Speaking from the southern U.S. border in Texas, Rio Grande sector, President Trump discusses the border security challenges with Fox host Sean Hannity.
President Trump outlines how the border wall issue is simply a matter of “common sense.” Recent polling would indicate the majority of Americans agree with President Trump:
79% of Americans agree there is a crisis at the border.
QUESTION: Marty,
Back in 2015 when they closed the Chicago MERC after 167 years, you did a piece about how flashing screens do not provide the same “feel” as tape watching and floor trading. You also mentioned in that piece that “after Socrates, you will recreate something you always wanted to do” in relation to bringing “feel” back into trading.
My question is; given all the directions you are being pulled- is this still something you aspire to undertake?
I grew up tape watching, and despise blinking screens…it’s a lost art and would welcome anything you might undertake in this area.
Rw
ANSWER: Absolutely. We are getting ready for the first launch very soon. The intention is to expand the system to intraday. We are in negotiations with a data-provider to make the system live intraday with reversals and timing on an hourly basis. Trust me. It has been this initial launch that has been delayed by banks changing rules causing us to have to re-write the payment systems three times. Then we have completely different rules for outside North America so it required then setting up another whole new payment system. Then we have been having to set up yet a third for China. This has all been driven by this Hunt for Taxes.
It will be that intraday version that will be sound. Also in Phase-Two of our launch, we will be looking at providing a download version that will link back into our system so you can just talk to it and it will answer. We just cannot do that level of sophistication over the internet.
The magnetic poles on the Sun flip about every 11 years. Since nobody lives there, we really have no idea what the effects would be. On Earth, the major pole shifts that are permanent tend to be in the 720,000 years range. So once again, there was nobody around to record what really happens. I have previously warned that the North Magnetic Pole was moving away from Canada and headed in the opposite direction toward Europe.
For most of the 1900s, the physical North Pole was moving westwards around 10 cm each year towards Canada’s Hudson Bay. Then all of a sudden, in 2000, it changed direction moving 75 degrees eastwards and began moving east at a rate of around 17 cm annually. Nobody has ever witnessed such a change. This is completely unprecedented! Now the North Magnetic Pole is moving rapidly and erratically. Today it is now moving at a pace of 55km PER YEAR!!!!! This is creating a real crisis because the entire world GPS system was based upon a fairly stationary locate for the North Pole.
The North Pole was previously in Hudson Bay about 54,000 until 48,000 years ago at 60 N and 83 W. Perhaps it is like lightning and just never strikes twice in the same spot. Now it is instead moving toward the British Isles according to NASA. Magnetic poles are defined in different ways but are commonly understood as positions on the Earth’s surface where the geomagnetic field is vertical. These north and south positions, called dip poles, do not need to be opposite of each other. In 1831, James Clark Ross located the north dip pole position in northern Canada. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) tracked the North Magnetic Pole, which is slowly drifting across the Canadian Arctic, by periodically carrying out magnetic surveys to reestablish the Pole’s location from 1948 to 1994. An international collaboration, led by a French fundraising association, Poly-Arctique, and involving NRCan, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, and Bureau de Recherche Geologique et Miniere, added two locations of the North Magnetic Pole in 2001 and 2007. The most recent survey determined that the Pole is moving approximately north-northwest at 55 km per year.
First of all, there are two types of pole shifts. While the MAJOR pole shifts appear to be 720,000-year cycles, there are also what are known as excursions. The last “excursion” took place around 41,000 years ago and it was also associated with an Ice Age. This excursion was, in fact, a Global Event from all the data and these tend to be just short-term flips that are not permanent. Factoring in that data with the broader more permanent reversals warns that we are potentially in line for such a major event and it may, in fact, line up with the Economic Confidence Model come 2032. This could be an explanation for the extremely cold winters since 2015.
A pole shift can be far more rapid than previously anticipated. I believe that people prefer to assume uniformity rather than a catastrophe. A stalagmite-based paleomagnetic record of the post-Blake excursion reveals details of repeated polarity drifts have occurred during periods of low geomagnetic field intensity at 100 thousand years before present. One surprisingly abrupt centennial reversal transition occurred in 144,000 provides unprecedented evidence that raises fundamental questions about the speed of geomagnetic field shifts. Such rapid polarity changes could severely affect satellites and human society in the future if the current geomagnetic field intensity continues to decrease. This sudden rapid movement of 55km a year may be a warning of such a pending shift becoming imminent.
