In lieu of a daily White House press briefing, Press Secretary Sean Spicer held a smaller press “gaggle” earlier today taking questions from pool reporters.  The transcript follows:

11:40 A.M. EST – MR. SPICER: Hi, guys. I’m going to try to keep this relatively short. We got a few things going on today, and I know that the pool has got to get out to do a spray at some point soon with the lunch.
So, obviously, last night was a big night for the President and for everyone here at the White House. The President delivered a powerful statement to Congress, to Americans, and the world last night. It was an optimistic, forward-looking message of unity, strength, straight from his heart.
The President was proud to stand before the American people last night and present his roadmap for a renewal of the American spirit. He honestly and — he honestly acknowledged the undeniable challenges that we face, but continually reminded us there’s no challenge facing this country that we can’t meet if we join together.
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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. ~ Gandhi

Walking in a Winner Wonderland – WATCH:

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…“and we will win, and you will win, and we will keep on winning, and eventually you will say we can’t take all of this winning, …please Mr. Trump …and I will say, NO, we will win, and we will keep on winning” !…

~ Donald J Trump

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Walk toward the fire, because the other side relies upon fear to stop your footsteps…
Walk toward the fire, because it takes one to spark the courage of others…
Walk toward the fire, because the opposition hides behind it…

…”Walk toward the fire. Don’t worry about what they call you.  All those things are said against you because they want to stop you in your tracks.  …But if you keep going, you are sending a message to people who are rooting for you, who are agreeing with you.  The message is: they can do it too“…

~ Andrew Breitbart

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French Presidential candidate, Francois Fillon, has called for a 12:00pm (local time – 6:00am U.S. Eastern Time zone) press conference.  This comes a day after he cancelled a trip to the annual Paris Agricultural Fair.   My hunch is Fillon may be ending his bid for the French presidency.

  UPDATE 8:00am EST  Fillon is staying in –  French presidential candidate Francois Fillon will remain in the race, saying he won’t quit, even as judges plan to charge him with misuse of public funds. Bloomberg’s Caroline Connan reports on “Bloomberg Surveillance.” (Source: Bloomberg)

JUST IN: French presidential candidate Fillon says to make statement to media at 1200 local time

— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) March 1, 2017

[L-R: Emmanuel Macron (2nd place in polling), Francois Fillon (3rd place in current polling), and Marine Le Pen (current first round polling leader)]

Within French presidential politics the Paris Agricultural Fair is similar in political tradition to the Iowa State Fair during U.S .Presidential election years.  Marine Le Pen was there over the past weekend.
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Carryn Owens, the widow of Navy SEAL Chief Special Operator Ryan Owens, receives a standing ovation during President Trump’s speech to a joint session of congress.  The moment was incredibly powerful and emotional.

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Even Trump antagonist and CNN swamp protector Van Jones recognized the stunning intensity of the emotional moment.
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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sean Spicer Twitter @PressSec

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

40 Days Under Pressure?  Ha, this is team Trump.  “Cold Anger – Steadfast Resolve”
Our president just delivered an incredible ‘no retreat’ – ‘America First’ speech to a joint session of congress.   Trump didn’t drop the mic, he bludgeoned the swamp beasts with it.
40 Days Under pressure? The increasingly desperate media attacks bounce off like ping-pong balls hitting an MRAP.
This is team Trump. Team, President Trump. MRAP for our team is “Media Resistant and Ambush Protected”.  We’ve already danced through a hotter furnace. United.
40 Days Under Pressure? Pffft. Is that all they’ve got?
Apparently those who oppose Team Trump in the past 40 Days were not paying attention to the past 20 months.  No quit, all winning.

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Weirdest thing I ever saw.  I stayed around to watch the Democrat rebuttal to the President Trump speech, and found myself watching an infomercial for Walk-in tubs and sleeping pills.   What the heck was that about?

I swear there was a voice-over running in the background saying:

Contact your Doctor if you experience burning or tingling in the hands, arms, feet, or legs, changes in appetite, constipation, diarrhea, difficulty keeping balance, dizziness, daytime drowsiness, dry mouth or throat, gas, headaches, heartburn, mental slowing or problems with attention or memory, stomach pain or tenderness, or any uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body…

Whiskey – Tango – Foxtrot !!  Seriously, who made that decision? Schumer, Pelosi or Tom Perez…  Like, weirdest thing ever.

TRANSCRIPT – Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and Citizens of America: Tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our nation’s path toward civil rights and the work that still remains.
Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week’s shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.
Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty and justice – in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present. That torch is now in our hands, and we will use it to light up the world.
I am here tonight to deliver a message of unity and strength, and it is a message deeply delivered from my heart. (more…)