theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-07--Meadows: SSCI Chairman Burr’s Shift in Support for Ratcliffe a “Major Difference”…

An interesting on-the-fly interview with Mark Meadows on the topics of FISA renewal and the nomination of John Ratcliffe for @ @ @ @ @ House chief-of-staff notes an internal executive debate is still happening about how best to reform @ @ @ @ @ is used upon/against American citizens .
AG Barr , Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham insufferably @ @ @ @ @ President Trump , the righteous House team and Senators Paul , Lee and Cruz want @ @ @ @ @ Senator Paul has the best proposal which is to force the DOJ , FBI or @ @ @ @ @ before a traditional Title-3 court any time a U.S. citizen is identified as a target @ @ @ @ @ for foreign targets .
Additionally , Meadows notes the shift in support for John Ratcliffe @ @ @ @ @ outcome of SSCI Chairman Richard Burr likely supporting the nomination .
Unspoken , albeit obvious @ @ @ @ @ to support Ratcliffe .

An interesting on-the-fly interview with Mark Meadows on the topics of FISA renewal and the nomination of John Ratcliffe for DNI. The incoming White House chief-of-staff notes an internal executive debate is still happening about how best to reform the FISA process as it is used upon/against American citizens.
AG Barr, Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham insufferably want a clean renewal. President Trump, the righteous House team and Senators Paul, Lee and Cruz want far more substantial reform. Senator Paul has the best proposal which is to force the DOJ, FBI or domestic intelligence apparatus to go before a traditional Title-3 court any time a U.S. citizen is identified as a target for surveillance. Save FISA for foreign targets.
Additionally, Meadows notes the shift in support for John Ratcliffe as DNI comes as an outcome of SSCI Chairman Richard Burr likely supporting the nomination. Unspoken, albeit obvious implication: McConnell green-lighted Burr to support Ratcliffe.


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-07--Chinese Factory Output Plummets – Total Jan/Feb Exports Drop 17.2% and Worsening…

Most people are aware the Wuhan coronavirus has become an economic contagion within China .
However , the scale of the contraction is only now being quantified and the data doesn ’ t match the visible reality .
When evaluating the data showing drops in exports from China is worthwhile to consider the lack of visible supply-chain disruption formerly predicted by global economic “ analysts ” .
According to Reuters ; to the extent data can be gathered from within a closed communist system ; total exports from China dropped 17.2 % in January and February .
The lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate within China by half .
However , is that a cause ?
– or – Is that a cover ?
For decades corporations have moved to a supply chain process known as Just-In-Time ( JIT ) inventory .
If Chinese component manufactured goods were part of a critical corporate supply chain , and with more than 30-days of source disruption quantified , there would be impacts by now .
Where are the crippled customers ?
There are no measurable , demonstrable , citations for missing component parts making downstream finished goods impossible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but no shortage has materialized .
Considering the previous questions ; and evaluating what is visible – not theoretical ; it seems far more likely the greatest impact from any Wuhan virus is an economic contagion internal to China .
Extending common sense , it seems more likely that Chinese consumption has stalled and dropped internal factory output , not necessarily a lack of export customers .
If the world was dependent on Chinese exports that have stopped , we would see these downstream consequences in real terms of missing products ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , if you consider that we are in year # 3 of President Trump ’ s maximum pressure campaign against China ; and you evaluate the numerous multinational moves that took place to avoid the preceding and purposeful Trump tariffs ; there ’ s a strong argument to be made that China ’ s current condition is less about Wuhan , and more an outcome of visible consequence from the internal void created by Trump ’ s trade strategy .
There ’ s not enough solid data to gauge , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are over-emphasizing the minutia , but it appears to me that what ’ s being reported within China , about China , is more about their own economic contraction than any adverse external influence upon their largely closed system .
If I ’ m right , China ’ s lack of internal consumption is the major influence contracting their economy ; and the ‘ lack of exports ’ are being overblown to hide that internal contraction .
The internal contraction would be a natural outcome of President Trump ’ s confrontation with their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dependent on exports .
No-one has been able to gauge an accurate number of multinationals who shifted their manufacturing as a consequence of Trump ’ s confrontation with Xi Jinping ; but it would make sense the shift in manufacturing would be a direct impact inside China , starting an internal set of economic dominoes falling in a specific sequence , which would ultimately lead to a drop in Chinese workers being spend their wages .
Under this scenario the Coronavirus becomes a good cover story to explain an economic contraction that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visiting Trump at Mar-a-lago .
Brazil is # 2 in the world in the production of soybeans .
Brazil is also in BRICS ( Brazil , Russia , India , China and South Africa ) .

Most people are aware the Wuhan coronavirus has become an economic contagion within China. However, the scale of the contraction is only now being quantified and the data doesn’t match the visible reality.
When evaluating the data showing drops in exports from China is worthwhile to consider the lack of visible supply-chain disruption formerly predicted by global economic “analysts”. According to Reuters; to the extent data can be gathered from within a closed communist system; total exports from China dropped 17.2% in January and February.
The lack of factory production has cut the estimated growth rate within China by half. However, is that a cause? – or – Is that a cover? For decades corporations have moved to a supply chain process known as Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory.
If Chinese component manufactured goods were part of a critical corporate supply chain, and with more than 30-days of source disruption quantified, there would be impacts by now. Where are the crippled customers? There are no measurable, demonstrable, citations for missing component parts making downstream finished goods impossible. There are lots of anticipatory declarations, but no shortage has materialized.
(Reuters) – China’s exports contracted sharply in the first two months of the year, and imports slowed, as the health crisis triggered by the coronavirus outbreak caused massive disruptions to business operations, global supply chains and economic activity.
The gloomy trade report is likely to reinforce fears that China’s economic growth halved in the first quarter to the weakest since 1990 as the epidemic and strict government containment measures crippled factory production and led to a sharp slump in demand.
Overseas shipments fell 17.2% in January-February from the same period a year earlier, customs data showed on Saturday, marking the steepest fall since February 2019.
[…] Imports sank 4% from a year earlier, but were better than market expectations of a 15% drop. They had jumped 16.5% in December, buoyed in part by a preliminary Sino-U.S. trade deal.
[…] Soybean imports in the first two months of 2020 rose by 14.2% year-on-year as cargoes from the U.S. booked during a trade truce at the end of 2019 cleared customs. (read more)
Considering the previous questions; and evaluating what is visible – not theoretical; it seems far more likely the greatest impact from any Wuhan virus is an economic contagion internal to China.
Extending common sense, it seems more likely that Chinese consumption has stalled and dropped internal factory output, not necessarily a lack of export customers. If the world was dependent on Chinese exports that have stopped, we would see these downstream consequences in real terms of missing products; right now. That is not happening.
However, if you consider that we are in year #3 of President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign against China; and you evaluate the numerous multinational moves that took place to avoid the preceding and purposeful Trump tariffs; there’s a strong argument to be made that China’s current condition is less about Wuhan, and more an outcome of visible consequence from the internal void created by Trump’s trade strategy.
There’s not enough solid data to gauge, and it doesn’t help when analysts are over-emphasizing the minutia, but it appears to me that what’s being reported within China, about China, is more about their own economic contraction than any adverse external influence upon their largely closed system.
If I’m right, China’s lack of internal consumption is the major influence contracting their economy; and the ‘lack of exports’ are being overblown to hide that internal contraction.
The internal contraction would be a natural outcome of President Trump’s confrontation with their economic model, which was indeed heavily dependent on exports. No-one has been able to gauge an accurate number of multinationals who shifted their manufacturing as a consequence of Trump’s confrontation with Xi Jinping; but it would make sense the shift in manufacturing would be a direct impact inside China, starting an internal set of economic dominoes falling in a specific sequence, which would ultimately lead to a drop in Chinese workers being able to spend their wages.
Under this scenario the Coronavirus becomes a good cover story to explain an economic contraction that is actually not related…
PS. Brazil is visiting Trump at Mar-a-lago. Brazil is #2 in the world in the production of soybeans. Brazil is also in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-07--Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner…