We know that 120,000 years ago the North Pole was in the territory of Yukon in Canada at 63 N and 135 W; then it went to the Greenland Sea at 72 N and 10 E about 84,000 years ago, moved from 54,000 until 48,000 years ago and settle in the middle of Hudson Bay at 60 N and 83 W; it rested there for 30,000 years, then wandered once again from about 18,000 to about 12,000 years ago when it came to its present location. However, there are actually four poles, which most people are never taught in school. Former NASA engineer Maurice Chatelain (1988) argued that during the Hudson Bay period (48,000 to 18,000 years ago) the equator was in fact 30 degrees further south in South America. It most likely passed through central Chile and Argentina. Antarctica was most likely free of all ice. That could explain the existence of the map of Antartica without ice that has been found.
This rapid movement is striking alarm bells everywhere from a navigational perspective. During the past 150 years, the pole shift has been in the same direction. The most astonishing fact is that since 2000, the magnetic North Pole has shifted nearly half of the total distance of the past 50 years! In other words, the pole shift has apparently picked up speed so much so that they have had to re-calibrate airports and their GPS signals so planes can still find them. This rapid movement of 55km a year can really alter transportation.
But the directional change is even more alarming for Europe. The summer in Europe barely saw many real scorching hot days but the winters are getting colder. In 2012, even the waterways in Venice were icing over. Germany relies upon its canal system to move goods and agriculture. In 2012, the canals froze. The canals in the Netherlands were not freezing during the winter during the global warming period. That changed in 2009. Hamburg was frozen to the bone in 2010.
They are calling 2017 the Year without an Arctic Summer. The Greenland Ice Sheetgained near-record amounts of ice. Very little melting has occurred this summer. The Canadian Coast Guard reported that the Atlantic Ice in Canada was increasing in the winter of 2018. The extreme cold temperatures and the high winds have been combining to expand the Arctic ice this season. There is a natural cycle to this and they have reported that the seasonal “freeze up” is occurring three to four weeks ahead of normal and above the 30-year average. This winter is once again extremely cold. It has only been in the 60/70s here in Tampa and the same is true in Abu Dhabi. If next year 2019/2020 is colder still, this will be the fourth year and at then we would decline at a bare minimum very steeply into 2021/2022, where our models on markets are predicting a shocking event.
The migration of the magnetic poles could be a major factor in creating these cold winters. If the former NASA engineer Maurice Chatelain is correct that the equator was in fact 30 degrees further south in South America between 48,000 and 13,000 years ago passing through central Chile and Argentina with Antarctica being ice-free, then I guess I was wrong and did not move far enough south.
We do know that the Sahara Desert was once lush, tropical, and full of animals 6,000 years ago. There is debated over the true origin of the Sphinx in Egypt. Many consider that it pre-dates the Egyptian culture dating as far back as 10,000BC when a Lion would have faced the constellation, Leo. If Chatelain is correct, then perhaps the movement in the pole also altered the climate dramatically sending the equator 30 degrees lower. It is not likely that we will all just die because of such a pole shift. There are no mass distinctions that have been discovered less than 50,000 years ago. Perhaps the dinosaurs were the victims of a pole shift that caused a volcanic winter or there was an asteroid that hit the Earth according to abundant geological evidence that was about 10 km (6 miles) in diameter and struck the Earth about 65 million years ago. This probably killed roughly 3/4 of all the species that existed at that time. So barring a strike by an asteroid, a pole shift does not appear to create a mass extinction.
The president will win the political argument over the need for a border wall, and the reasons are simple: (1) most common-sense Americans agree with the need; and (2) democrats, only comfortable within their echo-chamber, always over-play their hand.
It really is that simple. There is a genuine crisis at the border; and illegal entry into the United States is a national security issue. Two recent articles today outline the issue:
(CNN Reports) […] Mexican authorities found at least 20 bodies, most of them burned, along a dirt road in the northern state of Tamaulipas near the US border, officials said. The bodies were found Wednesday afternoon near four charred pickup trucks and a sedan in the rural community of Refugio Hinojosa near the town of Miguel Aleman, federal police said. (link)
(ABC New York) […] According to police, Lopez entered the United States illegally on December 8, 2016. He was picked up by the Department of Homeland Security in October 2017, but a federal judge released him from custody in June. Zuniga and Molina entered the country illegally as unaccompanied minors. Molina was picked up by DHS in July 2017 but released by a federal district judge in November 2017. (link)
For supporters evaluating whether or not President Trump will run for reelection to a second term in office, this video provides some interesting insight. If you watched the earlier Frontline interview (really good) with Parscale, aspects within this interview make much more sense (bigger backstory).
President Trump’s 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale sits down with Martha MacCallum to discuss the president’s re-election bid, and what swing voters will think of Trump’s moves on border security.
