The Morning Briefing: Canada Jumps on Board Trade Agreement and Much, Much More

Good Monday morning.

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

The President receives his intelligence briefing
President Trump has lunch with the Vice President
The President presents the Congressional Medal of Honor
President Trump participates in a roundtable with supporters in Johnson City, TN
The President hosts a Make America Great Again rally Johnson City, TN

MUST READ: Lee Smith’s latest- Sparing Rod: Unpacking a Trumpian Intrigue

Today is the one year anniversary of the Las Vegas massacre

One year later and we don’t have any answers.

Experts are used to finding answers as to why mass shooters commit their crimes, be it anger at co-workers or fellow students over perceived slights, terrorism or mental illness. Several hypotheses on the Las Vegas gunman’s possible psychopathy and desire for infamy have begun to emerge, but they are tentative and based on limited evidence—a troubling outcome for people whose job it is to look for clues that could help prevent such a deadly incident in the future.

“People are bewildered by the case—there’s a bewilderment, and there’s a horror,” said J. Reid Meloy, a forensic psychologist and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego who often gets questions about the Las Vegas shooting at lectures and conferences. “The most troubling cases are those without an answer.”

No wonder people come up with “conspiracy theories,” they don’t have any other theories.

US makes deal with Canada, Mexico

Most of the media is busy researching drinking parties at Yale in the mid to late 80s to care but the U.S. reaches trade deal with Canada and Mexico, providing Trump a crucial win.

Trade ministers from the U.S., Mexico and Canada have reached a deal to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Trump administration announced late Sunday night.

The new pact, which is being called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, is a major step toward completing one of Trump’s signature campaign promises and gives the president a concrete policy win to tout on the campaign trail this fall. It also sets the stage for what is sure to be a high-stakes fight to get the agreement passed by Congress before it can become law.

“It’s a good day for Canada,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

Kavanaugh update

The Democrats are already clucking about the insufficiency of the new FBI investigation into the alleged assault of Christine Blaskey-Ford by SCOTUS nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Now, a week long investigation into this claim or any other harassment claims is not going to be enough. Does anyone else think some more accusers will magically surface in the mean time? Cluck, Cluck, Cluck.

Michael Caputo, former Trump campaign advisor, makes a good point that a week should be more than enough: “We all know the FBI looked at 650,000 of Hillary Clinton’s emails in just 24 to 36 hours so it’ll just take a week,” Caputo said. Right on.

It’s important to remember when you read or see these clowns on TV beating their chests in the name of justice that Senator DiFi could have immediately had the FBI anonymously conduct an investigation of Ford’s allegations as soon as she received notice about them. She just didn’t because the strategy was always going to be a last minute, extra-procedural passion play. The Democrats can’t win within the system so they manufacture circumstances (leaking the letter) to conduct the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing in the media kangaroo court where the deck is stacked entirely in their favor. Senator Lindsey Graham wants an investigation into DiFi. Absolutely, we need to find out who leaked that letter.

If you want to see a real work of art, have a look at Sen. Chuck Grassley’s response to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ letter asking the FBI to look into the truth of Kavanaugh’s answers to the Judiciary Committee. Here’s the letter, read it all:

https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY/status/1046222698937036800

Your public statements clearly reveal how unimportant it is to you to review any facts related to this nomination. So you can imagine my surprise at receiving your letter regarding the supplemental FBI background investigation. This supplemental FBI background investigation was requested by undecided members of both parties. Am I to take from your letter that you are now undecided and seriously willing to engage with the Senate’s advice-and-consent constitutional duties related to the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States? If so, we should have a conversation about what information you need to assist you in making your decision, and I look forward to that conversation.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK) spoke some truth to power on the Sunday spin shows yesterday.

“The Democrats have disgraced this process and the United States Senate in the orchestrated smear campaign of character assassination they’ve run against Judge Kavanaugh,” Cotton said on “Face the Nation” Sunday.

“She has been victimized by the Democrats in this process … They betrayed her own requests for confidentiality. They leaked this to the media at the last minute because they are on a search and destroy mission for Brett Kavanaugh,” he said.

“Any impact that this entire episode has had on women’s willingness to come forward and report sexual assault, which I encourage them all to do immediately after it happens, is caused by the Democrats, is caused by Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer not respecting her requests for confidentiality,” he said.

Rachel Mitchell, the sex crimes prosecutor who questioned Dr. Ford before the Senate Judiciary Commitee, has issued a report. It’s not a surprise. “A ‘he said, she said’ case is incredibly difficult to prove,” Mitchell wrote in a memo to the Senate Judiciary Committee obtained by The Hill on Sunday night. “But this case is even weaker than that.”

Avenatti: DNC Officials Have Given Me ‘a Lot of Encouragement’ to Run for President

Limits to FBI’s Kavanaugh investigation have not changed, despite Trump’s comments

Kavanaugh accuser Ramirez speaks with FBI: reports

USA Today Deletes Tweet, Edits Article After Reporter Writes Kavanaugh ‘Should Stay Off Basketball Courts’ With Kids

“Belligerent and aggressive”: Brett Kavanaugh’s Yale classmate says he was heavy drinker

Christine Blasey Ford hasn’t heard from FBI agents investigating Kavanaugh claims, lawyer says

Legal Experts and Yale Friends Believe Kavanaugh Committed Perjury

Restaurant where anti-Kavanaugh protesters disrupted Ted Cruz’s dinner hires security

He Spoofed ‘Angry Kavanaugh’ On ‘SNL,’ But Here’s How Matt Damon Said He’d Handle Accusations

Kavanaugh drama could delay Trump-Rosenstein meeting again

Other morsels:

Trump questions why Dems win black vote