Speaking today at the Bill and Melinda Gates sponsored “Grand Challenges” meeting, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlines the Trump administration position on U.S. aid and humanitarian relief.

“We must view foreign aid as a means to an end, not an end unto itself. A country’s prosperity and security is best sustained from within, not through foreign aid. There can be no greater measure of success than witnessing a country able to stand on its own two feet.” ~ Secretary Tillerson

[Transcript] SECRETARY TILLERSON: Good afternoon. And thank you so much, Harry, for that very kind introduction.
The work and commitment of the Bill and Melinda – of Bill and Melinda Gates and the Gates Foundation that they have undertaken across a range of humanitarian initiatives have had an extraordinary impact on eradicating diseases and improving health outcomes for people the world over. And I offer my thanks once again, as I have thanked them in the past, to Bill and Melinda both for this life-long passion and commitment – much of which I have seen up close and personal. And I certainly am thankful for what they have done to help so many.
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President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visit with victims, civilian heroes, brave first responders and officials in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Governor Brian Sandoval delivers initial remarks and introduces President Trump.

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held an unusual press event, and delivered an unusual statement to the media, specifically refuting the content of an NBC report –READ HERE–

[Transcript] SECRETARY TILLERSON: Good morning. There were some news reports this morning that I want to address. First, my commitment to the success of our President and our country is as strong as it was the day I accepted his offer to serve as Secretary of State. President Trump’s “America first” agenda has given voice to millions who felt completely abandoned by the political status quo and who felt their interests came second to those of other countries.
President Trump’s foreign policy goals break the mold of what people traditionally think is achievable on behalf of our country. We’re finding new ways to govern that deliver new victories. Our job is now to achieve results on behalf of America, and we are doing that.
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CARIBBEAN SEA (NNS) — President Donald J. Trump visited the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), Oct. 3, to discuss relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with Navy and Marine Corps leadership.  President Trump met with Governor Kenneth Mapp of the US Virgin Islands aboard the Kearsarge:

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Ward Room – USS Kearsarge – [Transcript] 2:54 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, thank you very much. I wanted to begin by saying well be leaving tomorrow morning very early from the White House. Well be going to Las Vegas. We will be paying our personal respects and condolences to everybody.
What happened is such a tragedy. So unnecessary — who can believe what happened in Las Vegas. Great love for the people, great love for the people of our country, and I look forward to going tomorrow. The First Lady will be coming with me, and were going to be paying our respects and condolences. Well be leaving early in the morning.
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President Donald Trump spent much of the weekend working from his New Jersey golf club in Bedminister and then attended the international golf competition, The President’s Cup, at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City.
President Trump presented the winning trophy to Team U.S.A., and with compliments to the international competition dedicated the trophy to the people of Puerto Rico, Florida and Texas who are dealing with the aftermath of three devastating hurricanes.

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President Trump tweeted this morning while Secretary Rex Tillerson is in China meeting with Xi Jinping about what to do with North Korea. ….or put another way: Tillerson chats about Rocket-boy consequences with big Panda while the sound of a lion roaring is heard over the background of the bamboo forest.
If you’ve been following along, Trump/Tillerson creating the need for ‘Magnanimous Panda’ is actually quite fun to watch unfold.

President Trump will never use the U.S. military to solve this regional issue.  The national security strategy is based entirely on economics (leverage) and diplomacy (ownership).  President Trump’s words and rhetoric against Kim Jong-un, and the response from Jong-un in kind toward President Trump, creates the foundation of a need for magnanimous panda to step in.
Remember, Beijing doesn’t want to take ownership of DPRK.  China prefers to retain influence over behavior, they are the enablers, but not be directly responsible for the enforcement of any agreement which comes with attached consequences (economic punishment) for DPRK violations.
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Ahead of an upcoming trip by President Donald Trump, and against the backdrop of economic sanctions by Trump/Mnuchin and the U.N. toward North Korea, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson works on the “Magnanimous Panda” strategy within the Trump Doctrine.
The ‘Big Picture’ goal is for China to accept responsibility, publicly, for spearheading the denuclearizing program within an established “six party talk” framework.  China ultimately becoming the guarantor of a denuclearized DPRK, and President Trump stroking the Panda Fur (praise) while simultaneously controlling the amount of bamboo in the Beijing forest.  So far, things are proceeding swimmingly.

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping offered warm words for U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, calling him a friend and saying he expected Trump’s visit to China in November would be “wonderful”.

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The Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulin-Cruz attempts to make the crisis in Puerto Rico political.  The insufferable mindset to make things political is only exceeded by the ridiculous optic of calling for federal aid while surrounded by relief supplies provided entirely by the U.S. federal government.

•50% of the native Puerto Rican National Guard refused to report to duty when the governor called them up. •Thousands of tons of supplies and equipment, provided by FEMA, U.S. military and U.S. relief agencies, sit at ports while municipal government has no process for delivering them. •Frente Amplio (PR Teamsters Union – truck drivers) are on strike and refusing to deliver supplies. •Over 10,000 U.S. federal personnel are providing recovery and relief on the island….

…and the priority for the Mayor of San Juan, with no power or infrastructure, is to have T-Shirts made to push a political agenda?

Funny how Anderson Cooper never asks:Where does one get a shirt like this made when Puerto Rico is under water and out of power? (rhetorical question)
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President Trump recaps the week ending September 29th with remarks on the ongoing relief and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the recently announced tax reform package.

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The Weaponized Administrative State is Protecting Itself

A report from Reuters highlights the DOJ and FBI refusing to hand over documents related to the Steele Dossier on candidate Donald Trump, and the FBI (Via James Comey) involvement in assembling the content therein.   However, the lede is buried in paragraph four of the article.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department and the FBI are resisting demands from a Republican lawmaker to hand over documents about a former British spy’s dossier on purported Russian support for Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign, because the FBI has its own open criminal investigation, officials said.
The U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee issued subpoenas in August seeking “any and all documents” about both agencies’ dealings with former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, according to a letter seen by Reuters from committee chairman Devin Nunes, a Trump supporter.

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