A big day for geopolitical moves.

Earlier today President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean Minister Kim Yong Chol held a 90 minute meeting at the White House discussing ongoing talks and negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea.

Following the meeting the White House announced there would be a second summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un:

“President Donald J. Trump met with Kim Yong Chol for an hour and half, to discuss denuclearization and a second summit, which will take place near the end of February. The President looks forward to meeting with Chairman Kim at a place to be announced at a later date.”  (link)

(Via Fox News) […] The face-to-face came after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Kim Yong-chol, North Korea’s lead negotiator, in the nation’s capital early Friday morning to negotiate terms that could lead to a second nuclear summit between Trump and Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un.

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In November of last year the New York Post interviewed President Trump asking specifically why he was not declassifying “spygate” documents, and inquiring about the purpose for his reluctance.  President Trump responded: “Maybe it’s better that the public not see what’s been going on with this country.”  Many people were disappointed, but its always been President Trump’s primary MAGA agenda to focus on economic security.

As the president has repeatedly stated: “economic security is national security.”  And with that cornerstone as the foundation, any evidence of a ‘Five-Eye’ ally participating in the scheme against Trump becomes leverage.  Cue the example:

EUROPE – European officials said today they will make tariffs on steel imports to the region permanent to help stem the glut of supply sparked by Donald Trump’s trade war against China.

The move highlights that protectionism is spreading and Donald Trump’s trade war with China is entrenching itself into the global economy.

The EU will impose quotas on 26 product categories and levy a 25% duty on imports exceeding those quotas, the executive arm said on Wednesday. The move cements proposals laid out last July with the stated aim of protecting European steelmakers amid Chinese overcapacity.

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{{{snicker}}} Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Oh, remember that White House meeting with the big four German automakers [back on December 4th, 2018] that mainstream media ignored amid the fury of the, well, more popular ‘resistance’ narrative?   Yeah, THAT one.
Well, combine that US/trade White House meeting with the details within the USMCA auto-sector; mix it up a little with the initiatives and incentives for Trump’s industrial vocational apprenticeship training; give the auto actuaries a little time to crunch the numbers; let the executives settle in…. Then, fast forward a month and currently the big Detroit auto-show is happening.
Voilà!… what does Volkswagen announce?  Ahem:

TENNESSEE – Volkswagen to create 1,000 new jobs in Chattanooga expansion:
Volkswagen announces Chattanooga will be the home to the company’s first electric vehicle manufacturing facility in North America. This will be the company’s second U.S. facility.

The automaker made the announcement Monday morning at the Detroit Auto show. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, and Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger were all in Detroit for the major announcement.

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A very upbeat President Donald Trump calls in for an interview with Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro to discuss latest political events. Topics include: the immigration and border control crisis; democrat legislative intransigence; current -high priority- trade negotiations that are coming together; and the issues surrounding the last New York Times hit piece involving the DOJ and FBI.
On the issue of trade President Trump outlines his direct involvement in constructing the underlying details, that portends to very good outcomes. The economy is humming along; the “strongest economy in the world.”
Additionally, as President Trump discussing and corruption within the DOJ and FBI, President Trump seems to tease upcoming events: “You’ll be surprised at the names of people involved in the corruption”, the president said. Continuing with: “names you haven’t heard yet.”
The positive energy within this interview will send the media bananas.

In October 2015 the DOJ announced it was dropping the investigation into the IRS, Lois Lerner, and the unlawful sharing of taxpayer data in the IRS targeting investigation surrounding True The Vote et al.

As a direct consequence of the DOJ decision, congressional inquiry into the IRS targeting matter seemingly dropped from the radar.
However, if you draw a line from the original intent of the entire enterprise, the post-2010 mid-term “shellacking”/”secret research project“, forward to the 2016 election cycle an interested observer might still be left asking:

“why did the IRS, through Lois Lerner, deliver the 1+ million pages of tax filings, to include the entire donor list of Tea Party and patriot groups, through 21 CD-ROMs and not by electronic data transfer. Information that was specifically sent to Eric Holder and the U.S. Department of Justice”?

This is an obvious question which, despite the numerous congressional hearings on the matter, was never asked – nor answered.
The entire scheme is riddled with complexity; almost too complex for the average person to understand, and seriously difficult to summarize. However, when you boil it down here’s the essential components that are no longer suspicion or supposition, but factually provable: (more…)

White House Director of Strategic Communications Mercedes Schlapp discusses the partial government shutdown over the border wall funding and the most recent call by Democrats’ to raise taxes.

Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett appears with Lou Dobbs to discuss the strength of the U.S. economy, the partial government shutdown and the Trump administration’s trade talks with China.
Mr. Hassett, a happy warrior, walks through the recent economic data and jobs report.

The timing here is subtle as a brick through a window.  As the U.S. and China sit down for the first preliminary trade discussions…. simultaneously, Chairman Kim Jong-un arrives in China for a pre-scheduled meeting with Chairman Xi Jinping.

Those who follow the strategy of Beijing will note China’s historic approach has been to leverage antagonism by their proxy province of North Korea to gain economic leverage over their U.S. adversary. It would appear Xi Jinping is sending exactly that message, yet again.  China controls the DPRK and they will deploy that leverage as needed.

(BNO News) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in China for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, making it his fourth visit in less than a year, the Chinese government announced on Tuesday.
Kim arrived in China on Monday and will be staying until Thursday, according to a spokesperson for the ruling Communist Party, who added that the visit is taking place at the invitation of Xi.  Other details about the visit were not immediately known.

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Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross discusses the ongoing U.S. -vs- China trade confrontation and the current status of China’s economic contraction.
Secretary Ross outlines that China has now internally admitted their reliance on access to the U.S. market; and Team Trump’s continued willingness to deliver death by 1,000 cuts to Beijing if needed.
Secretary Wilburine is one of the top targets for Wall Street, GOPe, Democrats and the collective group of beneficiaries from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is effective; he is unrelenting; they want/need him to be removed.   The inability to influence the White House economic policy team is the biggest threat to the corporate lobbying community.

The official, albeit preliminary, U.S.T.R. delegation from the United States is on the ground in China to begin initial discussions of “technical details” surrounding the ongoing trade dispute.  The preliminary talks are today (Jan 7th) through Wed (Jan 9th).

The prior notice from USTR announced the delegation: •Ambassador Jeffrey Gerrish, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (pictured above – center); •Ambassador Gregg Doud, USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator; •Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney, U.S. Department of Agriculture; •Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Gilbert B. Kaplan, U.S. Department of Commerce; •Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg, U.S. Department of Energy; and •Under Secretary for International Affairs David Malpass, U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The delegation will be accompanied by senior officials from the White House, USTR, and the U.S. departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, State, and Treasury. (link)

Tu Xinquan, director of the China Institute for World Trade Organization Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing is quoted as saying Beijing’s first phase will be focused on technical details before more important voices “make hard political decisions.”
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