President Trump often holds local media Q&A’s when discussing specific local aspects to larger trade and economic initiatives.  In this quick interview with Charles Benson President Trump discusses the Foxconn deal (more on that will follow), and the larger issue surrounding a global trade reset objective (important video below).
As steps are taken within the America-First economic initiatives, many people are overlooking President Trump’s ultimate goal of a complete global reset in trade.  The Trump administration wants all trade tariffs and trade barriers removed so that all nations can compete on an even field.
In order to achieve that goal, POTUS Trump is applying the process of reciprocity; assigning an identical U.S. trade standard as the country being confronted.
The international community cannot negotiate (in good faith), from an adversarial position, against an identical trade policy they apply toward the U.S.
However, until today no President has ever called out the global trade hypocrisy; let alone challenged it directly.   President Trump will not back down from this approach. The international trade community is just now realizing that fact.
Within the process of negotiation to achieve this reset, President Trump begins to apply the principles of reciprocal trade tariffs.  This is the first phase; this is where we are now.
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At approximately 2:30pm EDT a gunman entered the offices of Baltimore Sun subsidiary Capital Gazette in Annapolis Maryland.  According to media reporting: •5 fatalities, •numerous victims shot; •shooter captured by police; Report: •white male, in his late 30’s; shotgun used.  Suspect identified as 38-year-old Jarrod Ramos, who unsuccessfully sued the Capital Gazette for defamation in 2012.

With the suspect named as 38-year-old Jarrod Ramos, a surname that generally works against the preferred narrative [Twitter Here], the media engineers will likely begin to avoid further exhaustive coverage:   From 2015:

Maryland’s second-highest court last week upheld a ruling in favor of Capital-Gazette Communications, a former reporter and a former publisher accused of defamation.
Jarrod Ramos of Laurel made the defamation claim in Prince George’s County Circuit Court in 2012 after a 2011 column by then-Capital staff writer Eric Hartley about Ramos’ guilty plea to criminal harassment. (link)

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First Lady Melania Trump made a visit to Arizona today to visit two Customs and Border Patrol facilities. The first stop was Tucson and the second stop was Phoenix.
The first lady held a roundtable discussion with Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Marshals Service and a local rancher. ‘I want to thank you for all your hard work. I know how difficult and dangerous your daily jobs are,’ Melania Trump told agents. ‘I am here to support you and help any way I can.’
At the roundtable, Kevin McAleenan, Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told the first lady 1,600 people – including 539 in families – tried to enter the United States illegally on Wednesday. Rodolfo Karisch, Chief Patrol Agent of the Tucson Sector Border Patrol said immigration enforcement has been characterized as ‘cruel and heartless, but that is not the case.’  (more)

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Within the issue of Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein signing the FISA reauthorization (application renewal #4) Congressman Matt Gaetz confronts Rosenstein. DAG Rosenstein obfuscates his answer and uses the opaque nature of FISA to avoid direct response. However, interestingly Rosenstein says the public information shared about the FISA application does not match the briefing he received about the application content.
This central “spygate” evidence now looks like it is going to become a bigger issue for the FBI and DOJ.

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Representative Ron DeSantis confronts Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about Rosenstein’s conflicts of interest in the Mueller probe.  Additionally, DeSantis questions Rosenstein about his specific efforts to block DOJ and FBI document production.

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Representative Jim Jordan and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein get into a heated exchange surrounding the ongoing efforts of the DOJ and FBI to conceal the content of documents and evidence from congressional oversight.

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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray testify before the House Judiciary Committee on issues relating to oversight of FBI and DOJ. Ongoing testimony continues:
UPDATE: Majority of Hearing Video Added

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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:

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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:
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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.

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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”.

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*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.
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