This approach is so typically Trump it should be changed to a verb.  President Trump tweets about a phone call today with Russian President Vladimir Putin:

Note: “and even the “Russian Hoax”“; yeah, that part. Intentionally directed to send the DC democrats and media bananas.  He’s not trolling them, he’s toying with them. This dispatch is profoundly Trump; it’s like Andrew Breitbart saying “yeah, so?…”

The perfect blend of professionalism and back-handed antagonism. He’s toying with his opposition.  This is why Donald J Trump, the businessman, the disruptor, is effectively independent and uncontrollable by customs and norms.  He’s provoking…. and laughing…. and annoying….. and winning.

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases the April 2019 jobs report and the results are excellent.  It’s a home run for MAGAnomics as the trifecta continues: Job gains +263,000, Wage growth +3.2%, Inflation low at 1.4%.

With a gain of 263,000 new jobs in April, the overall unemployment rate dropped to 3.6%.  There are more jobs available than people looking for work.  Additionally, the prior two months jobs results were revised upward by 16,000 more than previous reported.

• Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 263,000 in April, compared with an average monthly gain of 213,000 over the prior 12 months.
• Professional and business services added 76,000 jobs in April. Over the past 12 months, professional and business services has added 535,000 jobs
• In April, construction employment rose by 33,000. Construction has added 256,000 jobs over the past 12 months.
• Employment in health care grew by 27,000 in April and 404,000 over the past 12 months.
• In April, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 6 cents to $27.77. Over the year, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.2 percent.
• BLS Release Link

(WAGES B-8)

MAGAnomics: Low unemployment (3.6%); wages growing (+3.2%); inflation stable(1.4%). These measures all have a cumulative impact on paycheck-to-paycheck Americans. Prices for durable goods are stable and wage growth is exceeding inflation. That means more disposable income in the middle-class. Which, when combined with the increased pay from lower middle-class tax rates, is exactly the intended outcome of MAGAnomics.

Last week’s consumer spending results for the first quarter defied expectations.  Consumer spending on goods increases 1.7%. Overall spending +.09 in March, reaches highest gain in ten years. The deplorables are spending their higher wages.  Meanwhile core inflation drops to 1.4%.  The pundits are shocked.  This is Main Street growth and economic stability; this is not, repeat NOT, Wall Street growth.

We are in the period where exporting U.S. wealth (globalist policies) has been slowed/halted.  We are confronting protectionist tariffs abroad which impede our exports, and simultaneously applying reciprocal tariffs toward those who want access to our U.S. market.  As a consequence, capital investment is returning to Main Street USA (nationalist policy).  This is the heart of MAGAnomic policy.

Low unemployment; rising wages; stable inflation and resurging U.S. blue-collar manufacturing is the key (steel/aluminum tariffs assisting).

This internal dynamic means the U.S. consumer can fuel the the U.S. economy while President Trump, Secretary Ross, Secretary Mnuchin and Ambassador Robert Lighthizer utilize the leverage of tariffs, to negotiate better America-First trade deals.

We have not had the benefit of this blue-collar economic success in the past 30+ years because corrupt multinational interests were paying and bribing -via lobbyists- politicians and public officials within DC for policies that primarily benefited Wall Street.  Those policies blocked Main Street growth and U.S. wealth; and exported jobs and incomes to foreign nations. President Donald J Trump has stopped this process.

♦The Modern Third Dimension in American Economics – HERE

♦The “Fed” Can’t Figure out the New Economics – HERE

♦Proof “America-First” has disconnected Main Street from Wall Street – HERE

♦Treasury Secretary Mnuchin begins creating a Parallel Banking System – HERE

♦How Trump Economic Policy is Interacting With The Stock Market – HERE

♦How Multinationals have Exported U.S. Wealth – HERE

The U.S. Steel and Aluminum industry has been a key focus of President Trump in an effort to reestablish a critical industry for America. Part of the administration strategy was broad-based tariffs aimed at curbing China’s dumping of government subsidized product globally. The broad global application of the tariffs defeated the Chinese trans-shipment strategy to avoid them.

Despite opposition from Wall Street republicans and democrats purchased by K-Street lobbyists, the administration policy has been exceptionally successful at driving investment into the U.S. manufacturing base.  The multinationals are furious.

