(Via Fox News) Imran Awan, a former IT aide for Democratic Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, was indicted Thursday on four counts including bank fraud and making false statements. The indictment also includes his wife Hina Alvi.

The grand jury decision in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia comes roughly a month after Awan was arrested at Dulles airport in Virginia trying to board a plane to Pakistan, where his family is from.
Awan and other IT aides for House Democrats have been on investigators’ radar for months over concerns of possible double-billing, alleged equipment theft, and access to sensitive computer systems. Most lawmakers fired Awan in February, but Schultz had kept him on until his arrest in July.
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The ‘big ugly’ is inevitable. We all know it.  The only thing yet to be determined is the timing.  My spidey hunch tells me there are multiple possible detonation moments depending on sequencing.
Today, President Trump violates Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer’s golden rule regarding incumbent Senators.  President Trump tweeted support for a challenger:

Think about it.  President Trump has quietly placed triggering policy around the base of several UniParty issues:

♦China Trade Imbalance and North Korea Denuclearization; ♦the ongoing NAFTA renegotiations and future trade deals; ♦the fiscal year 2018 budget and associated MAGAnomic policy; ♦the southern border wall and immigration enforcement; ♦infrastructure and prioritization of spending; ♦no more stupid wars; ♦the repeal of ObamaCare and tax reform to benefit the middle-class workforce. 

These are not Bannonisms, these are core and central issues important to President Trump on an inherently personal and intrinsic level.
With some nuanced adjustments to reflect the current international challenges (ie. adding DPRK to the China objectives), these are essentially the fundamental reasons why candidate Trump came down the escalator in 2015.
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Jihadists have used vehicles to mow down their victims in numerous terrorist attacks in Europe.  The London Bridge Attack in the U.K, and the attack in Nice, France as well as the Berlin, Germany Christmas Market attack are three high-profile recent examples.
However, after today’s terrorist attack in Barcelona Spain using the same approach of vehicles as weapons, CNN has discovered the real source of inspiration for using cars and trucks for Islamic terrorism.
According to CNN reporter Jim Scuitto and CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, the terrorist attack today in Barcelona was the result of a copy-cat from,… wait for it,… yep, Charlottesville Virginia.  No, seriously; I’m.Not.Kidding.  WATCH:

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UPDATE: Transcript Added Below – Following a joint U.S. and Japan Security Conference on North Korea, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis hold a joint press conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori.
The primary topic within the conference is the security of Japan and the ongoing issues with North Korea.  However, Secretary Tillerson also gave remarks on Barcelona and questions surrounding comments made yesterday by Mr. Stephen Bannon from the White House.

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[Transcript] SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, good afternoon. I’d like to start by acknowledging the incident in Barcelona which has the hallmarks, it appears, of yet another terrorist attack. We offer our condolences to the loss of life and the injuries that have occurred to so many innocent people yet again. We will continue to monitor the situation. We stand ready to assist law enforcement, national security authorities in Spain. Our consulates in Barcelona and our entire Mission Spain team are currently assisting Americans in Spain who are affected by these events. We ask U.S. citizens in the area to let your loved ones know you are safe. Terrorists around the world should know the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice.
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At least 13 people have been killed and dozens injured after a van in Barcelona Spain ploughed into pedestrians in a busy tourist street.  The attack happened in the area around Las Ramblas, a busy shopping and business promenade in the center of the city.

Local and national media are reporting that one suspect named Driss Oukabir, apparently from Morocco, has been arrested. A second suspect was been killed after a shootout on the outskirts of the city with police. It remains unclear how many attackers were involved in the incident, which is being treated by police as a terrorist attack.
Horrific footage recorded at the scene shows dozens of victims lying injured on the pavement. Police have confirmed that at least 64 people are hurt. Catalonia’s interior minister Joaquim Forn stated it is ‘very possible’ the number of dead will rise because of the ‘very serious’ wounds to victims.
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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 †

Based entirely on what can be pulled from Government Accounts and media interviews of the participants involved in NAFTA negotiations, I’m going to try and summarize each day as it can be determined through those sources.
Additionally, for those who might be interested in a perspective I’m going to give a rating of my confidence that a tri-national agreement is possible.
On a scale of zero to 10 – where zero is NAFTA will dissolve and parties will be at irreconcilable differences, and 10 is confidence an agreement will be reached, at the end of Day #1, today, I’d asses the likelihood of an agreement at “3”.
Outlook not too good.
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Political Strategist Steve Bannon gives an exclusive interview to a far-left progressive media outlet where he asserts the big picture issue that matters above all other current policy issues, is the economic war between China and the U.S.

(Via Prospect) […] To me,” Bannon said, “the economic war with China is everything. And we have to be maniacally focused on that. If we continue to lose it, we’re five years away, I think, ten years at the most, of hitting an inflection point from which we’ll never be able to recover.”
Bannon’s plan of attack includes: a complaint under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act against Chinese coercion of technology transfers from American corporations doing business there, and follow-up complaints against steel and aluminum dumping. “We’re going to run the tables on these guys. We’ve come to the conclusion that they’re in an economic war and they’re crushing us.”

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A new poll of economic sentiment provided by YouGov shows that almost twice as many people have a favorable view of the current economic climate amid the U.S. general population.  [Full pdf Available Here]
As noted in the chart below when comparing July 2016 to August 2017 the number of people with a favorable view of their own personal and national economic outlook has almost doubled.

(click to enlarge)

Question: Overall do you think the economy is getting better or worse?

• The Democrats who said things were “Getting Better” decreased from 28% to 14%.
• The number of Republicans who said “Getting Better” jumped from 5% to 53%.
• The total of the general public saying “Getting Better” jumped from 17% to 30%.