President Trump Speech in Commemoration of D-Day…

Earlier today President Donald Trump delivered remarks to an international audience gathered to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of the allied liberation of Europe (Video, Transcript and Pictorial):


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[Transcript]  THE PRESIDENT: President Macron, Mrs. Macron, and the people of France; to the First Lady of the United States and members of the United States Congress; to distinguished guests, veterans, and my fellow Americans:
We are gathered here on Freedom’s Altar. On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood, and thousands sacrificed their lives, for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty.
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75th Anniversary of D-Day, Normandy American Cemetery, France – 5:00am Livestream…

Most of the events commemorating the 75th Anniversary of D-Day will take place in the very early morning hours today.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will attend the 75th anniversary of D-Day at the Normandy American Cemetery in France. President Trump, along with French President Macron and other world leaders, will honor the Allied troops’ maneuver that led to the turning point of World War II.
UPDATE: Full Video Added


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Day #4 Schedule – President Trump Attends 75th Anniversary of D-Day Memorial – France

Ireland (IST) is 5 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time (EST). France (CEST) is 6 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. Today President Trump and First Lady Melania will be traveling from Doonbeg, Ireland to Colleville-sur-Mer, France, for a commemoration ceremony on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. [5:00am EST / 11:00am CEST broadcast]
Departing Colleville-sur-Mer the first couple will travel to Caen, France, for a bilateral meeting and working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron. The President and First Lady will then fly back to Shannon, Ireland and spend the evening at Trump International Doonbeg, Ireland.

2:05am EST / 7:05am IST THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart Trump International Doonbeg en route to Shannon Airport, Shannon, Ireland, Doonbeg, Ireland
2:25am EST / 7:25am IST The PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY arrive at Shannon Airport, Shannon, Ireland
2:35am EST / 7:35am IST THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart Shannon Airport en route to Caen – Carpiquet Airport, Caen, France, Shannon, Ireland
4:00am EST / 10:00am CEST THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY arrive at Caen – Carpiquet Airport, Caen, France
4:10am EST / 10:10am CEST THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart Caen, France, en route to Normandy American Cemetery Landing Zone, Colleville-sur-Mer, France, Caen, France
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President Trump Memorial Day Address – USS Wasp, 10:00pm Livestream…

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will be visiting U.S. service members stationed aboard the U.S.S. WASP today as part of their Memorial Day remembrance.  The President is scheduled to deliver remarks at 10:00pm EDT:
UPDATE: Video Added


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President and First Lady Make Unannounced Visit to Arlington During Flag Placement…

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump made an unscheduled visit to Arlington National Cemetery ahead of Memorial Day.  As more than 260,000 flags were being placed at the graves of U.S. service members, the president and first lady visited with U.S. Army personnel who participate in the annual remembrance and solemn event.

The President and First Lady placed flags at headstone of Frank Buckles who was the last surviving World War I veteran before his passing.  President Trump will not be in the U.S. to observe the Memorial Day holiday, as both he and Melania head to Japan for an official state visit on Friday.
While in Japan President Trump and the first lady will be participating in a Memorial Day event at Yokosuka U.S. Naval Base where they will honor our fallen soldiers.
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DOJ Announces 18-Count Superseding Indictment Against Julian Assange…

The U.S. Department of Justice announces an 18-count superseding indictment (full pdf below) against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Criminal prosecution of Assange is being sought under the espionage act.

(Via U.S. DOJ) […] The superseding indictment alleges that Assange was complicit with Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, in unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to the national defense.

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President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Participate in the Celebration of Military Moms…

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participate in a celebration of military mothers at the White House earlier today [Video and Transcript].


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[Transcript] East Room – 4:30 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Great job. Thank you very much. And thank you for being here. And, Melania, you did a beautiful job in organizing this incredible celebration of America’s military mothers. That’s good. I had a great mother — Mary. I loved my mother. I miss my mother.
Military moms are the backbone of America. I know it is still two days away, but I wish everybody right now a very Happy Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day, everybody. (Applause.) Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you.
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U.S. Seizes North Korean Freighter Violating U.N. Sanctions…

The Southern District of New York has released a criminal complaint to accompany the seizure of a North Korean freighter “Wise Honest” (Full pdf below). The freighter was seized by Indonesian authorities on/around April 2, 2018 [media story here]. However, the background story of Wise Honest is more interesting.

The indictment outlines how the freighter was used to transport coal from North Korea to China and Russia and back-haul heavy equipment from Chinese ports into the DPRK. However, the transport network changed with the timing of increased sanctions on the DPRK.  Simply, the ship was routed to avoid being caught for violating sanctions.
The indictment also outlines how Chinese entities in Hong Kong assisted with routing the vessel to avoid maritime surveillance. There’s an aspect here that overlays a prior set of CTH discussions surrounding U.S. Navy training for a potential U.S. maritime blockade.
You might remember November 2017 CTH discussions about U.S. vessels conducting training exercises in/around shipping lanes. In 2017 and 2018 there were some maritime collisions that seemed to align with the possibility of these training exercises. In June 2017 The USS Fitzgerald was one such example near the coast of Japan.
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