National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow appears on CNBC to discuss the latest releases of economic stats and the on-going trade talks between the U.S. and China.  Kudlow notes the U.S. and China are making progress specifically due to USTR Robert Lighthizer.  Interesting interview.

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Nuance and team subtlety are important here. Larry Kudlow is a loyal soldier, no question, but his economic leaning is toward trade outcomes that benefit Wall Street… Robert Lighthizer is a fierce battle-hardened trade expert, with an outlook that is multi-generational toward Main Street.
Listen to Lighthizer talk about the economic future for his grandkids in his congressional testimony yesterday and you’ll see what I mean. NO COMPROMISE with China.  Lighthizer is prepared to fight all of Main Street’s enemies, including congress.
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The Bureau of Economic Analysis, BEA, finally released the fourth quarter growth rate estimate for 2018.  The 4th quarter growth result at 2.6% exceeded expectations, and shows the U.S. economy is growing stronger than almost all economic forecasts.

WASHINGTON DC – In the fourth-quarter, U.S. gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 2.6%, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Thursday’s report beat expectations, with consensus economists polled by Bloomberg looking for growth to slow to 2.2% during the final three months of the year. The domestic economy grew at a pace of 3.4% in the third quarter and 4.2% in the second quarter.

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Despite several positive and remarkable comments from Kim Jong-un, President Donald Trump and the North Korean Chairman could not come to a substantive agreement after two days of negotiations on the process to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
During a press conference prior to departing Hanoi, Vietnam, President Trump cited two issues: (1) A North Korean demand for the immediate removal of all multinational economic sanctions; and (2) The unwillingness of North Korea to be fulsome about their missile and nuclear locations. WATCH:

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UPDATE:  Here is a link to the transcript.  Additional Thoughts:
In the backdrop of the Hanoi summit, and as U.S-China trade negotiations continue, the Trump administration suspended the implementation of the March 1st tariff increase on Chinese goods.  Unfortunately, attaining this goal may have empowered a cunning Chairman Xi Jinping to influence the demands of DPRK Chairman Kim.
A covert influence connection will become clear if President Trump now takes an even more firm trade and tariff position toward China. We’ll keep watching closely.
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We can somewhat throw out the schedule; President Trump and Chairman Kim held a much longer one-on-one, and informal small group discussion….. Culminating in this historic moment with the media present and the formal bilat about to begin.
First, watch Chairman Kim Jong-un take questions from U.S. media.  That’s historic. Second, and more importantly, listen carefully to the answers: MUST WATCH

U.S. Journalist: “Chairman Kim are you willing to denuclearize?”

Chairman Kim Jong-un: “If I’m not willing to do that, I won’t be here right now.”

POTUS Trump injected: “That might be the best answer you’ve ever heard.”

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Senator Lindsey Graham discusses his recent conversation with President Trump surrounding the Hanoi summit with DPRK Chairman Kim Jong-un; and the political schemes of Democrats to undercut the peace objectives of the administration.

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President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un begin meetings tonight on day two of their Hanoi summit.  Vietnam is 12 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.  Most of the substantive action, including a joint signing and Trump press conference, will take place overnight Wednesday and early Thursday morning.
ABC Livestream Link – ARIRANG News Livestream

Schedule and Livestream Below:

• 8:25pm EST / 8:25am (local) – President Trump departs JW Marriott Hanoi en route to the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 8:45pm EST / 8:45am (local) – President Trump arrives at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 9:00pm EST / 9:00am (local) – President Trump participates in a one-on-one bilateral meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Hanoi, Vietnam
• 9:45pm EST / 9:00am (local) – President Trump participates in an expanded bilateral meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Hanoi, Vietnam

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Those who follow closely will note Speaker Pelosi’s plan to weaponize congressional oversight is a carefully orchestrated campaign with three key figures: Adam Schiff, Elijah Cummings and Jerry Nadler.
Representative Jody Hice questions Michael Cohen about the construct and background of his congressional appearance. Within the answer Cohen admits his handler, democrat operative Lanny Davis, coordinated with key congressional leadership to include Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings and HPSCI Chairman Adam Schiff.

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The way to defeat the Pelosi/Schumer impeachment scheme is to expose the cornerstone of the political fraud the scheme relies upon.
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The majority of the political engagements between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un will take place early Wednesday morning (U.S. EST). Vietnam is 12 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time.

Wed. Hostage Rescue Schedule and Livestream Below:

• 5:55am EST / 5:55pm (local) – President Trump departs his hotel en route to the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 6:15am EST / 6:15pm (local) – President Trump arrives at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 6:30am EST / 6:30pm (local) – President Trump participates in a greeting with the Chairman Kim Jong-un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Hanoi, Vietnam
• 6:40am EST / 6:40pm (local) – President Trump participates in a one-on-one conversation with Chairman Kim Jong-un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 7:00am EST / 7:00pm (local) – President Trump participates in a social dinner with Chairman Kim Jong-un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 8:35am EST / 8:35pm (local) – President Trump departs the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi en route to his hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 8:55am EST / 8:55pm (local) – President Trump arrives back at his hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam

Day #1 (Wednesday Local) concludes.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has worked closely with House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings to use President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen as the cornerstone to a carefully planned democrat impeachment effort.
Working collaboratively with the current U.S. Department of Justice, Speaker Pelosi organized a deferment of prison sentence for Mr. Cohen so he could testify to the House committees. Toward that end, and in fulfillment of his agreement to House Democrats via Lanny Davis, the opening statement of Michael Cohen is below (full pdf).
The 20 pages of toxic and disparaging opening remarks are specifically and carefully worded by Cohen and his political handler Lanny Davis to create maximum political damage.  Together with personal documents (and recordings) Cohen will provide, this pre-planned effort is what U.S. media will use to assist their ideological allies in congress.
[scribd id=400614094 key=key-aSDOgUaWnSScXWExjGbz mode=scroll]
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The majority of the political engagements between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un will take place in the overnight hours.  Vietnam is 12 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time.
President Trump is in Vietnam for his second summit with Chairman Kim. The two men first met last June in Singapore, a summit that was the first person-to-person contact between leaders of the U.S. and North Korea.  The structure of the visible public engagement is to reach an agreement where North Korea will give up its nuclear arsenal and enter the economic world of peaceful nations.

Those who follow China and North Korea closely see a much bigger, non-discussed geopolitical effort and engagement.  Within this dynamic a more complex objective is to rescue Chairman Kim from the clutches of oppressive generational control by Beijing, China.
Chairman Xi does not want to give up control and President Trump is leveraging full U.S. economic pressure upon China to break the grip. Technically, President Trump is on the most complex, challenging and historic hostage rescue mission; and the entirety of world’s media cannot see it.  Wed. Hostage Rescue Schedule and Livestream Below:

• 10:35pm EST / 10:35am (local) – President Trump departs the RON en route to the Presidential Palace, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 10:55pm EST / 10:55am (local) – President Trump aprrives at the Presidential Palace, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 11:00pm EST / 11:00am (local) – President Trump participates in a photo opportunity with the General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 11:10pm EST / 11:10am (local) – President Trump participates in an expanded bilateral meeting with the General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam

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