During the final hours of each year there are people, pundits and authors much more eloquent than I who are able to encapsulate the prior twelve months, and all the ramifications therein.
Perhaps part of the reason CTH struggles with philosophical hindsight is because we spend almost all of our time looking, as far as possible, in the opposite direction – always toward the horizon.

Maybe, just maybe, that purposeful decision is part of the reason we find it easier to relate to the strategic goals and planned objectives of President Donald John Trump.  Indeed, as someone acutely stated ‘our president seems to have an eery ability to see around corners’.  Often, what initially seems as a disconcerting position to take, quickly finds the criticism unfounded as the larger truth is something invisible until we turn the corner.
What a journey we are on.
Decades of economic manipulation by the professional political class has now turned upside-down, and more than ever people are realizing the extent to which our national wealth was been intentionally undermined by global control agents and their purchased enablers in Washington DC. Arguably, the greatest achievement in the past year is the resurgence of Main Street and common sense economic policy.  A lot of people hate President Trump because of that simple fact.
The beauty of it is, POTUS Trump doesn’t care.
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Many readers might remember back in the summer 2017 (throughout July) when there were indications that President Trump, and allies, were positioning assets and drills for what appeared to be a strategic naval blockade. Well, today Reuters is reporting that South Korea has seized a second oil tanker, flagged under Panama, headed to North Korea.
The cost of smuggling oil into North Korea is getting very high. These oil tankers are very expensive and the cost of commerce in international ocean freight is underwritten by massive global insurance companies. Each of these interdictions’ makes the business end of smuggling much more unstable.  Additionally, each of these violations opens up the co-dependent enabler as a target for massive U.S. Treasury Sanctions previously established.

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday.
The seizure was the second to be revealed by South Korea within a few days, as the United Nations steps up efforts to squeeze essential oil supplies to the reclusive North following its nuclear or ballistic missile tests.

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Interesting discussion today between Senator Lindsey Graham and CBS journalist Major Garrett.  Senator Graham went through a myriad of issues, from his specific perspective, including: Iran (and current protests), North Korea (nukes), DACA, Robert Mueller and the Russian Dossier.

There are times when the audacity of the most political poll-testing opportunist on the planet reaches beyond stratospheric levels of comprehension.  Cue the visual:

Arguably the most consequential failure of the Hillary State Department was in 2009 when the U.S. undermined the Iranian Green Revolution. Not only did the U.S. do nothing to help the opposition against the Iranian regime, but US funding was cut for democratic organizations/programs in Iran under Clinton’s State Department. It was Hillary Clinton who supported the Mullahs in an ill-fated decision to achieve the ridiculous Iranian Nuclear Deal which she was just praising and defending three months ago.
Hello?
Meanwhile the mainstream media apparatus are refusing to even acknowledge the Iranian uprising; apparently because President Trump is supporting their cries for freedom.
Yes, if ever there was a bigger example of Trump Derangement Syndrome causing media to contort themselves into hypocritical pretzels, their reaction -or lack thereof- to these protests in Iran would stand as exhibit “A”.
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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 †

President Trump uses his weekly address to reflect on 2017 and discuss some of the ongoing initiatives and priorities.

Immediately following confirmation by Senator Lindsey Graham about the origin of the 2016 FBI Counterintelligence Operation against candidate Donald Trump, The New York Times, via Clinton’s favorite voice Maggie Haberman, pushes out an article attempting to cloud, obfuscate and justify the joint FBI and DOJ surveillance operation against Trump.

The timing, content and presentation of the disinformation is transparent in the intended motive.  More and more people are recognizing the FBI application to the FISA court was based on political information, the Steele Dossier, assembled by political operatives and used by political operatives within the DOJ National Security Division and FBI Counterintelligence Division.
As such, now the people at risk within the FBI and DOJ attempt to shift the focus away from the political document known as the “Steele Dossier” and toward the useful distraction of a short-term volunteer Trump campaign aide, George Papadopoulos.
This approach, originated by the current sense within the intelligence community, indicates all dossier scrutiny is directly over the target; and the leadership knows the risk.  This is why the upper-tier management of the FBI and DOJ have refused prior questions about the Dossier’s use.  The DOJ/FBI officials know the outline of how the dossier was assembled implicates them in a verifiable conspiracy.
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Earlier today Representative Matt Gaetz, Judiciary Committee, appeared on Fox News with Molly Line to discuss the Mueller investigation.  However, at 01:27 of the interview Ms. Line directs a specific question to Mr. Gaetz about the use of the sketchy dossier in securing the FISA warrant to wiretap and conduct surveillance on candidate Trump.
Further at 04:20 Gaetz discusses the March 20th, 2017, congressional testimony by James Comey and actually says the name no-one will ever speak, Bill Priestap.  Shocker.

It looks like the Iranian Green Revolution is back on the streets as waves of protests are happening.  In 2009 the Mullah’s brutally cracked down on the reformers and President Obama stood by.  In 2017 the reformers have an ally in the oval office as President Trump and his entire administration (specifically Rex Tillerson and Nikki Haley) openly show their support for the movement.  Stunning developments.
The U.S. Media are attempting to spin the protests as “pro-regime” and claiming the supporters are pro-Khameni and pro government.  That narrative is 100% false, yet it highlights the severity of the entire left-wing media apparatus as they attempt to prop-up the failed policies of the Obama administration.
Tens-of-thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to express their anger, and unfortunately for the preferred media script that anger is not directed at President Trump or Saudi Arabia; but rather at the mullahs and their oppressive security forces.
The protests may have begun over economic grievances in the northeastern city of Mashhad.  However, the uprising has grown to at least 18 cities nationwide.  The slogals are no longer about corruption and economics, they are directly confronting the Islamic Republic:
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