U.S. Politics

[Lone Star]

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... rack_may04

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/04/non-far ... -2018.html

April unemployment 3.9% and Trump approval rating at 51%.

WINNING.

[Lone Star]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Record exports trimmed the U.S. trade deficit in March, the first drop in seven months in a massive gap that President Donald Trump is determined to shrink with an aggressive America first policy.

The Commerce Department says the trade deficit — the difference between what America sells and what it buys in foreign markets — slid to $49 billion, down from $57.7 billion in February and lowest since September.

Trump has vowed to bring down America’s massive deficits, which he blames on bad trade agreements and abusive practices by U.S. trading partners.

Exports rose in March to a record $208.5 billion, led by shipments of civilian aircraft and soybeans. Imports slipped 1.8 percent to $257.5 billion.

The United States ran a $20.5 billion surplus in the trade of services such as education and banking. But that was offset by a $69.5 billion deficit in the trade of goods.

Top administration officials are visiting Beijing this week for talks aimed at reducing America’s huge trade deficit in goods with China, which fell 11.6 percent in March to $25.9 billion. Trump is threatening to slap tariffs on up to $150 billion in Chinese products, and the Chinese have targeted $50 billion in U.S. products, including soybeans and small aircraft.

The administration is also seeking to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, and has slapped tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

Despite the reduction in March, the trade gap is up 18.5 percent to $163.4 billion so far this year.

The president views trade deficits as a sign of economic weakness that can be brought down by more aggressive trade policies. Most economists say they are caused by bigger economic forces, mainly the fact that the United States consistently spends more than it produces.

The trade gap has continued to rise since Trump entered the White House partly because the U.S. economy is strong and American consumers have an appetite for imported products and the confidence and financial wherewithal to buy them.

[jimjay]

SOURCE: NEW YORK TIMES
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/04/us/p ... niels.html

WASHINGTON — President Trump knew about a six-figure payment that Michael D. Cohen, his personal lawyer, made to a pornographic film actress several months before he denied any knowledge of it to reporters aboard Air Force One in April, according to two people familiar with the arrangement.

How much Mr. Trump knew about the payment to Stephanie Clifford, the actress, and who else was aware of it have been at the center of a swirling controversy for the past 48 hours touched off by a television interview with Rudolph W. Giuliani, a new addition to the president’s legal team. The interview was the first time a lawyer for the president had acknowledged that Mr. Trump had reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the payments to Ms. Clifford, whose stage name is Stormy Daniels.

It was not immediately clear when Mr. Trump learned of the payment, which Mr. Cohen made in October 2016, at a time when news media outlets were poised to pay her for her story about an alleged affair with Mr. Trump in 2006. But three people close to the matter said that Mr. Trump knew that Mr. Cohen had succeeded in keeping the allegations from becoming public at the time the president denied it.

Ms. Clifford signed a nondisclosure agreement, and accepted the payment just days before Mr. Trump won the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Trump has denied he had an affair with Ms. Clifford and insisted that the nondisclosure agreement was created to prevent any embarrassment to his family.

Mr. Giuliani said this week that the reimbursement to Mr. Cohen totaled $460,000 or $470,000, leaving it unclear what else the payments were for beyond the $130,000 that went to Ms. Clifford. One of the people familiar with the arrangement said that it was a $420,000 total over 12 months.

Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, has known since last year the details of how Mr. Cohen was being reimbursed, which was mainly through payments of $35,000 per month from the trust that contains the president’s personal fortune, according to two people with knowledge of the arrangement.

One person close to the Trump Organization said people with the company were aware that Mr. Cohen was still doing “legal work” for the president in 2017, but another person familiar with the situation said that Mr. Weisselberg did not know that Mr. Cohen had paid Ms. Clifford when the retainer agreement was struck and when the payments went through.

Mr. Weisselberg’s knowledge of the retainer agreement could draw Mr. Trump’s company deeper into the federal investigation of Mr. Cohen’s activities, increasing the president’s legal exposure in a wide-ranging case involving the lawyer often described as the president’s “fixer” in New York City.

In interviews on Wednesday and Thursday, Mr. Giuliani insisted that the president had reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the $130,000 hush payment — and then paid him another $330,000, if not more — which was in direct conflict with the longstanding assertion by Mr. Trump and the White House that he did not know about the hush money or where it came from.

