It was ABSOLUTELY NOT coincidental that China sent a low level trade delegation to the U.S. at exactly the same time U.S.T.R. Lighthizer is conducting open hearings on Section 301 national security trade issues; which are specifically targeted toward China.
For the second time POTUS is using strategic deployment of sunlight on the relationship between Beijing and North Korea. President Trump is highlighting what has been hidden for decades.  China has structured the use of North Korean nuclear ambitions as the sword of Damocles over their economic adversaries in the West. China’s Chairman Xi Jinping controls the government officials that surround North Korea’s Chairman Kim Jong-un:

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These tweets, along with the earlier tweet. are serious business.  They are being fired directly into the heart of Beijing.  They are the mother of all truth bombs, and they take away the ability of Chairman Xi to deploy the hidden threat and DPRK control.
“Subtle” like a brick through a window. [More backstory available here.]  President Trump is removing the Panda mask to reveal the authentic nature of Chairman Xi Jinping.  Simultaneously Trump is trying to rescue Kim Jong-un from the clutches of the Red dragon behind the panda mask.
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It is not coincidental that three events are occurring simultaneously:  (1) U.S.T.R. Lighthizer is conducting public hearings on Section 301 impacts; (2) a Chinese trade delegation is in the U.S. to re-initiate talks; and (3) U.S. President Trump conducts a roundtable meeting with congressional leadership over the Foreign Investment Risk Review and Modernization Act.

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[Transcript] 11:35 A.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much for being here this morning, and thank you to Secretary Mnuchin for joining us. And congratulations. You’re doing a great job. We appreciate it very much, Steve.
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When discussing or reviewing trade deals, particularly NAFTA, it is important to remember two baselines: (1) The trade reset is President Trump’s personal legacy initiative; it’s personal – ignore media banter – it’s personal; like, the most important thing he ever thinks about. Always. 24/7. (2) President Trump has no multinational corporations or financial interests with leverage/influence over his decision-making.

There are trillions at stake.

We begin:

“We are already looking at all the issues. We might close this, not in a matter of hours, but these days. We still have next week,” Jesus Seade, designated chief negotiator of Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, told reporters.

Here’s where it becomes important to note that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has twice asked Jesus Seade to remain AFTER hours when all other trade officials have concluded discussions. Closed-door conversations between Lighthizer and Seade; and no-one else. [Refer back to the two Trump baselines again]
Next, before reviewing the comments and presentations of the media regarding the U.S. Mexico NAFTA status; again reference the team approach, and the division of responsibility. Today, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross is meeting with the twitchy Chinese delegation – again, their arrival is not a matter of scheduling happenstance; it is directly related to the ongoing 301 hearings that began two-days-ago, Monday.
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The Michael Cohen plea agreement (full pdf here) is a total of eight counts claimed by the SDNY as unlawful activity.  However, one count is entirely political and not supported by the Federal Election Commission.  Guess which one the media focus on?
Yeah, let’s review.
Within the plea agreement the first five charges relate to tax avoidance, or tax evasion.  Each count relates to a specific tax year: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.  The sixth charge, a bank fraud charge, relates to lying on a credit application.  These six charges appear valid, documented and agreed in the plea. The seventh charge, relates to structuring financial transactions through the use of a corporation. This charge is tenuous, but arguable.
However, the eighth charge is the one the media are focused on.  The charge of an illegal campaign contribution:

This Count Eight transaction surrounds a payment to Stephanie Clifford (Stormy Daniels) of $130,000 for a nuisance claim.  Who says it is a campaign contribution?  The SDNY does, no-one else.  Not even the FEC considers this a campaign contribution.
Count eight is a political charge/plea specifically included for the purpose of pulling Donald Trump into the SDNY Cohen case. There is no FEC violation here.  *Note it is not the Federal Election Commission making the claim, only the SDNY prosecutors.
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Tonight President Donald Trump heads to the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, WV, for a business round table and MAGA campaign rally.  Pre-rally speakers begin at approximately 6:00pm and President Trump is scheduled to speak at 7:00pm.
UPDATE: Video Added

