National Economic Council Chairman Larry Kudlow appears on Face The Nation to discuss issues with the U.S-Mexico border and possible economic ramifications if the security issues are not addressed. Additionally, Kudlow discusses the USMCA trade deal and the status of current negotiations with China.

Political events in Canada are revealing new levels of leftist collectivism.  The fallout from the SNC-Lavalin bribery/corruption scandal continues to expose just how far the modern left will go in order to demand absolute compliance and protect their political interests.

[Backstory Here – and Here – and Here – and Here]

Yesterday Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau banished former Ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould (statement here) and Jane Philpott (statement here) from the Liberal Caucus, for non-compliant behavior. Both women exposed how Trudeau demanded the Attorney General drop a criminal prosecution to serve his political interests.
Today Ms. Raybould and Ms. Philpott responded to the heavy handed tactics during a press conference.  The former Attorney General stated: “I knew something very dangerous and wrong was going to happen.”  Canada is FUBAR.

Oh boy, if you’ve been following the Justin Trudeau scandal surrounding the SNC-Lavalin bribery and corruption case, well, things just got more interesting.  Former Justice Minister, Canadian Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould, has stated, repeatedly, she felt pressured by Justin Trudeau to interfere in a criminal prosecution to help a business based on politics.  [Backstory Here – and Here – and Here]
Obviously Ms. Wilson-Raybould knew Trudeau was putting her in a legally precarious position because she took the unprecedented step of recording a conversation with Trudeau’s aide, Michael Wernick, while he was applying the pressure.  LISTEN:

CANADA – […] The recording shows Trudeau aide Michael Wernick telling the Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould that Trudeau “is determined, quite firm,” in finding a way to avoid a prosecution that could put 9,000 jobs at risk.
It also shows Wilson-Raybould, who was also attorney general, saying she regards the pressure as “inappropriate.”

(more…)

The left-wing media in Canada is doing everything possible to shape, defend and protect Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from a corruption scandal created by his pressure to stop a criminal case against SNC-Lavalin. {Background Here} and {Update Here}.
The depth of the corruption is evidenced by the level of manipulation deployed by the Canadian state-run media, and yet they are still unable to bury the issue for him.

In the latest development….

OTTAWA (Reuters) – A Canadian cabinet minister, who had quit in protest over the government’s handling of a corruption scandal, said she and others had more to say about the matter, indicating more pain to come for embattled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau has been on the defensive since Feb. 7 over allegations that top officials working for him leaned on former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould last year to ensure that construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoided a corruption trial.

(more…)

Toyota made a huge announcement today [SEE HERE] that’s a direct outcome of the NAFTA replacement USMCA trade deal; and the new 75% rule of origin within the Auto sector.

The Toyota announcement is a total of $13 billion investment and includes expanded component part production in: Alabama ($288 million), Kentucky ($238 million), Missouri ($62 million), Tennessee ($50 million) and West Virginia ($111 million).   Additionally, Toyota will open a new assembly plant in Huntsville, Alabama ($1.5 billion) and serious investments in several other areas. [Details Here]
The guiding decision here relates specifically to the construct of the USMCA (NAFTA replacement).   Toyota was previously focused on multi-billion-dollar investments in Canada as they exploited the NAFTA loophole and procured component parts from Asia for North American assembly and shipment into the U.S. Market.  However, when they renegotiated NAFTA and created the USMCA President Trump and USTR Lighthizer closed closed the loophole.
(more…)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released some important data today surrounding the state of the U.S. economy. The first release shows the current CPI (consumer price index) or rate of inflation:

(BLS Release) […] The all items index increased 1.5 percent for the 12 months ending February, a smaller increase than the 1.6-percent rise for the 12-months ending January. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.1 percent over the last 12 months, a slightly smaller figure than the 2.2-percent increase for the period ending January. The food index rose 2.0 percent over the past year, its largest 12-month increase since the period ending April 2015. In contrast, the energy index declined 5.0 percent over the last 12 months. (read more)

As noted above, energy prices are 5.0% lower year-over-year; this is a significant reason for the current low inflationary rate.  Also energy prices (fuel, gas, oil) disproportionately impact the middle-class as an unavoidable cost.  Lower gas prices (currently down 9.1%) help middle-America, and also have a downstream impact of lowering product transportation costs.
An overall annual rate of inflation at 1.5 percent is exactly on target.  CTH has been predicting this energy-based outcome for more than three years:
(more…)

Apparently Canadian media are taking their hatred for U.S. President Donald Trump to new levels of opposition.  The taxpayer funded CBC news media is purchasing billboards and transit advertisement throughout Canada to promote a campaign against the sitting U.S. President.

