This afternoon, federal and state officials from Florida unsealed an indictment against Raul Castro which was returned in federal court in Miami on April 23, and charges him with one count of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder, and two counts of ‌destruction of aircraft. Five other people are also named as defendants in the case.

U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche made the announcement in Florida to a packed audience of Cuban-Americans. Reuters: “The charges stemmed from a 1996 incident in which Cuban jets shot down planes operated by a group of Cuban exiles, U.S. acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at an event in downtown Miami on Wednesday to honor victims of the incident. “My message today is clear: The United States and President Trump does not and will not forget its citizens,” Blanche said to applause in a packed auditorium of government officials and Cuban Americans in Miami.”

For those not familiar with the sensitivity of the issues in the South Florida area, it is difficult to imagine the impact of this announcement.  There are hundreds of thousands of first- and second-generation Cubans who fled the brutality of the communist regime when Fidel Castro took power.  This is a very close and personal issue for the Cuban people within Miami-Dade.

Everyone in/around Miami knows an immediate family member or close family friend who was victimized by the Castro regime. As noted by The Hill:

[…] In indicting Castro, the U.S. is laying a similar groundwork that led to the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was also indicted in a U.S. court before armed forces seized him from his compound.

It’s unclear what action may await Castro and Cuba, but CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with officials on the island last week to convey that the window for negotiations will not be open indefinitely. (source)

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers a message to the Cuban People on their Independence Day.  The remarks from Secretary Rubio are broadcast simultaneously with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announcing in Miami, Florida, an ¹indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro.

Secretary Rubio outlined how the hardships of the Cuban people are driven by the corrupt actions of their government and went into detail about the systems of control currently in place to keep the Cuban people under extreme control systems of communism.

…”In the U.S. we are ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our people and our countries. And currently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future, are those who control your country.”   ~ Secretary Marco Rubio

¹Four American men were killed in 1996 when their private airplanes were shot down by the Cuban military over international waters.  The military was led by Raul Castro at the time who gave the order.  Raul Castro, now 94, stepped down as president in 2018, but is considered by the U.S. to still be the effective leader of the country.

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President Trump paused to answer media questions before boarding Airforce One as he departs Joint Base Andrews.  President Trump was asked about last night’s election results where all of the Trump supported nominees won victories and many other current events.

President Trump was also asked about his endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas senate race, to wit Trump noted Ken Paxton will win the primary and easily defeat the Democrat in the race.

President Trump also warned Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich’s that her fiancé, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), was at risk for attention from Trump after voting against Trump policy in Congress. Trump warned Ms. Heinrich that typically “doesn’t work out well” for conservative lawmakers.

Fitzpatrick voted against Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” last year, making him one of only two GOP lawmakers to do so, along with Rep.Thomas Massie (R-KY). That’s who Trump seemed to be referencing on Wednesday morning when he said it doesn’t go “well” for Republicans who oppose him.

Toward the end of the presser, President Trump was asked about James Comey recent comments that corrupt embeds remain inside the DOJ and FBI.  Trump noted Todd Blanche is doing a great job, and all of the resistance operators are being identified and removed.  WATCH:

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UPDATE: Massie Loses His Seat – Ed Gallrein Wins Primary!

In one of the most watched primary races of the season, Kentucky House race for congressional district 04 is a challenge of President Trump endorsed Ed Gallrein versus the incumbent Trump antagonist Thomas Massie.

Most of the pontificating high-horse alligator emojis from the DeSantis tribe are supporting Thomas Massie along with significant elements of the GOPe and Bush clan who just want President Trump to get a loss.  The anti-Trump republicans have all coalesced behind Massie.  Meanwhile, the MAGA group of pro-Trump supporters are aligned to support Massie’s challenger, the Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein.

Representative Thomas Massie is facing the most difficult re-election battle of his career. Massie has been the most outspoken Republican antagonist of President Trump, who has strongly backed his challenger, Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL.  The race has turned into the most expensive congressional primary race on record, with several groups furious over Mr. Massie’s general disposition to be in opposition to anything until Trump is removed.

New York Times Election Results Here

Associated Press Election Results Here

Polls closed at 6 p.m. local time. / UPDATE: 7:45pm ET

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It is always a good idea to make note of things, put them into referenceable context, and then later tell the full story from background details that will surprise everyone else.

Two significant events have taken place within the last few days against the backdrop of Sinaloa government officials beginning to turn themselves in to U.S. federal authorities.

