National Economic Council Chairman Larry “Kuddles” Kudlow is back after suffering a mild heart attack. [Yikes, “mild“, is there such a thing?]
Appearing on TV with Stuart Varney Chairman Kudlow explains how the administration hopes to use the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) to enhance U.S. trade policy.  Mr. Varney cannot comprehend Trump-speed in achieving a global trade reset:

.
While media wasn’t paying attention, President Trump brilliantly played congress to gain strategic trade leverage.  Knowing political opposition would unite, POTUS Trump took a forgiving position toward Chinese company ZTE; Trump-haters and NeverTrumpers quickly aligned to push through hammer legislation designed to hurt China and by extension Trump’s position.  However, Trump actually wanted the tool.  POTUS now weaponizes FIRRMA as trade leverage against all 301 targets.   Brilliant.
USTR Robert Lighthizer Final 301 Report on China Trade Infractions HERE
Part 2 of Kudlow interview below:
(more…)

Good news within a strenuously spun Reuters article. Don’t get lost looking at the granules; apparently all of the prior Canadian strategy against President Trump has failed.
For well over a year Justin from Canada and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland were confident they could leverage the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, purchased DC politicians and ideological allies against President Trump in NAFTA negotiations. The result? Fail, fail and more fail.

Running out of options, Canada now attempts to save their NAFTA construct by turning to the executives within the auto industry:

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s trade minister last week met senior officials from General Motors Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV in Detroit, as Ottawa takes its lobbying effort directly to the Big Three carmakers to avert potential U.S. auto tariffs.
The Liberal government is relying on industry partners to press Canada’s cause in the White House and elsewhere, using their influence to protect Canadian interests, sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told Reuters.

(more…)

Suffice to say it’s not a good look when lawyers representing the FBI are telling the central witness within a political conspiracy involving the FBI not to answer questions from congressional oversight.
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte tells Martha MacCallum that FBI lawyers are instructing FBI Agent Peter Strzok not to answer questions from congress about the nature of his involvement within a DOJ/FBI conspiracy to stop a political candidate; and later to overthrow a presidency.
Additionally Chairman Goodlatte states the answers agent Strzok did give about his text messages was “not believable”.

.
*Note* at 9:00pm EDT the deposition is ongoing.  They shifted into a classified setting at approximately 7:00pm.  The non-classified deposition transcript is something I am very much looking forward to reading.  Hopefully it will be released soon.
(more…)

FBI Agent Peter Strzok appears before a joint house committee today for a closed hearing deposition.  Mr. Strzok will appear before an open congressional hearing to be scheduled later.  Today’s deposition is an opportunity to ask questions and get an “official record” of specific answers to multiple lines of inquiry.
Peter Strzok is at the center of four specifically known corrupt DOJ and FBI operations. 1) The Clinton exoneration operation. 2) The Trump investigation “Crossfire Hurricane”. 3) “Spygate”, and the abuse of the FISA court; and 4) The origin of the Mueller probe.

The deposition questioning is being directed from a hand-picked group of lawmakers.  Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte determined who will ask the questions.  One of the lawmakers selected was Jim Jordan.

Heading to the Peter Strzok deposition. We have lots of questions that need answers.

— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) June 27, 2018

(more…)

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office where he was joined by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal, President Trump delivered remarks on the announcement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement.
New Video Added:

(more…)

On “Face the Nation,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) discusses current stalled status of immigration reform efforts and the possibility of a compromise bill that could come up for a vote this week.

.

Immigration twitter thread HERE.

(more…)

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte discusses the latest issues surrounding the ongoing congressional review of DOJ and FBI corruption.  Within the interview Chairman Goodlatte outlines the upcoming deposition of “former(?)” FBI Agent Peter Strzok which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday June 27th, 2018.

.
Initial letter from Goodlatte to DOJ and their response yesterday below:
(more…)

Seek first to understand.  During an assembly of Canadian left-spectrum pundits the U.S. and Canada relationship is the topic; the backdrop is the economic consequences, trade and NAFTA.   In this group the high-minded Canadians express their views, their wounded sensibilities, and yet simultaneously highlight an important strategic flaw.
Within their political frame-of-reference, they cannot fathom the tenuous nature of their dependency.  They think they are more important than they are. Their inability to accept the weakness of their economic position is based on their feelings. Pride is very dangerous in negotiations amid apex predators. If you are prideful you provide a strategic advantage for the opposition.  In negotiations, President Trump doesn’t care about ‘feelings’ or opinions toward his approach.
The Canadian economic position is ‘not to lose‘, the Trump position is to win.  There is a huge strategic difference within those two perspectives.

(more…)

Due to the ongoing and unresolved scale of corruption within the administrative offices of the DOJ (Sessions/Rosenstein) and FBI (Wray/Bowdich), it is no longer possible to provide any benefit-of-doubt regarding their obstruction of oversight.   The IG report; the manipulation (red-lining) of the draft content therein; and the subsequent DOJ/FBI willful blindness toward the remaining content; affords no leniency toward motive.
In essence, if we are to honestly call the baby ugly, we are also to admit: there is an ongoing and institutional cover-up taking place. Yes, even by Trump officials.

In the latest development(s); and against the backdrop of previously unknown subpoenas from several House committees (HPSCI, Judiciary and the useless House Oversight/Reform committee), the FBI sends two compliance letters to congressional leadership.
It should be noted, lest we leave any transparent motive unspoken, the FBI responses are not from U.S. Attorney John Lausch, the *supposed* Sessions appointed facilitator of congressional requests and the person *reportedly* in charge of compliance production. I digress.
Backdrop: On June 15th, Paul Ryan, Devin Nunes, Trey Gowdy and Bob Goodlatte met with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Chris Wray.  According to later media statements, the House congressional group notified Rosenstein and Wray of their intent to hold Rosenstein and Wray subject to “House Floor Measures”. That is  codespeak for *contempt of congress*, and/or *impeachment*.
What we did not know (they never said publicly) was that Ryan, Nunes, Gowdy and Goodlatte filed a compliance subpoena as an outcome of that June 15 meeting, listing a myriad of document requests previously ignored by the DOJ, specifically the FBI.  We discover this aspect in the response letter(s) from the FBI Acting Asst. Director, Offfice of Congressional Affairs, Jill Tyson.  (both pdf’s below)  [John Lausch, ::crickets::]
(more…)

President Trump is hosting a roundtable MAGAnomic meeting in Las Vegas with business leaders and professionals.  The discussion centers around ongoing benefits from the tax reform initiative; the administration policy toward trade rebalancing; and the ongoing America-First investment and business development plans.
UPDATE: Video Added

(more…)