Sunday Talks: Kevin McCarthy -vs- Maria Bartiromo…

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy appears on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo to discuss several ongoing political issues.
In the first two-thirds of the interview Leader McCarthy discusses Iran attacking the Saudi oil facility, and the ramifications therein. Speaker Nancy Pelosi holding back the USMCA hoping to get past the Canadian election; and the current field of 2020 democrat candidates. McCarthy holds the opinion that Elizabeth Warren will be the Democrat candidate for President.
In the last third of the interview (@11:15) McCarthy discusses the upcoming IG report on FISA abuse.  McCarthy believes: Andrew McCabe will be indicted; the IG report will identify culpability for James Comey, and the construct of a soft coup will be highlighted.


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Best "Recession" Ever – Retail Sales Show "Unexpected" Growth in August -AND- Despite Tariffs Import Prices Drop…

The recession-hoping pundits took more blows to their remaining credibility today when both the Commerce Department and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) deliver excellent economic results from August that continue to exceed MSM expectations.
The Commerce Dept. announced that retail sales climbed by 0.4 percent in August, twice as high as the 0.2 percent analysts had predicted. The result highlights retail sales strength of more than 4 percent year-over-year.   These excellent results come on the heels of blowout data in July, when households boosted purchases of cars and clothing.

The better-than-expected number stemmed largely from a 1.8 percent jump in spending vehicles. Online sales, meanwhile, also continued to climb, rising 1.6 percent. That’s similar to July, when Amazon held its two-day, blowout Prime Day sale. (link)

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Peter Navarro Outlines Changes in USPS Mail Subsidy for Chinese Shipments…

During an interview with Fox Business Maria Bartiromo White House Trade and Manufacturing Advisor Peter Navarro outliness how the USPS, the postal system, has been heavily subsidizing “incoming mail of a number of countries to the tune of hundreds of million dollars a year.”  Navarro notes he is meeting with foreign ambassadors and representatives of the State Department at the Blair House in Washington, D.C., to work on changes to the current mail system.
Additionally, Navarro explained that he will be traveling to Geneva, Switzerland, on Sept. 23 for a third “Extraordinary Congress” and there will be two issues/options on the ballot: (1) allows all countries in the postal union to self-declare rates, ending a terminal dues system that costs countries to subsidize incoming mail. (2) A “multispeed approach,” allowing the U.S. to self-declare rates immediately.


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Best "Recession" Ever – MAGAnomics: Inflation 1.7%, Wage Growth +3.5%, Real Worker Earnings +1.8%…

A series of very strong internal economic evaluations today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) show the Main Street economy is perfectly positioned with maximum benefit to the U.S. middle-class.
First, despite two years of doomsayer predictions from Wall Street’s professional punditry, saying Trump tariffs on China would create massive inflation…. It Ain’t Happening!  Overall year-over-year inflation is hovering around 1.7 percent [Table-A BLS]; that’s a low inflation rate.  Rate has firmed up now with less month-over-month fluctuation, and the rate remains consistent.   [See Below]

A couple of important points.  First, unleashing the energy sector to drive down overall costs to consumers and industry outputs was a key part of President Trump’s America-First MAGAnomic initiative.  Lower energy prices help the worker economy, middle class and average American more than any other sector… Except ‘food at home’.
Which brings us to the second important point.  Notice how food prices have very low year-over-year inflation, 0.5 percent.  That is a combination of two key issues: low energy costs, and the fracturing of Big Ag hold on the farm production and the export dynamic:
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Secretary Steven Mnuchin Discusses Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Reform, China Trade Negotiations and Overall U.S. Economy…

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appears for an interview with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the Trump administration’s efforts to return privatization to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the state of the U.S. economy, U.S. trade talks with China, USMCA and government spending.
Ms. Bartiromo is very concerned about retaining the wealth position for her friends on Wall Street and the Asian investment needs of U.S. multinational corporations.


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Sunday Talks: White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro -vs- Maria Bartiromo on China…

White House Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro appears on Fox News to discuss the current status of the U.S-China trade discussions and the USMCA.
Ms. Bartiromo points out how U.S. multinationals are holding back further investment in Asia due to ongoing President Trump tariffs.  Mr. Navarro points out there is no uncertainty if U.S. companies would invest in Main Street USA.
However, the Wall Street multinationals do not want to give up on their Asian investments and bring U.S. manufacturing jobs back to North America.  Hence the conflict between Wall Street/The Big Club and Main Street/President Trump.