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I’ll embed the Frontline interview at the bottom. If you’ve never watched it, carve out an hour and you’ll likely enjoy.
Brad Parscale
✔@parscale
Just received my newest voter score tracking from my team. @realDonaldTrump has reached his highest national approval rating since I started tracking. The @TheDemocrats have really made a mistake going with their gut over data.
Here’s the Frontline Interview. The interviewer is absolutely apoplectic that Donald Trump and Brad Parscale beat his candidate, Hillary Clinton. The guy eventually goes bananas as he just cannot accept how easily Clinton was defeated:
In the historic annals of linguistic evisceration, the speech delivered today by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Cairo, Egypt, will long be remembered.
Standing in the venue of the American University in Cairo, the exact location used by former President Barack Obama in 2009, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo absolutely shredded the prior administration’s mid-east policy with a comprehensive and complete rebuke of the former President.
Understanding how Egypt was ground-zero for the destructive policies of the Obama administration and the rise of radical Islamic extremism via the Muslim Brotherhood; let there be no doubt Secretary Pompeo had a clear intention to outline the horrendous intentional Obama ideology, and it was well received by the Egyptian audience.
Stunningly resetting alliances, and simultaneously putting a dagger in the heart of the manipulative globalists. Stop what you are doing and watch/read this stunner:
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[Transcript] Thank you, Frank. Thank you to Frank Ricciardone. Thank you for your service to America as well, in addition to the duties that you perform here.
I’ve had the good fortune to be a frequent visitor here to Egypt and the Middle East as Secretary of State. In my prior role as CIA director, I was here with some frequency, and I came here too as a member of Congress. Every time I come, I get to see something new, something wonderful.
This trip is especially meaningful for me as an evangelical Christian, coming so soon after the Coptic Church’s Christmas celebrations. This is an important time. We’re all children of Abraham: Christians, Muslims, Jews. In my office, I keep a Bible open on my desk to remind me of God and His Word, and The Truth.
And it’s the truth, lower-case “t,” that I’m here to talk about today. It is a truth that isn’t often spoken in this part of the world, but because I’m a military man by training, I’ll be very blunt and direct today: America is a force for good in the Middle East.
We need to acknowledge that truth, because if we don’t, we make bad choices – now and in the future. And our choices, the choices we make today have consequences for nations, and for millions and millions of people, for our safety, for our economic prosperity, for our personal freedoms, and those of our children.
And there’s no more appropriate place than where I’m standing today to have this discussion at the American University here in beautiful Cairo. As Frank said, this year marks 100 years since the founding of this institution, and the AUC is more than just a university. It is an important symbol of America’s friendship with Egypt and what binds our people together. Together, we’ve created a modern place of learning in the midst of an ancient civilization with its own rich history of artists, poets, and intellectuals.
Egypt has always been a land of striving. And yet at times, your aspirations and those of your brethren in the Middle East have seemed impossible to achieve. These lands witnessed convulsions from Tunis to Tehran as old systems crumbled and new ones struggled to emerge. That’s happened here, too.
And at this critical moment, America, your long-time friend, was absent too much. Why?
Because our leaders gravely misread our history, and your historical moment. These fundamental misunderstandings, set forth in this city in 2009, adversely affected the lives of hundreds of millions of people in Egypt and all across the region.
Remember: It was here, here in this city, that another American stood before you.
He told you that radical Islamist terrorism does not stem from an ideology.
He told you that 9/11 led my country to abandon its ideals, particularly in the Middle East.
He told you that the United States and the Muslim world needed, quote, “a new beginning,” end of quote.
The results of these misjudgments have been dire.
In falsely seeing ourselves as a force for what ails the Middle East, we were timid in asserting ourselves when the times – and our partners – demanded it.
We grossly underestimated the tenacity and viciousness of radical Islamism, a debauched strain of the faith that seeks to upend every other form of worship or governance. ISIS drove to the outskirts of Baghdad as America hesitated. They raped and pillaged and murdered tens of thousands of innocents. They birthed a caliphate across Syria and Iraq and launched terror attacks that killed all across continents.
America’s reluctance, our reluctance, to wield our influence kept us silent as the people of Iran rose up against the mullahs in Tehran in the Green Revolution. The ayatollahs and their henchmen murdered, jailed, and intimidated freedom-loving Iranians, and they wrongly blamed America for this unrest when it was their own tyranny that had fueled it. Emboldened, the regime spread its cancerous influence to Yemen, to Iraq, to Syria, and still further into Lebanon.