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner…

7:30pm – THE PRESIDENT participates in a working dinner with the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil White House @ @ @ @ @ will meet President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday , March 7 , @ @ @ @ @ President Bolsonaro will discuss opportunities to build a more prosperous , secure , and democratic @ @ @ @ @ the Hemisphere ’ s two largest economies , they will also discuss opportunities for restoring @ @ @ @ @ peace to the Middle East , implementing pro-growth trade policies , and investing in infrastructure @ @ @ @ @ this meeting as an opportunity to thank Brazil for its strong alliance with the United @ @ @ @ @

7:30pm – THE PRESIDENT participates in a working dinner with the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil
White House – President Donald J. Trump will meet President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, March 7, 2020. President Trump and President Bolsonaro will discuss opportunities to build a more prosperous, secure, and democratic world.
As leaders of the Hemisphere’s two largest economies, they will also discuss opportunities for restoring democracy in Venezuela, bringing peace to the Middle East, implementing pro-growth trade policies, and investing in infrastructure. The President will use this meeting as an opportunity to thank Brazil for its strong alliance with the United States. (link)


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-08--The Second Sunday of Lent 2020

The Second Sunday of Lent 2020

Jesus took Peter , James , and John his brother , and led them up a high mountain by themselves .
And he was transfigured before them ; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light .
And behold , Moses and Elijah appeared to them , conversing with him .
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply , “ Lord , it is good that we are here .
If you wish , I will make three tents here , one for you , one for Moses , and one for Elijah.
” While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bright cloud cast a shadow over them , then from the cloud came a voice that said , “ This is my beloved Son , with whom I am well pleased ; listen to him.
” When the disciples heard this , they fell prostrate and were very much afraid .
But Jesus came and touched them , saying , “ Rise , and do not be afraid.
” And when the disciples raised their eyes , they saw no one else but Jesus alone .
As they were coming down from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead .
”

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-08--March 8th – 2020 Presidential Politics – Trump Administration Day #1144

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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
Stephanie Grisham Twitter @StephGrisham45


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-08--Sunday March 8th – Open Thread

Sunday March 8th – Open Thread

Our Father , who art in heaven , hallowed be thy Name .
Thy kingdom come .
THY WILL BE @ @ @ @ @ it is in heaven .
Give us this day our daily bread .
And forgive @ @ @ @ @ we forgive those who trespass against us .
And lead us not into temptation , @ @ @ @ @ .
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory , forever and @ @ @ @

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 †


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-08--Background Details on Trump-Bolsonaro Dinner….

