Today is really quite humorous.  MSM broadcasts are full of segments of falsity, fake news, and gobsmacking hypocrisy.  Temp Visa restrictions and Temp Refugee ban are two entirely separate issues.  Additionally:
♦ President Obama puts six month ban on Iraqi refugees in 2011 and media…. crickets.
♦ President Trump puts 120 day suspension on Syrian refugees 2017… media explodes.
♦ Obama selects 7 countries for enhanced visa security policy and media… crickets.
♦ Trump uses Obama law, same Obama DHS policy, and same 7 countries; for a 90-day visa suspension and media explodes.

For some reason it just doesn’t appear accidental. This parallel policy of Trump, which is almost identical to Obama policy, is too well constructed to be coincidence. This looks like a strategy and the MSM, along with all Trump opposition, are falling into a trap.
Here’s the DHS response:

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security will continue to enforce all of President Trump’s Executive Orders in a manner that ensures the safety and security of the American people. President Trump’s Executive Orders remain in place—prohibited travel will remain prohibited, and the U.S. government retains its right to revoke visas at any time if required for national security or public safety. President Trump’s Executive Order affects a minor portion of international travelers, and is a first step towards reestablishing control over America’s borders and national security.

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Oh Canada.  This guy is the best Prime Minister evah.  Can we get him to tweet support for Keith Ellison for DNC head.  In the not too distant future – Twinkle Wunderkinds is going to be squaring off with President Trump over a NAFTA re-write.
(LINK)  […]  Trudeau’s press secretary, Cameron Ahmad, said the prime minister is looking forward to discussing Canada’s immigration and refugee policies with Trump. But he wouldn’t say when that will be and referred questions about those affected by the ban to Transport Minister Marc Garneau.  (read more)
Dramatic video below of President Trump meeting with Trudeau’s Canadian advance team:
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While there is much pontification and opinion about a judicial ruling by New York Judge Ann Donnelly, the decision is actually quite narrow.  The judge’s involvement is specifically and narrowly only targeted to current permitted visa holders who were in the limbo zone between travel (during XO) and the denial of entry upon landing.
Despite the insufferable airport protests being promoted on U.S. MSM, there are less than 200 people nationwide who were in the limbo zone.  The ruling stops DHS from forcibly turning around a group of currently valid visa holders arriving from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.  Nothing more.
NEW YORK […]  U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly ordered a halt to any removal of refugees or others who hold valid visas to enter the United States—meaning those who have arrived at U.S. airports from the seven predominantly Muslim countries named under the President’s executive order can remain, for now.
The judge did not rule on the legality of the executive order, nor did she say that others who have not yet arrived in the U.S. can be allowed to proceed.  [She’s simply clearing the airports.] (more…)

Why would the text of President Trump’s Executive Order suspending travel visas be readily available on CNN (HERE), New York Times (HERE), Wall Street Journal (HERE),  but not on White House page (HERE)?
I don’t think it’s accidental.  The limiting Visa program was President Obama’s action, not President Trump.

If you review the actual text of the executive order (copied below in full) what you will immediately notice is the order doesn’t specify ANY countries to be included in the Visa suspension (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen).
President Trump is not suspending visas from countries his team selected, they are simply suspending visa approval from countries President Obama selected.  Additionally, Trump is suspending ALL visa applications from those countries – nothing to do with Muslim applications.
• In 2013 President Obama suspended refugees from Iraq for six months.  • In 2015 Congress passed, and Obama signed, a law restricting visas from states of concern; • and in 2016 Obama’s DHS, Jeh Johnson, expanded those restrictions.  …. all President Trump is doing is taking the same action as Obama 2013, and applying Visa restrictions to the nation states Obama selected in 2015 and 2016.
From the Executive order:
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President Donald Trump initiates three more campaign promises today via executive action:

♦  A five year ban on lobbying for all White House officials. An order banning administration officials from ever lobbying the U.S. on behalf of a foreign government and imposing a separate five-year ban on other lobbying.

♦  An order to begin restructuring the White House National Security Council. Aides said the changes would help the council better adapt to cyber, digital, terrorist and other modern-day threats.

♦  A request for the Department of Defense, via the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to deliver a preliminary strategy to defeat ISIS within 30 days to the President.

