Pipe Bomb Maker Used Crude Tools of Terror, Says Former Counter-Terrorism Official
*By Carlo Versano*
An attempted mail bombing of several prominent Democrats and CNN's New York office used techniques that have grown more common among terrorists in recent years, said Jarrod Bernstein, a former counter-terrorism official in the Obama administration.
Bernstein spoke to Cheddar Wednesday afternoon as the [flurry of apparently politically-motivated threats](https://cheddar.com/videos/possible-explosives-sent-to-hillary-clinton-and-barack-obama) tapped into a sense among many Americans that ー less than two weeks before a pivotal election ー the country's political discourse is on a knife's edge.
The devices that were intended for George Soros, former president Barack Obama, former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, former A.G. Eric Holder, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), and CNN's New York office appeared similar and part of a "high concept, low technology" trend that worries counter-terrorism officials, Bernstein said.
That trend includes homemade bombs, commandeered vehicles, and anything else that can be used to inflict mayhem, no matter how crudely.
While not particularly high-tech, the devices seemed to be capable of detonating, Bernstein said. "It doesn't need to be a very sophisticated device to do a lot of damage."
The number of devices and the addressees, all high-profile Democrats who are frequent targets of right-wing ire ー including insults from President Trump ー suggested a motivated individual or group trying to influence our political discourse, according to Bernstein.
"I don't think we've ever seen a scare as widespread as this ー this close to an election," he said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/bombs-and-suspicious-packages-sent-to-cnn-obama-clinton-and-other-high-profile-dems).
The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner has stepped down from her role at the agency over Department of Government Efficiency requests.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government is not ruling out filing a civil lawsuit against Google if it maintains its stance of calling the stretch of sea between northeastern Mexico and the southeastern United States the “Gulf of America.” Sheinbaum, in her morning press conference on Thursday, said the president’s decree to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico is restricted to the “continental shelf of the United States” because Mexico still controls much of the body of water. “We have sovereignty over our continental shelf,” she said.
U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger toug
President Donald Trump is hitting foreign steel and aluminum with a 25% tax. If that sounds familiar, it’s because he did pretty much the same thing during
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. to stop minting pennies. His surprise announcement comes after decades of unsuccessful efforts to phase out the 1-cent coin. Advocates for ditching the penny cite its high production cost and limited utility. Fans of the penny cite its usefulness in charity drives and relative bargain in production costs compared with the nickel. Here's a look at some question surrounding Trump's order.
The Trump administration has ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop nearly all its work, effectively shutting down the agency that was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. Russell Vought is the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought directed the CFPB in a Saturday night email to stop work on proposed rules, to suspend the effective dates on any rules that were finalized but not yet effective, and to stop investigative work and not begin any new investigations. The agency has been a target of conservatives since President Barack Obama created it following the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
Brian Bennett, Senior White House correspondent at TIME, discusses Musk's relationship to Donald Trump and how he has such access in the federal government.