The White House provides some background material on the purposes of the working dinner tonight between President Trump and President Bolsonaro of Brazil .
[ White House Transcript ] – [ … ] SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL : Thank you so much .
So let me put this working dinner , which is what it ’ s going to be tonight , in context .
Obviously , President Trump will welcome President Jair Bolsonaro to Mar-a-Lago for a working dinner , along with a group of advisors in this dinner .
To put it in kind of a greater context , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ welcomed — President Trump welcomed President Bolsonaro to the White House for a working lunch at that time .
And there ’ s a historic list of deliverables that was announced at that time , many of which have now been followed up upon in this new historic relationship that the United States has with Brazil and the historic relationship , frankly , that President Trump and President Bolsonaro have .
Last Monday , President Duque from Colombia visited the White House , had a working visit at the White House .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You all would be remiss to find — and I don ’ t believe it ’ s ever happened in history , whereby two years in a row , the President of Colombia and the President of Brazil were invited to the White House or , in this case , the White House ( inaudible ) working dinner to have meetings with the President of the United States at this level , which goes to show , really , the historic — two things — the historic relationship that the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And also , one of the things that brings us together is the nature of the crisis in Venezuela and , really , the — as I said before in calls — the fact that President Trump has been really the first President since the Cold War to raise an issue in the Western Hemisphere as a national security priority , which is what we ’ re seeing with Venezuela , which is probably the worst humanitarian and security crisis the Western Hemisphere has faced in modern times .
So I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around , regionally , just in the last year and a half , the President has had 13 — 13 working visits with heads of state from the Western Hemisphere .
That too is historic and unprecedented , which goes to show really the unprecedented engagement that President Trump has had toward the Western Hemisphere .
President Bolsonaro ’ s team will be following up with a visit to Washington , where more historic engagements will take place .
We ’ ll be signing , with Brazil , and America Cresce energy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his team will then have to Washington .
Brazil will be the eighth country with which we ’ ve signed one of these frameworks on energy and infrastructure finance , so almost a third of the region now has taken part in the America Cresce initiative .
But obviously , at the top of tonight ’ s dinner and discussion will be the crisis in Venezuela ; will be , obviously , the economic relationship with these countries , which — between both of our countries — which will be followed up with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is really important .
We will continue discussion .
We ’ re very eager to try to pursue and find an avenue for some type of trade deal with Brazil .
Obviously , the issue of our commitment and President Trump ’ s commitment of support to Brazil on its OECD membership .
As its last year , obviously we ’ ve already made Brazil a non-NATO member ally and kind of lifted its profile in that sense .
We ’ d even like to upgrade that further in the next step of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And we ’ re even going to discuss issues of forest conservation and all of those .
But that kind of gives you a feeling of the breadth of the relationship .
It highlights the importance of the region for President Trump .
There ’ s been a very consistent view of obviously , you know , kind of the concern of issues very far away that President Trump uniquely ( inaudible ) our foreign policy beginning at the Western Hemisphere — not having the Western Hemisphere being an afterthought , as we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but really having it be at the forefront of our foreign policy priorities .
The 13 engagements over the last year and a half alone and the two years in a row of engagements with Colombia and Brazil and the historic partnership we ’ re creating there really is a north-south axis — you know , kind of just taking it from that regard , with what we ’ re seeing in China , with the Wuhan virus and ( inaudible ) .
But obviously , those are issues that also concern , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern the relationship , but also highlight why it ’ s important that our primary relationship , frankly , should be from the north to south .
I think the United States and Brazil are the anchors of that north-south axis , of that north-south relationship .
The commercial ties , the supply chains , et cetera — they ’ re being north-south is good for our national security , it ’ s good for the economy , it ’ s good for helping stem illegal migration flows .
It ’ s really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And we ’ d really like to focus in on that north-south engagement , per se .
And finally , you know , it ’ s kind of consistent with the President ’ s view of the Western Hemisphere is this focus on , you know — especially the Americas being for America , meaning , you know , all of us — with a capital “ A ” — for all of the Americas .
And it ’ s really kind of a part of the Trump doctrine that you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He just mentioned at the Latino Coalition speech this past week , you know , that we have the opportunity for this to really be the first fully free , democratic hemisphere .
And that ’ s a goal that we all aspire to : the first fully free and democratic hemisphere in human history .
That ’ s obviously an aspiration that we all have in that regard .
And I think that the other thing that we agree on and will continue to be fleshed out in the weeks and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the role of external actors — really , kind of a Monroe 2.0 doctrine , whereby , you know , we ’ re no longer worried about the 19th century European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere , but there are still external actors , that , frankly , are incompatible with a lot of the values and the things that bring the entire Western Hemisphere together , meaning — being mostly , obviously , the Chinese and Russian involvement in the Western Hemisphere .
We truly feel that the Western Hemisphere is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of the Americas , and — first and foremost , per se .
So I think that ’ s also very important .
In regards to Venezuela , just one more thing : I know there ’ s going to be consistent — you saw , obviously , the action on ( inaudible ) trading by the President .
I think in the days and weeks to come , there ’ s going to continue to be escalation towards the maximum pressure that we seek and that we ’ ve set out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t have to get ever to 100 percent maximum pressure , but we are all dedicated , along with our allies — Colombia and Brazil , in particular , but also the rest of the Lima Group members — to achieve that democratic transition and free and fair elections in Venezuela .
As a colleague in the State Department recently stated , you know , this is a — March has turned out to be — gave it a good name of “ Maximum-pressure March ” because there is — we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re going to continue to see actions in that direction .
So with that , I ’ ll conclude and open the line for questions .
Q Hi , this is Jeff Mason with Reuters .
Two questions for you .
One , can you give us just a sense of how this meeting was set for this weekend , the reason for the timing here in Florida ?
And secondly , you mentioned that fighting forest fires would be one of the topics that might be discussed .
Can you expand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the President ’ s , sort of , skeptical views about climate change ?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL : Yeah , so in regards to the first question , obviously — so President Bolsonaro was actually also going to be in Miami because he was going to be visiting South Com on Monday .
And like I said , we ’ ll be doing the signing in D.C. ( inaudible ) with the America Cresce framework so President Trump decided to host him in Mar-a-Lago for a working dinner .
It is what ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way for both leaders to get together , which obviously is something that they both sought .
And it goes to show — and it ’ s another way to magnify the importance of this North-South axis of the United States and Brazil and this historic relationship between both .
To clarify on the second question , I didn ’ t say anything about forest fires .
I said that both countries continue to work and have been working on forest conservation , which , you know , kind of as the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World Economic Forum , have been working on this One Trillion Trees Initiative and things of the sort .
I think , obviously , forest conservation is something that is important to all of us , but it ’ s not something that we politicize , as we ’ ve seen actors that — from other sides — that have sought to politicize the issue .
This is something that , obviously , we all want and we all seek .
And it ’ s a topic of conversation as is kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s Darlene Superville from the Associated Press .
I was wondering if you could just talk a little bit more about the discussion that ’ s going to take place around Venezuela .
Brazil recently pulled its remaining diplomatic corps out of Venezuela and some consular staff .
So , should we be expecting any kind of announcements or proposals out of the meeting with regard to Venezuela ?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL : Again , I think this meeting , just like the meeting with a President Duque last Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Venezuela crisis has for its neighbors , has for the United States , the scale of priorities in our foreign policy and our national security whereby the President places Venezuela , and the importance of us working in conjunction , particularly the three countries , towards a solution in that regards .
So we ’ ve — we ’ ve really prioritized , kind of , the alliance of the three countries — being , obviously , some of the biggest — but as well as the rest of the Lima Group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crisis continues to escalate because of Maduro ’ s recalcitrance , because of the continued repression , and because of the continued security threat that we viewed , essentially , as a narco state .
We continue to see the narcotics flows being sponsored by the Venezuelan regime coming out of Venezuela ; its continued harboring of terrorists — Colombian terrorists ; and , as affects the Brazilian border , its repression of indigenous groups — of the Pemon Indians , in particular ; and the actions taking place there across — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of great concern to us .
So we will always work with our Colombian and Brazilian allies on a solution to this crisis .
But like I said , we are going to continue maximizing pressure .
I ’ ve stated in different calls on Venezuela that I think we ’ re somewhere around — hovering on the 60 percent of where maximum pressure can get , and we ’ ll continue to move in one direction .
However all of that can change and can change dramatically if simply we were able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential elections in Venezuela .
So we all strive for a very simple goal and obviously at these meetings , I ’ ll continue to highlight that .
But let me be clear , and the President has been very clear : He actually stated it again this week that we have a lot of plans , there ’ s a lot of coordination that is taking place , but that the Maduro tyranny , as which is — I ’ m quoting from the State of the Union — needs to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s not a pathway towards free and fair democratic elections in the near future — presidential elections in near future .
Q Hi , this is ( inaudible ) of BBC News Brazil .
And my questions are : ( Inaudible ) timeline for negotiating a free trade deal between Brazil and the U.S. ?
And what would the timeline look like from the U.S. perspective ?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL : So I don ’ t have any announcements to make in that regard .
What we do want and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are very interested in seeking some sort of trade deal with Brazil and we continue to engage with the government towards that goal .
But that is definitely a goal .
You know , we ’ ll ( inaudible ) and we are continuing to kind of move all the wheels that need to be moved in that direction .
We ’ ll see , kind of , obviously , where today ’ s conversation goes forward .
But I think the one thing that you can say for sure is that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both President Trump and President Bolsonaro to do so and to have some sort of trade deal done .
We just got to continue to unstick , really , decades of unfortunate bottlenecks that have that have taken place to that end .
But if any two leaders can do so , it ’ s President Trump and President Bolsonaro .
As I have stated in the past , you know , no matter how friendly any previous U.S.-Brazil relations has been , they ’ ve never really been all that friendly .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , between both Presidents , between both countries .
We ’ re seeing that in the international arena .
We ’ re seeing that in the commercial arena .
We ’ re seeing that in defense cooperation arena .
And so , you know , we ’ re going to continue to unstick those bottlenecks and try to move forward .
But there is absolute political will to find what is complementary for both countries and what ’ s best for both countries .
And the question is : What would that look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) or could it be some type of mini deal , with ( inaudible ) deal — Japan , et cetera ?
But we ’ re going to continue working towards that end , but have nothing to announce at this time .
Q Hi , thank you for the opportunity .
Is it possible to do ( inaudible ) with the help of Colombia and Brazil or other kinds of military actions between the countries ?
Thank you .
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL : So , obviously , our defense cooperation with Colombia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region that we do , we count on our alliance completely .
As I said and I ’ ve stated in many parts , hopefully we never have to get to that goal .
Hopefully , we never have to reach those measures in our maximum pressure campaign .
But the President has stated , over and over again , that all of those measures are on the table and all of those options are on the table .
If I can — going back to the previous questions on the economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it ’ s very important to not recognize , not only just the importance of this relationship , but the magnitude of what some — of what it means , in this kind of north-south , U.S.-Brazil relationship and axis .
I mean , these are the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere .
The United States and Brazil are the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere .
The first — the largest economy in the world .
And Brazil — always hovering on the eighth or ninth ; it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Italy .
So really the magnitude of this would be huge .
From a trade perspective , the challenge is — then also becomes huge , not only because it ’ s , you know , really — past decades of a lot of conflicts have been on the trade side in bottlenecks that have risen , but they ’ re also very complementary economies .
So we ’ re trying to be , really , as creative and thoughtful as possible — just recognizing the sheer magnitude of what some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relationship with both countries would look like .
Q Hello , this is ( inaudible ) .
Thank you for doing this .
I would like to ask : Who is going to be with President Trump on the U.S. side ?
And talking about Chinese influence in the hemisphere , I would like to ask you if you are concerned with the chance of having Chinese companies operating 5G technologies in Brazil ?
And is President Trump is planning to ask anything from both Bolsonaro , as regards 5G technology ?
SENIOR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tonight with President Trump , on the U.S. side , obviously it ’ ll be the President ; the National Security Advisor , Robert O ’ Brien ; the CEO of our Development Finance Corporation , Adam Boehler ; Senior Advisor Jared Kushner ; Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump ; and myself .
And in regard to Chinese influence on 5G : Absolutely .
That is our concern in the United Kingdom .
It ’ s our concern in Brazil .
It ’ s our concern in Canada .
It ’ s our concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priority for us .
We have stated to the Brazilians , obviously , the importance for their own national security , for the privacy of Brazilian citizens , what it would mean — the shared impact that that would have .
We strongly believe — and , look — and clearly , for there to be strong defense and intelligence cooperation throughout , with Brazil , you know , having the Chinese penetrate the 5G network , particularly through Huawei , would become a huge impediment .
That ’ s just a fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s already having an effect in our relationship with the United Kingdom , and we ’ ve seen news reports and open source , obviously , about how that all needs to be recalibrated because of our concerns .
So this is really an issue of national security for us , and it should be an issue of national security for Brazil .
Clearly , Brazil would not want the Chinese , through Huawei and other means , to endanger the privacy of civilian citizens nor of the national security infrastructure through their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this is Mario Parker with Bloomberg News .
You mentioned upgrading the status with — in regards to NATO .
Can you explain that more ?
Are you looking for fully allyship there or full membership there ?
Can give a little bit deeper explanation there ?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL : Yeah .
Yeah , so there ’ s — the next level up is association , which — the only other country in the Western Hemisphere that has kind of an association agreement with NATO — a non-member association agreement with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be , kind of , the next step up .
I know it ’ s been discussed and it was discussed at the visit last year about Brazil having — and the President had even mentioned about having it become a full-fledged NATO member .
That ’ s something that would really be historic and would change , really , a kind of international dynamic .
And so I wouldn ’ t — that ’ s nothing I would discard .
In the chain , though , the next kind of level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ association agreement , similar to what Colombia currently has .
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL : All right .
Thank you , Moderator .
That will be it , everybody .
Thanks for joining .
We ’ ll have a transcript of this call out later today .
In the meantime , if you have any follow-up questions , feel free to check in with me .
And again , this call is embargoed until the conclusion of the call and all attribution is for senior administration officials .
Thank you very much .