Our penchant, America’s penchant, for wishful thinking led us to look the other way as Hizballah, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Iranian regime, accumulated a massive arsenal of approximately 130,000 rockets and missiles. They stored and positioned these weapons in Lebanese towns and villages in flagrant violation of international law. That arsenal is aimed squarely at our ally Israel.
When Bashar Assad unleashed terror upon ordinary Syrians and barrel-bombed civilians with sarin gas, a true echo of Saddam Hussein’s gassing of the Kurdish people, we condemned his actions. But in our hesitation to wield power, we did nothing.
Our eagerness to address only Muslims and not nations ignored the rich diversity of the Middle East and frayed old bonds. It undermined the concept of the nation-state, the building block of international stability. And our desire for peace at any cost led us to strike a deal with Iran, our common enemy.
So today, what did we learn from all of this? We learned that when America retreats, chaos often follows. When we neglect our friends, resentment builds. And when we partner with enemies, they advance.
The good news. The good news is this: The age of self-inflicted American shame is over, and so are the policies that produced so much needless suffering. Now comes the real new beginning.
In just 24 months, actually less than two years, the United States under President Trump has reasserted its traditional role as a force for good in this region. We’ve learned from our mistakes. We’ve rediscovered our voice. We’ve rebuilt our relationships. We’ve rejected false overtures from our enemies.
And look at what we’ve accomplished. Look at what we’ve accomplished together. Under new leadership, America has confronted the ugly reality of radical Islamism. On President Trump’s very first trip abroad to this region, he called on Muslim-majority nations to, quote, “meet history’s great test – to conquer extremism and vanquish the forces of terrorism.”
President Sisi joined us. He joined us in denouncing the twisted ideology which has brought death and suffering on so many. I thank President Sisi for his courage. (Applause.)
As I said in a recent speech that I gave in Brussels, our words mean something again, and they should. West Point taught me a basic code of integrity. If we commit American prestige to an action, our allies depend on us to follow through.
The Trump administration did not stand idly by when Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against his people. Indeed, President Trump unleashed the fury of the U.S. military not once, but twice, with allied support. And he’s willing to do it again, although we do hope that he does not have to.
For those who fret about the use of American power, remember this: America has always been, and always will be, a liberating force, not an occupying power. We’ve never dreamed of domination in the Middle East. Can you say the same about Iran?
In World War II, American GIs helped free North America[i] from Nazi occupation. Fifty years later, we assembled a coalition to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein. Would the Russians or Chinese come to your rescue in the same way, the way that we have?
And when the mission is over, when the job is complete, America leaves. Today in Iraq, at the government’s invitation, we have approximately 5,000 troops where there were once 166,000. We once had tens of thousands of U.S. military stationed – personnel stationed in Saudi Arabia. Now that number is a tiny fraction. When we do set up major bases, as we’ve done in Bahrain, in Kuwait, in Qatar, and in Turkey and the Emirates, it’s at the invitation of the host country.
In that same spirit, just last year, America bolstered a coalition of allies and partners to dismantle the Islamic State’s caliphate, liberating Iraqis, Syrians, Arabs and Kurds, Muslims and Christians, men, women, and children. President Trump empowered our commanders in the field to strike ISIS quicker and harder than ever before. And now 99 percent of the territory ISIS once held is liberated. Life is returning to normal for millions of Iraqis and Syrians. Nations in the global coalition should all be enormously proud of this achievement. Together we have saved thousands of lives.
Our allies and partners have helped greatly in the counter-ISIS effort. France and Britain joined our strikes on Syria and have supported our anti-terror effort around the world. Jordan and Turkey have hosted millions of Syrians fleeing violence. Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries have generously contributed towards stabilization efforts. We thank all of them for their help, and we urge them to continue.
The United States has also helped liberated areas as an important means of preventing the caliphate from re-emerging. We have provided $2.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to Iraq since 2014, and our churches and non-profits do good work there every day as well. We and our allies generated nearly 30 billion in grants and financing support to aid Iraq’s reconstruction during the Kuwait Reconstruction Conference just this past year.
Think about the people we’re helping. Last year, I hosted the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington. At that conference, our ambassador-at-large recounted his trip to Iraq. There he met Yezidi women who had been sold into bondage, whose children had been ripped out of their arms. Life under ISIS was real hell, a living hell on Earth. Today, those areas are liberated, thanks to our coalition’s power and might and commitment.
I recall a line from your late Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz. Quote: “Good is achieving victory every day. It may even be that Evil is weaker than we imagine.”
Let’s turn to Iran.
