The Morning Briefing: Trump to Meet with Rocket Man, RUSSIA Update and Much, Much More

Good Friday morning.

Here’s what is on the president’s agenda today:

The president receives his daily intelligence briefing
2:00 p.m. Press briefing with Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Rocket Man, Trump to meet

Yesterday evening, the White House announced President Trump will meet face-to-face with North Korea’s crazy Kim Jong-un “soon.”

The talks would be the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader and will take place by May, according to South Korea’s national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, who delivered the invitation to Trump after a visit by his delegation to Pyongyang earlier this week. Chung said Kim had offered to put Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile program on the table.

The White House said Trump had agreed to the encounter. “He will accept the invitation to meet with Kim Jong Un at a place and time to be determined,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders.

Wow. I was told that Trump’s hard line and tough talk on North Korea would end in nuclear war. I was told that we need more diplomacy. I guess not.

The North Korean leader had told the South Koreans “he is committed to denuclearization” and pledged that North Korea would “refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests,” Chung said. Kim also told the South Koreans he understands that the US and South Korea would move forward with their joint military exercises later this year.

Trump tweeted about the upcoming meeting.

Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting being planned!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2018

Get ready for some mind-blowing spin about this development.

Trump’s tariffs

Trump announced new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, excepting Canada and Mexico, yesterday.

“Today I’m defending America’s national security by placing tariffs on foreign imports of steel and aluminum,” Trump said.

“A strong steel and aluminum industry are vital to our national security. You don’t have steel, you don’t have a country,” he said.

“The American steel and aluminum industry has been ravaged by aggressive foreign trade practices, it’s really an assault on our country,” Trump said.

“I’m delivering on a promise I made during the campaign,” he added.

The best part of Trump’s announcement is watching the progressive left suddenly embrace the free market just so they can attack the president. Jeff Flake, who’s like a bad penny, is threatening to introduce legislation to nullify President Trump’s tariffs.

“I’m going to — as soon as it comes out if it is anything approximating what he’s talked about — introduce legislation to nullify it. I’m assuming I won’t be the only one to do that,” said Flake.

Related:

They should just make up their own import/export policy like they have made their own immigration laws: California steelmakers say they’ll be hurt by Trump’s tariffs

RUSSIA Update

Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater security and brother of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, is fighting back against allegations that he lied about a meeting with RUSSIAN agents in Seychelles to set up a “backchannel.”

The Washington Post cites anonymous sources in its report that Special Counsel Robert Mueller “has gathered evidence that a secret meeting in Seychelles just before the inauguration of Donald Trump was an effort to establish a back channel between the incoming administration and the Kremlin.”

Prince testified last year before the House Intelligence Committee about his meeting and Thursday, Democrats pounced on reports that Lebanese-American businessman George Nader told the special counsel he was at the meeting.

This is being touted as a “smoking gun” by those on the TRUMP COLLUDED WITH RUSSIA beat,

Prince says, “I never ever have represented as anyone from the Trump transition and the only reason I went to the Seychelles was to see MBZ,” referring to Mohammed bin Zayed, the United Arab Emirates’ crowned prince.

“Never has so much been made about so little,” Prince texted when the story broke.

In a phone interview Thursday, Prince said, “No one from the Trump transition team knew I was going,” referring to the meeting that involved members of UAE government.

Related:

MUST READ: Who Believes in Russiagate?

Russian trolls contacted Trump campaign officials through Facebook messages: report

Democrats say Uranium One whistleblower provided no evidence against Clintons

Florida school shooting

Yesterday, President Trump met with representatives from the video game industry to discuss the link between violent video games and school shootings.

The meeting included lawmakers, critics of video games, and executives from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc, which owns “Grand Theft Auto,” and ZeniMax Media Inc, owner of “Doom.” Trump’s younger brother Robert Trump is on the board of ZeniMax.

“The level of violence on video games is really shaping young people’s thoughts,” Trump said on February 22. “You see these movies, they’re so violent, and yet a kid is able to see the movie. If sex isn’t involved, but killing is involved. And maybe they have to put a rating system for that, and you get into a whole very complicated, very big deal.”

WUT? Two Miramar SWAT officers suspended for heading to Parkland massacre

Historical picture of the day:

Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie performs with his group to a joint session of the South Carolina legislature, March 9, 1976. Gillespie, a South Carolinian, is from Cheraw. Other band members are unidentified. (AP Photo/Lou Krasky)

Other morsels:

Obama is reportedly in advanced negotiations to produce shows for Netflix

Third-Highest House Democrat Shared Stage With Farrakhan, Now Refuses To Denounce

Project Veritas Calls For Investigation Into Collusion Between Bernie Sanders Campaign And Australian Labor Party

Judge recommends Trump mute, not block dissenting Twitter users to resolve lawsuit

Trump slams Oakland mayor for warning immigrants about planned sweeps

Interior Dept spent $139K on new doors for Zinke’s office: report

Photo of conservative speaker may have been ‘jarring’ to students, college newspaper editor admits

Meet Some Of The Criminal Illegals California Has Set Free

Trump officials tell Idaho it can’t dump Obamacare

‘The Sopranos’ is officially getting a prequel movie

A Rachel Dolezal documentary is coming to Netflix and people aren’t happy