Earlier this evening President Trump participated in a roundtable with technology executives as part of an administration effort to bring the operational and organizational objectives of the federal government into the 21st century.

The overall goal of the administration is to increase federal efficiency standards, reduce the size of government through elimination of bureaucratic waste, and use technology to deliver a more efficient federal administration.  Generation Z set to be the biggest benefactors.

[Transcript] 5:22 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. It’s great to have you at the White House. And I just wanted to pass on word — Otto Warmbier has just passed away. He spent a year and a half in North Korea. A lot of bad things happened. But at least we got him home to be with his parents, where they were so happy to see him, even though he was in very tough condition. But he just passed away a little while ago. It’s a brutal regime, and we’ll be able to handle it.

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To understand the play at stake here, and the larger scheme to keep the Obama political surveillance from the sunlight of discovery, it is important to remember the only factually known illegal activity surrounding the entire Russian Election Conspiracy is:

• A.) the illegal leaking of intelligence reports (Comey et al), or the weaponization of intelligence for political motives; and
• B.) the illegal unmasking of names within U.S. intelligence reports by Obama White House officials (Susan Rice and Ben Rhodes), again for political motives.

The latest jaw dropping maneuver by the former Obama White House crew specifically targets how to cover-up the latter issue.

A FOIA request from Judicial Watch to the Obama NSC seeking information about the unmasking activities of National Security Advisor Susan Rice and the National Security Council receives a response that all documentation has been moved to the Obama Library.

The reason: All presidential library material is NOT subject to public scrutiny until FIVE YEARS after the administration ends.

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It has been reported today that White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has been moved to the position of communications director and will no longer be the primary person delivering media press briefings.

That said, it also appears many of the previous recommendations, CTH followers and Trump supporters have suggested, are being thoughtfully considered by the WH communications team.  The media are apoplectic at the possibility the White House might shut down their ability to ‘create news-bites’ via planned and coordinated broadcast gotcha questioning.

Below is the transcript for today’s press briefing.  In my opinion, the non-broadcast format should be the standard WH protocol.  Holding a presser, and publish the transcript immediately thereafter should be the norm; save broadcast opportunities for when Cabinet Officials are also delivering information…

[TRANSCRIPT] 1:38 P.M. EDT – MR. SPICER: Good afternoon. A belated Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Hope you enjoyed your day. I also want to extend a very happy birthday in absentia to Jeff Mason. Sorry he can’t be here, but I’m sure he’s enjoying his birthday a little bit more. (more…)

In a statement from the Warmbier family they announce the American student, Otto Warmbier, who was detained by North Korea, and released last week while in a coma, died today at 2:20pm EDT.

It was less than two weeks ago when the Warmbier family first found out about Otto’s condition – that he was in a coma for over a year.  Now, less than a week after reuniting with their son, he has passed…

Family statement below:

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Earlier today President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomed Panama’s President Juan Carlos Varela and first lady to the White House for a bilateral meeting.

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[Transcript] 11:39 A.M. EDT – PRESIDENT TRUMP: It’s our great honor to have President and Mrs. Varela from Panama. And we have many things to discuss. We’re going to spend quite a bit of time today — the Panama Canal is doing quite well. I think we did a good job building it, right?

PRESIDENT VARELA: One hundred years ago.

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Commerce Secretary Wilbur “Wilburine” Ross discusses the ongoing Trump economic growth strategy and the economic policy initiatives surrounding trade, tax reform, and more recently, investment in U.S.

Wilburine delivers a timeline of mid-July China trade meeting and also a mid-July outline to congress, put together by Ross and U.S. Trade Rep Robert Lighthizer, explaining the NAFTA trade renegotiation objectives which will begin mid-August.

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Secretary Wilburine also politely explains how the current valuation of the Mexican Peso and Canadian dollar appears to be weakened vs. the U.S. dollar as an outcome of markets predicting the NAFTA agreement will be far more beneficial to the U.S.  [sly smile]

Love how Wilburine explains @12:30: no distractions, we’re MAGA regardless of anyone paying attention.

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Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser to the office of the president, delivered remarks at an event for the American Technology Council.

Mr. Kushner generally keeps the lowest of low profiles so his appearance and public speaking immediately stunned the MSM and created atomic level ‘splodey heads.   The media was caught off-guard.

Mr Kushner was speaking about the ongoing Trump administration efforts to put operational efficiencies into government functions, reducing the overall size, scope, and cumbersome bureaucracy inherent in the out-dated systems.

Amid the audience members and participatory business leaders were various corporatist ideologues who are aligned in common cause against President Trump, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Apple CEO Tim Cook.

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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 †

Another possible terrorist attack in North London as a large rented van has intentionally driven into a crowd of people in Finsbury Park, London on Seven Sisters road. The incident happened in front of a very well known mosque (Finsbury Park Mosque) where extremist cleric Abu Hamza was expelled earlier.

Multiple extremist clerics are identified with the Finsbury Park Mosque. The incident took place around midnight local time.

Initial reports of multiple people hit by the vehicle.  The Daily Mail reports: Several people were reportedly hurt after the van ploughed into a crowd on Seven Sisters Road near Finsbury Park Mosque. Eyewitnesses reported seeing bystanders wrestle the suspect to the floor and pin him down until officers arrived.

Twitter users claimed the victims were Muslims leaving late-night prayers being observed for the month of Ramadan.

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