President Trump has reversed our willful blindness to the danger of the regime and withdrew from the failed nuclear deal, with its false promises. The U.S. re-imposed sanctions that should never have been lifted. We embarked on a new pressure campaign to cut off the revenues the regime uses to spread terror and destruction throughout the world. We joined the Iranian people in calling for freedom and accountability.
And importantly, we fostered a common understanding with our allies of the need to counteract the Iran regime’s revolutionary agenda. Countries increasingly understand that we must confront the ayatollahs, not coddle them. Nations are rallying to our side to confront the regime like never before. Egypt, Oman, Kuwait, and Jordan have all been instrumental in thwarting Iran’s efforts to evade sanctions.
The UAE has canceled its imports of Iranian condensate following the re-imposition of American sanctions. Bahrain has exposed the Revolutionary Guard proxies that are active in its country, and which – and working – is working to stop Iran’s illicit maritime activities in its region. Saudi Arabia, too, has worked with us to counter Iranian expansion and regional influence. We, the United States, commend each of these efforts, and we seek for all nations to continue the work to constrain the full array of the regime’s malign activity.
The work to curb the regime’s deadly ambitions isn’t confined to the Middle East. America’s friends and partners from South Korea to Poland have joined our effort to stop Iran’s wave of regional destruction and global campaigns of terror.
Countries across the globe have cut Iranian oil imports to zero and are working towards that goal. Private companies in France, Germany, Britain and elsewhere have all calculated that enriching themselves through work with the regime is bad for business and bad for the people of their own countries.
In Yemen, we’ve assisted our coalition partners as they take the lead in preventing an Iranian expansion that would be disastrous for world trade and regional security. As is always the case with America, our engagement has also been coupled with robust humanitarian aid. We’ve supported the UN talks to put Yemen on the path to peace.
In Lebanon, Hizballah remains a major presence, but we won’t accept this status quo. Our aggressive sanctions campaign against Iran is also directed at the terror group and its leaders, including the son of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hizballah.
Now let’s talk about America’s efforts to build coalition.
The Trump administration has moved quickly to rebuild links amongst our old friends and nurture new partnerships. My very first trip in this job included stops in Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
In fact, after being sworn in as Secretary of State, I visited those countries before I ever went to my office in Washington, D.C. And I welcome your leaders to my office often, as I did with Foreign Minister Shoukry in August of last year.
Coalition building for America is natural, but in past years we’ve neglected it. This administration has enjoyed fruitful relationships in the Middle East for hundreds of years, but we must keep them and work to keep them. Look, our ties stem back a long ways – with Morocco and Oman, back to 1777 and 1833. And our friendship with the country in which we are today, Egypt, stems back generations. Indeed, this year marks the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic relations with Jordan. We’re building out a healthy dialogue with the Government of Iraq, a thriving and young democracy. We’re also building relationships for our shared prosperity. It is time for old rivalries to end for the sake of the greater good of the region.
The Trump administration is also working to establish the Middle East Strategic Alliance to confront the region’s most serious threat and bolster energy and economic cooperation. This effort is bringing together members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Egypt and Jordan. Today, we ask each of those countries to take the next step and help us solidify MESA.
We’re also seeing remarkable change. New bonds are taking root that were unimaginable until very recently. Who could’ve believed a few years ago that an Israeli prime minister would visit Muscat? Or that new ties would emerge between Saudi Arabia and Iraq? Or that a Roman Catholic pope would visit this city to meet with Muslim imams and the head of the Coptic faith?
In October of last year, the Israeli national anthem played as an Israeli judo champion was crowned the winner of a tournament in the United Arab Emirates. It was the first time – the first time – that an Israeli delegation was allowed to participate under its own national flag. It was also the first time that an Israeli culture and sports minister attended a sports event in the Gulf. She said, and I quote, “It is a dream come true. For two years we had talks in order to reach this moment.” It was hard for her to stop the tears. “I want to thank the authorities in Abu Dhabi and our hosts here who received us in an exemplary manner.” She could not have been happier.
These steps toward rapprochement are necessary for greater security in the face of our shared threats, and they also hint at a much brighter future for the region.
Of course our work together is not finished. It’s almost never America’s work alone. The U.S. knows that we can’t, and shouldn’t, fight every fight or sustain every economy. No nation wants to be dependent on another. Our aim – our aim – is to partner with our friends and vigorously oppose our enemies, because a strong, secure, and economically vibrant Middle East is in our national interest, and it’s in yours as well.
Let me be clear: America will not retreat until the terror fight is over. We will labor tirelessly alongside you to defeat ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other jihadists that threaten our security and yours. President Trump has made the decision to bring our troops home from Syria. We always do and now is the time, but this isn’t a change of mission. We remain committed to the complete dismantling of ISIS – the ISIS threat – and the ongoing fight against radical Islamism in all of its forms. But as President Trump has said, we’re looking to our partners to do more, and in this effort we will do so going forward together.
