White House Coronavirus Task Force – Press Briefing on U.S. Response Status – Video and Transcript…

Earlier today the federal Coronavirus Task Force established by President Trump held a press conference to explain the U.S. response status and answer media questions.
The task force is being led by HHS Secretary Alex Azar and includes:  Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health; Ken Cuccinelli, Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security; Matthew Pottinger, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor.
[Video and Transcript Below]


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[Transcript] – SECRETARY AZAR: Well, good afternoon, everyone. I’m Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Chairman of the President’s Task Force on the Novel Coronavirus.

I’m going to start by turning things over to Dr. Robert Redfield, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to discuss the current situation on the novel coronavirus. Dr. Redfield.

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Fourth Quarter GDP 2.1% – 2019 Full Year GDP Growth 2.3% – Secretary Wilbur Ross Discusses…

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released their first estimate of Q4 GDP growth today.  The BEA first estimate is 2.1 percent growth for the fourth quarter and 2.3 percent growth for the year. [Data Here]   The U.S. economy is now approximately $21.7 trillion.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross appeared on Fox Business with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the ‘big picture’ outlook for the U.S. economy.  Strong employment, strong wage growth, strong consumer spending, and now the USMCA passage delivering the backdrop for domestic capital investment.   Good interview:


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The headwinds by Boeing and the GM strike had some negative impact.  However, 2019 was dominated by Wall Street multinational investors taking the ‘wait-n-see’ position on the China/Asia -vs- USMCA trade dynamic (manufacturing investment) overall.
The USMCA passage gives certainty to North American manufacturing investment.  The China ‘phase-one’ agreement allows time for re-positioning, and/or time to extract profits from prior investment.  A corporate decision to manufacture in China is now based on an entirely different set of considerations than 24 months ago…. ‘phase-one’ buys time but doesn’t reduce the long-term risk.  North America is now the place for investment stability.
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Coronavirus Cases Rise Globally – First U.S. Cases Detected…

The Coronavirus was first first diagnosed in China less than a month ago. On Thursday (U.S.) / Friday (Beijing) the Chinese government stated they have confirmed cases of 830 patients and the death toll has risen to 25.
The virus has infected more than a dozen people outside China around the world, mostly in Asia. However, the first U.S. case has been reported in Texas who traveled to the epicenter of the outbreak, Wuhan City, China.

A total of 18 million people are now under quarantine in China.

(Via CNBC) […] Local authorities in China have quarantined Wuhan and Huanggang, which have a combined population of 17 million. Including Wuhan where the virus was first identified, travel bans were in effect Thursday for at least eight cities.
[…] The previously unknown, flu-like coronavirus strain is believed to have emerged from an animal market in central Wuhan city.

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Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Interview During Davos World Economic Forum….

Earlier today Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appeared on CNBC for an extensive interview from the Davos, Switzerland, World Economic Forum.
Good grief.  What is so hard to understand about the statement: “economic security is national security”?


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President Trump Discusses The U.S. Economy and the Envy of The Davos Elite…

During a pause between meetings President Trump sat down for an interview with CNBC in Davos, Switzerland.  Joe Keren notes the talk of Davos is the strength of the U.S. economy and how the results of the America-First national economic policies of President Trump are stronger than all Davos attendees anticipated.
This wide-ranging interview may even be better than the Fox Business interview as it presents more depth of insight into the next steps for President Trump’s global trade reset.  Obviously Europe is not looking forward to negotiating new reciprocal trade agreements with the Trump administration.  WATCH:


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Day One Schedule – President Trump Delivers Opening Remarks – Davos, World Economic Forum – 5:30am Livestream…

President Trump traveled overnight to Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum.  [Livestream Links and Daily Schedule Below] I found it very interesting that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was not on the Dec. delegation list.
The U.S. Delegation includes: Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin; Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross; Labor Secretary, Eugene Scalia; Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao; U.S. Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer; Under Secretary for Growth, Energy and Environment (DoS), Keith Krach; Asst to the President, Ivanka Trump; Asst. to the President, Jared Kushner; and Asst. to the President / Deputy for Policy Coordination, Christopher Liddell.
The 2020 Davos economic conference will be a little more important to watch this year (as it was in 2017) due to the completed U.S. Trade Agreements (S Korea, Japan, Mexico, Canada, and China) and the predicted focus for the Trump administration to pivot from Asia to the EU and U.K. for the next critical phase of the ‘America-First’ global trade reset.
There will likely be a great deal of attention upon the opening remarks by President Trump scheduled to be delivered at 5:30am ET / 11:30am Switzerland.
UPDATE: Video Added


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Sunday Talks: Jim Jordan Discusses FBI, Flynn Prosecution, Rosenstein, Page, Strzok, and How it all Connects…

Ohio congressman Jim Jordan appears with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the full background of the FBI surveillance impetus and how the bigger picture brings all of the government activity forward to the actions behind an impeachment trial.
In the full picture, the totality of government effort, the arc of all swamp action, has been to remove a president who is everything these administrative state officials oppose.  It is the independence of a Peoples’ President that represents the threat to the system…


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Peter Navarro Discusses the Enforcement Mechanisms Behind U.S-China Trade Deal…

White House manufacturing policy advisor Peter Navarro has an interview today to discuss the enforcement mechanisms behind the U.S-China trade agreement.
One of the interesting points Navarro raises is how the intellectual property provisions align with the newly initiated Customs and Border Protection “operation megaflex” where thousands of packages from China are opened looking for counterfeit goods.
According to Navarro the operation has identified a counterfeit rate of ten percent; fake goods and contraband narcotics.  China prosecuting these identified companies becomes part of the compliance system to see if China is adhering to the agreement.


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Manufacturing President Jay Timmons: President Trump Made Promises, President Trump Kept Promises…

MAGAnomics – National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons describes how President Donald Trump has “delivered” for manufacturers, noting that “promises are being kept” on tax reform, regulation, and trade.


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The passage of USMCA in combination with incentives for domestic manufacturing investment in the U.S.; and overlayed with the framework of the China ‘phase-one’ agreement, has set the foundation for a competitive North American manufacturing alternative to southeast Asia.  The capital investment will follow.  America First!
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Peter Navarro: "The Two Greatest Days in U.S. Trade Policy History"…

White House Manufacturing Policy Advisor, Peter Navarro, appears on Fox Business with Charles Payne to discuss the ramification of China ‘phase-one’ and the USMCA for the middle-class blue-collar economy.  Excellent interview, WATCH:


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