(U.S. Steel) United States Steel Corporation is investing more than $1 billion in the place where our reputation as a trusted industry leader was first forged more than a century ago: our Mon Valley Works near Pittsburgh.

The investment involves the construction of a cutting-edge, sustainable endless casting and rolling facility at Mon Valley’s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pa., – the first of its kind in the United States – and a new cogeneration facility with state-of-the-art emissions control technology at the nearby Clairton Plant in Clairton, Pa. (link)

PITTSBURGH May 2, 2019– United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) announced today it will invest more than $1 billion to construct a new sustainable endless casting and rolling facility at its Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pa., and a cogeneration facility at its Clairton Plant in Clairton, Pa., both part of the company’s Mon Valley Works.

The cutting-edge endless casting and rolling technology combines thin slab casting and hot rolled band production into one continuous process and will make Mon Valley Works the first facility of this type in the United States, and one of only a handful in the world.

“This is a truly transformational investment for U. S. Steel. We are combining our integrated steelmaking process with industry-leading endless casting and rolling to reinvest in steelmaking and secure the future for a new generation of steelworkers in Western Pennsylvania and the Mon Valley,” said David B. Burritt, President and Chief Executive Officer of U. S. Steel.

“U. S. Steel’s investment in leading technology and advanced manufacturing aligns with our vision to be the industry leader in delivering high-quality, value-added products and innovative solutions that address our customers’ most challenging steel needs for the future. We believe that adding sustainable steel technology to our footprint will create long-term value for our employees, our region, our customers and our investors.” (read more)

An incredible moment during the National Prayer Service today as Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, the leader and survivor from the recent synagogue shooting in Poway, California, delivers heartfelt prayers and remarks to President Donald Trump.

The strength of Rabbi Goldstein is inspiring; his message is uplifting; his faith is unwavering, and his courage is affirming. This is an American message of hope and heart.

Americans have always found power and unity through prayer. In 1988, the Congress, by Public Law 100-307, called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a “National Day of Prayer.”

Today, on this National Day of Prayer, we once again come together to give thanks to Almighty God for the bountiful blessings He has bestowed on our great Nation and to ask for His unfailing counsel. We also acknowledge our dependence on God’s love to guide our families, communities, and our country away from harm and toward abundance and peace.

Our Nation acknowledges that religious liberty is a natural right, given to us by our Creator, not a courtesy that government extends to us. The First Amendment recognizes the freedom of religion and safeguards this right against government infringement. The United States’ steadfast commitment to upholding religious freedom has ensured that people of different faiths can pray together and live in peace as fellow American citizens. We have no tolerance for those who disrupt this peace, and we condemn all hate and violence, particularly in our places of worship.

President Donald Trump calls in to Fox Business with Trish Regan to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, the problems at the U.S. southern border and the Mueller probe.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler has created a circus atmosphere ahead of a scheduled appearance by Attorney General William Barr tomorrow.

After today’s hearing devolved into a hot mess; and after Nadler changed processes to block committee representatives from questioning the AG; it appears Attorney General William Barr has cancelled his scheduled appearance.

WASHINGTON DC – U.S. Attorney General William Barr will not testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, a committee aide tells NBC News. The hearing is set to proceed as scheduled, starting at 9 a.m. EST.  (link)

Here’s a brief example of the hot mess earlier today:

(Link to DOJ Statement)

View image on Twitter

Rep. Doug Collins

✔@RepDougCollins

It’s a shame Members of the House Judiciary Committee won’t get the opportunity to hear from Attorney General Barr this Thursday, because the chairman chose to torpedo our hearing. Full statement:

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Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, follows up on his letter to AG William Barr questioning whether the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election should have looked into whether Fusion-GPS and the Ohr/Steele dossier was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Additionally, Grassley asked about the “culture of DOJ and FBI leaking to media” as outlined in the previous inspector general report (June 2018); in answering that question AG William Barr says “we have multiple criminal leak investigations underway”.