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UPDATE: Since initially posting the set-up for the July, 2017, FBI sting operation against George Papadopoulos a few more important research details have surfaced.  Charles Tawil, the guy who reached out to Papadopoulos in Greece; and who ultimately gave Papadopoulos $10,000 in cash; was a previous intelligence asset of the CIA and FBI.  SEE WIKILEAKS Cables (circa 2006): Paragraph #8, note:

“These undisclosed sources told Zuma that American citizens (not connected with the U.S. Government) were involved. This in part, coincides with another Embassy contact, Charles Tawil (protect), who told our Economic Counselor on November 29 that Zuma had received information from the mother of the King of Swaziland about CIA attempts to kill Zuma using poisoned clothes from the FBI” (link)

Who was the FBI Director in 2006?  Why, Robert Mueller of course.
On page #9 of the recent Sentencing Memo from Special Counsel Robert Mueller there’s an interesting paragraph about a $10,000 payment made to George Papadopoulos.

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The Daily Caller, via Chuck Ross, dug into that payment and outlined the specifics today:

[…] The Daily Caller News Foundation has learned that a man named Charles Tawil gave Papadopoulos $10,000 during a meeting in an Israeli hotel room in July 2017.
Sources familiar with the matter told TheDCNF Tawil flew to the Greek island of Mykonos to meet Papadopoulos and his now-wife, Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos. Tawil invited the pair to Israel, but Mangiante Papadopoulos stayed behind.

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Representative John Ratcliffe (R-TX) is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and likely will be selected by Chairman Bob Goodlatte as one of the team, from a joint committee assembly, to question Bruce Ohr at the upcoming August 28th testimony.

@02:09

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Bottom line: At the 30,000/ft level the control agents of the Democrat political apparatus are seeing how the RNC, White House and political opposition are aligning the dates to use the manufactured Russia narrative and corrupt Mueller investigation against them. The control agents are the upper-level Democrat donors and political influencers; not the fringe moonbats.
The potential of a crushing political defeat, further destroying the Democrat party for years, is a real and increasingly likely possibility.  The professional political class need to keep the morale up amid the resistance crowd.  The NYT article on Don McGahn, along with a host of other over-the-top fake news claims is part of the morale strategy.

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Personifying what happens when the financial value of a national security clearance is threatened; and highlighting how clearance is traded as currency within the permanent administrative/consulting state; ex CIA official Philip Mudd goes into a rage during a CNN discussion where his personal value would be diminished by losing a security clearance.
If this is the mental stability of people within the intelligence community, who are supposed to be professional consultants available for ongoing advice, well, there’s the problem.  WATCH:

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In direct contradiction to the statements made in the segment; it should be noted (likely to be soon taken down) on the personal website of Philip Mudd he highlights his financial interest, which is the exact point of Paris Dennard:

“Mr. Mudd is the President of Mudd Management, a company specializing in security consulting; analytic training; and public speaking about security issues.  He is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and The George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute.  He now serves as Senior Global Adviser to Oxford Analytica, a British-based firm specializing in advising multinational companies.   He sits  on the advisory board for the National Counterterrorism Center and for the Director of National Intelligence, and he serves on the Aspen Institute’s Homeland Security Group.”  (link)

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Sad Panda increasingly frustrated as disruptor Trump heaps vociferous praise on Chairman Xi, while simultaneously out maneuvering Beijing’s geopolitical economic strategy.
China expert Michael Pillsbury discusses the current environment around the Beijing leadership with Fox host Tucker Carlson.  This is really important. WATCH:

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What Pillsbury outlines is exactly what CTH predicted last year when we shared how the Red Dragon would be caught entirely off-guard.  They’ve never seen this approach before.
NOTE: The upcoming Chinese trade delegation is not showing up at the end of this month as a matter of scheduling happenstance.  What no-one in the financial/trade/economic media is connecting is the timing of their visit with USTR Lighthizers’ Section 301 Tariff hearings –SEE HERE.  August 20th through August 27th, you can guarantee the Chinese delegations will be all over those hearings; including dispatching their paid lobbyists to provide input on their behalf.
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