A crazed Senegalese migrant kidnapped a bus loaded with 51 middle-school-aged students near Milan Italy.  The suspect attempted to burn the bus with the students inside, but fortunately police were able to rescue the children as the fire started.

One of the children was able to hide their cell phone and call for help.  An alarming story and rescue that was caught on video by a passing motorist.

(Via Daily Mail)  A Senegalese man abducted 51 children when he hijacked an Italian school bus and set the vehicle alight in a protest over migrant deaths in the Mediterranean.

Ousseynou Sy, originally Senegalese but with Italian citizenship, stopped the bus he was driving, with two classes of high school students on board.

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Earlier this afternoon President Donald Trump delivered a speech in Lima, Ohio, at an Army tank plant.  The overall speech held a jobs and economic focus highlighting a strong U.S. economy that continues to expand.
Within the remarks President Trump mixed in a wide variety of current event topics including U.S. military success against ISIS; and the need for GM and the UAW to come to terms, then sell or re-lease the Lordstown, Ohio, auto plant.

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UPDATE Transcript Added – [Transcript] – 3:15 P.M. EDT – AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you better love me; I kept this place open, that I can tell you. (Applause.) They said, “We’re closing it.” And I said, “No, we’re not.” And now you’re doing record business. The job you do is incredible. And I’m thrilled to be here in Ohio with the hardworking men and women of Lima. (Applause.)
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President Trump delivers remarks to the White House press pool as he departs for Lima Ohio. [Video and Transcript below]

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[Transcript] South Lawn 12:25 P.M. EDT
Q Do you know when the Mueller report will be released, Mr. President?
THE PRESIDENT: I have no idea. No collusion. No collusion. I have no idea when it’s going to be released. It’s interesting that a man gets appointed by a deputy; he writes a report. You know — never figured that one out. A man gets appointed by a deputy; he writes a report.
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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

In the past several days the 2020 Democrat candidates have been assembling a rather odd set of 2020 platform issues.  President Trump notes it all seems rather “strange”:

In addition to promoting infanticide; eliminating borders and Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) and banning guns; the Democrats have all signed on to The Green New Deal, which advocates for: raising taxes, paying people not to work, eliminating air travel, banning cows and rebuilding every structure in America to run on ‘sustainable energy’.
The platform is now expanding to: lowering the voting age to 16; eliminating the electoral college; placing term limits on federal judges; and adding more Justices to the Supreme Court to advance the aforementioned progressive values.
Presidential historian Doug Wead weighed-in with Trish Regan.
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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 †

This is a little funny.  CNN’s Dana Bash interviews President Trump’s 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale.  The discussion is about the election, but on a granular level is really about data use in the 2020 election.  Parscale has given these interviews before, the one with PBS [SEE HERE] is much better.
However, the more interesting aspect to the interview actually comes after the segment when CNN’s Jake Tapper happens to note what the DNC is attempting to do.  Within Tapper’s remarks he happens to outline why the DNC is running the crew currently enlisted as candidates.  Watch specifically at the 04:00 point.

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What Tapper notes as the urgent data collection priority of the DNC is specifically the reason why the club has enlisted Beto to draw-in the community they need to harvest.  The Democrats, specifically young democrats, have no idea how the ‘club’ plans to use them.
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A week after saying any Democrat who made the 2020 presidential race about “Trump’s personality” will beat him, Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch hires Paul Ryan to serve as a board member for the news organization.  This announcement follows on the heels of Fox News hiring the former head of the DNC, Donna “Debate-Gate” Brazile, as a contributor.
Yes, it is clear to see the direction and intent of Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch.
It must also be remembered that in 2013 Fox News worked behind the scenes to facilitate the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform platform.  Additionally, a year later, Murdoch himself advocated for Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio as the preferred candidates in 2016, using Megyn Kelly to achieve their objective.  Yes, it is all one unfortunate, political and ideological continuum.

(NBC News) Fox Corporation debuted as a public company on Tuesday with a new board member — former House Speaker Paul Ryan.

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A report from earlier today notes the anticipated departure of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, initially scheduled for mid-March, has been delayed… There’s a brutally obvious reason.

WASHINGTON DC – Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has reached an agreement with Attorney General William Barr to stay on at the Justice Department “a little while longer,” a source familiar with their conversation told Fox News – despite initial plans to step down by now.
Fox News and other outlets previously reported that Rosenstein had planned to step down in mid-March. However, sources close to the deputy attorney general say Rosenstein has not yet given his two weeks notice.

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Oh dear, this doesn’t bode well for those who are concerned about U.S. imposed 20% auto tariffs on EU, mostly German, automobiles.  [NOTE: Pay attention to the timing here as it relates to Nord Stream 2] Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel has announced she will no longer uphold her prior agreement for NATO military spending.

At the 2014 NATO meeting in Wales, all NATO members agreed they would immediately begin a process to increase their military spending to two percent of GDP.  However, over time, and in direct contravention to the purpose of the effort, Germany (Merkel) began secretly working behind the scenes with Russia (Putin) on the Nord Stream II gas pipeline.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline delivers natural gas from Russia to Germany.  That pipeline is expected to go on-line this November, 2019.  Today, Angela Merkel announces she will no longer uphold Germany’s financial commitments to NATO. These two issues are directly related.  It now looks like Merkel made a back-door agreement with Russia on NATO.

(Via Daily Mail) Germany’s military spending is set to fall below its NATO targets, in the latest flashpoint in Berlin’s long-running row with Washington.
The latest German budget plans, revealed on Monday, will see defence spending drop well below the two per cent of GDP expected from NATO members.
U.S. ambassador Richard Grenell said the cuts were a ‘worrisome signal’, while President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Germany of freeloading on U.S. military might.

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