Shortly before the president signed an executive order on affirming first amendment rights on college campuses yesterday, President Trump sat down for an extensive interview with Maria Bartiromo.
The interview covers a wide range of topics with a primary focus on the U.S. economy, ongoing trade discussions and issues that impact the U.S. workforce. One of the granular issues that surfaces is a subject we discuss frequently, the value of the ‘chicken tax‘; the 25% tariff on imported trucks and SUV’s.   WATCH:

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President Trump participates in an Executive Order signing and delivers remarks on “improving free inquiry, transparency, and accountability on campus.”  Anticipated start time 3:20pm EST
UPDATE: Video and Transcript Added Today, President Donald J. Trump will deliver remarks on promoting and protecting free speech on college campuses and sign an Executive Order on “Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities.”

The order instructs Federal agencies to ensure public and private institutions of higher education are upholding the First Amendment or their stated policies on free speech. Free inquiry and free speech are essential features of our Nation’s democracy. This order is part of the Trump Administration’s administrative and legislative efforts to support a focus on student outcomes and improve transparency, accountability, and affordability in post secondary education. (White House)
[Transcript] – East Room -3:43 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Please be seated. I am truly delighted to welcome so many impressive young Americans to the White House. This is a very exciting day. What we’re doing is very important. And we’re here to take historic action to defend American students and American values. They’ve been under siege.
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White House Senior Adviser Kellyanne Conway sits down for an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo.  Within the interview Bartiromo asks Ms. Conway about her husband’s very public criticisms of President Trump…. and the conversation gets weird.
This is an unusual public conversation about an odd personal dynamic.

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With a few exceptions CTH is not a big fan of expecting congressional letters to deliver results and information.  However, that said, I hope this is one of the exceptions.
Representatives Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows send a letter (full pdf below) to Attorney General William Barr wanting to know what is the status of the criminal referral for fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
The referral was made April 19th, 2018, approximately five days after the OIG published their report outlining McCabe’s lies.

The McCabe criminal referral was made to Jessie K. Liu (above right), the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia who is also a member of the Attorney General Advisory Council (AGAC). According to reporting from last year there was a grand jury impaneled in/around July 2018.
Grand Jury testimony and activity is generally kept quiet; there have been no leaks and no public activity noted in the past eight months.  However, Mr. McCabe has recently been highly visible on his book tour.  Adding to speculation the grand jury may no longer exist, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu is expected to be nominated to the #3 spot at the DOJ.
Given the distance from the original McCabe grand jury investigation (8 months); and accepting the current high-profile book tour by Andrew McCabe; and considering Ms. Liu is soon to exit as U.S. Attorney for DC; it would appear Mr. Jordan and Mr. Meadows are inquiring about whether or not the legal issues around McCabe still remain.
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It was previously noted how Senator Dianne Feinstein abdicated her position as Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, a Gang-of-Eight member, following the 2016 election. Senator Feinstein’s top aide was Daniel Jones; who, following the election, continued funding Christopher Steele and the Russia Conspiracy narrative.

Paul Sperry has done some great follow-up research into Jones’ group, The Democracy Integrity Project; and how the team continued to collaborate with journalists, pushing the Russia Conspiracy, from January 2017 through to today.

(RCP Investigations) […] The operation’s nerve center is a Washington-based nonprofit called The Democracy Integrity Project, or TDIP. Among other activities, it pumps out daily “research” briefings to prominent Washington journalists, as well as congressional staffers, to keep the Russia “collusion” narrative alive.
TDIP is led by Daniel J. Jones, a former FBI investigator, Clinton administration volunteer and top staffer to California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. It employs the key opposition-research figures behind the salacious and unverified dossier: Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson and ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. Its financial backers include the actor/director Rob Reiner and billionaire activist George Soros.