The White House provides some background material on the purposes of the working dinner tonight between President Trump and President Bolsonaro of Brazil.
[White House Transcript] – […] SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you so much. So let me put this working dinner, which is what it’s going to be tonight, in context. Obviously, President Trump will welcome President Jair Bolsonaro to Mar-a-Lago for a working dinner, along with a group of advisors in this dinner.
To put it in kind of a greater context, you know, last year, we welcomed — President Trump welcomed President Bolsonaro to the White House for a working lunch at that time. And there’s a historic list of deliverables that was announced at that time, many of which have now been followed up upon in this new historic relationship that the United States has with Brazil and the historic relationship, frankly, that President Trump and President Bolsonaro have.
Last Monday, President Duque from Colombia visited the White House, had a working visit at the White House. Last year, as well, he did. You all would be remiss to find — and I don’t believe it’s ever happened in history, whereby two years in a row, the President of Colombia and the President of Brazil were invited to the White House or, in this case, the White House (inaudible) working dinner to have meetings with the President of the United States at this level, which goes to show, really, the historic — two things — the historic relationship that the United States currently has with both Colombia and Brazil. And also, one of the things that brings us together is the nature of the crisis in Venezuela and, really, the — as I said before in calls — the fact that President Trump has been really the first President since the Cold War to raise an issue in the Western Hemisphere as a national security priority, which is what we’re seeing with Venezuela, which is probably the worst
humanitarian and security crisis the Western Hemisphere has faced in modern times.
So I think that goes to show that, all around, regionally, just in the last year and a half, the President has had 13 — 13 working visits with heads of state from the Western Hemisphere. That too is historic and unprecedented, which goes to show really the unprecedented engagement that President Trump has had toward the Western Hemisphere.
President Bolsonaro’s team will be following up with a visit to Washington, where more historic engagements will take place. We’ll be signing, with Brazil, and America Cresce energy and infrastructure finance framework during this visit that his team will then have to Washington. Brazil will be the eighth country with which we’ve signed one of these frameworks on energy and infrastructure finance, so almost a third of the region now has taken part in the America Cresce initiative.
But obviously, at the top of tonight’s dinner and discussion will be the crisis in Venezuela; will be, obviously, the economic relationship with these countries, which — between both of our countries — which will be followed up with this America Cresce framework signing, which is really important.
We will continue discussion. We’re very eager to try to pursue and find an avenue for some type of trade deal with Brazil. Obviously, the issue of our commitment and President Trump’s commitment of support to Brazil on its OECD membership. As its last year, obviously we’ve already made Brazil a non-NATO member ally and kind of lifted its profile in that sense. We’d even like to upgrade that further in the next step of the NATO Alliance, per se. And we’re even going to discuss issues of forest conservation and all of those.
But that kind of gives you a feeling of the breadth of the relationship. It highlights the importance of the region for President Trump. There’s been a very consistent view of obviously, you know, kind of the concern of issues very far away that President Trump uniquely (inaudible) our foreign policy beginning at the Western Hemisphere — not having the Western Hemisphere being an afterthought, as we’ve seen in previous administrations, but really having it be at the forefront of our foreign policy priorities.
The 13 engagements over the last year and a half alone and the two years in a row of engagements with Colombia and Brazil and the historic partnership we’re creating there really is a north-south axis — you know, kind of just taking it from that regard, with what we’re seeing in China, with the Wuhan virus and (inaudible). But obviously, those are issues that also concern, which will be discussed — that also concern the relationship, but also highlight why it’s important that our primary relationship, frankly, should be from the north to south.
I think the United States and Brazil are the anchors of that north-south axis, of that north-south relationship. The commercial ties, the supply chains, et cetera — they’re being north-south is good for our national security, it’s good for the economy, it’s good for helping stem illegal migration flows. It’s really a win-win all around for the region. And we’d really like to focus in on that north-south engagement, per se.
And finally, you know, it’s kind of consistent with the President’s view of the Western Hemisphere is this focus on, you know — especially the Americas being for America, meaning, you know, all of us — with a capital “A” — for all of the Americas.
And it’s really kind of a part of the Trump doctrine that you’ve seen already and heard of. He just mentioned at the Latino Coalition speech this past week, you know, that we have the opportunity for this to really be the first fully free, democratic hemisphere. And that’s a goal that we all aspire to: the first fully free and democratic hemisphere in human history. That’s obviously an aspiration that we all have in that regard.
And I think that the other thing that we agree on and will continue to be fleshed out in the weeks and the months to come is in regards to the role of external actors — really, kind of a Monroe 2.0 doctrine, whereby, you know, we’re no longer worried about the 19th century European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere, but there are still external actors, that, frankly, are incompatible with a lot of the values and the things that bring the entire Western Hemisphere together, meaning — being mostly, obviously, the Chinese and Russian involvement in the Western Hemisphere.
We truly feel that the Western Hemisphere is the hemisphere of the Americas, for the people of the Americas, and — first and foremost, per se. So I think that’s also very important.
In regards to Venezuela, just one more thing: I know there’s going to be consistent — you saw, obviously, the action on (inaudible) trading by the President. I think in the days and weeks to come, there’s going to continue to be escalation towards the maximum pressure that we seek and that we’ve set out as our policy. Hopefully, we don’t have to get ever to 100 percent maximum pressure, but we are all dedicated, along with our allies — Colombia and Brazil, in particular, but also the rest of the Lima Group members — to achieve that democratic transition and free and fair elections in Venezuela.
As a colleague in the State Department recently stated, you know, this is a — March has turned out to be — gave it a good name of “Maximum-pressure March” because there is — we’re moving that direction and you’re going to continue to see actions in that direction.
So with that, I’ll conclude and open the line for questions.
Q Hi, this is Jeff Mason with Reuters. Two questions for you. One, can you give us just a sense of how this meeting was set for this weekend, the reason for the timing here in Florida? And secondly, you mentioned that fighting forest fires would be one of the topics that might be discussed. Can you expand on that a little bit, given the President’s, sort of, skeptical views about climate change?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, so in regards to the first question, obviously — so President Bolsonaro was actually also going to be in Miami because he was going to be visiting South Com on Monday. And like I said, we’ll be doing the signing in D.C. (inaudible) with the America Cresce framework so President Trump decided to host him in Mar-a-Lago for a working dinner. It is what ended up being the best and most convenient way for both leaders to get together, which obviously is something that they both sought. And it goes to show — and it’s another way to magnify the importance of this North-South axis of the United States and Brazil and this historic relationship between both.
To clarify on the second question, I didn’t say anything about forest fires. I said that both countries continue to work and have been working on forest conservation, which, you know, kind of as the United States — we recently, at the World Economic Forum, have been working on this One Trillion Trees Initiative and things of the sort. I think, obviously, forest conservation is something that is important to all of us, but it’s not something that we politicize, as we’ve seen actors that — from other sides — that have sought to politicize the issue. This is something that, obviously, we all want and we all seek. And it’s a topic of conversation as is kind of our wide bilateral agenda.