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Pay close attention to the sequencing of events, even within the day, which stem from delivered and deliberate action and policy of President Trump.  There is a strategic sequencing which builds upon a much larger Trump policy agenda.

President Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had their first official talk today vowing to strengthen diplomatic and economic relations and to work together to defeat the Islamic State terror group, the Kremlin said.

(Via Fox News) […] The White House has yet to release details of the conversation.
The Kremlin said the world leaders talked about Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear program, North Korean aggression and better trade and economic ties but made no mention of the sanctions.

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In yesterday’s executive action (full script not yet released) President Trump suspended the visa travel program with Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days in order to assess the screening process for immigrants, and visitors.
Additionally, as reported by Reuters, President Trump put a four-month hold on the State Department refugee program, while the vetting process is reviewed and security practices put into place to enhance the screening process.


The reaction from the left-wing open-border globalists was entirely predictable.  However, even though their response was predictable, it is still incredible to see the complete lack of cogent understanding within their arguments.   This quote from CAIR is a case study in abject moonbattery:

(Reuters) […]  The order seeks to prioritize refugees fleeing religious persecution, a move Trump separately said was aimed at helping Christians in Syria. That led some legal experts to question whether the order was constitutional.
One group said it would announce a court challenge on Monday. The Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR] said the order targets Muslims because of their faith, contravening the U.S. Constitutional right to freedom of religion.

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Kevin Appleby is a well known pro-refugee advocate from The Center for Migration Studies; essentially an advocate and lobbying group for the business end of refugee resettlement.
Most CTH readers are familiar with Baptist Child and Family Services (BCFS) and/or Catholic Charities, both groups gain hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds for their various refugee programs. “Hundreds of millions”. This is big business.
Tucker challenges Appleby on his expressed narrative, and by doing the well designed questioning approach – well, Appleby’s argument just collapsed. Watch:

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This (also see below for data), is one of those areas where Rex Tillerson can have a massive common sense impact as *Secretary of State.

*NOTE* CTH is prudently deferring any additional research and discussion threads on the U.S. Department of State until after the Tillerson confirmation vote.

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Almost a year ago we outlined a predictable approach President Trump would take toward domestic economic policy if he were to win the 2016 election.  Almost three months after his victory we clearly see the economic approach is indeed exactly what he campaigned on.
Perhaps it is valuable to pause, look at where are today, and consider current progress against the prior prediction for where President Trump was heading …the economics.

For the first time in many decades the chief executive of the United States walked into office concerned about the fiscal stability of the average American, without a single IOU on his Oval Office desk. For the first time ever, a titan of American Main Street is in the oval office.
Do not downplay the significance of this aspect. Money makes the world go ’round.
While they may not state so openly, every single global leader and politician is reviewing the U.S. election through their own domestic financial prisms.  It doesn’t matter which country, the key prism is financial. Enter, the land of trade conversation, Samsung, Kia,  etc, and national financial interests: The EU, The U.K., Mexico, Canada, China etc.
Immediately after the election, we stated: the U.S. media will attempt to frame international conversation through the prism of defense issues: South Korea feeling vulnerable to North Korea hostilities, Europe worried about NATO, Russia gaining influence in the Mid-East etc.
However, this view is an entirely false narrative. The reason for this intentional deflection is a necessary need for western media to marginalize President Trump.  President Trump is an existential threat to years of globalist economic advancement.
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President Donald Trump holds so much leverage in any negotiations with trade partners, especially Mexico, it is quite staggering to contemplate.

♦ TRADE – An awakening electorate and economic voters throughout the United States  are quickly recognizing a simple truth:

The scope of U.S. leverage is exponentially stronger in bi-lateral trade deals.

The United States is the largest economic market in the world.  Multilateral trade deals with bundles of nations benefit the smaller fish within the deal.  However, direct one-on-one “bilateral trade deals” always benefit the biggest fish, because the biggest fish holds all the leverage.
Donald Trump has been talking about this for decades.  Our massive market provides all the leverage needed for trade terms favorable to Americans. “Take it or leave it”, a phrase only for the entity holding the strongest hand.  However, frustratingly our national leadership has approached historic trade as if we hold a responsibility to lessen our own national value to the benefit of other nations.
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