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Earlier this afternoon President Donald Trump delivered a speech in Lima, Ohio, at an Army tank plant.  The overall speech held a jobs and economic focus highlighting a strong U.S. economy that continues to expand.
Within the remarks President Trump mixed in a wide variety of current event topics including U.S. military success against ISIS; and the need for GM and the UAW to come to terms, then sell or re-lease the Lordstown, Ohio, auto plant.

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UPDATE Transcript Added – [Transcript] – 3:15 P.M. EDT – AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you better love me; I kept this place open, that I can tell you. (Applause.) They said, “We’re closing it.” And I said, “No, we’re not.” And now you’re doing record business. The job you do is incredible. And I’m thrilled to be here in Ohio with the hardworking men and women of Lima. (Applause.)
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This is a little funny.  CNN’s Dana Bash interviews President Trump’s 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale.  The discussion is about the election, but on a granular level is really about data use in the 2020 election.  Parscale has given these interviews before, the one with PBS [SEE HERE] is much better.
However, the more interesting aspect to the interview actually comes after the segment when CNN’s Jake Tapper happens to note what the DNC is attempting to do.  Within Tapper’s remarks he happens to outline why the DNC is running the crew currently enlisted as candidates.  Watch specifically at the 04:00 point.

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What Tapper notes as the urgent data collection priority of the DNC is specifically the reason why the club has enlisted Beto to draw-in the community they need to harvest.  The Democrats, specifically young democrats, have no idea how the ‘club’ plans to use them.
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A week after saying any Democrat who made the 2020 presidential race about “Trump’s personality” will beat him, Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch hires Paul Ryan to serve as a board member for the news organization.  This announcement follows on the heels of Fox News hiring the former head of the DNC, Donna “Debate-Gate” Brazile, as a contributor.
Yes, it is clear to see the direction and intent of Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch.
It must also be remembered that in 2013 Fox News worked behind the scenes to facilitate the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform platform.  Additionally, a year later, Murdoch himself advocated for Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio as the preferred candidates in 2016, using Megyn Kelly to achieve their objective.  Yes, it is all one unfortunate, political and ideological continuum.

(NBC News) Fox Corporation debuted as a public company on Tuesday with a new board member — former House Speaker Paul Ryan.

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A report from earlier today notes the anticipated departure of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, initially scheduled for mid-March, has been delayed… There’s a brutally obvious reason.

WASHINGTON DC – Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has reached an agreement with Attorney General William Barr to stay on at the Justice Department “a little while longer,” a source familiar with their conversation told Fox News – despite initial plans to step down by now.
Fox News and other outlets previously reported that Rosenstein had planned to step down in mid-March. However, sources close to the deputy attorney general say Rosenstein has not yet given his two weeks notice.

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Oh dear, this doesn’t bode well for those who are concerned about U.S. imposed 20% auto tariffs on EU, mostly German, automobiles.  [NOTE: Pay attention to the timing here as it relates to Nord Stream 2] Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel has announced she will no longer uphold her prior agreement for NATO military spending.

At the 2014 NATO meeting in Wales, all NATO members agreed they would immediately begin a process to increase their military spending to two percent of GDP.  However, over time, and in direct contravention to the purpose of the effort, Germany (Merkel) began secretly working behind the scenes with Russia (Putin) on the Nord Stream II gas pipeline.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline delivers natural gas from Russia to Germany.  That pipeline is expected to go on-line this November, 2019.  Today, Angela Merkel announces she will no longer uphold Germany’s financial commitments to NATO. These two issues are directly related.  It now looks like Merkel made a back-door agreement with Russia on NATO.

(Via Daily Mail) Germany’s military spending is set to fall below its NATO targets, in the latest flashpoint in Berlin’s long-running row with Washington.
The latest German budget plans, revealed on Monday, will see defence spending drop well below the two per cent of GDP expected from NATO members.
U.S. ambassador Richard Grenell said the cuts were a ‘worrisome signal’, while President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Germany of freeloading on U.S. military might.

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