Q Hi, it’s Darlene Superville from the Associated Press. I was wondering if you could just talk a little bit more about the discussion that’s going to take place around Venezuela. Brazil recently pulled its remaining diplomatic corps out of Venezuela and some consular staff. So, should we be expecting any kind of announcements or proposals out of the meeting with regard to Venezuela?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Again, I think this meeting, just like the meeting with a President Duque last Monday, continues to highlight the importance that the Venezuela crisis has for its neighbors, has for the United States, the scale of priorities in our foreign policy and our national security whereby the President places Venezuela, and the importance of us working in conjunction, particularly the three countries, towards a solution in that regards.
So we’ve — we’ve really prioritized, kind of, the alliance of the three countries — being, obviously, some of the biggest — but as well as the rest of the Lima Group partners in having joint solutions.
But the crisis continues to escalate because of Maduro’s recalcitrance, because of the continued repression, and because of the continued security threat that we viewed, essentially, as a narco state. We continue to see the narcotics flows being sponsored by the Venezuelan regime coming out of Venezuela; its continued harboring of terrorists — Colombian terrorists; and, as affects the Brazilian border, its repression of indigenous groups — of the Pemon Indians, in particular; and the actions taking place there across — on the border with Brazil are all of great concern to us.
So we will always work with our Colombian and Brazilian allies on a solution to this crisis. But like I said, we are going to continue maximizing pressure. I’ve stated in different calls on Venezuela that I think we’re somewhere around — hovering on the 60 percent of where maximum pressure can get, and we’ll continue to move in one direction. However all of that can change and can change dramatically if simply we were able to have free and fair internationally observed presidential elections in Venezuela.
So we all strive for a very simple goal and obviously at these meetings, I’ll continue to highlight that. But let me be clear, and the President has been very clear: He actually stated it again this week that we have a lot of plans, there’s a lot of coordination that is taking place, but that the Maduro tyranny, as which is — I’m quoting from the State of the Union — needs to be and will be smashed and destroyed if there’s not a pathway towards free and fair democratic elections in the near future — presidential elections in near future.
Q Hi, this is (inaudible) of BBC News Brazil. And my questions are: (Inaudible) timeline for negotiating a free trade deal between Brazil and the U.S.? And what would the timeline look like from the U.S. perspective?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So I don’t have any announcements to make in that regard. What we do want and the President has stated before is that we are very interested in seeking some sort of trade deal with Brazil and we continue to engage with the government towards that goal. But that is definitely a goal. You know, we’ll (inaudible) and we are continuing to kind of move all the wheels that need to be moved in that direction. We’ll see, kind of, obviously, where today’s conversation goes forward.
But I think the one thing that you can say for sure is that there’s clearly political will, by both President Trump and President Bolsonaro to do so and to have some sort of trade deal done. We just got to continue to unstick, really, decades of unfortunate bottlenecks that have that have taken place to that end. But if any two leaders can do so, it’s President Trump and President Bolsonaro.
As I have stated in the past, you know, no matter how friendly any previous U.S.-Brazil relations has been, they’ve never really been all that friendly. This is really a unique relationship here, between both Presidents, between both countries. We’re seeing that in the international arena. We’re seeing that in the commercial arena. We’re seeing that in defense cooperation arena. And so, you know, we’re going to continue to unstick those bottlenecks and try to move forward. But there is absolute political will to find what is complementary for both countries and what’s best for both countries. And the question is: What would that look like and what would that (inaudible) or could it be some type of mini deal, with (inaudible) deal — Japan, et cetera?
But we’re going to continue working towards that end, but have nothing to announce at this time.
Q Hi, thank you for the opportunity. Is it possible to do (inaudible) with the help of Colombia and Brazil or other kinds of military actions between the countries? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, obviously, our defense cooperation with Colombia and Brazil are extraordinary and anything in the region that we do, we count on our alliance completely. As I said and I’ve stated in many parts, hopefully we never have to get to that goal. Hopefully, we never have to reach those measures in our maximum pressure campaign. But the President has stated, over and over again, that all of those measures are on the table and all of those options are on the table.
If I can — going back to the previous questions on the economic side — I mean, I think that it’s very important to not recognize, not only just the importance of this relationship, but the magnitude of what some — of what it means, in this kind of north-south, U.S.-Brazil relationship and axis.
I mean, these are the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere. The United States and Brazil are the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere. The first — the largest economy in the world. And Brazil — always hovering on the eighth or ninth; it’s always they’re competing with Italy. So really the magnitude of this would be huge.
From a trade perspective, the challenge is — then also becomes huge, not only because it’s, you know, really — past decades of a lot of conflicts have been on the trade side in bottlenecks that have risen, but they’re also very complementary economies. So we’re trying to be, really, as creative and thoughtful as possible — just recognizing the sheer magnitude of what some of — of what a more formal trade relationship with both countries would look like.
Q Hello, this is (inaudible). Thank you for doing this. I would like to ask: Who is going to be with President Trump on the U.S. side? And talking about Chinese influence in the hemisphere, I would like to ask you if you are concerned with the chance of having Chinese companies operating 5G technologies in Brazil? And is President Trump is planning to ask anything from both Bolsonaro, as regards 5G technology?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So at the dinner tonight with President Trump, on the U.S. side, obviously it’ll be the President; the National Security Advisor, Robert O’Brien; the CEO of our Development Finance Corporation, Adam Boehler; Senior Advisor Jared Kushner; Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump; and myself.
And in regard to Chinese influence on 5G: Absolutely. That is our concern in the United Kingdom. It’s our concern in Brazil. It’s our concern in Canada. It’s our concern throughout the world. This is a priority for us. We have stated to the Brazilians, obviously, the importance for their own national security, for the privacy of Brazilian citizens, what it would mean — the shared impact that that would have.
We strongly believe — and, look — and clearly, for there to be strong defense and intelligence cooperation throughout, with Brazil, you know, having the Chinese penetrate the 5G network, particularly through Huawei, would become a huge impediment. That’s just a fact — an unfortunate fact. It’s already having an effect in our relationship with the United Kingdom, and we’ve seen news reports and open source, obviously, about how that all needs to be recalibrated because of our concerns.
So this is really an issue of national security for us, and it should be an issue of national security for Brazil. Clearly, Brazil would not want the Chinese, through Huawei and other means, to endanger the privacy of civilian citizens nor of the national security infrastructure through their penetration of these networks.
Q Hi, this is Mario Parker with Bloomberg News. You mentioned upgrading the status with — in regards to NATO. Can you explain that more? Are you looking for fully allyship there or full membership there? Can give a little bit deeper explanation there?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah. Yeah, so there’s — the next level up is association, which — the only other country in the Western Hemisphere that has kind of an association agreement with NATO — a non-member association agreement with NATO — is Colombia. So that would be, kind of, the next step up.
I know it’s been discussed and it was discussed at the visit last year about Brazil having — and the President had even mentioned about having it become a full-fledged NATO member. That’s something that would really be historic and would change, really, a kind of international dynamic. And so I wouldn’t — that’s nothing I would discard.
In the chain, though, the next kind of level and the next step would be an association agreement, similar to what Colombia currently has.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: All right. Thank you, Moderator. That will be it, everybody. Thanks for joining. We’ll have a transcript of this call out later today.
In the meantime, if you have any follow-up questions, feel free to check in with me. And again, this call is embargoed until the conclusion of the call and all attribution is for senior administration officials.
Thank you very much.
[End Transcript]


