Essentially this notice can be summarized as follows: If you really end the Marshall Plan, credit rating agencies will have to lower their credit rating for all of Europe due to increased financial risk.

Now, tell me again how Europe is not living on the back of America.

LONDON, July 13 (Reuters) – Progressive U.S. disengagement from European security ​affairs is negative for ‌Europe’s sovereign credit ratings, Moody’s said on Monday, due the ​increased defence costs ​the region’s governments will now ⁠face.

A summit of the ​North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)) ​in Turkey last week saw its 32 member countries agree to ​shift the balance ​of responsibility for Europe’s defence to ‌the ⁠alliance’s European members, and away from the United States.

“The (U.S.) disengagement is credit negative ​for ​European ⁠sovereigns,” a report by two of Moody’s ​top rating analysts ​said. ⁠It said the “credit effect” would depend on how the ⁠shift ​was managed ​in the coming years. (SOURCE)

When it comes to irony, Emmanuel Macron has, quite possibly, the world’s worst timing.

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President Trump has recommended to South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster that Senator Lindsey Graham’s interim replacement for the remainder of this term should be his younger sister Darline Graham Nordone.

[SOURCE]

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President Trump calls-in to Fox Morning to discuss the passing of his friend Senator Lindsey Graham and other events of importance.    The discussion about Graham is the first 8 minutes.

The interview is prompted to [8:04] the segment where President Trump is discussing the current status of insufferable negotiations with a duplicitous Iranian negotiating team.  Obviously, President Trump is done with the word games and efforts of the Iran regime to “tap along” the negotiations while never intending to uphold their word or promises.

Previously the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain) urged President Trump to ignore the statements and promises from Iran as they could not be trusted.  However, the GCC -which is ironic considering Qatar intermediaries- then tried to directly negotiate with Iran using Pakistan.

Collectively the GCC, Trump and now NATO are all in the same frame of thinking that Iran is simply just playing games.  As a consequence, U.S. and allied military action is now taking place against Iran on multiple fronts.  WATCH:

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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.

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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 †

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The Office of Senator Mitch McConnell has released a picture and statement intended to answer questions about the status of the Kentucky senator.   However, many are questioning the content.

Personally, the accompanying image doesn’t really matter much – it is reported to be AI enhanced, but who can tell.  However, the message that accompanies the picture?  Well, that text is total BS and did not come from McConnell.

You can tell McConnell did not write it by the way it is written (particularly paragraph #2), and more importantly, there is no mention of condolence following Senator Lindsey Graham’s death.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following note to constituents regarding his hospitalization and recovery:

“To my fellow Kentuckians –

“When you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealth’s longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that I’d keep showing up to fight for you every day. And over the past several weeks, Elaine and I have appreciated both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate.

“You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older. Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct – I can’t help it.

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NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker appears on CNN with Jake Tapper to discuss the recent 2026 NATO assembly in Ankara, Turkey.   Tapper asks Whitaker about the New York Times report on Airforce One and subsequent DOJ subpoenas, and Whitaker doesn’t take the bait, “not in my purview.”  WATCH:

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Many people have specific citations for the impact of Senator Lindsey Graham. Several people have noted his importance in releasing information associated with the fraudulent “spygate’ and “Russiagate” operations. However, to me, the most interesting release from Senator Lindsey Graham was the release he could never again mention.

Senator Graham released a highly compartmented letter [STILL ACTIVE LINK] that proved the depth of the fraud targeting President Trump. The letter formally outlined a complete governmental fraud using all three branches of government, and as a consequence it could never be discussed in public.

In/around April 2020 (the letter is technically undated) the Senate Judiciary Committee (Graham and Feinstein) along with the Senate Intelligence Committee (Burr and Warner) received a copy of a letter previously transmitted secretly by the Mueller-led Dept of Justice to the FISA Court in July 2018.

BACKGROUND: The Mueller led DOJ (Rosenstein compliant, Sessions recused) had previously sent a notification to the FISA Court, July 12, 2018, saying despite the Office of the IG investigation showing clear manipulation of Carter Page FISA application process, there was still “sufficient predication” to believe the FISA warrant was appropriate.

The Mueller team were covering their ass, and racing against the clock while hiding information from the public. The letter clearly establishes in July 2018 the Mueller team were lying to the FISC.

After the December 2019 OIG Horowitz report that exposed how the Mueller probe, DOJ and FBI having clearly manipulated information to continue using the FISA warrant, despite information showing the warrant was obtained using fraudulent information, the FISA Court demanded the DOJ, now under Bill Barr, inform the Legislative Branch (Judiciary Committee) of the July 12, 2018, lie told to them by the Mueller team.

The DOJ had to comply and send the secret letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. That’s how Graham received a copy of it in early 2020, which he then made public.

Until that moment in 2020, no one knew the Mueller team was saying one thing to the FISA Court, and another thing entirely to the media and public.

The FISC was angered, but the only oversight mechanism they had was to force the DOJ to give a copy of the letter to the Judiciary Committee.

The Judicial Branch (Judge Collyer) demanded the Executive Branch (AG Bill Barr) send the Mueller team letter to the Legislative Branch (Judiciary Committee).

Unfortunately, no one (except Graham) ever brought this up in the subsequent hearings on the matter, and when John Durham testified about his review, he was not questioned about it.

The Mueller team (Weissmann and McCord) successfully used the silo process to hide the deception, and John Durham was instructed by AG Bill Barr NEVER to investigate internal DC actors within the Legislative or Executive branches for their conduct, participation or role in the Trump targeting effort.

Bill Barr was trying to protect corrupt institutions, specifically the DOJ and FBI – and by extension the Mueller team, against sunlight upon their corrupt activity.

The lengthy letters remains -to this day- sitting in the Judiciary Committee data library (link below), as a permanent physical record of a direct lies told to the FISC by a corrupt DOJ, and to this day no one has been held to account.

The 2020 cover letter itself is undated, because Bill Barr was trying to coverup what had taken place.

READ FOR YOURSELF.

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Nancy Mace tried to defeat Senator Lindsey Graham in 2014; she placed 5th in the primary.  Nancy Mace tried to run for governor this year, she placed 5th in the South Carolina primary.

Not many people think highly of Nancy Mace. However, Nancy Mace thinks very highly of herself [SEE HERE].  After learning of Senator Lindsey Graham’s sudden death, Mace immediately began positioning herself to take the South Carolina senate seat.

“Mace is set to vacate her coastal House seat early next year, having given up her post to unsuccessfully run for governor this year. Her political future was uncertain following her fifth-place finish in that primary, but the newly open seat offers her a lifeline to extend her tenure in Washington.” (more)

Yuck.

But watch out for Ms. Nikki elbowing her way into position.

BLOOD IN THE WATER – […] Republicans will now race to replace Graham on the November ballot in a special primary election in mid-August, according to state law.

In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning, President Donald Trump said he was already considering who he might back in the race.

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President Trump called in to CNN State of the Union for a discussion of the legacy of Senator Lindsey Graham.  After a few minutes, Jake Tapper begins to go off subject into other matters of material interest to himself.  President Trump rejects the effort and reminds Tapper do not disrespect the moment and stay on the subject of Lindsey Graham. WATCH:

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