For our part, airstrikes in the region will continue as targets arise. We will keep working with our partners in the Coalition to Defeat ISIS. We will continue to hunt down terrorists who seek safe havens in Libya and in Yemen. We strongly support Egypt’s efforts to destroy ISIS in the Sinai. We strongly support Israel’s efforts to stop Tehran from turning Syria into the next Lebanon.
And as the fighting continues, we will continue to assist our partners in efforts to guard borders, prosecute terrorists, screen travelers, assist refugees, and more. But “assist” is the key phrase. We ask every peace-loving nation of the Middle East to shoulder new responsibilities for defeating Islamist extremism wherever we find it.
It is important to know also that we will not ease our campaign to stop Iran’s malevolent influence and actions against this region and the world. The nations of the Middle East will never enjoy security, achieve economic stability, or advance the dreams of their people if Iran’s revolutionary regime persists on its current course.
February 11th will mark 40 years since the oppressive regime came to power in Tehran. America’s economic sanctions against the regime are the strongest in history, and will keep getting tougher until Iran starts behaving like a normal country. The 12 demands that we stated in May remain in force, because the regime’s threat to the region endures.
In Syria, the United States will use diplomacy and work with our partners to expel every last Iranian boot, and work through the UN-led process to bring peace and stability to the long-suffering Syrian people. There will be no U.S. reconstruction assistance for areas of Syria held by Assad until Iran and its proxy forces withdraw and until we see irreversible progress towards a political resolution.
In Lebanon, the United States will work to reduce the threat of Hizballah’s missile arsenal, which is aimed at Israel and can reach all points inside of that country. Many of these rockets are equipped with advance guidance systems, courtesy of Iran, and that’s unacceptable. Iran may think it owns Lebanon. Iran is wrong.
In Iraq, the United States will help our partners build a nation free of Iranian influence. This past May, Iraqis rejected sectarianism in a national election, and we will support that wholeheartedly. The people there refused to be cowered by Iranian-backed thugs and armed groups. Iraqis have strengthened ties with Arab neighbors, peacefully resumed cooperation between the Kurdish Region and Baghdad, and have renewed their focus on fighting corruption.
And in Yemen, we will continue to work for a lasting peace.
And I think this is clear, but it is worth reiterating: The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against the Iranian regime’s aggressive adventurism. We will continue to ensure that Israel has the military capacity to do so decisively.
The Trump administration will also continue to press for a real and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Again, we’ve adhered to our word. President Trump campaigned on the promise to recognize Jerusalem – the seat of Israel’s government – as the nation’s capital. In May, we moved our embassy there. These decisions honor a bipartisan congressional resolution from more than two decades ago. President Trump acted on this commitment.
The United States also is working to keep our bilateral relationships strong. Over the next few days, I’ll hold in-depth discussions with the leaders of Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait. We’ll talk about our shared goals, just as I did in Jordan and Iraq this week, and as I did today with President Sisi and Foreign Minister Shoukry.
And as we seek an even stronger partnership with Egypt, we encourage President Sisi to unleash the creative energy of Egypt’s people, unfetter the economy, and promote a free and open exchange of ideas. The progress made to date can continue.
I also applaud President Sisi’s efforts to promote religious freedom, which stands as an example for all leaders and all peoples of the Middle East. I was happy to see our citizens, wrongly convicted of improperly operating NGOs here, finally be acquitted. And we strongly support President Sisi’s initiative to amend Egyptian law so that this does not happen again. More work certainly needs to be done to maximize the potential of the Egyptian nation and its people. I’m glad that America will be a partner in those efforts.
Let me close here with a couple of final thoughts.
First, it’s never easy to recognize truth. But when we see it, we must speak it. America has been criticized for doing too much in the Middle East, and we’ve been criticized for doing too little. But one thing we’ve never been is an empire-builder or an oppressor.
Just look at our history together, the history which I have recounted today. Look at our fights against common enemies. Look at our coalition building. And finally, just look around you at this university, which has existed now for a century. It’s not a coincidence that many other American universities like this one thrive all across the Middle East, from Beirut to Sulaymaniyah. These are symbols of America’s innate goodness, of our hopes for you, and of the better future we desire for all nations of the Middle East.
I want to thank you all for being here today, and may the good Lord bless each and every one of you.
Inspiring to visit the recently inaugurated Cathedral of the Nativity and al-Fattah al-Aleem Mosque. @AlsisiOfficial’s commitment to promoting #religiousfreedom and interfaith tolerance sets an example for the region to follow.
