions of Attkisson's work while she was a CBS News investigative correspondent. Visit the Attkisson Fourth Amendment Litigation Fund. Click here.

"When They Come for You"

When They Come For You: How Police and Government are Trampling Our Liberties and How To Take Them Back

It goes without saying that our government is responsible for a serious erosion of our Constitutional rights in recent years.

Maybe it's more accurate to say it has often gone without saying. Some of those most outspoken, historically, on these issues remain largely silent-- or even take the other side in today's Alice in Wonderland dynamic.

Author and journalist David Kirby stands up where too many stay seated with his new expose: "When They Come For You: How Police and Government are Trampling Our Liberties and How To Take Them Back."

Kirby, a New York Times bestselling author, says the idea for his newest book came after he began hearing one case after another of outrageous government violations from seizure of property to claiming to own our children. It's happening at the federal level, but also at the local level of city and county government.

Free speech, privacy, protection from unreasonable search and seizure, due process, and equal protection under the law are rights that belong to every American citizen, but are being shredded at an alarming rate all across the country.

When They Come for You by David Kirby

Kirby calls his work a "curated compendium of many of the different ways that state agents, local and federal government abuse power and violate constitutional individual rights."

When They Come for You tells horrible but true stories about SWAT-style military style raids on private homes of innocent Americans, legal kidnapping of children by government protective services, debtors' prisons, civil asset forfeiture, abuses of free speech and free press, and government spying on journalists.

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When They Come For You uses true stories of everyday citizens to reveal how our federal, state, and municipal governments, police, lawmakers, judges, revenue agents, unelected power brokers, and even government social workers are eviscerating our most fundamental liberties. And, it shows how people are fighting back—and winning.

When They Come for You by David Kirby

Above all, Kirby and When They Come For You teach us that many liberals, conservatives, libertarians and independents walk on common ground when it comes to treasuring constitutional protections from unlawful search and seizure, and privacy violations.

But it's time for all of them to step up and say so with louder voices.

Order When They Come For You on Amazon or your favorite distributor

“Rage-inducing, impeccably researched, and timely…an absolute must-read.” ―Booklist, Starred Review

“Harrowing…This detailed and often shocking book...is investigative reporting at its most effective.” ―Publishers Weekly

Fight improper government surveillance. Support Attkisson v. DOJ and FBI over the government computer intrusions of Attkisson's work while she was a CBS News investigative correspondent. Visit the Attkisson Fourth Amendment Litigation Fund. Click here.

POLL: Epstein murder more likely than suicide

We haven't heard much lately on the investigation into the death of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a New York prison.

At last word, authorities were supposed to look into matters such as how he came to be removed from suicide watch, how the cameras that were supposed to be surveilling him failed, and how guards apparently fell asleep on the job.

The prison system is still withholding public documents I have requested under Freedom of Information law.

And in recent days, two forensic examiners have given their opinion that Epstein's injuries were more consistent with murder than suicide.

Now, a new poll from Rasmussen indicates most Americans agree with these two forensic examiners.

Only 29% of American adults say Epstein actually committed suicide while in jail.

Forty-two percent (42%) say they believe Epstein was murdered to prevent him from testifying against powerful people.

Almost one in three, 29%, indicated they are undecided. 

Click the link below to read more:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/august_2019/americans_say_murder_more_likely_than_suicide_in_epstein_case

Fight improper government surveillance. Support Attkisson v. DOJ and FBI over the government computer intrusions of Attkisson's work while she was a CBS News investigative correspondent. Visit the Attkisson Fourth Amendment Litigation Fund. Click here.

Blexit: The black exit from the Democrat party

In recent days, President Trump launched a "Black Voices for Trump" alliance to try to receipt more support among African Americans.

Numerous pro-Trump movements are already underway with the aim of leading traditional Democrat constituents away from the liberal party.

One of them called "Blexit" is led by an activist named Candace Owens. Another is #WalkAway, led by Brandon Straka.

Such efforts have drawn millions of views and followers on social media.

How big and how effective they are at changing minds are open questions.

Click the link below to watch my report "Switching Sides" from my Sunday TV program Full Measure.

http://fullmeasure.news/news/cover-story/black-exit

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The media was sure a Trump win would tank U.S. stock market. (But it didn't.)

You might find it fun, maddening or confounding-- but it's hard to not to find it interesting to review how wrong so many of us in the media have been when it comes to political and financial predictions in the era of Donald Trump.

One example is a 2016 article by CNN. It's entitled: "A Trump win would sink stocks." It doesn't attribute the prediction to anyone in particular, it simply states it as if it were a fact.

The article goes on to read, "If Donald Trump wins the election...U.S. stocks will almost certainly tank." The only outstanding question, according to the article, is "How big of a drop?"

A Trump win would sink stocks.

CNN, Oct. 2016

Trump win would cause 8% fall in the U.S. stock market.

Macroeconomic Advisors, 2016

Trump win would cause 10%-15% nosedive in U.S. stock market.

Brookings Institute, 2016

CNN quoted the forecasting firm Macroeconomic Advisors, which predicted there would be an 8% fall in the U.S. stock market if the country were unlucky enough to get Trump as a president. It also mentioned "a new paper out Friday from the Brookings Institute," which projected "a 10% to 15% nosedive" if Trump were elected.

Read the CNN article from 2016 by clicking here: https://money.cnn.com/2016/10/24/investing/stocks-donald-trump-hillary-clinton/index.html

Fast forward to three years after Trump's election. Looking back, there was no immediate stock market crash.

Quite the opposite.

Today, a CNBC article points out: "Stock market’s value under @realDonaldTrump has grown by $6.9 trillion to $30.6 trillion."

Read the CNBC article by clicking here.

Fight government overreach and double-standard justice by supporting the Attkisson Fourth Amendment Litigation Fund for Attkisson v. DOJ and FBI for the government computer intrusions. Click here.