Fighter…

Borrowing from Mike Vanderboegh – “ This is no small thing , to restore a republic after it has fallen into corruption .
I have studied history for years and I can not recall it ever happening .
It may be that our task is impossible .
Yet , if we do not try then how will we know it can ’ t be done ?
And if we do not try , it most certainly won ’ t be done .
The Founders ’ Republic , and the larger war for western civilization , will be lost.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not go gently into that bloody collectivist good night .
Indeed , we will make with our defiance such a sound as ALL history from that day forward will be forced to note , even if they despise us in the writing of it.
” “ And when we are gone , the scattered , free survivors hiding in the ruins of our once-great republic will sing of our deeds in forbidden songs , tending the flickering flame of individual liberty until it bursts forth again , as it must , generations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like the Spartans at Thermopylae , in sacred memory .
”

Say Hello:
…Over broken glass, through a hurricane; undeterred, determined and steadfast….
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theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-08--Here It Goes – DNC Says Joe Biden Needs Chair and Desk for Next Debate…

..And it begins ; right on cue .
The DNC and CNN collaborate to provide Joe Biden with his preferred comfort format for the next debate on March 15th between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden .
The Club knows Biden does best in debate formats when sitting down at a desk ; just like the 2012 debate between Biden and Paul Ryan .
CNN is hosting the debate , and CNN is the most friendly control operation for the needs of the Club .
So what happens… CNN and The Club agree to a small venue town hall format where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a desk to debate Bernie Sanders .
It is all predictable in the extreme : ( Politico ) Bernie Sanders wants to stand up at the next debate — and his campaign is accusing Joe Biden of wanting to sit down .
After a private call Friday with CNN , which is moderating the March 15 debate with the Democratic National Committee , Sanders ’ team balked at a new proposed format for debate , saying it gives his opponent Biden too much of a break in their first one-on-one face-off .
Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressing for a sit-down debate .
The format for the next debate in Arizona — their first since Biden ’ s blowout Super Tuesday victories — would have the candidates seated for the first time this election cycle and take multiple questions from the audience .
In the prior 10 debates , the candidates stood at lecterns and nearly all questions were asked by the professional moderators .
[ … ] The new format would be a town hall-style production featuring audience questions but in a more intimate setting with the candidates in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Joe Biden does not want to go head-to-head with Bernie Sanders , stand there for two hours , and go back and forth with Bernie Sanders , ” Weaver said .
“ He wants it broken up with audience questions because he knows in that environment , he won ’ t fare very well.
” ( read more ) The “ audience members ” who ask questions will all be plants by the Club and CNN ; and the Biden campaign will be provided all of the topics and questions well in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like they did for Hillary in 2016 .
Wash-Rinse-Repeat .

..And it begins; right on cue.
The DNC and CNN collaborate to provide Joe Biden with his preferred comfort format for the next debate on March 15th between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. The Club knows Biden does best in debate formats when sitting down at a desk; just like the 2012 debate between Biden and Paul Ryan.
CNN is hosting the debate, and CNN is the most friendly control operation for the needs of the Club. So what happens… CNN and The Club agree to a small venue town hall format where Joe Biden will be sitting down at a desk to debate Bernie Sanders.
It is all predictable in the extreme:
(Politico) Bernie Sanders wants to stand up at the next debate — and his campaign is accusing Joe Biden of wanting to sit down. After a private call Friday with CNN, which is moderating the March 15 debate with the Democratic National Committee, Sanders’ team balked at a new proposed format for debate, saying it gives his opponent Biden too much of a break in their first one-on-one face-off. Biden’s camp denied that it was pressing for a sit-down debate.
The format for the next debate in Arizona — their first since Biden’s blowout Super Tuesday victories — would have the candidates seated for the first time this election cycle and take multiple questions from the audience. In the prior 10 debates, the candidates stood at lecterns and nearly all questions were asked by the professional moderators.
[…] The new format would be a town hall-style production featuring audience questions but in a more intimate setting with the candidates in chairs behind desks.
[…] “Joe Biden does not want to go head-to-head with Bernie Sanders, stand there for two hours, and go back and forth with Bernie Sanders,” Weaver said. “He wants it broken up with audience questions because he knows in that environment, he won’t fare very well.” (read more)
The “audience members” who ask questions will all be plants by the Club and CNN; and the Biden campaign will be provided all of the topics and questions well in advance to assist their rehearsal efforts just like they did for Hillary in 2016. Wash-Rinse-Repeat.


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-08--Sketchy – 44 Dallas County Precincts Were NOT Included in Super Tuesday Results – Election Officials

Sketchy – 44 Dallas County Precincts Were NOT Included in Super Tuesday Results – Election Officials Request Recount…

First , the background… On Super Tuesday the biggest shock was that Joe Biden won Texas in the Democrat presidential primary .
Specifically , it was the moment when results from Dallas County , Texas , were reported when the media narrative of a Biden win began to be broadcast .
Go back to election night , re-watch the coverage , and you ’ ll see all media broadcasting pointing to Dallas County , Texas , as the Biden inflection point .
Sketchy as heck .
These are not Russians ; these are U.S. election officials .
TEXAS – Dallas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office did not count about 10 % of the ballots that voters cast on Super Tuesday .
She is now asking a court to let her conduct a manual recount of the votes , after she discovered 44 thumb drives containing ballots that were not included in the final results .
[ … ] “ Of the 44 thumb drives , 16 were not received in a timely manner to the Elections Department and 28 were from voting machines not scheduled to be used but were used by volunteer election officials , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addressing the blunder .
“ We need to investigate this entirely , immediately .
The time has absolutely come for Toni Pippins-Poole to step down as elections administrator , ” Dallas County Commissioner J.J. Koch told WFAA .
“ I deeply regret that this is happening in Dallas County right now .
There ’ s already enough questions about our ability to serve the people of Dallas County .
This is tremendously damaging to our local democracy.
” Pippins-Poole filed the petition and affidavit in court late Friday , according to county officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ petition , Pippins-Poole said she only made the discovery while reconciling the books and discovered she did not have enough ballots for everyone who showed up to vote .
She now wants to recount and re-tabulate votes in both the Democratic and Republican primary elections .
( read more )

First, the background… On Super Tuesday the biggest shock was that Joe Biden won Texas in the Democrat presidential primary.
Specifically, it was the moment when results from Dallas County, Texas, were reported when the media narrative of a Biden win began to be broadcast. Go back to election night, re-watch the coverage, and you’ll see all media broadcasting pointing to Dallas County, Texas, as the Biden inflection point.
Now this:
Sketchy as heck. These are not Russians; these are U.S. election officials.
TEXAS – Dallas County Elections Administrator Toni Pippins-Poole discovered her office did not count about 10% of the ballots that voters cast on Super Tuesday.
She is now asking a court to let her conduct a manual recount of the votes, after she discovered 44 thumb drives containing ballots that were not included in the final results.
[…] “Of the 44 thumb drives, 16 were not received in a timely manner to the Elections Department and 28 were from voting machines not scheduled to be used but were used by volunteer election officials,” Pippins-Poole said in a statement Saturday evening addressing the blunder.
“We need to investigate this entirely, immediately. The time has absolutely come for Toni Pippins-Poole to step down as elections administrator,” Dallas County Commissioner J.J. Koch told WFAA. “I deeply regret that this is happening in Dallas County right now. There’s already enough questions about our ability to serve the people of Dallas County. This is tremendously damaging to our local democracy.”
Pippins-Poole filed the petition and affidavit in court late Friday, according to county officials.
In the affidavit accompanying the court petition, Pippins-Poole said she only made the discovery while reconciling the books and discovered she did not have enough ballots for everyone who showed up to vote.
She now wants to recount and re-tabulate votes in both the Democratic and Republican primary elections. (read more)
WHAT WE KNOW after Dallas County didn’t count votes from almost a tenth of its precincts on #SuperTuesday. Candidates and parties are surprised and disappointed this afternoon. Dallas County now asking a judge to allow a manual recount.https://t.co/SChL7kUjZL — Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) March 7, 2020


