French President Emmanuel Macron may have maneuvered to block the growing uprising, but it’s quite possible he’ll lose his presidency in the process. French police took a much more aggressive posture this weekend.  The violence is disturbing.

In an effort to stop a replay of last week’s violence, French police moved in pre-dawn raids to round up those they identified as leaders of the Yellow Vest protest movement. In the city of Paris over 800 arrests were made by Macron’s forces and the French military were deployed. Overall, throughout France more than 1,400 arrests were made so far.
As the sun set, less organized protests continued as frustrated French set fire to cars, burned barricades and smashed windows in isolated geographic pockets within the city. Police forces were boosted to around 8,000 across Paris, with EU armored vehicles deployed in the city of lights for the first time in modern history. The pictures are stunning.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released the latest jobs report for November.  The U.S. economy created an additional 155,000 jobs.  The unemployment rate remains 3.7%.  The annualized rate of wage growth is 3.1%.   All good MAGAnomic news.
It’s a little funny to see the pontificating naysayers worry over results that are structurally solid and fundamentally strong.  If you had told those same knuckleheads a year ago that wages would be growing 3.1% they would have been stunned at your audacious optimism.

Things are going swimmingly. Exactly as predicted.  Wall Street (paper economy) is reacting based on an entirely new economic landscape.  Main Street USA (read economy), the Blue/White collar middle-class, is dancing and singing carols en-route to buy the fancier set of Christmas decor this year… Who’s better than our economy?  Nobody, baby, no-body…  Throw them ju-ju bones out the windows.  Here’s the data:
BLS Report: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 155,000 in November, compared with an average monthly gain of 209,000 over the prior 12 months. In November, job gains occurred in health care, in manufacturing, and in transportation and warehousing. (See table B-1.)
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Within the dynamic of the U.S -vs- China trade confrontation, CTH noted the Wall Street (globalist) multinationals would likely go bananas.  There are trillions at stake and President Trump is confronting three decades of financial influence from the corporate lobbyists.   To the angst of Wall Street, POTUS Trump tweets the dynamic:
President Trump has been brutally consistent for more than three decades on his intent and purpose with the Chinese.  President Trump is the first U.S. President to understand how the red dragon hides behind the panda mask.
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National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow discusses some of the key specifics within the dinner table conversation between President Trump and Chairman Xi.  [*note* at the very end of this briefing, Kudlow is asked about the German auto visit tomorrow]
President Trump has been brutally consistent for more than three decades on his intent and purpose with the Chinese.  President Trump is the first U.S. President to understand how the red dragon hides behind the panda mask.  Additionally, while carrying out the objectives of the confrontation, Secretary Mnuchin, Secretary Ross, Ambassador Lighthizer and adviser Navarro are well aware of Beijing’s panda mask; POTUS Trump will never let them forget about it.

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With a full quarter of trade data to analyze the impacts, the Chinese tariff results are now measurable.  A multinational group studying the outcome (full pdf), identified that approximately 4.5% of the current tariff impact is being carried by American consumers.  The overwhelming cost of the tariff is being paid (20.5% absorbed) by Chinese producers.
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Too funny… this is what we would call a win/win.   President Trump delivering remarks to the media aboard Air Force One on the flight back to the U.S.

(Via Associated Press)  President Donald Trump says he will shortly be providing formal notice to Congress that he will terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement, giving lawmakers six months to approve the replacement he recently signed.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington from Argentina, Trump says: “I will be formally terminating NAFTA shortly.”

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A small but interesting development in the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico highlights a backstory CTH suspected several months ago {Go Deep}. August 25th:

As USTR Robert Lighthizer was working with the trade officials representing outgoing Mexican President Peña Nieto, White House adviser/emissary Jared Kushner was quietly working behind the scenes with AMLO trade adviser Jesus Seade and outlining the possibilities if they partnered with strategic economic objectives in mind.
As a result of Kusher’s dogged efforts to bring an entirely new dual-nationalist ‘focus’ within the trade construct, removing the historic globalist baseline, the outcome of the trade deal is excellent for both the U.S. and Mexico.  So today:

MEXICO – […] Kushner will receive the prize “for his contributions to achieve the negotiation of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA),” according to a statement by Mexico’s Foreign Relations Secretariat.
Peña Nieto will present Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, with the award on Thursday at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina, according to the Reforma newspaper.

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Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, National Security adviser John Bolton and National Economic Council Chairman Larry Kudlow hold a very important press briefing from the White House.
Chairman Kudlow discusses current economic issues, and the upcoming possible trade discussions with China at the G20 meeting in Buenos Aries, Argentina. At 19:00 minutes NSA John Bolton takes over to discuss the scheduling details of the G20.  [Interesting trilateral mentioned: Trump, Modi and Abe] At 30:00 minutes Sarah Sanders takes over.

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Canadian media are reporting that General Motors plans to shut down operation in Oshawa, Canada.   This is quite possibly an outcome that portends the sign of things to come…

CANADA – Numerous sources have told CTV Toronto that General Motors is planning to close all operations in Oshawa, Ont., affecting thousands of high-paying jobs.
The announcement is expected to be made on Monday, in the city of about 159,000 people located roughly 60 kilometres east of Toronto.  Sources said they believe the Oshawa closures are part of a global restructuring. (read more)

GM holds considerable risk exposure within the current state of international trade and economics as it relates to the auto industry.  As a result of the ongoing U.S-China trade confrontation, GM holds risk as a result of heavy investment in China.  Add to that exposure the very significant financial impacts about to start for heavy manufacturing operations inside countries aligned with the Paris Climate Treaty, and the risk increases.
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The latest signs of economic nationalism -vs- economic globalism surfaced today in France as thousands protest.

Significant riots broke out today amid backlash to the economic policies of French President Emmanuel Macron.  Fueled by resentment over a new gasoline tax, thousand of Parisians took to the streets to protest. [See Daily Mail Article Here]

(Via Reuters) […] The unrest is a dilemma for Macron who casts himself as a champion against climate change but has been derided as out of touch with common folk and is fighting a slump in popularity.
While the movement, which has no leader, began as a backlash against higher fuel prices, it has tapped into broader frustration at the sense of a squeeze on household spending power under Macron’s 18-month-old government.

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Seventeen-year-old German driver Sophia Floersch is conscious and has been transferred to hospital with spinal fractures after a horrific crash at the Macau Grand Prix F3 race – a season ending event of the best F3 drivers from around the world.  Watch:

The Dallara-Mercedes went airborne and vertical while traveling backwards as a result from a tagged-wheel crash further down the straight.  The Mercedes impacted the photographer’s stand in the vertical position at the Guia Circuit’s Lisboa bend on the fourth lap of Sunday’s Formula Three World Cup.  [No word on whether any photographer was active at the impact point]
The crash is horrific, but several millisecond events likely saved her life. Ms. Floersch was going backwards when she struck the TOM’s car of Sho Tsuboi after becoming airborne at the corner; making impact vertical -slightly reducing velocity- and displacing energy.
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