President Trump emphasizes the importance of the western hemisphere and Latin America by participating in a second meeting of the “Shield of Americas” team.  The objective of the assembly is to secure the western hemisphere, coordinate economic, political, and security efforts among participating countries to strengthen judicial practices, improve investment opportunities, and build hemispheric partnerships. The shield emphasizes intelligence sharing and coordinated operations to locate and dismantle drug cartel networks and associated criminal infrastructure.

Structure and Operations: The Shield of the Americas functions as a head-of-state level organization, working closely with the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C), which is led by USSOUTHCOM and focuses on military and security operations against cartels. The coalition’s operational arm, the Americas Counter Cartel Conference, brings together defense and security ministers from member states to coordinate strategies against drug trafficking, organized crime, and threats to critical infrastructure. Participating countries gain access to U.S. military equipment, training, intelligence, and surveillance capabilities, including support from the U.S. Space Force’s Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking system.

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There is a general rule that applies to geopolitical contexts surrounding 96 hours or four days.  The timing is the difference between an event happening Day one, the analysis of the event by nation states communicated to leadership, and the policy shift outcome in Day four.  The rule of 96 is consistent and it is worth understanding.

Four days ago, the EU oil disruption from Saudi Arabia’s East/West pipeline event was noticed. In the four days between event day and policy day (#4) the EU have been beating the drumbeat for war against Russia.  However, you will notice the shift in tone and policy now that we have reached day four.  Analysis has reached policy makers. You might say reality sets in.

Europe now recognizes a vulnerability that was not in their policy briefs 96 hours earlier.  Things change {SOURCE}, and the quiet stuff starts to become visible. Russia has been sending France oil/gas energy products, quietly. Macron needed the internal stabilization because he’s been up against a wall.  On top of all his other issues, Macron could not afford an energy crisis.

Simultaneously, despite what we have been told by Western media, the 5,000 strike drones into the Moscow region should again be taken in context.  Russia is an analog system in a digital world. Russia is exceptionally resilient and can repair and recover much faster than western analysts ever fathom.  Again, apply the ‘rule of 96.’

Russia is now overproducing diesel fuel. Wait, what(?) you might ask.  It’s true.  Russian strategic diesel fuel reserves are now full and overproducing 15% beyond storage capacity. {SOURCE} So, where is the excess capacity going?  To the “stans” in Central Asia, from there it ships to forward destinations. Turkey is a dependent beneficiary. Do you remember the strategic agreement between the USA and Kazakhstan? {Source}

Russia increased diesel supplies to Mongolia by 73.4% in August from July to 215,000 metric tons, while shipments to Kyrgyzstan surged 16.4 times to 72,000 tons and deliveries to Tajikistan rose 3.5 times to 56,000 tons. Russia also exported 28,000 tons of diesel to Kazakhstan after making no deliveries there in July. {source}

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Promethean Action PAC’s Susan Kokinda makes some good points in this video about President Trump’s decision to ban some media outlets from White House special access, and the price of diesel fuel.

No modern president has made himself more available, more open, more visible in every format than U.S President Donald Trump.  He literally takes the entire U.S. audience into every cabinet meeting, every Airforce One journey and every event with unscripted, impromptu remarks and open availability.  This is one of the reasons the media hate him so much.

President Trump makes the media irrelevant.  What do you need them for, when everything he does is right there for you to review entirely on your own.  It’s as if President Trump wears a livestreaming body camera.  However, this level of transparency and openness means the media guardians cannot easily fabricate or script events. With fewer opportunities to make up stuff, they get bolder with the outrageous examples of the things they do fabricate.

Second solid point surrounds diesel fuel.  For the past 30-years the same media that is now claiming a dire situation as a result of diesel fuel prices, are the same media who said diesel fuel was destroying the planet.  If their Paris Climate Policy advocacy was genuine, they would be celebrating a diesel shortage.  However, the Green New Deal has destroyed expanded diesel production, so now we are at a point where there is no excess production or capacity.

