Justin from Canada presents one of the most ridiculous contexts for the U.S. 232 Steel and Aluminum tariff decision. Justin proclaims the imposition of countervailing duties by the U.S. indicates that President Trump considers Canada a national security threat. Seriously, I’m not kidding, that’s what he is stating – watch.  Additionally, his feelings are hurt.

Apparently Justin from Canada cannot draw a distinction between an industry being lost, and that loss being a national security risk, and the hurt feelings of the Canadian Prime Minister. Intensely ridiculous… even for Justin. Obviously the irrational liberals in both the U.S. and Canada will likely draw the same ridiculous and illogical conclusions.

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China, the EU, Canada and Mexico have been exploiting weak U.S. trade policy for years. Through the effective utilization of targeted tariffs, with multiple opportunities -and warnings- to avoid the outcome, President Trump and Wilbur Ross cut the Gordian Knot.

The Big Club, driven almost entirely by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Tom Donohue are going bananas….. They can’t believe Trump actually did it. He actually followed through. The Wall Street consortium of multinationals are apoplectic.

Decades of economic gaslighting upon the U.S. electorate; massive manipulative multinational corporate influences; hundreds of millions spent purchasing U.S. politicians; and POTUS has just punched it all square in the face.

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korea Vice-Chair Kim Yong-chol have concluded two days of discussions and meetings surrounding an agreement for the DPRK to eliminate all nuclear weapons and retreat from their nuclear ambitions.

Secretary Pompeo and Vice-Chairman Kim Yong-chol continue working toward a possible meeting between President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12th.   After their meetings Secretary Pompeo held a press conference:

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Amid ongoing trade stalemates with NAFTA and the EU, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has announced the U.S. Commerce Department will no longer provide exemptions for the European Union, Canada or Mexico.

As anticipated, during a telephone briefing with reporters Secretary Ross announced at midnight tonight the 25% steel, and 10% aluminum, tariffs on imported goods will begin.

Via Reuters: U.S Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told reporters on a telephone briefing that a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports from the EU, Canada and Mexico would go into effect at midnight (0400 GMT on Friday).

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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 †

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began the first meeting with North Korean emissary Kim Yong-chol today in New York.  Over the next two days the two leaders are anticipated to discuss terms of North Korean denuclearization and the possibility of a summit in Singapore between President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un.

Pompeo arriving like a boss

Kim Yong-chol, is one of the most influential North Koreans outside of the Kim Jong-un family.  Premier Kim Yong Chol has been closely involved in with talks with South Korea and is the most senior DPRK official to set foot in the US since 2000.

Over the next two days Secretary Pompeo and Premier Kim Yong-chol are anticipated to discuss the granular details of North Korea giving up all nuclear weapons.  There is a great deal of responsibility on the shoulders of Pompeo to ensure clarity of expectations in advance of any further diplomatic meetings.

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The Wall Street Journal is publishing a report the European Union is likely to lose their exemption on Friday June 1st, from the U.S. Steel (25%) and Aluminum (10%) tariffs. Despite their article outline almost everything is still speculation at this point; however, our own review of the trade position indicates the administration is very prepared to begin delivering the metal tariffs on all nations, including NAFTA partners, without reservation.

President Trump positioning the auto-industry 232 review, May 23rd, was one of the key ‘leverage signals‘ something was about to change.

Despite massively one-sided EU imposed tariffs against U.S. products, the EU is demanding to be permanently exempted from any U.S. reciprocal tariff measures or they will block the import of U.S. products. The hypocrisy is typically European.

Adding fuel to the speculation the tariff exemptions will be allowed to expire Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross stated earlier today, at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) summit – a multinational trade conference, that any/all trade discussions are entirely possible regardless of whether the U.S. begins the tariff against steel and aluminum imports.

WSJ – […]  Mr. Trump has threatened to punish EU car exports if the bloc retaliates, and Mr. Ross is pursuing a study of car and auto-part imports similar to the one he completed on steel and aluminum.

Officials in some EU member states are already angry at Washington over Mr. Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. Still, others, including some German officials, want to seek a solution that prevents economic damage.

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Something has become increasingly weird about the DOJ and FBI intransigence at releasing the two-page “Electronic Communication” (“EC”) that was written by CIA Director John Brennan to initiate the July 2016 FBI Counterintelligence operation against the campaign of presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The weird something is: According to CIA Director John Brennan’s May 2017 testimony he personally briefed the Gang of Eight members, including Devin Nunes, “individually” in 2016, on that origination document.  As such, in 2018 Devin Nunes would only be seeking a review of a document he was already briefed on.

Now think about this.

Why would the U.S. intelligence apparatus be withholding physical documents from Devin Nunes that supposedly would contain the same information previously briefed?

It just doesn’t make sense….. unless.  Well, unless, the Brennan origination document and the briefing Brennan gave to House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, don’t match.

Which leads to another reconciliation of behavior by the administrative state.  If it is indeed true the Brennan EC doesn’t match the briefing, there would have been a specific motive for entities within the usurping enterprise to remove Nunes from the origin of the ‘insurance policy‘ execution phase.  Which, factually, is exactly what happened.

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Canada is vowing to retaliate against the U.S. if President Trump subjects NAFTA partners to the same tariffs as other trade nations and eliminates the NAFTA loophole. {Go Deep}

The NAFTA Loophole allows Canada and Mexico to broker independent trade deals with Asian and European companies; then use their Mexican and Canadian access to the U.S. market as a backdoor around U.S. Tariffs.

This loophole has been exceptionally rewarding for both Canada and Mexico and for more than a decade they have structured their economies around loophole retention. U.S. corporations, seeing advantages from cheap Asian parts in Mexico and Canada, have moved some manufacturing there to take advantage.  In an effort to reset the trade imbalance created by the loophole President Trump is threatening to close it.

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada will “respond appropriately” to any U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Wednesday, less than two days before the punitive measures are due to kick in.

“The government is absolutely prepared to – and will defend – Canadian industries and Canadian jobs. We will respond appropriately,” Freeland told reporters when asked about possible U.S. action.

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Earlier today President Trump signed S. 204, the “Right to Try Act”. The legislation provides terminally ill patients with the right to try experimental medicine and medical procedures. Detail: authorizes certain patients to seek access to certain unapproved investigational drugs directly from a drug sponsor or manufacturer; limits the use of clinical outcomes and liability arising from the provision of such drugs; and provides reporting requirements for the use and outcomes of the new authority.

[Transcript] 12:31 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, everybody. I really appreciate it. This is — to me, this is a very important moment, a very important day. Been looking forward to this for a long time, along with Senator Ron Johnson. And I will tell you, we worked hard on this. I never understood why it was hard.

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