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Keep in mind… Recently Buzzfeed opened a can-of-worms, which is currently being ignored by MSM, when Buzzfeed openly published accounts of the Mueller team giving their reporters copies of FBI notes during the investigation. [Details Here]

This Buzzfeed admission was/is stunning…. I don’t even think Buzzfeed realized what they were admitting to. It’s in these paragraphs (emphasis mine):

(Buzzfeed) […] I’d also like to share an accounting of how we came to our characterization, to give our audience and people who reasonably raised questions about our reporting as much information as possible about how the story came to be.

Our story was based on detailed information from senior law enforcement sources. That reporting included documents — specifically, pages of notes that were taken during an interview of [Michael] Cohen by the FBI.

In those notes, one law enforcement source wrote that “DJT personally asked Cohen to say negotiations ended in January and White House counsel office knew Cohen would give false testimony to Congress. Sanctioned by DJT. Joint lawyer team reviewed letter Cohen sent to SSCI about his testimony about Trump Tower moscow, et al, knowing it contained lies.”

The law enforcement source also wrote: “Cohen told OSC” — the Office of Special Counsel — “he was asked to lie by DJT/DJT Jr., lawyers.”

At the time, the sources asked reporters to keep the information confidential, but with the publication of Mueller’s report they have permitted its release. (read more)

Do you realize what Buzzfeed is saying right there?

The Mueller investigative team gave copies of FBI notes (investigative notes) to Buzzfeed news !!

Notice the use of the plural “reporters“; specifically the way “reporters” is used in the paragraph, infers that multiple media outlets were given the same FBI leaked documents.

Earlier today President Trump welcomed 2018 NASCAR champion Joey Logano to the White House. (Video and Transcript Below)

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[Transcript] South Lawn – 3:56 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Very talented people. Great musicians. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. And good afternoon. Today it’s my pleasure to welcome the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Joey Logano, and Team Penske to the White House. Joey, congratulations. Fantastic. (Applause.)

Team Penske raced across the finish line in the Ford Fusion. You liked the car?

MR. LOGANO: I loved it.

THE PRESIDENT: You better say that. (Laughter.) You better say that.

Parked right here on the White House South Drive. And that is one truly beautiful car. That is technologically something, Roger. I guess very special, right?

MR. PENSKE: Very special.

THE PRESIDENT: Went a little faster than the other ones. But it also had to do with your right foot, I think. (Laughter.)

MR. LOGANO: A little bit.

THE PRESIDENT: We’re delighted to be joined by some tremendous people who are doing a great job for our nation: Secretary Alex Acosta. Alex, thank you very much. Labor. Secretary Elaine Chao. Elaine, thank you. Transportation.

And many of the great members of Congress: Representative Jim Banks. Where is Jim? Hi, Jim. Tim Burchett. Tim. Where are you, Tim? Thank you very much. Very good. And I know you like this sport, don’t you, huh? (Laughter.) Thank you, Tim. Rodney Davis. Rodney, thank you. Mark Green. What a great job you do on television, Mark. Thank you. He’s always defending me. That’s very nice. Thank you. (Laughter.) Richard Hudson. Thank you very much, Richard. Thank you. And Dusty Johnson. Thank you very much.

And we have a lot more in there. Let’s see, I think we have Ralph Norman. Is Ralph here? My friend — central casting. I always call him “central casting.” (Laughter.) Bill Posey. Thank you, Bill. Phil Roe. The great Phil Roe, huh? Thanks, Phil. Mike Thompson. Thank you. Michael Waltz. Thank you. Thank you, Michael. Good job. Great job. And Steve Watkins. Thank you very much. Thanks, Steve.

And many of the state and local leaders. Too many politicians to announce. We won’t bother with the rest of you guys. Just — you can be angry at me for a week only. (Laughter.)

I also want to thank nice NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton for being with us. Thank you, Mike. I’ve been with you for a long time. I sort of consider you a friend. I watch you on television. And you’re as famous as NASCAR, in its own way. Right? But you’ve done a great job, Mike — for being here.

As well as Team Penske’s Chairman and Founder, a friend of mine for a long time — I won’t say how long because it will tell us about our age and we don’t to discuss it — but we’ve been friends for a long time. I know a lot about Roger. Too much. I know too much about Roger. He’s a great man and a great guy.

And over the course — this is incredible to me because I looked at these stats before getting up — over the course of the 2018 season, the Number 22 team earned 26 top-10 finishes, led 934 laps — that’s a lot, right? Huh? Won three races and competed against three former champions in the playoffs, and came out ahead.

