{{{snicker}}} Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Oh, remember that White House meeting with the big four German automakers [back on December 4th, 2018] that mainstream media ignored amid the fury of the, well, more popular ‘resistance’ narrative?   Yeah, THAT one.
Well, combine that US/trade White House meeting with the details within the USMCA auto-sector; mix it up a little with the initiatives and incentives for Trump’s industrial vocational apprenticeship training; give the auto actuaries a little time to crunch the numbers; let the executives settle in…. Then, fast forward a month and currently the big Detroit auto-show is happening.
Voilà!… what does Volkswagen announce?  Ahem:

TENNESSEE – Volkswagen to create 1,000 new jobs in Chattanooga expansion:
Volkswagen announces Chattanooga will be the home to the company’s first electric vehicle manufacturing facility in North America. This will be the company’s second U.S. facility.

The automaker made the announcement Monday morning at the Detroit Auto show. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, and Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger were all in Detroit for the major announcement.

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White House Director of Strategic Communications Mercedes Schlapp discusses the partial government shutdown over the border wall funding and the most recent call by Democrats’ to raise taxes.

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Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett appears with Lou Dobbs to discuss the strength of the U.S. economy, the partial government shutdown and the Trump administration’s trade talks with China.
Mr. Hassett, a happy warrior, walks through the recent economic data and jobs report.

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Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross discusses the ongoing U.S. -vs- China trade confrontation and the current status of China’s economic contraction.
Secretary Ross outlines that China has now internally admitted their reliance on access to the U.S. market; and Team Trump’s continued willingness to deliver death by 1,000 cuts to Beijing if needed.
Secretary Wilburine is one of the top targets for Wall Street, GOPe, Democrats and the collective group of beneficiaries from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is effective; he is unrelenting; they want/need him to be removed.   The inability to influence the White House economic policy team is the biggest threat to the corporate lobbying community.

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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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Some of the highlights from today’s protests in France are quite remarkable.  Additionally, it seems indicative of an inflection point for Reuters to point out that Macron’s current approach toward the Yellow Vests is only making things worse….  Strange times.

PARIS (Reuters) – Emmanuel Macron intended to start the new year on the offensive against the ‘yellow vest’ protesters. Instead, the French president is reeling from more violent street demonstrations.
What began as a grassroots rebellion against diesel taxes and the high cost of living has morphed into something more perilous for Macron – an assault on his presidency and French institutions.

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Last Wednesday night the arrest of a key political organizer of the Yellow Vest protests, a 33-year-old truck driver named Eric Drouet, spurred the movement to claim French President Macron was now arresting his political opponents. The arrest of Drouet has led to an increase in retaliation by the group against the French government. [Video from today]

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Yellow Vest demonstrators are now allied with various groups from across the political spectrum; most peaceful, but some, notsomuch.  This led to French government ministry official Benjamin Griveaux warning Emmanuel Macron yesterday that a “full blown revolution” was possible.
The evidence to support Minister Briveaux’s dire warning did not take long to surface as a team of masked intruders used a forklift and broke into the French ministry causing police and special forces to evacuate him to safety.
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National Economic Council (NEC) Director Larry Kudlow appears on Fox Business News to discuss the incredible December jobs report, the U.S. economic outlook, current Federal Reserve policy, and the state of China’s economy.
Chairman Larry Kudlow notes the disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street by outlining the success within the MAGAnomic economy. Job gains, real wage growth and low inflation equals more disposable income for a secure economic workforce.
Increases in productivity combined with investment growth and strong consumer confidence is a direct result of a healthy middle-class economy. Under these economic growth conditions blue and white collar Main Street fuels itself.

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Kudlow also expanded on the China issues, and the upcoming meeting next week with U.S. and Chinese trade delegations.  He also appeared on CNBC (below):
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President Trump speaks to the press following his second meeting with congressional leaders at the White House. Joining him at the Rose Garden press conference was Vice President Mike Pence, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and House Republican leaders Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise.
During an extensive briefing with media President Trump said negotiations continue and he will meeting with resistance lawmakers, again over the weekend.

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White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders delivers brief remarks to the press pool discussing the government shutdown. Mrs Sanders notes Democrat leadership Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin and Steny Hoyer are playing political games with national security.  The border security impasse between Republicans and Democrats continues with a partial government shutdown.

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