This evening President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump host a reception for Poland’s first couple, President Andrzej Duda and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda.  The reception included dignitaries, politicians, business leaders and friends from the Polish-American community.   [Video and Transcript]

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[Transcript] PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, thank you very much. Melania and I would like to just welcome you all to the White House, a very special place. One of the great homes and houses anywhere in the world. Call it a home or a house; it’s one of the greats. Very important to all of us.
And we’re here, today, to honor the incredible friendship between the United States and Poland, and to celebrate our vibrant, thriving, and proud Polish-American community, of which many of you are (inaudible). (Applause.)
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The New York Times has a report this evening surrounding U.S. Attorney John Durham questioning CIA officials about the origination of the Trump-Russia investigation.
However, a closer look at the substance underneath the NYT reporting and it doesn’t actually look like Durham is questioning the CIA about the investigation itself; rather it appears he is questioning the CIA about how they came to the conclusions within the January 7th, 2017, Intelligence Community Assessment, or ICA.

(New York Times) […] Mr. Barr wants to know more about the C.I.A. sources who helped inform its understanding of the details of the Russian interference campaign, an official has said. He also wants to better understand the intelligence that flowed from the C.I.A. to the F.B.I. in the summer of 2016.

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After a series of bilateral meetings President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda hold a joint press conference in the Rose Garden.  [Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] – 2:23 P.M. EDT – PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. Please. Today, Melania and I are honored to welcome President Duda and Mrs. Kornhauser-Duda of Poland back to the White House. They’ve become friends. We last hosted them in Washington, in September, and it’s wonderful to see you both again. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Great honor.
Since our last meeting, the unbreakable bonds between the United States and Poland have grown even closer. This year, as our nations mark 100 years of diplomatic relations, the U.S.-Polish alliance is stronger, by far, than ever before.
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Against the intense leverage being applied by President Trump, last week Beijing doubled-down and threatened punishment against any company that would leave China and begin manufacturing elsewhere.
The totalitarian response was predictable and expected.  However, also predictable was the corporate response to the threats.
As we shared:  “China is counting on prior western investment being so significant that a corporation will be reluctant to withdraw. However, in this outlook Beijing seriously underestimates the free market because communist controlled China doesn’t understand the action of a inherently free market.
The first loss is the best loss. If walking away from an investment provides more financial security and stability than attempting to retain a grip on a tenuous position – corporations will walk away.” (more)
Now today – “Nintendo Moves Some Switch Production Out of China”:

TOKYO— Nintendo Co. is shifting some production of its Switch videogame console to Southeast Asia from China to limit the impact of possible U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made electronics, said people who work on Nintendo’s supply chain.
It is another example of manufacturers adapting to the tariff threat. Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group said Tuesday that it was ready to move assembly of Apple Inc.’s iPhones out of China if necessary, and Japan’s Sharp Corp. , which is controlled by Foxconn, said last week that it planned to move production of personal computers to Taiwan or Vietnam.

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President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcome Polish President Andrzej Duda and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda to the White House.  The relationship between the U.S. and Poland is one of the cornerstones of a newly invigorated united alliance in Europe.
President Trump visited Warsaw, Poland, (July, 2017) where he delivered a speech vowing to confront “new forms of aggression” targeting Western values. The President and First Lady received a very enthusiastic reception during their visit to Poland.
Ahead of a bilateral meeting between the two leaders they held a press availability in the oval office.  [Video and transcript]

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•President Donald Trump says he is seriously considering a return visit to Poland this fall. •The United States will send 2,000 more service members to Poland as he announces a broadening security and economic alliance. •The Polish government will pay for the infrastructure to support additional troops. •Poland will purchase 32 U.S. made F-35 fighter jets. •The U.S. and Poland have agreed to $8 Billion sales of liquefied natural gas.
[Transcript] PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. We have the very great privilege of having the President of Poland with us and his very powerful and lovely wife. Thank you very much. It’s great to be with you again.
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This is excellent news.  Last week Michael Flynn fired Covington & Burling LLP as his legal counsel.  Today it is being reported that Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn has hired former U.S. Attorney Sidney Powell.

This is an excellent development as Sidney Powell is one of the few legal advocates with a firm grasp on the surrounding dynamic.  Additionally, Mrs. Powell is smart to the tricks and corrupt tactics of Andrew Weissmann and the assembled crew of Robert Mueller.
It will likely take several weeks for Powell to review the case file (must be rather large), and given the background of corrupt FBI activity, hopefully Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell can mount an offense.
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On Tuesday afternoon President Trump was asked a question by media about Kim Jong Un.  President Trump responded to the question, and simultaneously delivered an openly coded message to Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping that few would understand:

[Transcript] Q (Inaudible) about your meeting with Kim Jong Un while you’re in South Korea? Are there discussions underway?
THE PRESIDENT: So, I see that. And I just received a beautiful letter from Kim Jong Un, and I think the relationship is very well. But I appreciated the letter. I saw the information about the CIA, with respect to his brother, or half-brother. And I would tell him that would not happen under my auspices, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t let that happen under my auspices.
But I just received a beautiful letter from Kim Jong Un. I can’t show you the letter, obviously, but it was a very personal, very warm, very nice letter. I appreciate it.

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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

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 †

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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