UPDATE: UC Berkeley Police Arrest Suspect Zachary Greenberg for Attack on College Conservative…

The UC Berkeley Police have arrested and identified the suspect (pictured below) who was caught on camera attacking a young college conservative.  According to CBS:

BERKELEY (CBS SF) — A man being sought for the assault of a conservative activist on the University of California, Berkeley campus last month has been arrested.
A statement from UC Berkeley Public Affairs said a warrant was issued for suspect Zachary Greenberg and UC police arrested him Friday, booking him into jail at 1 p.m.
[…] Police will formally present the case to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for consideration of the filing of criminal charges, the university said. (read more)

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Epic Bilat Moment During Hanoi Summit – Kim: "If I'm not willing to denuclearize I won't be here right now"….

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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Wolverine Blood – USTR Robert Lighthizer Testimony on U.S-China Trade Negotiations to House Ways and Means Committee…

You might want to bookmark this congressional testimony from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to the House Ways and Means Committee for specific purposes…
There are many people who are understandably worried that any U.S. trade agreement between the U.S. and China might not have the most ferocious teeth behind a binding enforcement provision.  If you listen to Ambassador Lighthizer he makes clear that President Donald Trump, and the negotiating team, will not accept any agreement that does not have the strongest enforcement mechanisms at every level.


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In his testimony Lighthizer walks through the basic outline of what a U.S. successful agreement would look like.  While increased Chinese purchases to lower the deficit are a part of the goal, they are a VERY SMALL part of the goal.
The protection of U.S. intellectual property; the removal of non-tariff trade barriers; the confrontation of currency manipulation and the sector by sector enforcement provisions are the primary objective.
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Second Half / Day One: Trump-Kim Summit, Hanoi Vietnam…

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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Number Eight – Bernie Sanders Announces Presidential Bid…

Plowing the field.  The Bern crowd has no idea how the DNC machine is setting them up. Senator Bernie Sanders announces his decision to run again for the presidency in 2020.


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Two points:  First, Bernie’s primary value is his voter list; he has leveraged this multiple times for indulgences from within the party apparatus. Second, Bernie is the perfect plough (a delegate splitter) to carve up and re-assemble constituent parts.
The unofficial ‘chosen one’, the intended party donor candidate, will not surface until April or May 2019.  The DNC is predictable. It’s still too early for the anointed candidate to surface.  Bernie holds an identical 2020 responsibility to Marco Rubio in 2016.  The apparatus has undeployed dirt on Bernie; they didn’t need to use it in 2016 because the outcome was predetermined.  Bernie was not previously vetted.
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Vice President Mike Pence Delivers Remarks in Doral, Florida, to Venezuela Exiles…

The area around Miami, Florida, is home to the largest group of Venezuela exiles in the U.S.  Today, there are two competing mass demonstrations taking place within Venezuela, supportive of both the pro-Maduro regime and the pro-Guaidó movement.
Yesterday Vice-President Mike Pence delivered a speech to a Doral, FL, audience that supports the ouster of Maduro.


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[FRIDAY] Doral, Florida – THE VICE PRESIDENT: Buenas tardes a todos! (Applause.) Thank you, Governor DeSantis; First Lady Casey DeSantis; members of Congress; Ambassador Trujillo; distinguished guests. Karen and I are so honored to join you here in this beautiful place of worship with our fellow Americans and so many proud sons and daughters of Venezuela. (Applause.)
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U.S. Treasury Department Places New Sanctions on Venezuela State-Owned Oil Industry PDVSA…

Keep in mind that China has loaned Venezuela over $50 billion in the past five years. In exchange, Venezuela gave China a 49% stake in PDVSA. Venezuela makes payments on the loans via oil shipments to China.

(VIA U.S. Treasury Dept) Today the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13850 for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy. PdVSA is a Venezuelan state-owned oil company and a primary source of Venezuela’s income and foreign currency, to include U.S. dollars and Euros.

“The United States is holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela’s tragic decline, and will continue to use the full suite of its diplomatic and economic tools to support Interim President Juan Guaidó, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people’s efforts to restore their democracy,” said Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin.

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Sunday Talks: Devin Nunes Discusses Mueller Investigation With Maria Bartiromo…

Former HPSCI Chairman and current minority ranking member, Devin Nunes, appears on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the recent indictment of Roger Stone, Robert Mueller, and other matters that surround congressional investigations.
Representative Nunes notes that if the current DOJ are willing to go after people that have lied to congress, then this same DOJ should be looking at lies told by Lisa Page, Peter Strzok, James Comey and Andrew McCabe. Additionally, and frustratingly, Mr. Nunes outlines how it is demonstrably true the Clinton campaign was in direct collusion with Russians in 2016 and yet the current DOJ keeps ignoring those facts.
Nunes also speculates that Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein put the allegations from the Ohr/Steele Dossier into his instructions (full pdf below) that he gave Robert Mueller. This is what DAG Rod Rosenstein is trying to hide from everyone, including President Trump. If true, that should comprehensively destroy the integrity of the DOJ, the Mueller investigation (writ large), and the pro-Rosenstein narrative.


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In the latter part of the interview Maria Bartiromo discusses the issues of Chinese trade practices and how Beijing is weaponizing their trade position to infiltrate international technology and gain control over infrastructure.
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Top Military Diplomat from Venezuela Breaks With Maduro and Supports Guaido…

Venezuela dictator Nicolas Maduro has broken-off diplomatic relations with the U.S. and demanded all attache’s to return home.  However the top Venezuela military attache within the U.S. has now backed President Juan Guaido as the legitimate president and will remain in the U.S.

(Via Miami Herald) The military attaché at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, Col. José Luis Silva, broke with the Nicolás Maduro regime Saturday and urged other armed forces members to recognize Juan Guaidó as the legitimate interim president of the South American nation.

“As the Venezuelan defense attaché in the United States, I do not recognize Mr. Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela,” Silva told el Nuevo Herald in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C.

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U.S. Preliminary Trade Delegation Arrives in China For Initial Discussions of "Technical Details"…

The official, albeit preliminary, U.S.T.R. delegation from the United States is on the ground in China to begin initial discussions of “technical details” surrounding the ongoing trade dispute.  The preliminary talks are today (Jan 7th) through Wed (Jan 9th).

The prior notice from USTR announced the delegation: •Ambassador Jeffrey Gerrish, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (pictured above – center); •Ambassador Gregg Doud, USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator; •Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney, U.S. Department of Agriculture; •Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Gilbert B. Kaplan, U.S. Department of Commerce; •Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg, U.S. Department of Energy; and •Under Secretary for International Affairs David Malpass, U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The delegation will be accompanied by senior officials from the White House, USTR, and the U.S. departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, State, and Treasury. (link)

Tu Xinquan, director of the China Institute for World Trade Organization Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing is quoted as saying Beijing’s first phase will be focused on technical details before more important voices “make hard political decisions.”
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