National Security Adviser HR McMaster appears on NBC ‘Meet the Press’ with Chuck Todd to discuss issues surrounding North Korea.   However, Todd predictably uses the first half of the interview to discuss the “Charlottesville Trump-is-racist narrative”, and then, rather sneakily, shifts the discussion into the “alt-right” -vs- McMaster angle.
Chuck Todd uses the “Bannon-wing talking points” and “allies within the White House” to draw out a division within the administration.  It’s obvious the MSM are ‘all-in’ on the strategy to highlight the division.  The second half of the interview finally focuses on North Korea.
At 08:06 the China as an economic enabler to DPRK comes in. Watch how HR McMaster responds on the economics of the North Korean issue.

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While President Trump confronts the North Korean military aggression through economic trade leverage with China, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heads the diplomatic efforts toward regional partners in Southeast Asia.
Toward that end the Department of State conducts a Washington Foreign Press Center Briefing on “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s recent Trip to the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Regional Forum.  Patrick Murphy DAS of State for Southeast Asia holds a press availability to debrief. (Q&A begins at 12:00)

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There have been multiple media reports in the last six hours that President Trump is going to announce trade investigation/sanctions against China during a press conference scheduled for Monday.
It makes sense the previously postponed 301 trade investigation against China for violations of intellectual property rights might be announced.

Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 provides the United States with the authority to enforce trade agreements, resolve trade disputes, and open foreign markets to U.S. goods and services. It is the principal statutory authority under which the United States may impose trade sanctions on foreign countries that either violate trade agreements or engage in other unfair trade practices. When negotiations to remove the offending trade practice fail, the United States may take action to raise import duties on the foreign country’s products as a means to rebalance lost concessions. (LINK)

However, a note of caution. Substantive trade negotiations, the kind which involve economics and national security, are always fluid and subject to pause, postponement or changes in direction based on compliance – or expressions of a willingness to comply.
Remember, this is Trump.  Looking out for U.S. economic interests is the baseline for trade “leverage”, a tactic and skill uniquely evident in this administration’s trade team.  Section 301 is a tool, actually a massive atomic sledgehammer, to force compliance.
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Really good stuff – President Trump called Guam’s governor Friday night to assure him the U.S. will protect its Pacific Island territory “1,000 percent” from North Korean aggression.
Guam’s governor, Eddie Baza Calvo, posted a video to Facebook in which he has a more-than-three-minute phone conversation with Trump, heard on speakerphone. WATCH:

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Holding the second impromptu press conference of the day, President Trump, Secretary of State Tillerson, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and National Security Adviser HR McMaster delivered remarks following their national security meeting discussing North Korea and global issues.
Speaking clearly, on point and entirely extemporaneously, President Trump and Secretary Tillerson answered questions on a variety of issues. WATCH:

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President Trump is drowning the MSM in news. The media are aging before our eyes. Good stuff.
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It must be weird for the ordinary person around the world to view U.S. politics through the prism of the American MSM lügenpresse.  We’re often left wondering if international observers realize how much deception and fraud exists in media broadcasts of President Trump.
However, that said, a few days ago CTH predicted via twitter that Friday would bring a “breaking news” revelation that President Trump’s administration had been in ongoing negotiations with North Korea.  Today, exactly that happened.

(Via ABC) Despite the bombastic rhetoric exchanged between North Korean and American leaders this week, the Trump administration has been quietly engaged in back-channel diplomacy with North Korea for several months, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
The ongoing talks, which were first reported by The Associated Press, included discussions about U.S.-North Korean relations and Americans imprisoned in North Korea, the source said.

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Serial fibber Brian Williams leads his interview segment with a moment of honesty.  During his introduction to a panel segment he leads with the set-up: “tonight our job is to scare you”. WATCH:

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Seriously folks, CTH readers, MAGA supporters, and those who travel the deep weeds of politics and have followed Donald Trump can spot the strategy he is deploying.  The strategy is all about economics and leverage.  The media will NEVER discuss it, because they need to act willfully blind to it and use fear as a weapon.
The media is simply taking advantage of “fear” to position yet another anti-Trump narrative. However, all of their hyperbolic analysis of the North Korea situation takes on new understanding when idiots like Williams let it slip that their job is to “scare people to death on this subject.” He makes it clear their goal is to drive down the public’s trust in the President to handle this threat.
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President Donald Trump, together with Labor Secretary Acosta and Education Secretary Devos, spoke about jobs, his apprenticeship initiative and answered questions about North Korea during a statement at a workforce roundtable in New Jersey on Friday.
President Trump is meeting with Ambassador Nikki Haley and Secretary T-Rex later today.  Everything is going according to plan.

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There’s something rather enjoyable about watching President Trump discuss North Korea when you fully understand he has ZERO, Nada, Zippo intent on a military approach. When you accept words are just words, and the real confrontation will take place with China over economics, this entire enterprise takes on a rather interesting and enjoyable dynamic….
President Trump has the media, and the entire globe, right in the sweet spot where he likes and enjoys them; everyone is laser focused on the dancing red dot.
Seriously, no kidding, only he could pull this off.  Epic.
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The totalitarian left is beginning to rise up in defense of North Korea.  Partly they are doing this because they are ideologically aligned with a similar totalitarian world view of order that they alone demand to be in control; the globalist view.  However, they do this also as an outcropping of the economics – a generational defense of China.
President Trump will never take first-strike action against North Korea; it’s not his approach.  Instead Trump prefers to take on the economic side of the conflict and he is more than willing to wage thermonuclear economic war against the DPRK’s enabler, communist China.
Remember, e.v.e.r.y enterprising nuclear power needs nuclear allies to protect them during the end-stages of their accomplishment.  History has a perfect track record on this dynamic. It has always been thus…. Always.

To wit, and taking the bait to expose her ideological world-view, German Chancellor Angela Merkel rises up to defend Kim Jong-un from possible military action.

GERMANY – German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Friday against “the escalation of rhetoric” in the wake of rising tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, adding that she didn’t see a military solution to the issue.

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Life is a weird circle at times. Pay close attention to this very familiar picture. If you were stunned to see previous “conservative” allies drop their masks on immigration when Trump announced his run for office, well, let’s just say we haven’t seen anything yet.

When it comes to North Korea and China – Over the course of the next three months we are all about to witness domestic and international leadership, who claimed to be allies of freedom and democracy, ‘out’ themselves as supporters for the tank ideology in this image.
Watch closely and you will see the international-left rise up in defense of totalitarianism.
Because in full measure of international economic freedom and liberty, well, U.S. President Trump is ‘Tank-Man’.
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