CTH has long followed the efforts of Egypt to heal itself from the intentionally inflicted wounds created by former President Obama. So allow us to highlight some of the actionable items that showcase a man of action behind his words. Since reluctantly taking power in 2013 Egyptian President Fattah Abdel al-Sisi has:
◾Disbanded the Muslim Brotherhood as a political terror entity. (link) (link)
◾Arrested those who burned churches and attacked Coptic Christians. (link) (link)
◾Jailed or banished the extremist forces. (link)
◾Supported Israel’s right to exist and defend it’s borders. (link) (link)
◾Defeated Hamas in the border region. (link) (link)
◾Destroyed the border terror tunnels used by Hamas (link) (link)
◾Pressured Hamas and the PA to negotiate the ceasefire, and forced the PA and Hamas to assemble ONE negotiating group for their interests. (link) (link)
◾Fought extremism in the Sinai region, and fought against ISIS infiltration.
◾Fought the Libyan new al-Qaeda network “Libyan Dawn”. (link)
◾Charged and prosecuted the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood, who fled to Qatar. (link)
◾Followed the MB to Qatar and initiated sanctions against Qatar until they stopped financing and harboring terror. (link)
◾Formed a coalition against Qatar including the UAE and Saudi Arabia who withdrew their ambassadors and isolated Qatar in the region. (link) (link)
◾Won reelection with almost 70% of the vote. (link) (link ) (link)
◾Holds an 80%+ job approval rating among ALL Egyptians. (link)
◾Shut down Qatar financed Al Jazerra propaganda machine. (link)
◾Supported the framework for a new constitution which supports minority protections. (link)
◾Won a victory against Qatar as they finally conceded and stopped safeguarding terrorists. Sending the MB leadership to the new safe harbor of Turkey. (link)
◾United the moderate (non violent) Arab coalition, the Gulf Security Council, and constructed a unity principle that supports the safety of Jordan and formed a coalition to defend if needed. (link)
◾Faced down and quietly defeated Turkey’s bid for a security council seat in the United Nations. (link) (link)
◾Negotiated a safe passage coalition for Israel and Greece to form an energy based economic trade agreement.
◾Continues to fight the Islamist extremists inside Libya. (link) (link)
◾Continues to fight ISIS in the Northern Sinai region. (link) (link) (link)
◾Expanded the border safety zone with Gaza to insure greater control and protection from weapons smuggling. (link)
Despite President Obama undermining Egypt, these are a few of the actions Egypt has taken before standing in front of the heads of the country’s leading Muslim groups and calling for them “to confront the misleading ideologies harming Islam and Muslims worldwide.” In response to al-Sisi’s speech Al-Azhar stated:
CAIRO: Dar al-Iftaa has responded to President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s call for a “religious revolution” by launching a national project aiming to correct the image of Islam through social media, foreign visits, publications, and issuing fatwas that “suit the modern age,” Ibrahim Negm, advisor to the Grand Mufti said in Friday press statements.
“We should closely examine the situation in which we are in. It does not make sense that the thought we sanctify pushes this entire nation to become a source of apprehension, danger, murder and destruction in the entire world,” Sisi said in a Thursday speech before Egypt’s top religious leaders on the occasion of the Birth of Prophet Mohamed.
“I am not saying the religion [itself]. I am saying this thought that has been sanctified; texts and thoughts that have been sanctified for hundreds of years. And disagreeing with [these texts and thoughts] has become very difficult. To the extent that [this thought] makes an enemy of the whole world,” Sisi added.
Dar al-Iftaa, Egypt’s government-sponsored religious institution responsible for issuing fatwas and religious opinions, will work to achieve the “highest degree of effective communication” with Muslims in Egypt, Arab countries and the world.
Established in 970, Al-Azhar is the most prestigious Sunni institution in the Islamic world.
Al-Azhar’s newly formed Monitor of Infedilizing Fatwas Dept., which responds to radical Islamists’ fatwas labeling other Muslims apostates, has already issued many articles slamming the “extremist opinions” of “non-specialized” sheikhs that receive the attention of a segment of Muslims.
“You cannot feel what [this thought] is when you are inside it. You have to get out of it, inspect it, and read it with a real enlightened thought. You need to take a strong stance. I am reiterating, we need a religious revolution,” Sisi said in his speech, prompting Al-Azhar scholars to applaud. (read more)
Straight from the epicenter of the issue, the U.S. Border Patrol outlines a single day of captured illegal aliens from countries other than Central America and Mexico.
