In this interview, the insufferable Margaret Brennan attempts to match intellect with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ms. Brennan fails miserably.  The outcome is an epic broadcast of media bias, dramatic acting by Brennan and a very visible smackdown from a highly competent Rubio.

Margaret Brennan attempts to tell Marco Rubio what intelligence assessments are and how they are used.  Now keep in mind as a U.S. Senator Marco Rubio was the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a member of the Gang of Eight conducting intelligence oversight for years.  Brennan thought she could match wits with Rubio, she failed miserably; embarrassingly so.  WATCH:

[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary of State and acting White House National Security Adviser Marco Rubio now joins us. Mr. Secretary, I know it has been an intense few hours, but so far, it does not appear that Iran has yet retaliated against the United States. What intelligence do you have at this point about their capabilities to respond, the intent of their proxies? Is there any kind of command and control structure left to activate them?

SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO: Yeah, well, we’ll see what Iran decides to do. I think they should choose the route of peace. We have been- we’ve done everything. We have bent over backwards, okay, to create a deal with these people. Steve- Steve Witkoff has traveled the world extensively, met with them- well not even met with them, met through the Omanis with them, and discussed back and forth. We even put an offer to them that they wanted elements of it in writing, and we offered it to them- very generous offer by the way. We’ve done- and we’re prepared right now.

If they call right now and say, we want to meet, let’s talk about this. We’re prepared to do that. The President’s made that clear from the very beginning. His preference is to deal with is to deal with this issue diplomatically, but he also told them we had 60 days to make progress or something else was going to happen. And I think they thought they were dealing with a different kind of leader, like the kinds of leaders they’ve been playing games with for the last 30 or 40 years. And they found out that’s not the case.

So this mission was a very precise mission. It had three objectives, three nuclear sites. It was not attack on Iran. It was not an attack on the Iranian people. This wasn’t a regime change move. This was designed to degrade and, or destroy three nuclear sites related to their nuclear weaponization ambitions, and that was delivered on yesterday. What happens next will now depend on what Iran chooses to do next. If they choose the path of diplomacy, we’re ready. We can do a deal that’s good for them, the Iranian people and good for the world. If they choose another route, then there will be consequences for that.

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There are many critical interviews today that will be highlighted.  We are at an important geopolitical inflection point with multiple consequences amid each chosen path.

The bombing of Iran has united the neocon pro-war groups within the Senate and legislative branch (pro-Ukraine, Pro-Israel) which may assist President Trump’s primary objective to get the Big Beautiful Bill over the finish line. That can be a big short-term strategic benefit, if the operational strikes on Iran do not escalate into a regional conflict.

That said, Secretary of State/National Security Advisor Marco Rubio is the principal person to watch as President Trump’s geopolitical agenda is carried out.  Here he is talking to CFR Maria Bartiromo in his first comments after the strike took place.  “No regime change” but the era of “playing games” is over. WATCH:

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Following what President Trump is calling a successful bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites, President Trump will address the nation tonight at 10:00pm ET.  Livestream Links Below:

According to media reports, six 30,000 lb. massive ordinance penetrators (MOPs) were dropped by B-2 stealth bombers on the Fordow facility, and 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles targeting Iran’s Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities, fired by submarines.

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President Trump holds an impromptu press conference from the airport in Morristown, New Jersey.  After making a few announcements about peace between Congo and Rwanda, President Trump took questions from the assembled press pool.

As we have mentioned before, there is a transparent effort by the mainstream media and their aligned allies in the intelligence bureaucracy to get DNI Tulsi Gabbard removed.  President Trump is again questioned about Gabbard’s statements from March where she repeated an Intelligence Community assessment that Iran was not currently building a nuclear weapon.  President Trump accepts the misleading question and responds by saying, “she’s wrong.”

President Trump’s admonishment of the manufactured statement is then amplified by the Israel-First group, which includes Laura Loomer and Mark Levin, both ‘influencers’ hoping to see Tulsi Gabbard removed, and replaced with a more pro-Israel, pro-war intelligence head.  Watching this unfold is quite remarkable.

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During an oval office event to celebrate the Juventus team, President Trump took questions from the assembled press pool.  The questions begin at 01:44 of the video below – prompted.

President Trump notes a situation room meeting was scheduled for updates in approximately 1 hour.  The president also notes the Iranian delegation wants to meet to discuss the ongoing conflict; President Trump is not in a hurry to hear the requests at the current time.