In an interview with The New York Times on Friday, Mr. Giuliani sought to clarify his statements by saying that he did not know whether Mr. Trump had known that some of the payments to Mr. Cohen had gone to Ms. Clifford. “It’s not something I’m aware of, nor is it relevant to what I’m doing, the legal part,” Mr. Giuliani said.

Mr. Giuliani acknowledged that “politically,” it could be troublesome. “Politically, everything matters, but I don’t see a problem here, at least not” legally, he said.

A lawyer for the Trump Organization declined to comment, and a spokeswoman for the organization did not respond to an email about Mr. Weisselberg.

The president has said that he would view any investigation into his finances or those of his family as “a violation,” though he was referring to the investigation into Russia by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III; the investigation into Mr. Cohen is being run by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

The payment to Ms. Clifford is a part of that investigation. The circumstances surrounding it had become all the murkier this week after Mr. Giuliani gave an explanation of how the funds to Ms. Clifford were accounted for that contradicted all those that came before it.

After initially appearing to back Mr. Giuliani’s assertions in a series of Twitter messages on Thursday, Mr. Trump reversed course on Friday, after a series of headlines suggesting that the president had lied about knowing of the hush payment. In remarks to reporters on Friday, Mr. Trump criticized Mr. Giuliani and said he would eventually “get his facts straight.”

[Lone Star]

The big LIB/PROG question is "Did a rich billionaire playboy have contact with a porn star?"

But as the LIB/PROG hypocrites stated when it was BJ Clinton involved, "It's just sex." And then they yawned.

=====

California zipped past the United Kingdom to become the 5th largest economy in the world in 2017.

The U.S. Commerce Department reported that California with a population of 39.54 million has a larger Gross State Product at $2.75 trillion, versus the United Kingdom with a population of 65.64 million and a Gross Domestic Product of $2.62 trillion.

The U.S. Commerce Department reports that California exported $171.9 billion to 229 foreign economies in 2017.

Outstanding performing export sectors were Silicon Valley which passed $30 billion, Hollywood entertainment hitting about $16 billion, and the state’s agricultural sector recording a near-record $20 billion in exports.

California’s unemployment rate was at a 17-year low of 4.8 percent in 2017 and has steadily declined to 4.3 percent at the end of March to set a 38-year low, according to the state’s Employment Development Department.

If California was a nation, the only countries left to pass would be Germany with a GDP of $3.69 trillion, Japan with a GDP of $4.87 trillion and China with a GDP of $12.02 trillion.

WINNING.

[fatbob]

blah blah blah

[jimjay]

If California was a nation, the only countries left to pass would be Germany with a GDP of $3.69 trillion, Japan with a GDP of $4.87 trillion and China with a GDP of $12.02 trillion.

California was on track for going well beyond all that a long time ago, were it not for the GOP having had their boys at Enron do California in, and sweep Arnold Schwarzennegger into office. Who promptly discovered he couldn't govern, lost the plot and started banging the hired maid help who bore his son right under the nose of his wife.

In actuality any progress California has made is down to the solid performance of Governor JERRY BROWN not Krusty The Klown aka Trump.

[Lone Star]

The information provided was relative to 2017. Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown has been governor this go-round since 2011, and Bayrack was in the White House for eight years prior to Trump. There was no such improvement of record -- especially when it comes to exports and GDP growth. Obama is the worst POTUS in history when it comes to US GDP growth. Schwartzie is so far removed from 2017 that you should be embarrassed for trying to use that angle; and his affair with the housekeeper doesn't have much to do with this either. 555

California didn't recover this ground under Moonbeam (or Bayrack) in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 or 2016. After Trump was elected, his first year of reduced regulations and emphasis on international trade provided results. Moonbeam has no impact or authority on US trade or the trade deficit.

Nice try though.

[Lone Star]

Consumer credit grew less than expected in March, as Americans reduced the amount of credit card debt they carry.

The Federal Reserve said consumer credit in March grew at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 3.6 percent, or $11.6 billion. Economists had expected $15.2 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Credit card debt declined three percent, the second monthly decline in a row. Many Americans are facing lower tax bills and lower levels of withholding in their paychecks. Many households find themselves needing less credit to pay their bills.

