The father of Otto Warmbier, the American college student imprisoned in North Korea until this week, spoke today about his experience working with both the Obama and Trump administrations’ to free his son.

During a press conference at his local high school in Wyoming, OH Thursday morning Fred Warmbier outlined how the Obama administration told the family to sit and wait; and contrast against how the Trump administration took action on their requests.

Mr. Warmbier said the Obama administration told his family to “take a low profile.” When asked if the previous administration could have done more to secure the release of his son, Fred Warmbier responded, “I think the results speak for themselves.”

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Intensely successful leaders, the ones of serious consequence, listen intently to the voices of people closest to the work before embarking on transformation. The expertise is always closest to the work. The most successful titans of industry have always kept themselves deeply connected to the actual work.

[VIA Mike Rowe] Barry Stout‎ writes… OMG did you have a chat with the President and Ivanka? I was just listening to the announcement and presser about 6 million open jobs in the country…Who knew?!

Ken Lucke writes… Did you write the comments for Sec. Acosta this morning? He sounded almost like you in his push for apprenticeship and vocational training. Your thoughts?

Sean Brink‎ writes… Thought I’d share this article with you, in case you hadn’t seen it. Sounds encouraging towards your pursuit. Ivanka Trump: CEOs can’t fill 6 million jobs, more skill-based training needed.

Gentlemen:

It’s been very gratifying, (and maybe a little vindicating,) to hear so much talk about the skills gap over the last 48 hours. To answer your question, Barry, yes – I did meet with some people from The White House a few weeks ago.

I happened to be in DC when I got an email inviting me to discuss mikeroweWORKS with the Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Liaison. George Sifakis and his team were kind enough to meet me at my hotel in Georgetown, where I shared with them my belief that closing the skills gap will only happen if we reinvigorate the trades, and make a more persuasive case for the jobs themselves.

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“It’s been much more difficult than people even thought at the time. It’s been — [Steve Scalise] is in some trouble, but he is a great fighter and he is going to be OK, we hope.” … “I have a feeling that Steve has made a great sacrifice, but there could be some unity being brought to our country. Let’s hope so.”

~ President Donald Trump

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise underwent a third surgery this morning following his shooting injury sustained at the Republican baseball team’s practice in Alexandria, VA. Doctors at MedStar Washington Hospital Center said the Louisiana Republican remained in critical condition, and they began a third operation.

According to medical professionals multiple surgeries in this context are not unusual. There are multiple vital organs in the pathway of the bullet and surgeons are often checking to ensure prior procedures to repair damage are holding.  Rep. Scalise faces a long path of treatment and recovery ahead and remains in critical condition.

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen visited the Scalise family at the hospital Thursday morning, but did not provide additional information about his condition.

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Today President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing a program to create investment in private companies designing apprenticeship programs meant to fill some of the 6 million open jobs in the U.S.  Trump signed an executive order to roughly double to $200 million the taxpayer money spent on learn-to-earn programs. The money would come from existing job training programs within the Labor Department.

“We’re training people to have great jobs and high paying jobs,” Trump said at a White House ceremony. “We’re here today to celebrate the dignity of work and the greatness of the American worker.”

President Trump is directing the government to review and streamline some 43 workforce programs across 13 agencies.  Mr. Trump was reluctant to spend more federal funds on apprenticeships, so the financial boost is designed to come from existing money.

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Fox host Tucker Carlson interviews Mark Steyn and together they discuss the current state of left-wing political violence.

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Unfortunately, it is being reported that shooting victim Majority Whip Steve Scalise has now had a second surgery and may need a third.  Rep. Scalise is still in critical condition as he is treated at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.

Additionally, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have visited his family in the hospital.

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According to a Washington Post report, based on two more unnamed “officials”, special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating President Donald Trump for ‘obstruction of justice’ presumably based on the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

This report/outcome is not unexpected as it would be part of Mueller’s investigative duty to follow-up on any assertions made in this regard regardless of merit.

(Washington Post) […] Trump had received private assurances from former FBI Director James B. Comey starting in January that he was not personally under investigation. Officials say that changed shortly after Comey’s firing.

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Texas Representative Roger Williams is the third base coach for the GOP congressional baseball team.  Williams was hitting practice grounders to the infield when the Bernie Sanders campaign volunteer, James Hodgkison, opened fire on the team from behind the third base dugout.

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The charity baseball game will go on as scheduled tomorrow night.

2016 GOP Baseball Team Pictured

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Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders apologizes for his campaign worker James T Hodgkison and the attempted mass murder of republicans in congress.

Bernie’s campaign worker James T Hodgkison (66) [pictured left] shot five people:

♦ House GOP Whip Steve Scalise
♦ Zak Barth (congressional aide)
♦ Matt Mika (lobbyist)
♦ David Bailey (capitol hill police)
♦ Krystal Griner (capitol hill police)

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It will be interesting to see if the Democrats on Capitol Hill continue supporting political violence against President Trump and Republicans now that their supporters have started shooting people.

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The risk represented by Robert Mueller is not connected to or about anything surrounding a Russian Conspiracy; the legal risk is within ‘the leaking‘ of classified intelligence information to undermine the administration, and the potentially illegal ‘unmasking‘.

If we avoid all the shiny things, ignore the shell game and reset our frame of reference to the only illegal activity currently known, the leaking; the fog lifts and the main thing visible is the illegal leaking of classified intelligence information.

Despite his earnest efforts, there is clear and mounting evidence that former FBI Director James Comey was the primary source of leaked information to the media.

THAT reality is the legal risk to former FBI Director James Comey.  That current risk explains everything James Comey has recently done, said and advanced.

If the evidence of James Comey being the source of multiple FBI leaks reaches the primary artery of investigative sunlight, who inside that investigative and prosecutorial decision making process becomes the risk?  Answer that question and you discover the angle Comey is playing to cut off their ability to hold him accountable.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Asst AG Rod Rosenstein et al are the people Comey needs to worry about, isolate and control.  It is not coincidental that Comey is setting up the future action of these participants to be politically motivated.

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