The battle for the championship was a nail-biter right to the end. In the final race of the season, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway — a nice one — Joey took the lead in a daring high-line pass with only 11 laps to go, clinching the title. So when you get out in front, it’s tough for the — you just don’t — you will not allow somebody to come back, right?

MR. LOGANO: Don’t look back. (Laughs.)

THE PRESIDENT: He’s a good frontrunner, fellas, I guess. Huh? If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be standing up here, right?

It was a heart-pounding, high-octane NASCAR action finish. And it was a great race and a great season.

While Joey might be the star out there on the track, Team Penske could have never made it without all of the great crew that we have with us today.

So to Joey, Vice Chairman Walt Czarnecki — Walt? Walt? Hi, Walt. That’s what I thought, Walt. Say hello to your wife. He said his wife likes Trump. And I said, “And I like her, too.” Right? (Laughter.) Team President Tim Cindric — Tim? Great job. Fantastic Job. Crew Chief Todd Gordon — your times are good in there? Huh? Hit a little danger with that stuff, right? Not when you have him driving. It’s the other guys you have to watch out for. Great job. It’s a fantastic job.

And the Number 22 team, I just want to congratulate you. Todd Gordon, the whole crew — I hear it’s just incredible what you’ve done. You’ve set records of your own. Where’s Todd? Yeah. You’ve set the records of your own. And truly talented people. We appreciate it. I watch it all the time and I marvel at how you can do that. I marvel at how you do it. And so — it’s precise. It’s a great thing for the people of this country to watch, and plenty of them do. I want to congratulate you. Great team.

And I want to congratulate all of the speed records, the strength, the stamina — and that’s true; that’s really true — that carried you on to victory.

Team Penske proudly claims 517 major race champions and race victories, 34 national championships — here’s something incredible — and 17 Indy 500 wins over the course of its history. So you won 17 Indy 500s. And I know a lot of people that have tried to win the Indy 500. They weren’t so successful in winning one or coming in second, third, or tenth. And you won 17. So, Roger, that’s like an incredible — (applause) — it’s an incredible achievement. It’s called, “They’re winners,” right? They’re winners. The team is a winner. And NASCAR is a winner.

Fresh off the 2018 championship season, this year, Roger Penske was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Roger began his career as a driver in 1958 before he made a name for himself as a team owner. And, Roger, I have to say, I’ve watched you from business to racing to ownership of cars, and I just watched you have victory after victory. No matter what you do, it turns to gold. So keep doing it for a long time to come. It’s an amazing achievement what you’ve done. Thank you, Roger. (Applause.) Thank you. There are few people like that. Few. Very few.

I also want to recognize Joey’s wife, Brittany. Where’s Brittany? Come on up here, Brittany. Come on up here. Come on. Come on, Brittany. (Applause.) Great. Great. And Brittany and Joey have a one-year-old son, Hudson. Does he have that kind of talent?

MR. LOGANO: (Laughs.) Not sure yet.

THE PRESIDENT: You want him racing, someday? I don’t know. Keep him out of those cars. (Laughter.) I don’t think so.

At the end of his championship race, Joey celebrated by placing little Hudson inside of the very NASCAR Cup Series trophy — well, it can’t be that one. Yeah, that one. (Laughter.) It’s a very small baby. I’m saying, “Where’s the trophy?” And that was quite a scene. It was all over the place. It was quite a scene.

As Joey said that night, “Winning a championship is great, but it’s nothing compared to being a dad.” Boy, is that central casting, that statement. That’s a perfect statement. (Applause.) Here’s the great, also, Sarah Huckabee. You never heard of Sarah Huckabee, right? Sarah Sanders. Thank you, Sarah.

NASCAR is not only a thrilling display of skill and power, but a celebration of the American spirit. So true. No matter who wins the race, you never forget what matters most: God, family, and country. (Applause.) And nobody embodies that more than you folks, I’ll tell you.

And with champions like you, I am confident that NASCAR will continue to excite and inspire millions of devoted fans across our nation. I’m a fan. And I have friends that know every driver, every car, every number. I say, “What else do you do?” That’s what they do. They love it. And they have great respect for you and admiration for your courage and your skill.

