From the U.S. Dept. of Commerce – Today, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the affirmative preliminary determination in the first antidumping duty (AD) trade case the Federal government has initiated since 1985. This historic self-initiated AD investigation concerns imports of common alloy aluminum sheet from China.

This investigation, and the companion countervailing duty investigation, was initiated by the Enforcement and Compliance division of the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration under the authority granted to the Secretary in the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended. The CVD investigation reached a preliminary determination in February 2018 and is still being adjudicated.
“The Department of Commerce will do everything in its power to stop the flow of unfairly subsidized or dumped goods into U.S. markets,” said Secretary Ross. “We will continue to strictly enforce U.S. laws to defend American workers, industries, and communities from the scourge of unfair and unbalanced trade.”
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A joint committee from House Oversight and House Judiciary are conducting a hearing today at 10:00am EDT with DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz. Unlike the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday the House team has representatives far more knowledgeable of the issues. Hopefully, expertise will deliver better questions.
Members to watch: Jim Jordan, Trey Gowdy, Ron DeSantis, Mark Meadows, Louie Gohmert, John Ratcliffe, Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs and Steve King. (list) and (list)
Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte has direct primary oversight authority over the DOJ.  Chairman Trey Gowdy comes from the aggregate Oversight/Reform Committee. Far more House members have read the 568-page IG report.  Due to a better informed group of members we are more optimistic for detailed, specific, confrontational and challenging questions to draw out the key issues.  Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Judiciary Committee Livestream – RSBN Alternate Livestream

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When you plant your tree in another man’s orchard, you might end up paying for your own apples; it’s a risk you take…
….and President Trump knows how to use that leverage better than anyone could possibly fathom; because in this metaphor Beijing relies upon the U.S. for both the seeds and the harvest.  President Trump drops the $200b M.O.A.T (Mother of All Tariffs):

White House – On Friday, I announced plans for tariffs on $50 billion worth of imports from China. These tariffs are being imposed to encourage China to change the unfair practices identified in the Section 301 action with respect to technology and innovation. They also serve as an initial step toward bringing balance to our trade relationship with China.

However and unfortunately, China has determined that it will raise tariffs on $50 billion worth of United States exports. China apparently has no intention of changing its unfair practices related to the acquisition of American intellectual property and technology. Rather than altering those practices, it is now threatening United States companies, workers, and farmers who have done nothing wrong.

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Well, here’s a start.  Eight House Republicans have asked Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz for the specific names of FBI employees mentioned in last week’s report on the Hillary Clinton email investigation:

The letter is signed by Representatives: Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; Dave Brat, R-Va.; Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn.; Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; Jody Hice, R-Ga., Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and Ralph Norman, R-S.C.
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DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen appeared with White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to discuss the ongoing issues with border security and specifically the more recent increase in arriving alien minors, most unaccompanied by parents, and the subsequent problems.
Excellent briefing by DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen:

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As many long time CTH readers will note, the current crisis is an outcome of prior administration policy and the HHS decision to throw massive amounts of money at immigration and creating a business model for human trafficking using taxpayer funds.

SEE HERE

Bottom line, as long as U.S. Taxpayer funds can be sent to private corporations; and those corporations can then fund the human traffickers; and those human traffickers can then provide the aliens that generate the taxpayer funds; none of this will change.  It is a business model.
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As anticipated the majority of the Senate Judiciary hearing was a two-step.  Most of the questions presented to Inspector General Horowitz and FBI Director Chris Wray did little to advance the understanding of the issues at hand.  There was only one round of questions, several missing senators, and no senators for the duration. The hearing wrapped up early shortly after 5:00pm.
Here’s the only three question segments that approached the central issues.  We discover that former FBI Director James Comey is the subject of an ongoing investigation.  We also discover there is a grand jury impaneled.
Senator Lindsey Graham:

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Senator John Kennedy:
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The Senate Judiciary Committee, Chairman Chuck Grassley presiding, is scheduled to hear testimony today from DOJ-OIG Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray about the findings of the IG report of FBI conduct during the Clinton email investigation.  The hearing time is 2:00pm Eastern.
Livestream Link – Alternate Livestream Link – Alternate 2 Livestream Link

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This is the first time IG Horowitz will field questions since releasing his report last Thursday. Unfortunately, most of the members of this committee are benefactors of the DC Swamp, and less likely to confront Horowitz and/or Wray with tough and specific questions. It is likely that only Chairman Grassley has actually read the 568-page report.
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The White House responds to the growing influx of illegal aliens seeking to exploit a loophole through the use of children seeking asylum to enter the U.S.

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To really absorb the history of this issue we must analyze current year events through the reality of prior year events.

CHANGE THE LAWS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018

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President Trump delivers remarks at a meeting with the National Space Council:

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For about eight months columnist Andrew McCarthy appeared on television and wrote dozens of articles about the slow-drip of information stemming from the Trump-Russia probe and the IG Horowitz investigation.  Almost all of the articles were sympathetic to the institutions being challenged. However, in mid-May a funny thing happened.
The weekend before May 15th McCarthy actually broke down and read the six-month-old Lisa Page and Peter Strzok text messages he had been delivering opinion on; and guess what happened?  Yup, his perspective changed within a period of 36-hours, and with it – a radical shift in tone and delivery.  In essence, he red-pilled himself.
What does that have to do with FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Jeff Sessions?  Please bear with me.

When Christopher Wray appeared before the media three hours after the IG report, one thing was stunningly obvious: he never read the report.  Wray might have been briefed on a summary of the report, but there was no way Director Wray actually read the documented substance, the details and the facts, within the center of the report.
As a direct consequence Chris Wray looked and sounded like Baghdad Bob standing in front of the cameras.  “There are no Americans bombing Baghdad”, as the explosions are seen over his shoulders, was akin to “there’s no structural or institutional bias” as nom de plume FBI agents madly wave “F**k Trump” banners in the background.
It was an absurd display of a disconnect from the institution he is leading.
If you only read the executive summary of the IG report, you might not see how ridiculously absurd Director Wray’s presentation was.  In the old school corporate world we used to have a saying: “never allow your leadership to be compromised“; obviously those who briefed Wray had no issue watching him make a professional ass out of himself. Then again, perhaps that was the intention.
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