This Monday Brief argues that Trump’s removal of certain media outlets from the White House is not censorship but a strike against a propaganda apparatus designed to make the public accept falsehoods as truth. Citing Bertrand Russell’s books, The Impact of Science on Society (1953) and The Scientific Outlook (1931), the episode claims modern “scientific dictatorship” methods use mass psychology to generate convictions while hiding how they’re formed, enabling control without force.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joins CNBC ‘Squawk Box’ this morning to discuss his 12-hour meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.  Within the interview Bessent details the ‘U.S.-China AI Dialogue’, the calls for a slowdown in AI development and whether regulation is needed.

Secretary Bessent notes President Trump is not going to deliver liability immunity to AI frontier labs and existing legal frameworks within the U.S. will remain as protective pathways as development moves from AI labs into engineering outcomes.

This is the core of the issue. The investors that poured money into the AI labs, now support immunity from legal liability that doesn’t exist in any other sector other than Big Pharma. AI wants the same protection as Big Pharma, and President Trump is not going to allow the shift in responsibility from AI developers to government. WATCH:

Also below is the full debriefing from Secretary Bessent and USTR Jamieson Greer that followed the Sunday meeting between the U.S. and Chinese counterparts.

As CTH has noted, the pace of these critical economic developments is going to speed up over the next several days and weeks.  It becomes increasingly important to stay tuned-in to the granular issues as they unfold in order to fully appreciate the landscape that surrounds us.   It can be challenging to absorb information as the pace increases, yet it is critical to remain aware so that each building block in the nationalist policy making remains in context.

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I suspect we will see similar realignment continues as the globalists like Canada and the EU try to oppose President Trump and U.S. best interests.

Belarus stands in ideological opposition to the globalists in Europe and President Alexander Lukashenko is an ally of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin.  This announcement is a smack back against the leverage Canada claims to carry.  Again, creating more distance between the USA and the Snow Mexicans.

[SOURCE]

Watch the interview with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to understand exactly where this is going.  The United States is systematically decoupling from Canada.  When we cut the economic lifeline represented by the USMCA, Canada will be adrift.

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Perhaps due to timing, or maybe content combined with the pragmatic answers dropping all pretense; or maybe, it’s just the two interviewers representing the globalist opposition and Greer facing them both down with easy dispatch. I’m not sure why, but this is one of the best discussions/interviews with USTR Jamieson Greer ever.

Soup to nuts Greer explains the policy, issues, friction points and pragmatic approaches that apply to economic adversaries like China.  Greer just cuts to the chase, you cannot truly negotiate with China because nothing about them is going to change, ever.  So, you manage your relationship with them, limit your exposure and limit as much risk as possible. Greer is exactly correct and makes no excuses. Pure economic pragmatism.

The same outlook applies to Canada.  Again, Greer isn’t playing the pretending game, and the panelist inquisitors are left jaw-agape while trying to frame a headline capture.  Listen to the conflict issues as outlined by Greer.  Canada is “doubling down on globalism”, the USA is not. That means we can never reach agreement, period – full stop, end of it!

Greer comes back to this point several times, including at the end when he outlines all the reasons why President Trump will terminate the USMCA trade pact.   This is a must watch interview:    

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This interview is like kryptonite to Canadians who are so caught up in their pontificating arrogance (Bloomberg) that they just cannot fathom the weakness of their position.  Canadian’s have bought the lies and nonsense from Carney, and it is very challenging to remain respectful of the Canadian position.

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There has to be a purpose to this messaging, though I’m not exactly sure what it is.

President Trump again draws attention to the Ukraine-Russia war creating havoc on the global diesel market.  Trump notes that Russia has lost control of its diesel industry:

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The strange thing about this message is that Russia has taken measures exactly the opposite of this framework.

Back in July, when NATO began increased targeting of Russian refinery infrastructure, Russian President Vladimir Putin proactively signed a government order banning the export of Russian diesel fuel.  There have been no exports of Russian diesel since, with exceptions to the shipping industry and some humanitarian farm shipments.

Russia is the world’s second largest producer of diesel fuel and as soon as Putin made this announcement global prices of diesel began to rise. Russia then extended the bans, and the current export ban will run from Aug. 1 until Jan. 31, 2027.