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-08--Good News – Doug Collins Says Clean FISA Reauthorization Doesn’t Have Votes – Only Five Days Remain…

In November of 2019 buried deep in the congressional budget Continuing Resolution ( CR ) was a short-term extension to reauthorize the FISA “ business records provision ” , the “ roving wiretap ” provision , the “ lone wolf ” provision , and the more controversial bulk metadata provisions [ Call Detail Records ( CDR ) ] , all parts of the Patriot Act .
As a result of the FISA CR inclusion the terminal deadline was pushed to March 15 , 2020 .
~ Something has to happen this week The Senate is scheduled to recess March 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to the FISA court order ( due February 5th ) has still not been made public .
If congress is going to reauthorize the controversial FISA provisions , they now have only *FIVE* days ; and the good news today is Doug Collins confirming the House does not have enough votes to support a “ clean reauthorization.
” Hopefully , that means FISA is going to change .
According to Senator Rand Paul , President Trump is committed to seeing that FISA is not reauthorized without “ significant ” reform .
Senator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FISA process by forcing the DOJ , FBI and Intelligence Community to apply for search and surveillance warrants to Title-3 courts in order to access any NSA database containing private information of American citizens .
Prior to the December 9 , 2019 , inspector general report on FISA abuse , FISA Court judges Rosemary Collyer ( declassified 2017 ) and James Boasberg ( declassified 2019 ) both identified issues with the NSA bulk database collection program being exploited for unauthorized reasons .
Americans were under surveillance as part of the political process .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ action taken by the intelligence community has improved the abuses outlined by the FISA court ; the surveillance has only worsened .
Also keep in mind the deadline for the DOJ to respond to the FISA court about the abusive intelligence practices identified in the Horowitz report was February 5th , more than four weeks ago .
The responses from the DOJ and FBI have not been made public .
The DOJ is trying to get the FISA reauthorization before the FISC declassifies the corrective action outlined from the prior court order .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the “ sequestering ” of evidence gathered as a result of the now admitted fraudulent and misrepresented information within the FISA applications .
The U.S. constitution ’ s fourth amendment is being violated by the continued abuse of bulk metadata collection , particularly when private contractors and government officials illegally access the system .
The 2016 FISA review ( Judge Collyer partly declassified in 2017 ) and the 2018 FISA review ( Judge Boasberg partly declassified in 2019 ) both show ongoing and systematic wrongdoing despite all prior corrective action and promises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reveal the November 2015 through April 2016 FISA-702 search query abuse as outlined in the April 2017 court opinion written by FISC Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer .
Who exactly are these private sector FBI contractors behind the 85 % fraudulent search queries ?
This was a weaponized surveillance and domestic political spying operation .
[ The trail was laid down in specific detail by Judge Collyer – SEE HERE ] The FISA “ business records provision ” , the “ roving wiretap ” provision , the “ lone wolf ” provision , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Call Detail Records ( CDR ) ] , again all parts of the Patriot Act , must not be reauthorized without a full public vetting of the abuses that have taken place for the past several years .
The position being put forth by Rand Paul is exactly correct .
Change the law so that FISA can only be used against foreign actors , and force the DOJ or intelligence apparatus to go to a normal Title-3 court for a search/surveillance warrant against any American .

In November of 2019 buried deep in the congressional budget Continuing Resolution (CR) was a short-term extension to reauthorize the FISA “business records provision”, the “roving wiretap” provision, the “lone wolf” provision, and the more controversial bulk metadata provisions [Call Detail Records (CDR)], all parts of the Patriot Act. As a result of the FISA CR inclusion the terminal deadline was pushed to March 15, 2020.
~ Something has to happen this week
The Senate is scheduled to recess March 13, 2020. Additionally, the DOJ/FBI response to the FISA court order (due February 5th) has still not been made public. If congress is going to reauthorize the controversial FISA provisions, they now have only *FIVE* days; and the good news today is Doug Collins confirming the House does not have enough votes to support a “clean reauthorization.” Hopefully, that means FISA is going to change.
According to Senator Rand Paul, President Trump is committed to seeing that FISA is not reauthorized without “significant” reform. Senator Paul has proposed to significantly change the FISA process by forcing the DOJ, FBI and Intelligence Community to apply for search and surveillance warrants to Title-3 courts in order to access any NSA database containing private information of American citizens. Prior to the December 9, 2019, inspector general report on FISA abuse, FISA Court judges Rosemary Collyer ( declassified 2017 ) and James Boasberg ( declassified 2019 ) both identified issues with the NSA bulk database collection program being exploited for unauthorized reasons. Americans were under surveillance as part of the political process.For the past several years no corrective action taken by the intelligence community has improved the abuses outlined by the FISA court; the surveillance has only worsened.Also keep in mind the deadline for the DOJ to respond to the FISA court about the abusive intelligence practices identified in the Horowitz report was, more than four weeks ago. The responses from the DOJ and FBIbeen made public.
The DOJ is trying to get the FISA reauthorization before the FISC declassifies the corrective action outlined from the prior court order. The pending DOJ response will include information about the “sequestering” of evidence gathered as a result of the now admitted fraudulent and misrepresented information within the FISA applications.
The U.S. constitution’s fourth amendment is being violated by the continued abuse of bulk metadata collection, particularly when private contractors and government officials illegally access the system. The 2016 FISA review (Judge Collyer partly declassified in 2017) and the 2018 FISA review (Judge Boasberg partly declassified in 2019) both show ongoing and systematic wrongdoing despite all prior corrective action and promises.
Declassification of existing FISA records would reveal the November 2015 through April 2016 FISA-702 search query abuse as outlined in the April 2017 court opinion written by FISC Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer. Who exactly are these private sector FBI contractors behind the 85% fraudulent search queries? This was a weaponized surveillance and domestic political spying operation. [The trail was laid down in specific detail by Judge Collyer – SEE HERE]
WATCH VIDEO:
The FISA “business records provision”, the “roving wiretap” provision, the “lone wolf” provision, and the more controversial bulk metadata provisions [Call Detail Records (CDR)], again all parts of the Patriot Act, mustbe reauthorized without a full public vetting of the abuses that have taken place for the past several years.The position being put forth by Rand Paul is exactly correct. Change the law so that FISA can only be used against foreign actors, and force the DOJ or intelligence apparatus to go to a normal Title-3 court for a search/surveillance warrant against any American.


