GOP House Majority Whip Steve Scalise is in a stable condition after a rabid left-wing activist named James Hodgkinso, 66, opened fire upon the house republican baseball team during practice Wednesday morning.

James T. Hodgkinson was a former campaign volunteer for Bernie Sanders. After asking if those practicing were Democrats or Republicans, he opened fire on players with a high powered rifle from the third base dugout (Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Virginia) The group was taking grounders and practicing batting at around 7.00am.

Zachary Barth, a congressional staffer for Texas Rep. Roger Williams, was also shot but is expected to fully recover.  Two US Capitol Police officers who were accompanying Scalise were wounded as they exchanged fire with the gunman. They are both in a ‘good condition’ in hospital.

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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

Sean Spicer Twitter @PressSec

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 †

A massive residential fire in Ladbroke Grove suburb of London England has many people worried about trapped residents.   According to most media reports the 24 floor building, Greenfell Tower, houses 120 units and is almost completely engulfed.

The fire began in the middle of the night.  There are over 40 fire squads and 200 firefighters attempting to control the blaze.

(The Sun) […]  FIREFIGHTERS are battling an inferno which has engulfed a block of flats in Ladbroke Grove, West London.

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The risk represented by Robert Mueller is not connected to or about anything surrounding a Russian Conspiracy; the legal risk is within ‘the leaking‘ of classified intelligence information to undermine the administration, and the potentially illegal ‘unmasking‘.

If we avoid all the shiny things, ignore the shell game and reset our frame of reference to the only illegal activity currently known, the leaking; the fog lifts and the main thing visible is the illegal leaking of classified intelligence information.

Despite his earnest efforts, there is clear and mounting evidence that former FBI Director James Comey was the primary source of leaked information to the media.

THAT reality is the legal risk to former FBI Director James Comey.  That current risk explains everything James Comey has recently done, said and advanced.

If the evidence of James Comey being the source of multiple FBI leaks reaches the primary artery of investigative sunlight, who inside that investigative and prosecutorial decision making process becomes the risk?  Answer that question and you discover the angle Comey is playing to cut off their ability to hold him accountable.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Asst AG Rod Rosenstein et al are the people Comey needs to worry about, isolate and control.  It is not coincidental that Comey is setting up the future action of these participants to be politically motivated.

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Keeping the pressure on – During brief remarks at the airport today in Wisconsin President Trump again pointed out the need for congress to quickly address the current healthcare reform proposals.

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To deflect the Clinton’s embarrassing loss in the 2016 election, the necessary media narrative began as “Russia Hacked The Election“.

The media narrative evolved into a “Russia Trump Campaign Conspiracy”, which eventually morphed into the “Russian Trump Collusion” narrative that has now transmogrified into the “Russian Trump Obstruction Narrative“….

Senator Tom Cotton rises to reset the inquisition and point out the absurdity of it all:

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Bipartisan absurdity. Did President Obama collude with Emmanuel Macron to win the 2017 French election?  Did UK European diplomat Nigel Farage collude with Donald Trump to win the 2016 U.S. election?   Oh, but “muh Russia“. (more…)

Attorney General Jeff Sessions finally takes exception to democrat Senator Wyden’s insufferable innuendo:

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During a senate hearing today Democrat Senator Chris Coons complained to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the U.S. State Department is: a.) not spending enough money, and b.) not spending fast enough; on foreign aid to third world countries.

Coons was citing the previous Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joe Biden who said: “show me your budget and I’ll show you your priorities“.  Secretary of State Tillerson took exception and explained how he looks at this differently.  The Trump administration is not spending oriented, they are results oriented.

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Tillerson: “The statement ‘show me your funding and I’ll show you your level of commitment,’ I do not agree with. Funding does not equal results.  Show me your results, and I’ll tell you your commitment. What are the results, and then I’ll tell you what I need to deliver on those results. Giving me a pot of money and suggesting that confirms our success and commitment is just simply—I have to take exception to that, I’ve never had that experience.”

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Today, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the State Department’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget.

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[Transcript] SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, some of you may have seen a press release that was put out just before I arrived announcing that at the President’s direction, the Department of State has secured the release of Otto Warmbier from North Korea. He is on his way, en route home, to be reunited with his family.

We continue our discussions with the North Korean regime regarding the release of the three other American citizens that have been detained. We have no comment on Mr. Warmbier’s condition, out of respect to him and the family, and that is the statement that was released.

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