The tax cuts are a debt transfer between U.S. households and the U.S. government. Higher deficits substitute for lower household debt. This lowers the country’s overall debt costs because the government pays far less for its debt than households.

WINNING.

[Lone Star]

The WINNING seems to never stop.

The federal government took in a record tax haul in April en route to its biggest-ever monthly budget surplus, the Congressional Budget Office said, as a surging economy left Americans with more money in their paychecks — and this more to pay to Uncle Sam.

All told the government collected $515 billion and spent $297 billion, for a total monthly surplus of $218 billion. That swamped the previous monthly record of $190 billion, set in 2001.

CBO analysts were surprised by the surplus, which was some $40 billion more than they’d guessed at less than a month ago.

=====

For the first time in U.S. history, America has enough job openings to give every unemployed person in the country a job, according to data from the Labor Department on Tuesday.

There were a record 6.6 million job openings at the end of March, the Labor Department said. With unemployment down at 3.9 percent, that means there are enough jobs to employ everyone looking to work for the first time since the data began to be collected.

This is good news for workers in more ways than one, and likely means that further job creation will push wages up, which is the other missing piece of the employment puzzle in recent years.

[Lone Star]

FOOD STAMP ENROLLMENT continues to DROP under Trump.

Food stamp enrollment dropped by more than 1.3 million in just two months, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA data reveals that the number of participants plunged from 41,374,348 in December 2017 to 40,032,131 in February 2018—a decrease of 1,342,217.

Food stamp enrollment has dropped by more than half-a-million for the second month in a row in fiscal year (FY) 2018; last month’s data showed that 608,039 discontinued their participation.

Using the latest data from the USDA, here is the breakdown of how many people discontinued their benefits each month of fiscal year (FY) 2018:

October to November- 4,015,110
November to December- 358,242
December to January- 734,178
January to February- 608,039

During the Obama Administration, the federal welfare program swelled to 47.6 million—the highest amount it has ever been since its beginning in 1964.

The USDA data shows that since February 2017—Trump’s first full month in office—food stamp enrollment dropped by 2,257,235.

WINNING.

[Lone Star]

In 16 months, Trump has now secured the release of 14 detainees from various parts of the world.

WINNING.

[glalt]

By this time we should know how many of the Trump haters who said they would leave the country if Trump were elected actually left? Were they all liars? Since the Russia collusion was proven to be just a witch hunt, the focus is now on how many beautiful woman Trump had sex with. The only one he has to explain that to is his wife. She is NOT a stupid woman and I'm sure she knows the Donald has had more than his share of beautiful women. The main problem there is that I'm sure she doesn't like the haters and news media rubbing her nose in it.

I can't say that I am a Trump lover but I do love the things he is doing and continues to do. Why are the countries with huge trade surpluses now giving concessions? Why is the little fat man now willing to meet with Trump? Why can't the bleeding heart liberals understand peace through strength. You will never see Trump bow to a muslim individual.

[thighlander]

The plan to reduce drug costs is quite solid, if not brilliant. My Merck shares were up three percent on the day, which tells me honest businesses have nothing to worry about. Middle men, who promote systems of rebates and kickbacks are On notice, however. The Michael Moore fans love to make villains of Pharma, but it is actually less than 10% of the aggregate health care bill in the States. Life expectancy in the US doubled in 100 years...guns, saturated fats, and all........Ironic that expectancy never decreased in recorded history until Obama care became law.

[Lone Star]

The plan to reduce drug costs is quite solid, if not brilliant. My Merck shares were up three percent on the day, which tells me honest businesses have nothing to worry about. Middle men, who promote systems of rebates and kickbacks are On notice, however. The Michael Moore fans love to make villains of Pharma, but it is actually less than 10% of the aggregate health care bill in the States. Life expectancy in the US doubled in 100 years...guns, saturated fats, and all........Ironic that expectancy never decreased in recorded history until Obama care became law.

I heard the press conference of Secretary Alex Azar this morning. Sounds like an outstanding plan.

Thanks for reminding me about the decrease in life expectancy under ODontCare. Thumbs up.

=====

In other great Trump news, OPTIMISM continues to soar among Americans.