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As Navarro noted, the narrative about October talks between the U.S. and China are driven by the collaborative financial interests of Beijing and Wall Street multinationals in an effort to create the image of something that doesn’t exist.  Prepare accordingly.
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Brexit is a Gordian Knot – Who Is The World's Premier Gordian Knot Cutter?….

The Gordian Knot of Brexit is based on a Parliamentary ruling class within the U.K. government who will not accept Great Britain leaving the European Union.
The elitist Members of Parliament (MP) have passed a law requiring Prime Minister Boris Johnson to forever stay in the EU until an agreement for terms of exit are reached.  However, the EU doesn’t want the U.K. to exit; so the consequence of the MP law is to ‘remain’ in the EU forever.  This elitist scheme has created the knot; and the majority of the British people -those who voted to ‘leave’- are insufferably bound within it.

In one approach to cutting the knot Prime Minister Boris Johnson has requested a national vote for government leadership on October 15th.  With a scheduled round of talks with the EU set for October 17th, a Boris Johnson election victory would create the needed momentum toward a hard-brexit (no deal) on October 31st.  Britain would, finally, be free.
However, the MP ruling class, those who say they know better than the people they are supposed to serve, know such a popular vote would upend their schemes – and likely lead to many of their alliance being removed from office.  So the elites will not support a national election that would lead to their own defeat. [More knot building].
A second knot-cutting tactic implied by the Prime Minister, is to ignore the insufferable law –recently passed and pending signature– and proceed toward a ‘no-deal’ Brexit on October 31st.
This approach could lead to the British Parliament being forced to vote against the Prime Minister (no confidence); and would set up a replacement election, which Boris Johnson wants anyway.  Actually, no-one is quite sure what will happen on this second knot-cutting avenue… no map available.
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President Donald Trump Proclamation for Labor Day 2019…

President Donald J Trump has issued the following proclamation in celebration of Labor Day 2019 and the vitality of the American worker:

[White House] On Labor Day, we recognize the remarkable American workers who comprise the greatest labor force in the world.  American workers are the heart and soul of our Nation’s economic resurgence.  Since my first day in office, I have followed through on my promise to fight for an agenda that puts American workers first.
My Administration’s pro-growth policies have enabled countless Americans to reclaim the dignity of work and reap the rewards of our thriving economy.  Since my election, the American economy has added more than 6 million new jobs, and for the past 17 months, the unemployment rate has held near record lows.  In 2017, as the unemployment rate decreased, the rates of injuries and illnesses in the workplace also declined.  Additionally, employers are paying higher wages, which are rising at the fastest pace in a decade.  Jobs are consistently becoming available faster than people can fill them.
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The Leverage of Dependency – Chinese Manufacturers Admit Without U.S. Market They Collapse…

An interesting article in the South China Morning Post outlines how Chinese companies producing everything from canned mandarin oranges, to mid and high-tier furniture, cannot sustain a business model without access to the U.S. market.
Their problem?…
In essence, when they established their decades-old business model the overwhelming majority of their manufacturing was/is contingent on U.S. buyers.
Right now those Chinese companies are praying the CCP central government keeps devaluing their currency, because U.S. purchasers, including wholesalers and intermediaries, have told those manufacturers they will not pay the import duties.
Apparently, U.S. corporate buyers are leveraging the pressure applied by President Trump – a remarkable dynamic.

(SCMP) […] “The US client called us last weekend and asked us to pay the additional tariff of 5 per cent. We could not refuse since it was our idea to bid to supply the canned fruit for the supermarkets,” she said. “We have no way to deal with it now. We only hope that the yuan will depreciate in the coming weeks and offset the new tariff. Otherwise, we will lose a lot [of money] on this order.”

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President Trump and Prime Minister Boris Johnson Discuss "Big Trade Deal"…

The structure of the global trade reset is visible.  The China decoupling is underway; the scale of this geopolitical dynamic is incredible.
KORUS  (Korea-US) is in the books; the North American USMCA is complete, pending ratification; the EU has agreed to purchase U.S. beef exports; and effective today the Japan-US deal is agreed in principle (sans auto and industrial products TBD).  Now  President Trump is working on a post-Brexit UK-US bilateral package.


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