With the midterm elections just 11 days away, President Trump heads to Charlotte, North Carolina for a MAGA rally in the Tar Heel state. The venue is Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC and the Anticipated start time is 7:00pm EST with pre-rally speakers earlier in the schedule.
UPDATE: Video Added
The Commerce Department, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), has released the first estimate of the third quarter GDP growth for June, July and August 2018 (full pdf below). The rate of economic growth in Q3 is estimated at 3.5%, exceeding most forecasts of slightly more than three percent. The second quarter growth was 4.2%.
“Defying ‘conventional wisdom’ once again, 3.5 percent growth is the latest sign that the Trump economy continues to surge,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “The President’s actions from deregulation to tax reform have supercharged the American economy, driving it to new heights.”
Overall the 3.5% growth is exceptionally strong. To see the data bolstering a positive future forecast I would draw attention to Table 2 (lines 43 through 49) and the analysis for net impact over Exports/Imports. The heavy import number delivered a net subtraction of 1.78% from GDP growth; that’s a result of a large increase in imported durable goods [likely anticipatory holiday inventory buildup].
As you can imagine from your own shopping experiences, durable goods inventories generally climb in the third quarter as companies increase inventory in preparation for holiday sales in quarter four. The growth in the buildup of this inventory is significantly higher than historic trend; this means companies are forecasting strong consumer demand for goods in Q4, the holiday season.
Further support for a booming Q4 purchase prediction can be found in the current 4% growth of consumer spending. With wages growing (3.8% avg), and with an incredibly strong jobs market, people are making large purchases with confidence. Additionally, price data in the current GDP report shows inflation at a 1.6 percent annualized pace.
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President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP
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Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen discusses the supplemental U.S. military troops being added to DHS border personnel ahead of the expected Central American border invasion force.
Additionally Secretary Nielsen discusses the recent wave of politically motivated Acme fake pipe-bombs.
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 †
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley sent a criminal referral to the DOJ today surrounding Creepy Porn Lawyer Michael Avenatti and claims from the accusers he brought forth. Hours later,…. all of a sudden NBC, the primary advocacy media for Avenatti and his accusers, starts publicly questioning the details of their interactions?
In a late-evening publication of NBC News Investigations, journalists Kate Snow and Anna Schecter outline the contradictions between Creepy Porn Lawyer and two female accusers Avenatti put them in contact with.
In a transparent effort to retain credibility, the face of NBC, Chuck Todd, now claims Avenatti “mislead” the NBC reporters. It needs to be emphasized here that none of these contradictions were discussed by NBC during the controversy around the Kavanaugh confirmation. They kept quiet about it when it mattered.
NBC […] In the second statement, the unidentified woman said she witnessed Kavanaugh “spike” the punch at high school parties in order to sexually take advantage of girls. But less than 48 hours before Avenatti released her sworn statement on Twitter, the same woman told NBC News a different story.
Earlier today President Trump delivered remarks to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the 1983 Beirut marine barracks bombing. For many CTH readers the images of the attack that killed 241 U.S. servicemen are forever seared into our memory. The bombing was one of the most horrific events during the terms of President Ronald Reagan.
Joining the President today to commemorate the anniversary were families of the fallen and those who survived the October 23rd, attack by Iranian backed Hezbollah terrorists.
President Trump was also joined in remarks by Secretary of Defense James Mattis who was the casualty notification officer for Rhode Island victims in the aftermath of the explosion. The prayer toward the end of the formal remarks is quite touching.
In the past several election cycles CTH has posted these type of open discussion threads to see and share the perspectives of ground reports from your state, city and neighborhood. ‘Ground Reports’ are a valuable resource to gauge the non-quantifiable elements around elections; they are often quite insightful.
Many states are currently in the process of early voting. If you have a ground report you would like to share, please use the comment section below to provide your perspective.
Additionally, there are often obscure events that can help identify voting trends and possibilities; so don’t limit your review to traditional perspectives. Sentiments and senses are also very useful. What do you sense? What is going on in/around your town and location? Good or bad; positive or negative; what do you see happening?
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Promises made – Promises Kept. During a visit to the Florida panhandle today Vice-President Mike Pence and Second-Lady Karen Pence delivered a message and promise from the President to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base.
Tyndall is located in Bay County where the eye of Hurricane Michael came ashore. The base, including all base housing, was totally destroyed. There are great similarities between Homestead AFB after Hurricane Andrew and Tyndall AFB after Hurricane Michael; both bases suffered catastrophic damage.
There were many concerns Tyndall might fall to the same fate as Homestead and be closed due to the cost of rebuilding. Thankfully, President Trump and VP Pence have committed to rebuilding the base. This decision is incredibly important to the people in/around Bay county. Many prayers are answered today.