SOURCE: “”TRUMP BAD!” ads are appearing throughout Canada attacking him for wanting to secure the border with Mexico using a historically illiterate comparison to the Berlin Wall. I’ve seen these on Vancouver transit also” (link)

Even for the ultra-leftists within Canada, this antagonistic approach toward the United States is quite remarkable. [Former President Barack Obama was in Canada yesterday.]
D’oh Canada, this will not end well for the Canadian government…  Additionally, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is up for reelection this year.
(more…)

Justin from Canada holds a heavily controlled and practiced press conference to discuss the SNC-Lavalin scandal.  The amount of time was limited by plan and schedule; The media audience was limited; the media questioners were carefully pre-selected; the answers were well rehearsed in advance; the statement script was written for maximum use of english and french to navigate details that might later be damaging.
The result:  Justin from Canada delivers a master class in smug condescension, political obfuscation and ridiculous denial of wrongdoing under the pretense of misunderstanding.  Justin from Canada is guilty as heck, and it is obvious he’s using all the familiar catch phrases to keep his far-left coalition defending him. That’s his primary goal.
The Q&A begins at 11:30 of video below.  The central issue comes from the question answered at 19:00 of the video where Trudeau admits his office was attempting to influence the prosecutorial decision of the Attorney General, on behalf of his friends at SNC-Lavalin, and was planning on continuing to do so.

It does not appear accidental that each time Justin from Canada starts finding himself in trouble, serious trouble; the same person happens to show up.   In June 2017, Justin was being challenged with a new NAFTA trade agreement… and former President Obama showed up while delivering a speech to the Board of Trade in Montreal.
Fast forward to today…  March 2019 – the Canadian economy has halted; Justin from Canada is embroiled in a growing bribery, corruption and obstruction of justice scandal around SNC-Lavalin; and immediately after he loses two cabinet ministers… former President Obama shows up to deliver a speech to the Board of Trade in Vancouver:

During a question and answer session with Vancouver Board of Trade President Iain Black at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Canada, Obama went into a diatribe about the dangers of rising populism amid national politics. [LINK]
Serendipitous domestic timing for an Obama visit, as the ideological political-wagons are circling to defend Justin from Canada.
Coincidentally, nudge-nudge/wink-wink/say-no-more… say no more… after a coaching/not-coaching session, Justin from Canada has agreed to a heavily controlled press conference on the obstruction scandal tomorrow at 8:00am.
(more…)

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has been a core member of the U.S. trade team providing a brutally honest perspective toward how specific trade engagements can directly benefit the U.S. economy and U.S. worker.
Navarro has gained a reputation as a trade hawk, specifically as it relates to confronting the one-sided trade schemes of China.  However, that encapsulation doesn’t accurately reflect Mr. Navarro’s value.
The Big Club hates him.  Yes, Navarro is hated and opposed by all the right people.  He might be rough around the edges, but he fights… for ‘America First‘.
Navarro is unapologetic in openly calling attention to the process where Wall Street, the multinationals (corporations and banks) have gained power and influence over politicians in Washington DC.  Wall Street funnels hundreds-of-millions to Tom Dohohue, President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  Donohue controls an army of K-Street lobbyists who purchase politicians and sell their CoC created legislation.
Specifically because he calls attention to the brutal truth of a corrupt process, he has become the target of attacks from Wall Street’s beneficiaries, the big club and Decepticon senators who take massive campaign bribes from Tom Donohue.
In a recent Op-ed, Peter Navarro highlights how the Trump economic team is delivering on a promise for structural global trade reform that directly benefits the U.S. economy, U.S. workers, and Main Street USA.
(more…)