A poll released by the far-left CNN shows that optimism about the direction of the country under President Trump has hit an 11-year high of 57 percent. The last time this same poll registered a number that high was in January 2007. This includes 40 percent of Democrats, which is a leap of 15 points from just last month.

I'm shocked that CNN released the poll. 55555

The fact that 57 percent of Americans are expressing optimism about the direction of the country is a very big deal and bodes well for Republicans in the upcoming midterm election. What’s more, if the number holds, it is a very good sign Trump will be re-elected despite his own personal job approval ratings.

Another important number is that 52 percent approve of the way Trump is handling the economy.

Finally, keep in mind that this poll was taken before unemployment dipped to 3.9 percent, three American hostages came home from North Korea, and the summit with North Korea was finalized for next month.

WINNING.

[thighlander]

We are now in the age of no means yes. It started with Brexit, then the biggest upset in US election history, and then the Left say we are at greater risk of nuclear war...what we are getting is the greatest chance of Korean reunification, since their division. And what is the difference between Dennis Rodman and Barry Soetoro? Dennis Rodman actually made an effort to promote peace in the region. Last week in Malaysia was just the latest example of a silent majority letting it be known that media backed politicians will no longer have free reign. I won't be going to Mccain 's funeral, either; I will be celebrating at home.

[Bronco]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Europeans will remain devoted to the #IranNuclearDeal, statistics tell a different story:

(2017)
Europe trade with the US: $632 billion (1st)
Europe trade with Iran: $21 billion (33rd)

France, Germany & the UK choose wisely!

Trade is business.Business is about THE MONEY.If your business makes money it succeeds,if your business doesn't make money it fails.It's always about the money.The main street media, fake news,won't write about
this because it doesn't fit their narrative.
Do your own research and come to your own conclusions.

All the bloviating in the world is not going to change these money statistics.I think it's pretty obvious what is going to happen.

[glalt]

This says it all;

[Bronco]

This is for those of you who have been following The Last Refuge,if you haven't you'll probably be lost.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/20 ... ovocateur/

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/20 ... l-counsel/

I'm leaving tomorrow ,back to Colorado,a far left liberal stronghold,to visit my kids and grandkids for 2 months.I may not be online much but I most certainly will be able to observe the atmosphere in la la land.Hopefully when I return I'll be able to give a run down of what people are saying and thinking about the biggest scandal in American history.

It figures everything is coming to a head as I spend the next 2 days making my way back.What can I say,I'm a cheapskate and found roundtrip tickets from BKK to Denver for $978 apiece.At least I get to walk around 5 airports and people watch.

If you haven't been following the action on the best political analysis site(see above),you're missing out on American history in the making.It's looking as though some of the intelligence agencies of our so called allies may have also been involved in the attempted coup of our duly elected president.

We are definitely living in interesting times.As I tell my children"Don't put your head in the sand,research what's happening and come to your own conclusions." One last word.I've been following this site for 3+ years and nothing posted has been proven false so there is insider knowledge from here.

[Lone Star]

The White House announced that the US and China have finally reached an agreement on trade, defusing rising trade war tensions.

China agreed to take “effective measures to substantially reduce the United States trade deficit in goods with China,” a joint statement explained.

China intends to import more agricultural and energy products from the US and agreed to work with the US to ensure the protection of intellectual property rights.

The U.S. had a 375.2 billion trade deficit with China in 2017 and demanded a $200 billion dollar reduction.

The Trump administration decided to impose hard-hitting tariffs on foreign-made steel and aluminum in March, prompting China to impose roughly $3 billion in tariffs on American products. That same month, the administration also announced plans to impose about $50 billion in punitive tariffs on Chinese products for Chinese theft of American intellectual property. China threatened to retaliate with tariffs of equal weight, leading President Donald Trump to threaten China with $100 billion in additional tariffs.

And that’s what it means by putting America first.

It doesn’t mean being racist or being isolationist.

It does mean that as the President you realize that you are the president of the United States and have been charged to look out for its interests and defense.

WINNING.

[Lone Star]

This says it all;

Making the grade.jpg

Yes, glalt. Trump has made good on so many of his OWN promises that he's now starting to make good on the promises of other presidents.

It's been great to watch.