As the hurricane season officially starts, President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and the majority of the Cabinet attend the critically important 2018 FEMA briefing.

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REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT 2018 HURRICANE BRIEFING – FEMA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., 2:06 P.M. EDT [Transcript Link]

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I want to thank you. Great job, Brock. Really fantastic. Thank you very much. And we really appreciate the job you’ve done. It’s been amazing, and you really have kept quite busy, I would say, unfortunately. We had no choice. We were hit hard. But you’ve done a fantastic job. So I want to thank you very much.

ADMINISTRATOR LONG: Thank you.

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President Trump delivers a 2018 Memorial Day speech during the official memorial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.  Transcript Added:

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THE PRESIDENT: General Dunford, Joint Chiefs, members of the Armed Forces, members of the Cabinet, members of Congress, and distinguished guests: Thank you for joining us on this solemn day of remembrance. We are gathered here on the sacred soil of Arlington National Cemetery to honor the lives and deeds of Americas greatest heroes: the men and women who laid down their lives for our freedom. Today, we pay tribute to their service, we mourn alongside their families, and we strive to be worthy of their sacrifice.

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Earlier today President Trump participated in the annual wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown, Arlington National Cemetery:

Earlier today President Trump presented the Medal of Honor to Master Chief Britt Slabinski, U.S. Navy.

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[Transcript] 2:38 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Chaplain. That’s beautiful. And thank you to Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan. Thank you, Patrick. Undersecretary of the Navy Thomas Modly — thank you. Thank you, Thomas. VA Secretary nominee — will do a fantastic job for us — Robert Wilkie. And Congressmen Scott Taylor and Brian Mast. Thank you, fellas, very much. Thank you.

Members of the Armed Forces and distinguished guests, please sit down. That actually worked out very nicely. (Laughter.) And join me in officially welcoming Master Chief Britt Slabinski to the White House. A special man. A truly brave person.

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Earlier today President Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence attended the 37th Annual National Peace Oficers’ Memorial in Washington DC. A very moving tribute to a very special group of people; and President Trump personalized the honors for multiple families in attendance.

[Transcript] THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Chuck. I want to start by saying that Melania is in the hospital doing really well. She’s watching us right now. And I want to thank the incredible doctors — Walter Reed Medical Center. They did a fantastic job. So thank you. (Applause.) And she sends her love.

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Historians tell us that the predecessor of the Mother’s Day holiday was the spring festival honoring mother goddesses.

In ancient Greece, the spring festival honored Rhea, wife of Cronus and mother of the gods and goddesses.

Cybele was honored in Roman festivals. This Roman celebration, known as Hilaria, lasted for three days – from March 15 to 18, and began several hundred years before Christ was born.

England observes “Mothering Sunday”, observed on the fourth Sunday in Lent. It is possible that the ceremonies to honor Cybele were adopted by the early Church in honor of Mary, Mother of Christ.

In seventeenth century England, young men and women would bring small gifts to their mothers in observance of this day. This British holiday would not carry over to America. One explanation is that life on the American frontier was simply too harsh to take time out for this celebration. Some also believe this conflicted with rigid Puritan beliefs. It would be several centuries later before Americans redesigned their own day dedicated to the memory of their mothers. (more…)

Quietly, almost invisibly today, National Security Agency Director Navy Admiral Mike S Rogers turned over his command to Army General Paul Nakasone.

Together with Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan, a small but formal ceremony was held at Fort Meade, Maryland, on the same day the U.S. Cyber Command was elevated to become the nation’s 10th unified combatant command.

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It does not seem coincidental that today, in the background of events, there is also a great deal of activity within the aggregate intelligence community (FBI/DOJ).  As DNI Dan Coats and NSA Director Mike Rogers are together in a formal and official capacity for the final time, the FBI was purging usurping agents (Page, Baker). Indeed with Admiral Rogers exit from service, he is now able to testify regarding his knowledge of prior FISA issues.

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Earlier today President Trump hosted the Wounded Warrior Project at the White House:

[Transcript] East Room – 11:00 A.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Please. Thank you very much. I’m thrilled to kick off the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride, and to be in the presence of — really, to be with you folks is such an honor. I know some of you. We’ve been dealing together for more than a year. I’ve watched you get better and stronger, and you’re stronger than all of us. So I want to thank you all for being here. Thank you. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

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Shortly after 3:00am this morning a disturbed man named Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton Illinois, walked into a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville Tennessee and opened fire.  Four people were killed and two more injured.

While attempting to re-load his rifle another young man named James Shaw Jr. physically confronted the shooter, grabbed the barrel of the rifle, and incredibly wrestled the gun away from him saving everyone else who was there. A stunning act of heroism.  WATCH briefing:

The shooter, Travis Reinking, remains on the run and potentially armed.  Reinking was arrested last summer at the White House, by Secret Service agents for unlawful entry into a secure area.  As an outcome of his behavior federal authorities revoked Reinking  firearms permit and instructed local authorities to remove his weapons.

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Sometimes the most interesting and fresh insight comes from placing an atypical interviewer with a subject of strong interest.  This interview by Jesse Waters of Devin Nunes is one such example.  Really good interview, extracting a surprising amount of insight and perspective:

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