Amid ongoing trade stalemates with NAFTA and the EU, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has announced the U.S. Commerce Department will no longer provide exemptions for the European Union, Canada or Mexico.

As anticipated, during a telephone briefing with reporters Secretary Ross announced at midnight tonight the 25% steel, and 10% aluminum, tariffs on imported goods will begin.

Via Reuters: U.S Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told reporters on a telephone briefing that a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports from the EU, Canada and Mexico would go into effect at midnight (0400 GMT on Friday).

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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 †

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began the first meeting with North Korean emissary Kim Yong-chol today in New York.  Over the next two days the two leaders are anticipated to discuss terms of North Korean denuclearization and the possibility of a summit in Singapore between President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un.

Pompeo arriving like a boss

Kim Yong-chol, is one of the most influential North Koreans outside of the Kim Jong-un family.  Premier Kim Yong Chol has been closely involved in with talks with South Korea and is the most senior DPRK official to set foot in the US since 2000.

Over the next two days Secretary Pompeo and Premier Kim Yong-chol are anticipated to discuss the granular details of North Korea giving up all nuclear weapons.  There is a great deal of responsibility on the shoulders of Pompeo to ensure clarity of expectations in advance of any further diplomatic meetings.

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The Wall Street Journal is publishing a report the European Union is likely to lose their exemption on Friday June 1st, from the U.S. Steel (25%) and Aluminum (10%) tariffs. Despite their article outline almost everything is still speculation at this point; however, our own review of the trade position indicates the administration is very prepared to begin delivering the metal tariffs on all nations, including NAFTA partners, without reservation.

President Trump positioning the auto-industry 232 review, May 23rd, was one of the key ‘leverage signals‘ something was about to change.

Despite massively one-sided EU imposed tariffs against U.S. products, the EU is demanding to be permanently exempted from any U.S. reciprocal tariff measures or they will block the import of U.S. products. The hypocrisy is typically European.

Adding fuel to the speculation the tariff exemptions will be allowed to expire Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross stated earlier today, at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) summit – a multinational trade conference, that any/all trade discussions are entirely possible regardless of whether the U.S. begins the tariff against steel and aluminum imports.

WSJ – […]  Mr. Trump has threatened to punish EU car exports if the bloc retaliates, and Mr. Ross is pursuing a study of car and auto-part imports similar to the one he completed on steel and aluminum.

Officials in some EU member states are already angry at Washington over Mr. Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. Still, others, including some German officials, want to seek a solution that prevents economic damage.

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Something has become increasingly weird about the DOJ and FBI intransigence at releasing the two-page “Electronic Communication” (“EC”) that was written by CIA Director John Brennan to initiate the July 2016 FBI Counterintelligence operation against the campaign of presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The weird something is: According to CIA Director John Brennan’s May 2017 testimony he personally briefed the Gang of Eight members, including Devin Nunes, “individually” in 2016, on that origination document.  As such, in 2018 Devin Nunes would only be seeking a review of a document he was already briefed on.

Now think about this.

Why would the U.S. intelligence apparatus be withholding physical documents from Devin Nunes that supposedly would contain the same information previously briefed?

It just doesn’t make sense….. unless.  Well, unless, the Brennan origination document and the briefing Brennan gave to House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, don’t match.

Which leads to another reconciliation of behavior by the administrative state.  If it is indeed true the Brennan EC doesn’t match the briefing, there would have been a specific motive for entities within the usurping enterprise to remove Nunes from the origin of the ‘insurance policy‘ execution phase.  Which, factually, is exactly what happened.

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Canada is vowing to retaliate against the U.S. if President Trump subjects NAFTA partners to the same tariffs as other trade nations and eliminates the NAFTA loophole. {Go Deep}

The NAFTA Loophole allows Canada and Mexico to broker independent trade deals with Asian and European companies; then use their Mexican and Canadian access to the U.S. market as a backdoor around U.S. Tariffs.

This loophole has been exceptionally rewarding for both Canada and Mexico and for more than a decade they have structured their economies around loophole retention. U.S. corporations, seeing advantages from cheap Asian parts in Mexico and Canada, have moved some manufacturing there to take advantage.  In an effort to reset the trade imbalance created by the loophole President Trump is threatening to close it.

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada will “respond appropriately” to any U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Wednesday, less than two days before the punitive measures are due to kick in.

“The government is absolutely prepared to – and will defend – Canadian industries and Canadian jobs. We will respond appropriately,” Freeland told reporters when asked about possible U.S. action.

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Earlier today President Trump signed S. 204, the “Right to Try Act”. The legislation provides terminally ill patients with the right to try experimental medicine and medical procedures. Detail: authorizes certain patients to seek access to certain unapproved investigational drugs directly from a drug sponsor or manufacturer; limits the use of clinical outcomes and liability arising from the provision of such drugs; and provides reporting requirements for the use and outcomes of the new authority.

[Transcript] 12:31 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, everybody. I really appreciate it. This is — to me, this is a very important moment, a very important day. Been looking forward to this for a long time, along with Senator Ron Johnson. And I will tell you, we worked hard on this. I never understood why it was hard.

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White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivers the press briefing for Wednesday May 30th.  Anticipated start time 2:45pm EST

UPDATE: Video Added

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Last night on Fox News Representative Trey Gowdy stunned many people with multiple comments.  There are multiple aspects to the interview that were/are alarming.

In one segment Gowdy stated the Mueller investigation was both a criminal and counterintelligence investigation.  Moments later Mr. Gowdy proclaimed his advanced knowledge of the innocence of FBI Director James Comey and Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe surrounding Spygate.

In another segment Gowdy, a former prosecutor himself, asserted that President Trump should sit down with Robert Mueller for a dangerous inquisition by a team of political prosecutors hired specifically because of their adverse ideology.  SEE INTERVIEW HERE.

In a well-timed (pre-planned) follow-up, Trey Gowdy appeared on CBS this morning to finish execution of the plan.  Notice Norah O’Donnell has her carefully crafted (pre-written) bullet-point questions at the ready.  Watch:

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The more you know the raw source material behind the Spygate story; the more you can see the false assertions behind Gowdy’s statements, and the strategic purpose therein.

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