The first event is the Mexican government freezing the bank accounts and financial assets of those who have been named in the U.S. federal indictment.  Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says the seizures are out of her control, merely a process that takes place, yet the motives for her defensive protestations are more than a little transparent.

MEXICO – On May 18, President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit froze the accounts of Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, his children, and senior aides. The action followed U.S. federal charges alleging they aided the Sinaloa Cartel through drug trafficking, weapons possession, and accepting multimillion-dollar bribes. Sheinbaum stressed the freeze was a technical, preventive step triggered by U.S. arrest warrants, not a domestic criminal finding.

The freezes come amid heightened U.S.-Mexico tensions over cartel corruption claims that have already strained security cooperation and political trust. Washington has broadened its anti-cartel strategy to target politicians accused of enabling organized crime, while Mexico remains sensitive to perceived foreign interference. Analysts warn the case could further erode institutional trust and complicate cross-border collaboration on security, trade, and migration.  (more)

The second event happened very quietly.

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From the outset of Trump term-2, I have been saying the missing element, the fundamental flaw, was the administration not going full wolverine in opposition to the leftists in congress.  When dealing with a comprehensively corrupt branch of government, a fearless cabinet nominee who confronts the corruption and fails is worth buckets more than a weak cabinet member who acquiesces and succeeds.

We need more direct oppositional confrontation, done from a place of righteous -AND AUTHENTIC- indignation.  That said, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche carries a stronger disposition toward that confrontation than his predecessor.

In this exchange Senator Chris Van Hollen, a man of notoriously corrupt disposition, and AAG Blanche battle over the establishment of a $1.776 billion victim’s compensation fund created to compensate people who have been targeted by a weaponized government.

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The full Senate appropriations hearing is below.  Todd Blanche did a great job confronting the lies, smears and Alinsky tactics of the institutional leftists.

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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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U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer appears on CBS Face the Nation to discuss current U.S-China trade relations on the heels of the recent Beijing summit.  Brennan in her customary passive-aggressive mode as a professional narrative engineer.  Video and Transcript Below:

[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: We begin this morning with a top member of the president’s economic team, United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Good morning to you, Ambassador.

JAMIESON GREER: Good morning. Good to be here.

MARGARET BRENNAN: It isn’t just a matter of sentiment. Gas is at an average of $4.51 a gallon. Americans have spent $45 billion more on fuel since the war began versus a year ago. The stock market is up, but lower-income Americans are pulling back on their spending. The New York Fed reports households earning less than $125,000 a year are fueling up their cars less often. How do you provide relief to the average American?

JAMIESON GREER: Well, we know that no one wants to see higher gas prices. At the same time, the president is balancing foreign policy considerations. We know that, in addition to wanting to have low gas prices, we don’t want our children or grandchildren to inherit a world where Iran has a nuclear weapon, so the president is focused on affordability in as many ways that he can- that he can. He’s bringing jobs back to America. We’re focused on getting wages up to offset any kind of increase in prices, and we’re seeing prices go down for staples like dairy, cheese, flour, etc. So we’re very focused on this. The president’s focused on it, and we look forward to seeing those prices come down soon as the operations wrap up in the Gulf.

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Mercedes is willing to begin military and weapons production. Historically speaking, this did not work out so well for Europe the last time; however, as with all things German, the expanded backstory is a little more complicated.

Due to a combination of terrible political decisions related to the German and EU energy sector, the German industrial economy is contracting rapidly. Germany is the heart of the EU economic engine.

At the same time as the German economy is contracting, the economic footprint of China in the EU is growing. The core issue centers around a declining auto sector but extends to all ancillary manufacturing outputs.

By following the WEF’s “Build Back Better” program, Europe as a whole has ended up making itself energy-dependent and vulnerable. The Gulf oil and gas crisis, the looming 25% Trump tariffs on EU cars, and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from German NATO bases only add to their growing economic troubles.

Around the same time as this economic convergence, Germany began ramping up its commitments, support, and spending for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. Subsidy outflows rose just as GDP was falling, a clear example of an economic spiral that can easily spin out of control.

German Chancellor Freidrich Merz is trying to deal with the consequences of exceptionally short-sighted and damaging policy, but reversing the trend would require Germany to focus all policy operations inwardly away from Brussels and the demands of the collective European Union. This is now the core issue in German politics driving bold dividing lines between political power structures.

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