Within the export controls there’s no doubt Russia is sending some diesel fuel to allied nations who are not part of the NATO attack alliance.  In essence, Putin is controlling who gets the Russian output and the “ban” on exports simply puts the Russian government in control of it.  This is what they call “intergovernmental agreements” which are not part of the ban itself.

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We can expect the pace of things to become increasingly fast in the next few weeks.

To our north, a small percentage of Canadians are just beginning to realize what the term “Associate Member” really means when it comes to a Canada joining with the European Union on strategic objectives.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has been selling a sovereignty argument to his constituents within his political package of antagonisms toward the U.S. trade team and President Trump. However, Europe has far greater restrictions and regulations on trade autonomy than the USA.  If Canada is to be partnered to the EU, then suddenly Canada has to adhere to a higher level of trade restrictions.  The EU makes the rules.

With Europe dictating trade standards, rules of production, manufacturing, access etc. Canada is no longer in alignment with the USMCA.  This plays right into the hands of President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who would prefer two distinctly different bilateral trade agreements; one with Mexico and one with Canada.

The question then becomes, when do Trump and Greer announce the termination of the USMCA.  The most reasonable answer is after the U.S. and Mexico finalize a bilateral trade agreement.  With the U.S. and Mexico agreement confirmed, the Canadian leverage evaporates.

Carney had previously tried to pressure Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum not to reach bilateral terms.  However, again return to what Carney just did with Europe.  Telling Mexico to sit on their hands while organizing a separate side deal with Europe is more than a little hypocritical; in fact, it is really, really insulting.

This opens the door for Trump and Greer to exploit Carney’s self-centered political duplicity, and when you understand that dynamic you have context for why there’s suddenly a warmer embrace of such an agreement by Sheinbaum.  Any hope that Carney had to rely on Mexican favor toward them, was just eliminated by the gleeful backslapping in Strasbourg France witnessed by everyone.

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Promethean Action’s Barbara Boyd recaps some of last week’s geopolitical events and activities of both President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  Good video for those catching up.

President Trump reacts to Mark Carney’s push to align Canada with the EU, calling it “laughable” and warning that if it’s hostile the U.S. could impose heavy tariffs or even halt trade with Europe. The episode argues the administration is securing the southern border through Marco Rubio’s Latin America trip and “Operation Shield of the Americas,” linking Peru’s participation and Keiko Fujimori’s election to an intensified campaign against cartels, drug production and trafficking, and Chinese influence.

Boyd’s recap frames Carney as a longtime opponent of U.S. interests, citing his Bank of England role, “green” credit agenda, and support for Ukraine, and claims Canada-EU plans target Arctic control and the U.S. northern defense line. It ends with Trump announcing a permanent U.S. presence in Greenland and warning Canada to curb fentanyl labs and criminal networks. WATCH:

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Ahead of Chariman Xi’s visit to Washington DC for a state visit on September 24th and 25th, Reuters is reporting that China has asked Iran to halt all strikes on Saudi Arabia oil fields.

The request from China carries a self-interest as China’s oil dependencies have become problematic since the Strait of Hormuz became a point of economic friction between Iran and U.S. military forces. The Saudi East/West pipeline was also hit by Iranian backed Houthi rebels from Yemen, creating even more energy turmoil.

Additionally, Beijing is the most exposed to the recent congressional sanctions applied toward countries that retain trade relations with Russia.

Both President Trump and Chairman Xi have a vested interest in seeing an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. However, with EU-NATO still provoking expanded conflict the dynamic has become one of middle-powers (Canada, U.K, EU) against significant energy powers China, USA and Saudi Arabia.

Another way to look at it is the coalition of Green Energy nations -vs- Low Cost energy nations.

The U.K, Canada and Europe have been supporting attacks against gasoline and diesel fuel refineries in Russia. This approach appears to contain a political motivation to drive up gas/diesel prices in the USA as part of an anti-Trump election strategy. The state visit by Chairman Xi comes at a critical time in the global energy dynamic.

HOUSTON, Sept 18 (Reuters) – Oil prices fell on Friday after China, acting on a request from Saudi Arabia, asked Iran to limit attacks by Houthi rebels on Saudi oil infrastructure that have threatened a second oil export route in the Middle East.

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