President just spoke about this. He walked out on the White House lawn and he began by saying he's mourning with the families of the Americans that were injured in this attack and the Americans who were killed in this attack. He also vowed that the US would retaliate against ISIS and against anyone that attacks Americans. The president also posted online, I want to read to you part of it, maybe show it to folks. He wrote, "We mourn the loss of these three great American patriots in Syria, two soldiers and o ...

Funding & Security Concerns - The Trump administration is accused of using a government shutdown to potentially weaken the federal government's ability to function [1] - A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from withholding over $100 million in federal funds intended for New York Police Department, FDNY, and New York State Police programs [2] - These funds support critical counterterrorism efforts, including bomb squads, K-9 teams, chemical weapon detection, active shooter response training, and intelligence analysis [2][3] - New York has been attacked by foreign or foreign-inspired terrorists nearly twice as many times as the next most targeted state [4] - The governor of Massachusetts warns that cuts would affect information sharing among federal, state, and local agencies and response to active shooter situations [5] Political Targeting Allegations - The Trump administration is accused of targeting cities and states that do not align with its policies, particularly on mass deportations [6] - Funds originally intended for blue states are allegedly being redirected to states like North Carolina, Indiana, and Tennessee [7] - Cities and counties in California and Washington state are suing the Trump administration for demanding cooperation with ICE in order to receive $350 million in grants [8] - The Trump administration is simultaneously cutting counterterrorism funds and creating an apparatus to designate left-leaning groups and Democrats as terrorists [22][23] Potential Consequences - Pulling back counterterrorism funding could weaken the entire United States counterterrorism apparatus [11] - Former DHS chief of staff suggests that lives will be lost if this money is pulled back [19] - The Trump administration is accused of putting lives in blue states at greater risk by cutting counterterrorism and violence prevention programs [17]