So to every member of this championship team: Congratulations again on your amazing achievement.

And with that, I’m really honored to welcome to the podium the Chairman of Penske Corporation, and one of the truly great people of this world — not only our country; I really mean that — one of the truly great people of our world, Roger Penske. (Applause.)

MR. PENSKE: Thank you, Mr. President. Certainly an honor for me to be here today and to have you invite our team to be a part of this great celebration of the 2018 Championship.

To me, the opportunity for us to be at the nation’s capital today was amazing for our team. The chance to visit the White House is something you dream about, and we can tell our grandkids forever of this great opportunity.

But I would be remiss — me, personally, and the team want to thank you for the support of our men and women in the military and the first responders who keep this country safe and secure. (Applause.) Without that, we wouldn’t be here today.

And when I think about this sport and what’s taken, for me, a common thread through our businesses. And today, this group — team — over here of people represent Joey and the 22 Team. But we have 500 members, Mr. President, back in Mooresville and 60,000 Penske Corporation employees that thank you and the people here today to have us as part of this celebration. It’s just amazing.

I want to thank the France family and Mike Helton and the team at NASCAR to give us these stadiums around the country so we can compete.

Let me tell you a little about Joey Logano. Joey is a racer. His family — all of us family helps us get to where we are, but Joey’s dad and his mom have been a big part of his championship run. We were fortunate enough to get him on our team several years ago. But he delivers not only on the racetrack — and I want to say not only on the racetrack, but Brittany and Joey give so much back to the community.

And I’ll tell you a story. The night before the race, Mr. President, at Homestead, Joey and Brittany were at a Publix, giving out 100 turkeys to homeless people. That’s the man that’s the championship in 2018. (Applause.)

So, with that, I’d like to introduce Joey Logano. I know he has some comments to make. And thank you, Mr. President.

MR. LOGANO: Well, thank you. It’s such an honor to be speaking here. Actually, I kind of got to pinch myself to think what I’m doing here right now. But what an amazing day we’ve had, an amazing run we had last year, to be able to win the championship.

And like Roger and Mr. President said, it takes an amazing team to make that happen. And today we had quite the experience to see your team — the team that makes our amazing country be what it is. And this is a great reminder for myself, and I’m sure I’m speaking for my whole team, of what goes into our great country and our freedom and everyone that’s fought for that. So I need to thank, obviously, our military and our leaders that give us the opportunity to go out there and do what we love every day.

Whether it’s driving racecars or watching it, or playing golf — whatever it may be, whatever you’re into — we get to do that because we live in an amazing country.

So I just need to thank everyone for that. I still can’t get over my car sitting here in front of the White House. (Laughter.)

But I want to leave you guys with something before that. You know, to be a champion, you know, you don’t have to drive a racecar. You don’t have to have a ring or a trophy. Sometimes, being a champion, you can be doing the smallest things, and it’s just doing the right thing at the right moment, and helping those that need it the most.

So, you know, I just want to thank everybody for giving me the opportunity to drive a racecar and live my dream in an amazing country.

So, with that, we want to give you a little gift as — thanking you for being our President and giving us this amazing day. So we have a helmet over here that we wore during the championship season — or I wore during the championship season. And hopefully it doesn’t smell that bad for you. (Laughter.) So we wanted to give you that, along with a trophy that looked just like the actual trophy.

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, that’s beautiful. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Well, I really — I’ll have a great place in the Oval Office for that, actually.

MR. LOGANO: Awesome.

THE PRESIDENT: We have some wonderful champions — some Super Bowl champions and others. And that will be right at the top of the list. We appreciate it.

And I said to Joey, “Do you think that the crew would like to see…” — we rarely do this — “but would they like to see the Lincoln Bedroom?” Do you have any interest in seeing the Lincoln Bedroom? Have you seen the Lincoln Bedroom before? Not too many people have. It’s very special.

So I thought we’d take, maybe, the crew. And I don’t know if you congressmen and women want to come up? Let’s go, okay? We’ll go see the Lincoln Bedroom together, okay? I’ll give you a personal tour. It is special, and you are special, special champions.

So congratulations to all of you. And, Joey, fantastic job. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.

END 4:11 P.M. EDT