China is signaling they will drop the panda illusion and take a full frontal dragon approach toward Hong Kong. Chairman Xi Jinping is deploying, some say he has already deployed, the Ministry of State Security – China’s leading intelligence agency – into Hong Kong to begin formal control through national security laws.

The move appears to be a direct signal that communist Beijing will not longer accept or allow Hong Kong’s current autonomous status as a free democracy. Beijing signaling “enough is enough”, and Hong Kongers are rightly concerned.  If Xi follows through, we can expect to see even more protests and confrontations; and the possibility President Trump will remove the “special trade status” the U.S. gives to Hong Kong.

Right now Hong Kong is exempt from U.S. tariffs and other economic measures the U.S. has deployed against China.  If Beijing takes full control, that could quickly change.

(Reuters) – Beijing appears determined to stamp out any renewed rebellion against the Communist Party’s authority over the former British colony. China’s largely rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, is preparing to circumvent the city’s lawmaking body, the Legislative Council, in drafting the new laws.

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Following the solemn ceremony at Arlington the President and First Lady traveled to Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Maryland where President Trump delivered remarks honoring Memorial Day 2020.  [Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: I stand before you at this noble fortress of American liberty to pay tribute to the immortal souls who fought and died to keep us free. Earlier today, the First Lady and I laid a wreath in their sacred honor at Arlington National Cemetery. Now we come together to salute the flag they gave their lives to so boldly and brilliantly defend. And we pledge, in their cherished memories, that this majestic flag will proudly fly forever.

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President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice-President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence, together with Defense Secretary Mark Esper, lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington to honor Memorial Day.

Wearing a white suit coat and white heels First Lady Melania stood at the center steps of the amphitheater steps during the ceremony. Also in the amphitheater was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao & Treasury Secretary Mnuchin.

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This is a modified re-post from last year. I love the video and I cannot top it, so I offer it again.

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Today all across this great land we call America, we pause to remember those who have fallen. We give thanks for their final sacrifice, for their love of country, and we say prayers for them, for their families, for the country they serve. We fly flags to honor their service, to observe our own dedication to America.

However, being the ever optimistic Americans we are, we have turned this day formerly known as Decoration Day into a nation wide party, a celebration of patriotism, family, summer’s promise, and just any old other thing we choose it to be, but in some places like our little town Memorial Day is still about the fallen servicemen and women who gave their lives for our country.

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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

Kayleigh McEnany Twitter @PressSec

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 †

Yesterday we noted a rather important, yet less discussed, motive for the strength of the DC Circuit Court position against Judge Emmet Sullivan.  I’ll expand after the video.

In this interview Gregg Jarrett talks with Flynn’s defense lawyer Sidney Powell about the rather unusual behavior of Judge Emmet Sullivan.  WATCH:

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A DC judge hiring a well connected DC lawyer to write his response to a DC circuit court appeals panel is the part that’s interesting.  There’s no guarantee the appeals court will accept such a response; but that’s also another issue.   Bottom line: Judge Sullivan is importing a lawyer to represent his interests.  Very unusual.

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It’s a question that has been asked several times: why is FBI Director Christopher Wray now starting an internal review of those within the FBI who were engaged with the events around Lt. General Michael Flynn.  Why did he wait so long?

In this interview Representative Andy Biggs discusses that question.  WATCH:

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The most likely answer is simply sunlight.  The corrupt FBI activity was clearly evident within the organization in 2018 and 2019.  However, the recent change is the public awareness of it with documented evidence.

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The defensive posture by those attempting to deflect attention from the political unmasking requests made by the Obama-era administration and embed career officials is to highlight the volume of unmasking requests made in 2017 and 2018.

This is presented in a good question received via Twitter:

“Sundance what is your take on this fact that’s getting thrown around about 16,000 unmaskings in 2018? Wallace makes sure to point that out, and that it is not a crime itself, but leaking it is a crime. Although if the unmasking isn’t for the purpose stated it should be a crime.”

The answer is really quite simple. Think about what the Special Counsel’s office [Mueller Team] previously explained about the SCO investigation… These requests flowed through a very facilitating DNI Dan Coats and explains the vast majority of “unmasking” requests:

Again, in order for the media to retain their resistance bona fides, and keep the flow of their cocktail party invites, they have to pretend not to know things.

Carry on.

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Apparently the Fox News crew doesn’t like the effective approach by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.  During the pearl clutching discussion the panelists are aghast at an administration spokesperson who articulately presents and defends the office of the president in a manner that doesn’t fit their approved norms.

Having dropped his conservative pretense behind the can of unused shaving cream in the non-mirrored bathroom cabinet, Jonah Goldberg, who has a long history of attacking strong and articulate conservative women who dare exit the kitchen, pontificates that McEnany is “grotesque” in her approach. Meanwhile Chris Wallace clutches his pearls and pretends not to know the press pool is fraught with Trump derangement resistance.

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Kayleigh McEnany is really good.  She effectively shows the American electorate the ridiculous hypocrisy of the beltway media at each event, by drawing attention to their non-coverage. McEnany does a better job in her position than any before her.

McEnany is smart, articulate, joyful and christian.  This puts a unique target on her back for those in opposition desperate to retain the DC fraud, two-party pretense and cocktail party invitations.

Infected with a toxic strain of metastasized TDS, his Trump-era irrelevance now painfully transforms his physical appearance into that of Canis Lupus.  Alas, methinks the Goldberg doth howl too much.

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