China is the #1 investor in Pakistan, and by extension of President Trump’s strategic decision to put Pakistan in the spotlight for supporting extremist elements within Afghanistan, China is also in the geopolitical spotlight. It’s a brilliant play by President Trump and Secretary Tillerson.
If there was no symbiosis between China and Pakistan, there would be no reason for China to have an opinion. However, understanding the nature of how their geopolitical ally has been called out, China is now exposed, and responds by trying to get the burden of responsibility removed from Pakistan.

BEIJING (Reuters) – The United States must value Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan and respect its security concerns, China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi told U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a phone call, according to Chinese state media.

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a speech today in Kentucky.  A speech which yet again personifies the disconnect between the insufferable professional republicans within the party and the MAGA insurgency that has taken it over.
WATCH SPEECH HERE
CTH has been transparent with our support for Donald Trump, and the specific reason for it.  We want the GOPe machine torn down, dispatched to earth orbit, and nuked while there regardless of consequence, because we’re sick of having to be brutalized and used by Republican liars hiding within it. Period.
If President Trump shows up to the next MAGA rally in a banana costume, 5″ stiletto heels and starts twerking a cardboard cutout of Mitch McConnell, he’d still have our full support.
Senate Majority Mitch McConnell is the personification of the intransigent GOPe.  He is quite simply that vindictive doddering fool down the road with the signs on his law forbidding anyone to dare touch the grass.  The entire neighborhood hates him.  Harsh? No, try reality. THAT is the face of the swamp. Mr. Mumbles.  Good grief, no wonder Democrats are always grinning.
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Hurricane Harvey is quickly intensifying over warm water in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Maximum sustained winds now exceed 85 MPH and strengthening is expected. Harvey is anticipated to carry a massive amount of rain.
People in the path of Harvey should complete their hurricane preparations in the next 24 hours. [Timeline and possible path below] Considerable inland flooding is also possible.

National Hurricane Center HERE

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White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders holds the press briefing for Thursday August 24th at 2:30pm
UPDATE: Video Added

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 †

The last half of this discussion segment might leave you in stitches. Very funny segment, especially when you really think about the reality, collapse and sheer desperation of the current Democrat party.  Muttering through the woods while triggered.   Enjoy:

Justin from Canada has a problem:

[…] Trudeau’s Liberals need to gain support in Quebec […] “The government is in a real quandary over this,” said a third source familiar with official thinking….

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada fears a huge surge in asylum seekers crossing the border from the United States, putting political pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of a 2019 election, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
The number of migrants illegally entering Canada more than tripled in July and August, hitting nearly 7,000. Haitians, who face looming deportation from the United States when their temporary protected status expires in January 2018, accounted for much of the inflow.

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Prior to last nights intensely enjoyable MAGA rally in Phoenix Arizona CTH was wondering if President Trump would trigger “The Big Ugly“; the looming and necessary battle with the professional republican DC apparatus.
All the key ingredients were there: A challenger for Senator Jeff Flake; prior statements from both Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan in opposition to the President; the perfect geography to highlight the GOPe’s 800lb open-border agenda; the failure to repeal Obamacare because of an Arizona senator; the border wall, etc.
The righteous list is long and the timing looked about right.

The Arizona stage was almost perfect for President Trump to begin the final conflict, the direct battle against the corrupt decepticons within the republican party. The goal would be fulfillment of a destiny we all know has to happen: To destroy the Professional Republican Party apparatus and every non-MAGA Republican politician within it.
But he didn’t.
Oh sure, President Trump came closer to launching the Big Ugly political MOAB than ever before.  He walked right up to the line, flipped open the Zippo; with a glint in his eye Trump knelt down grinning at the fuse, winking at the audience…. but he didn’t ignite it.
Nope, the timing wasn’t just right yet.
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Being on the leading edge of history as it unfolds is a great deal of fun.  Everything is proceeding according to plan.  This is The Trump Doctrine playing out on the geopolitical stage and we all have references to smile about. Swimmingly.
Remember, when President Trump gave truthful, and rightful, ownership of the Muslim Brotherhood’s extremism to the Arab Gulf States? Their first response was to refute the position. Quickly they accepted reality; and now the GCC, led by Saudi Arabia, is confronting MB’s enabler, Qatar.
Remember, when President Trump gave truthful, and rightful, ownership of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions to China? The first response was Beijing refuting the position. Eventually they accepted reality; that process is ongoing.

On Monday President Trump gave truthful ownership of the Taliban to Pakistan. Well:

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistan has rejected U.S. criticism of its efforts to fight terrorism, saying it should not be made a scapegoat for the failure of the U.S. military to win the war in Afghanistan.
U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his policy for Afghanistan on Monday, stepping up the military campaign against Taliban insurgents and singling out Pakistan for harboring them.

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