We would not be surprised to find out this report is either accurate or slightly incorrect.  It is entirely possible that President Trump may also keep Elaine Duke as DHS head and appoint Kirstjen Neilsen as Duke’s deputy.  Obviously President Trump will keenly weigh former DHS head and current CoS John Kelly’s thoughts on both candidates.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expected to nominate his chief of staff’s deputy, Kirstjen Nielsen, as his next secretary of Homeland Security.
That’s according to four people familiar with the decision, including two administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about a personnel decision before it was officially announced. While two of those people cautioned that the president could always change his mind before a formal announcement, the others said the decision was slated to be announced formally Thursday.

(more…)

Breitbart Media has a good framing for the ongoing Hollywood sexploitation crisis.  Think about the decades of perversion and sexual exploitation and the scope of the victims within the industry.  Hundreds of thousands of examples of harassment, forced sexual encounters, rape etc., exist and could become public.
The Weinstein charges are only the tip of the iceberg. The corporate entertainment industry is intertwined with the corporate media industry.
The financial risk is exponential.

[…] This is Hollywood’s greatest fear realized, the fear that the floodgates against others will open up and every alleged harasser will be dragged kicking and screaming into the sunlight. Affleck is a major player; an Oscar-winning director and Warner Brothers’ Batman, a hugely expensive franchise. He is also a high-profile Democrats, just like Harvey.

This is already the biggest scandal in Hollywood’s long, sordid history, Second place is not even close. But if even more women are now encouraged to come forward against other big names, the entire industry could be damaged beyond comprehension.

The same is true for the multinational corporations who employed these alleged harassers, the Walt Disney Company, for instance. Major corporate liability is definitely on the table.

(more…)

Earlier today President Trump tweeted out a statement that NBC is fake news. The media, and Trump’s political opposition, immediately began circling the wagons to defend NBC.

However, as if on cue, moments after President Trump made the statement, NBC presented video of a Today Show segment interviewing a maintenance worker for Mandalay Bay with a jaw-droppingly false claim about Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock warning the worker. LOOK:
(more…)

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.

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

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 †

President Trump’s MAGAnomic Main Street policy initiatives surround a very basic set of principles.  To add wealth to the middle class you: A.) increase wages, and B.) lower the cost of living.
Increasing wages is the long-term economic outcome from America-First business and corporate manufacturing policies (Secretary Wilbur Ross), in combination with fiscal policies (Secretary Mnuchin).   Subsequently, within his economic agenda, President Trump visibly engages an extraordinary amount of effort on both Commerce and Treasury.
However, there’s a part of the plan for reestablishing middle-class wealth that also comes from lowering the cost of living (high consumables).  That’s where EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt intersects with Ross and Mnuchin as Pruitt works to lower energy costs.

.
Lowering energy costs has an exponential benefit to the overall economy.  Not only does it drive down the cost of domestic highly consumable products, but it also binds the building blocks of the manufacturing and production sector.  Lower energy costs offset higher wages on products manufactured for export and helps keep the U.S. competitive.
(more…)

During an interview on Sunday casino, hotel and resort billionaire Steve Wynn was describing some insider trade talk about the Mandalay Bay Massacre.  During the interview Wynn inadvertently mentioned shooter Stephen Paddock using the “service elevators” and how Wynn’s internal security measures would never allow that to happen.
Asked for clarification, Mr. Wynn quickly demurred.  However, CBS is now reporting that Stephen Paddock did in fact use the freight elevator at the Mandalay Hotel and Casino:

Las Vegas – Law enforcement sources told CBS News that Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock is believed to have used the freight elevator at the Mandalay Bay hotel casino in the days leading up to last week’s deadly attack.
It wasn’t clear what Paddock used the freight elevator for or how often he used it.

(more…)

Earlier today President Trump welcomed the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup winning Pittsburgh Penguins to the White House.
President Trump welcomed the Pittsburgh Penguins to the White House on Tuesday to congratulate them on their Stanley Cup win. “You are true, true champions, and incredible patriots…the NHL has not seen a three-peat in a generation, but I know you are ready for the challenge. I’m going to be watching so closely, because you think you’re going to be back here next year? I think so.”

Trump also suggested that Penguins owner Ron Burkle get involved with NAFTA negotiations: “I really mean that, if you want to get involved in negotiating NAFTA, I like it. Because we’re renegotiating NAFTA, Ron. Of course, he may not like that, because maybe he’s on the other side…You’re not on the other side of NAFTA, Ron, are you?” (link)
(more…)

President Trump has turned the 2017 NFL into 2015 Megyn Kelly, and now the league president, Roger Goodell, is trying desperately not to end up in Kelly’s isolated position.

NFL owners are preparing to address the player National Anthem controversy at their fall meeting in New York Oct. 17-18.  According to Reuters NFL chief spokesman Joe Lockhart told reporters:

“Everyone at this point is frustrated by the situation.  The commissioner and the owners do want the players to stand. We think it is an important part of the game.”

(more…)

Here we go… buckle up, and grab the popcorn.  This is the part where the “trillions at stake” comes into play…

U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue is now engaged in a direct fight with U.S. President Donald Trump. As would be expected, and as we specifically predicted, Tom Donohue is now specifically aligning himself with Canada and Mexico against the interests of the United States economy.

Tom Donohue gives hundreds of millions to Mitch McConnell and the crony UniParty capitalist ilk that infect Washington DC. Donohue owns the vast majority of U.S. politicians. This battle is the epicenter of lobbying usurpation, and how multinational corporations own U.S. politicians. This battle will be epic.

MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The most powerful U.S. business lobby accused the Trump administration on Tuesday of making “poison pill proposals” to sabotage talks aimed at modernizing NAFTA, as negotiators began gathering in Washington for fresh trade talks.
[…] Speaking in Mexico City, Thomas Donohue, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s president and chief executive, listed several U.S. proposals that he said would undermine $1 trillion in annual trilateral trade, including a “sunset clause” to force regular negotiations.

(more…)