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-08--Sunday Talks: Bernie Sanders -vs- George Stephanopoulos and The Club – Topic Michigan…

If you want to know what those inside the DNC Club are thinking watch one of the club insiders , George Stephanopoulos .
In this interview Stephanopoulos tries to blur the lines between Biden and Bernie by saying their policies are identical .
Nice trick .
Stephanopoulos asks Bernie when will he drop out ; and if the senator will keep campaigning even after it becomes mathematically impossible to get to the convention with most delegates .
Michigan is a key state for the presidential primary contest between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders .
Michigan ( 125 delegates ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 36 ) , Missouri ( 68 ) , North Dakota ( 14 ) , and Washington State ( 89 ) all vote this upcoming Tuesday , March 10th .
Former Vice-President Joe Biden , an advocate for outsourcing U.S. jobs via corrupt trade deals , is hoping to leverage his phony pro-union bona-fides & crush Bernie Sanders in Michigan .
However , Bernie has a strong ground team in Michigan , understands the importance in delegate accumulation , and also knows it is critical to defeat the ‘ unelectable ‘ narrative the DNC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also critical for Bernie because his positions on Cuba have damaged his hopes in Florida ( 219 delegates ) voting on March 17th .
If Bernie is going to mount a progressive charge against the power of the DNC apparatus he needs a strong outcome from working class voters in Michigan , Illinois ( 155 ) and Ohio ( 136 delegates ) .
The primary contests in Illinois and Ohio are held on March 17th along with Florida .
Team Bernie needs a win or split decision in Michigan ( 125 delegates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) … because Idaho ( 20 ) , North Dakota ( 14 ) , Missouri ( 68 ) , and Mississippi ( 36 ) , are far less favorable .
The importance of Michigan on March 10th , and the alignment of the professionally-black caucus behind Biden , appears to be why Bernie is ceding Mississippi in the south and cancelling trips .
The positive for Sanders is the DNC rule-changes that make every state proportional in delegate distribution .
If Sanders can stay a close second in states he does not win @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states he does win , then he has a viable path against the machine .
However , this approach requires BIG wins in BIG delegate-rich states .
( 1 ) stay a close second place in the smaller states that he loses ; and ( 2 ) have big wins in the big states where he has larger networks .
The Club wants Bernie eliminated with extreme prejudice and they want it done now ; much sooner than could organically be accomplished .
The end goal as it currently appears is total capitulation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all forces are being brought down upon the candidate to achieve that goal .
In many ways it makes sense for the Club to attempt this now as they will need the maximum amount of time available to heal wounds and herd the unwieldy Bernie coalition into the tent of Joe Biden .
Capturing and controlling Sanders ’ grassroots enthusiasm the Club needs to achieve their November objective is a very challenging task ; and a DNC Convention battle against progressives is the worst case scenario .
It simply can not be allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s intent to destroy Sanders between the Tuesday , March 10th primary races in Michigan ( 125 delegates ) , Idaho ( 20 ) , Mississippi ( 36 ) , Missouri ( 68 ) , North Dakota ( 14 ) , Washington State ( 89 ) … .
and the March 17th primary races in Florida ( 219 ) , Illinois ( 155 ) and Ohio ( 136 delegates ) .
The Club is pulling out all the stops -targeting the psychology of Bernie supporters- to get rid of Sanders via complete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17th .
That puts the debate on March 15th as a key inflection point .
Since Bernie ’ s bone-headed praise of Cuban communism his support in Florida has dropped to a tenuous 12 % total .
That ’ s not a typo , that ’ s 12 percent total support for Bernie in Florida… and that is below the 15 % threshold for any delegates .
Fidel Sanders might do slightly better with Warren out of the race , but that same poll has Joe biden with over 60 percent of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the minimum proportional threshold , with 219 delegates at stake , in a two person race , portends the possibility of a crushing defeat is possible on March 17th .
The Club wants Bernie gone now , this month , and the Club has the planets aligned to do just that… Getting rid of Bernie also has the dual benefit of putting freshman activist and professional moonbat , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( AOC ) , back into a containment box .

If you want to know what those inside the DNC Club are thinking watch one of the club insiders, George Stephanopoulos. In this interview Stephanopoulos tries to blur the lines between Biden and Bernie by saying their policies are identical. Nice trick.
Stephanopoulos asks Bernie when will he drop out; and if the senator will keep campaigning even after it becomes mathematically impossible to get to the convention with most delegates.
(1) stay a close second place in the smaller states that he loses; and
(2) have big wins in the big states where he has larger networks.
Michigan is a key state for the presidential primary contest between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Michigan (125 delegates), Idaho (20), Mississippi (36), Missouri (68), North Dakota (14), and Washington State (89) all vote this upcoming Tuesday, March 10th. Former Vice-President Joe Biden, an advocate for outsourcing U.S. jobs via corrupt trade deals, is hoping to leverage his phony pro-union bona-fides & crush Bernie Sanders in Michigan.However, Bernie has a strong ground team in Michigan, understands the importance in delegate accumulation, and also knows it is critical to defeat the ‘unelectable‘ narrative the DNC Club has deployed against him.Michigan is also critical for Bernie because his positions on Cuba have damaged his hopes in Florida (219 delegates) voting on March 17th.If Bernie is going to mount a progressive charge against the power of the DNC apparatus he needs a strong outcome from working class voters in Michigan, Illinois (155) and Ohio (136 delegates). The primary contests in Illinois and Ohio are held on March 17th along with Florida.Team Bernie needs a win or split decision in Michigan (125 delegates) and Washington State (89 delegates)… because Idaho (20), North Dakota (14), Missouri (68), and Mississippi (36), are far less favorable.The importance of Michigan on March 10th, and the alignment of the professionally-black caucus behind Biden, appears to be why Bernie is ceding Mississippi in the south and cancelling trips.The positive for Sanders is the DNC rule-changes that make every state proportional in delegate distribution. If Sanders can stay a close second in states he does not win and simultaneously expand large margins in the states he does win, then he has a viable path against the machine. However, this approach requires BIG wins in BIG delegate-rich states.Essentially that’s Bernie’s delegate road-map to the convention:
The Club wants Bernie eliminated with extreme prejudice and they want it done now; much sooner than could organically be accomplished. The end goal as it currently appears is total capitulation by the Sanders campaign quickly; and all forces are being brought down upon the candidate to achieve that goal.
In many ways it makes sense for the Club to attempt this now as they will need the maximum amount of time available to heal wounds and herd the unwieldy Bernie coalition into the tent of Joe Biden. Capturing and controlling Sanders’ grassroots enthusiasm the Club needs to achieve their November objective is a very challenging task; and a DNC Convention battle against progressives is the worst case scenario. It simply cannot be allowed.
Everything is pointing to the Club’s intent to destroy Sanders between the Tuesday, March 10th primary races in Michigan (125 delegates), Idaho (20), Mississippi (36), Missouri (68), North Dakota (14), Washington State (89)…. and the March 17th primary races in Florida (219), Illinois (155) and Ohio (136 delegates).
The Club is pulling out all the stops -targeting the psychology of Bernie supporters- to get rid of Sanders via complete campaign capitulation between March 10th and March 17th. That puts the debate on March 15th as a key inflection point.
Since Bernie’s bone-headed praise of Cuban communism his support in Florida has dropped to a tenuous 12% total. That’s not a typo, that’s 12 percent total support for Bernie in Florida… and that is below the 15% threshold for any delegates. Fidel Sanders might do slightly better with Warren out of the race, but that same poll has Joe biden with over 60 percent of the Florida Democrat vote.
Polling less than the minimum proportional threshold, with 219 delegates at stake, in a two person race, portends the possibility of a crushing defeat is possible on March 17th.
The Club wants Bernie gone now, this month, and the Club has the planets aligned to do just that… Getting rid of Bernie also has the dual benefit of putting freshman activist and professional moonbat, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), back into a containment box.


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-08--Sunday Talks: Dr. Anthony Fauci -vs- Chuck Todd

Dr. Anthony Fauci , Director , National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , appears on NBC ’ s Meet @ @ @ @ @ on the coronavirus with Chuck Todd .
Mr. Todd is very excited to discuss worst @ @ @ @ @ and a massive economic impact from the Wuhan virus .
Dr Fauci outlines reasonable precautions @ @ @ @ @ with pre-existing conditions .
Todd takes those precautions and spins them into predictions of panic @ @ @ @ @ ending on the planet .

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, appears on NBC’s Meet The Press for an interview on the coronavirus with Chuck Todd.
Mr. Todd is very excited to discuss worst case scenarios, global pandemics and a massive economic impact from the Wuhan virus. Dr Fauci outlines reasonable precautions for the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions. Todd takes those precautions and spins them into predictions of panic where all life will be ending on the planet.


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-09--March 9th – 2020 Presidential Politics – Trump Administration Day #1145


theconservativetreehouse--2020-03-09--Monday March 9th – Open Thread

Monday March 9th – Open Thread