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Senator Lindsey Graham Discusses FISA Court and Ongoing Inquiry…

Inspector General Horowitz is doing a FISA review based on the Carter Page application. However, if Michael Horowitz has started looking deeply into the DOJ National Security Division (DOJ-NSD), via their historic use of FARA definitions to submit Title-1 surveillance warrants against U.S. persons…. well, there’s a strong possibility such an IG investigation would take much longer than expected.
Additionally, if the Obama DOJ-NSD was using the appearance of FARA violations as the predicate for FISA warrant authority (now seems likely); and that sketchy predicate was the basis for keeping all OIG oversight away from the NSD (again, likely); then the entire political system in/around Washington DC would be opened as a target for surveillance.
Anyone targeted under such a sketchy legal predicate for lobbying violations, would unknowingly be carrying their Title-1 surveillance virus into every interaction.  The downstream ramifications are almost beyond imagining….


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President Trump Remarks During 'America First" Iowa Dinner….

President Trump delivered remarks today to the Iowa GOP during a dinner fundraising event in West Des Moines.


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Secretary Pompeo Press Conference – U.S-Mexico Migration and Border Agreement…

Yesterday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a press conference to answer questions about the U.S-Mexicos migration and border security agreement. After reviewing some info from today, I’m inserting a graphic into Pompeo’s transcribed responses to better understand the “45 days” aspect. [Video and Transcript]


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[Transcript – (emphasis mine)] SECRETARY POMPEO: A couple things this afternoon. First, I’ll give some remarks later this week that are consistent with what we’ve been working on for my entire time here in the Indo-Pacific.
I’ll be speaking to a group of Indian business leaders in preparation for the trip that I’ll take in a couple weeks where I’ll be visiting India, an important part of President Trump’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific. And I’m looking forward to the opportunity both to give the set of remarks about how it is our relationship is so closely tied economically, but also importantly the things that the United States and India can continue to do to build out what is an incredibly important relationship for both countries.
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Alliances – Tokyo Electron Will Not Provide Semiconducter Equip to Trump Blacklist Chinese Clients…

There’s always a larger geopolitical dynamic when you assess the economic alliances that President Trump puts together…. Always and underlying plan…  Sometimes it just takes time to surface.
As we have noted, even going back to 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe always appeared to be the fulcrum for President Trump’s Indo-Pacific strategy.  

Remember the trip to Japan as honored guests of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the Imperial Palace?  Remember last month’s (May 25th) unprecedented reception with the titans of Japanese business?  Remember the private reception set up by a very nervous U.S. Ambassador William F. Hagerty?  A reception with the most influential business CEO’s in Japan and Southeast Asia? 
Well…

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Tokyo Electron, the world’s No.3 supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, will not supply to Chinese clients blacklisted by Washington, a senior company executive told Reuters.
The decision shows how Washington’s effort to bar sales of technology to Chinese firms, including Huawei Technologies, is ensnaring non-American firms that are not obliged to follow U.S. law.

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President Trump Renewable Energy Policy Speech – Council Bluffs, Iowa – 4:20pm EST Livestream…

President Trump travels to Iowa today to deliver a policy speech on renewable energy.  The remarks are taking place at Southwest IA Renewable Energy in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Later this evening President Trump will deliver remarks at the Republican Party of Iowa annual dinner.  Start time for the energy speech approximately 4:20pm EST:
UPDATE: Video Added


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President Trump Impromptu Remarks Departing the White House…

Chopper pressers are the best pressers.  Departing the White House for an energy policy speech in Iowa, President Trump stops to take questions from the assembled media pool.
UPDATE: Video and Transcript Added


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[Transcript] – 12:35 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. This group gets bigger and bigger. This is a big group by any standard. This is like the Academy Awards used to be before they went political. Now nobody cares.
But a great honor to be with you. We’re doing very well. Mexico is doing a great job at the border, really helping us. We want the Democrats to help us as much as Mexico. And we’ll have absolutely no problem at the border. We’ll clean it up very quickly.
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Kevin Hassett: "Trump is Serious About Additional China Tariffs"…

White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett squares-off against Fox Business crew on trade tensions with China, the state of the U.S. economy, the outlook for Federal Reserve policy and his upcoming departure from the White House.
Steve Forbes is disconnected from the reality of what happens with tariffs on China. Beijing first responds to off-set the tariff by lowering the value of their currency, and/or subsidizing the targeted products. There is no price increase to U.S. consumers (check inflation).


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Apparently President Trump was watching the segment, and had a word for Maria Bartiromo, Dagan McDowell, Steve Forbes and Stuart Varney:
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"China Joe" Biden Will Reverse and Call China Geopolitical Threat…

According to two media reports democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden is scheduled to completely reverse his position on China, and outline the Asian nation as a global geopolitical threat in an Iowa speech today. That’s not a reversal or a flip-flop, that would be a triple-lindy.
Since the first day he announced his candidacy Joe Biden has been saying China does not pose a threat to the U.S. or our global allies.  He has consistently down-played any talk of China as an economic or geopolitical threat to the U.S.
The Biden family has also made millions from their financial relationships with China, assisted by the family patriarch selling policy influence.
Biden has been so far out-front while advocating his friendly position toward China that he’s even been nick-named “China Joe” by those paying close attention….  And now he’s going to reverse that completely? Reminder:
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June 11th – 2019 Presidential Politics – Trump Administration Day #873

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

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This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Tuesday June 11th – Open Thread

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †