Toyota made a huge announcement today [SEE HERE] that’s a direct outcome of the NAFTA replacement USMCA trade deal; and the new 75% rule of origin within the Auto sector.

The Toyota announcement is a total of $13 billion investment and includes expanded component part production in: Alabama ($288 million), Kentucky ($238 million), Missouri ($62 million), Tennessee ($50 million) and West Virginia ($111 million).   Additionally, Toyota will open a new assembly plant in Huntsville, Alabama ($1.5 billion) and serious investments in several other areas. [Details Here]
The guiding decision here relates specifically to the construct of the USMCA (NAFTA replacement).   Toyota was previously focused on multi-billion-dollar investments in Canada as they exploited the NAFTA loophole and procured component parts from Asia for North American assembly and shipment into the U.S. Market.  However, when they renegotiated NAFTA and created the USMCA President Trump and USTR Lighthizer closed closed the loophole.
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(DOJ-NSD ) A federal grand jury sitting in Albuquerque, New Mexico returned a superseding indictment on March 13 charging Jany Leveille, 36, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, 40, Hujrah Wahhaj, 38, Subhanah Wahhaj, 36, and Lucas Morton, 41, with federal offenses related to terrorism, kidnapping and firearms violations.

All of the defendants are currently in custody awaiting trial.

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the National Security Division, U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson for the District of New Mexico, Assistant Director Michael McGarrity of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division and Special Agent in Charge James Langenberg of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office.

These defendants were previously charged by indictment on Sept. 11, 2018, with a conspiracy relating to the possession of firearms and ammunition by an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States.  The original indictment also charged Leveille with possessing firearms and ammunition as an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States.
The superseding indictment charges all of the defendants with participating in a conspiracy from October 2017 to August 2018 to provide material support and resources, including currency, training, weapons, and personnel, knowing and intending that they were to be used in preparation for and in carrying out attacks to kill officers and employees of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2339A.
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Delivering a targeted message from U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Dohonue, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unleashed twelve members of his Decepticon caucus to rebuke the border security efforts of President Donald Trump.
Doing what he does best, Leader McConnell held back (protected): John Thune, John Cornyn, John Barasso, Mike Crapo, Ben Sasse, Thom Tillis & Cory Gardner. However, the remaining dozen (see below) were permitted to vote against the President for Joint Resolution (H.J. Res. 46 ):

(See Full Vote Here)

The support for the U.S. Chamber’s open-border initiative is McConnell’s strongest showing yet that he controls almost enough votes to support impeachment; if the President continues to advance policy initiatives not supported by The Chamber and Business Roundtable.
Despite McConnell’s effort/threat President Trump has vowed to veto the resolution.
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Earlier today President Trump welcomed Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to the White House and held a mini press conference in the Oval Office.

According to an NPR report, and confirmed by secondary sourcing, Andrew Weissmann is soon to depart the special counsel probe of Robert Mueller.  According to special counsel spokesman Peter Carr “Andrew Weissmann will be concluding his detail to the Special Counsel’s Office in the near future.”
The intensely political Mr. Weissmann is not just leaving the Special Counsel, he is also leaving his job at the Justice Department.  He will be teaching at NYU.

Additionally, this announcement happens just one day before the March 15th deadline by representatives Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows for new Attorney General William Barr to respond about numerous conflicts of interest surrounding Weissmann and his engagements with the 2016 DOJ election effort to stop Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON DC – One of the most prominent members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team investigating Russia’s attack on the 2016 presidential election will soon leave the office and the Justice Department, two sources close to the matter tell NPR.

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

The Epoch Times, via Jeff Carlson, has apparently gained access to the transcript of testimony from Nellie Ohr. Most of the back-story of Nellie Ohr working for the CIA as an Open Source Works contractor was previously discovered by CTH during earlier research; and again the transcript is not provided by Epoch.
However, while the transcript is not provided, there is a very intriguing implication within their description/interpretation of the testimony (emphasis mine):

[…] Beginning in September 2015, Ohr began working for Fusion GPS. Ohr told investigators that she “read an article in the paper that mentioned Glenn Simpson. And I remembered because he had been a Wall Street Journal reporter working on things like Russian crime and corruption, so I recognized the name. I was underemployed at that time and I was looking for opportunities.”
When later questioned as to her previous knowledge of Simpson, Ohr stated, “I had been at a conference that he was at. I don’t recall directly talking with him at that conference, and I don’t know whether he knew who, you know, who I was other than the fact that I attended that conference.”
Ohr acknowledged to congressional investigators that Simpson was acquainted with her husband, Bruce Ohr. (read more)

The implication here is that Nellie Ohr approached Fusion-GPS owner Glenn Simpson for a job; essentially to work on political opposition research files Fusion-GPS was assembling in 2015.  This is distinctly different from Glenn Simpson seeking out Nellie Ohr, and opens the entire background to larger ramifications.
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Chairman Lindsey Graham appears on late-night-interuptus to discuss his Senate Judiciary investigation into allegations of FISA abuse, etc.

A local news station, KTSM El Paso Texas, is reporting that Robert Francis O’Rourke will announce tomorrow he is officially running for President.
If accurate, Beto O’Rourke would be the eleventh official candidate.
While Robert Francis was expected to join the race (just not yet), and he is Obama’s likely pick for support, the timing is off and interesting.  First the article:

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Beto O’Rourke is running for President of the United States.
The former El Paso Congressman will make the announcement on Thursday morning, but he confirmed via text to KTSM Wednesday afternoon that he is seeking the Democratic nomination.

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