President Trump is asked about what changed his perspective and leaned toward a willingness to engage with U.S. support for the physical removal of the Iranian nuclear capabilities.  Trump notes Israel is proceeding “well” on a planned course of action to eliminate the threat Iran represented. WATCH: 

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President Trump participated in a flagpole raising celebration earlier today at the White House.  During the installation, President Trump delivered remarks to the media and took questions from the assembled press pool.  WATCH: 

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I post the direct statements from President Trump on the calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin because if you read the background, both before and after the Israel strike operation, you can clearly see the strategy. [Check Dates]

President Trump is doing what modern U.S officials never did, showing respect to the aligned nuclear powers and positioning any action for the least amount of geopolitical collateral damage.  President Trump knows one of the key geopolitical influences upon Iran is the Russian Federation.

You do not have to be pro or anti-Trump to understand how executive level respect and diplomacy works. This is why the leadership of the Russian Federation respect Trump (firm but thoughtful), even if they are in opposition to his positions.

Remember the statements yesterday in Canada, at the G7, specifically about the Russian sanctions.  These statements above should be read with the context of before and after the strikes in Iran began; then overlay the statements yesterday about the sanctions.  There is a very clear message conveyed.

President Trump does not want a targeted problem to escalate into a regional geopolitical conflict.  So, he takes proactive and ongoing steps to ensure containment.  This is the part that French President Macron (doofus) cannot intellectually conceptualize; hence, President Trump’s curt remarks.

Even before the Israeli operation against Iran began, President Trump draws safe proactive perimeters that all traditional agents of governmental influence can understand.

Like you, I completely do not want expanded conflict that could potentially draw the U.S. into something far more dangerous.  However, I also don’t see that as a likely outcome.  President Trump is in the support position to eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons from Iran; let him work without our dark imaginings injecting something that does not exist.

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After departing the G7 in Canada, President Trump held a press availability aboard Airforce One at approximately 1:00am.  President Trump and Secretary Rubio were returning to the White House early to address issues of concern in the Iran-Israel conflict.   WATCH (prompted):

The president’s entire national security apparatus are assembled in the White House today (Tuesday) as the principals review events from the situation room.

Jennifer Jacobs (Bloomberg) provides a solid recap of the AF1 presser. “Trump wants “a real end” to the nuclear problem with Iran and this morning will find him in the White House Situation Room, monitoring developments in Middle East, he told us during his midnight departure from Canada.

“I didn’t say I was looking for a ceasefire,” he said on AF1. He said he wants “a real end,” with Iran “giving up entirely” on nukes.

The Israelis aren’t slowing up their barrage on Iran, he predicted. “You’re going to find out over the next two days. You’re going to find out. Nobody’s slowed up so far.”

Asked his thinking on calling for Tehran to evacuate, he told me he wants “people to be safe.”

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President Trump and Secretary of State/Nat Sec Advisor Marco Rubio left the G7 in Canada late last night following dinner with the G7 leaders.  When asked by reporters about his early departure President Trump said, “for obvious reasons.”

President Trump is quickly assembling his national security, defense and intelligence apparatus to work throughout the day Tuesday from the situation room of the White House where real-time video feeds and interfaces with regional players are immediate.   President Trump announces his departure during the G7 group photo session.

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President Trump left behind Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to represent our U.S. interests as the G7 completes without him.

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Sometimes a media report from “sources familiar with the matter” does actually track with the way President Trump’s doctrine is seen.  This is one of those times.

According to Axios, White House officials have directly relayed to mid-east friends that President Trump has no intention of using U.S. military resources to target Iran, unless the Iranian regime does something stupid like target Americans.

It is easy to imagine this type of relay was made by President Trump to Saudi Arabia (MbS), Qatar (Muslim Brotherhood) and/or Jordan (King Abdullah II), with the full intention of the message reaching Iranian govt officials.

[AXIOS] The big picture: The U.S. has helped Israel intercept missiles, but made clear Israel is acting alone in attacking Iran. The U.S. message is that if Iran attacks Americans in response, it will be crossing a red line.

The intrigue: The U.S. sent a similar message to the same countries about an hour between Israel launched the war last Thursday, telling them the U.S. would not participate.

In both cases, the U.S. seemed to expect the countries to pass that message to Iran to discourage any retaliation against U.S. forces or interests in the region.

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