Just yesterday alone over 113 illegal entry apprehensions from Pakistan, India, China, Ecuador, Romania, Nicaragua and more. This CBP data is just from one border state in one day. WATCH:
President Trump visits the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas to receive a status briefing directly from the U.S. Border Patrol officers and officials from the Department of Homeland Security. “Where you have a good strong barrier, you don’t have problems,” the president told reporters during his tour. WATCH:
In December CTH outlined the likely sequence of events that professional democrats will follow. Michael Cohen and Robert Mueller provide the first parts of the foundation. A week ago House Speaker Nancy Pelosi published rules confirming the general outline and sequencing. Yesterday the DOJ confirmed the timing for Robert Mueller.
Today House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings confirms the timing of Michael Cohen. Public testimony for Michael Cohen is scheduled for February 7th:
Washington, D.C. (Jan. 10, 2019)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, announced the schedule for Committee hearings in January and February and issued the following statement:
“I thank Michael Cohen for agreeing to testify before the Oversight Committee voluntarily. I want to make clear that we have no interest in inappropriately interfering with any ongoing criminal investigations, and to that end, we are in the process of consulting with Special Counsel Mueller’s office. The Committee will announce additional information in the coming weeks.” (link)
Again, there is very little doubt the approach has already been mapped out in post-election meetings between: Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, the Democrat committee heads, allies in the lawfare community, political allies inside the executive branch (IC, DOJ, FBI etc.), along with feedback from political networks, DNC (Perez) and major resistance donors. All the evidence to support this strategy was outlined in Speaker Pelosi’s Rules.
This was worked out months ago. Michael Cohen’s deferred prison sentence is part of this planning and coordination. Yes, the current DOJ helped coordinate and plan. It is virtually guaranteed the DOJ (SDNY) and Robert Mueller team members met with select emissaries of congressional democrats, Lawfare and media. Together they had this outline drawn up immediately following the mid-term election.
So far things are proceeding exactly as CTH would expect. The scheduled testimony for Cohen is the Thursday after the Superbowl (exactly as predicted).
[…] House Oversight Committee (Cummings) and House Judiciary Committee (Nadler) will likely kick the resistance operation into action (after Superbowl) with Michael Cohen’s scheduled appearances broadcast on television for the better part of two weeks use. [*note, now confirmed]
That first phase event will likely be followed by a late Feb/early March dropping of the Mueller report. [*note, now confirmed] There will be a grand lead-in, roll-out and press spectacle designed for maximum exposure. The tail end of that phase will lead to more hearings throughout March perhaps into early April with subpoenas based on the report framework.
Again, remember these are Democrats. This stuff is already planned out in the broad strokes. The upcoming congressional calendar has all of these events considered. Pelosi and Schumer have told their key underlings of preliminary vacation blackout dates etc. Nothing professional democrats do is without specific intent, purposeful design and well communicated organization. This is what they do. This is all they do.
While these events are happening the HPSCI will be demanding discovery from the White House and intelligence apparatus that will be spurred by Cohen and Mueller. The DOJ and FBI will find a new interest in congressional compliance especially given the House General Counsel, Douglas Letter, is one of their allied Resistance members.
It’s important to note when we use the term “Mueller” in these contexts, CTH is discussing the special counsel team and not the individual. Also when we approach the term “impeachment” we are not discussing it as the technical and legal approach for removal of a President; but rather the political use of the process to damage President Donald Trump.
Professional political Democrats would not be using “impeachment” in the constitutional sense of the process; but rather weaponizing the process -as a tool itself- to target the executive office.
From Pelosi’s rules, we now know Elijah Cummings will deliver the schedule for impeachment hearings before his deadline on April 15th. The next likely witness to be subpoenaed, and to grab the media headlines will be Donald Trump Jr.
Unfortunately, too many people, on all sides, still refuse to believe the institutions of the DOJ and FBI are comprehensively corrupted. Too many people cling to a belief that Rosenstein and Mueller are working honorably toward the cause of justice.
Until people awaken to the reality that all elements within both institutions, past and current, are infected with the metastasized cancer of politics little will change.
You’ll note that while all of this new public testimony is happening…. authorized and approved by Team Mueller…. simultaneously the DOJ is refusing to release transcriptsfrom prior witness testimony to the House and Senate citing Mueller’s ongoing investigation. This transparently obvious double-standard is NOT coincidental.
Rather than becoming frustrated, CTH will take the same approach we followed in 2015/2016 (the GOPe election road-map tripwires) and simply outline what to expect. This should help interested readers make sense of what is happening.
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This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
They are calling 2017 the Year without an Arctic Summer. The
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