Keep in mind the background issue of Germany supplying Ukraine with weapons and material to keep fighting Russia, while the Merz administration triggers policy to force increased German military troop levels.

Facing crushingly high increases in energy costs, last Monday in Marsberg, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the U.S. approach to Iran, saying Washington was being “humiliated by the Iranian leadership” and demanding the conflict end “as quickly as possible.”

Germany is facing a perfect storm of economic consequences following their decision to chase the climate change agenda (Build Back Better) and eliminate their coal and nuclear power plants.  Combine the German/EU policy to stop purchasing cheap LNG and oil from Russia, in addition to skyrocketing energy costs from oil/gas flows from the Middle East, and the outcome is rising manufacturing costs leading to massive layoffs.

The German industrial economy is the heart of the EU economy, and President Trump is now hitting them both right where it hurts.

Today two announcements hit an already vulnerable Germany directly.  The first is: “The Secretary of War has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Fox News Digital. “This decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.” {source}

The second announcement is even more brutal for Chancellor Merz:

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Chopper pressers are the best pressers.  President Trump pauses to answer questions from the assembled press pool as he departs the White House for an event at The Villages in Florida.

The majority of the questions centered around Iran and ongoing negotiations.  President Trump stated he is not happy with the latest proposals from the representatives of the Iranian delegation as they do not reflect control within the government. “It is a very disjointed leadership structure,” President Trump noted. “They are confused and combative with each other.” The USA economic embargo against Iran known as “Operation Financial Fury” continues with Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent grinding the Iranian economy to a halt.

President Trump also noted the European Union has not fulfilled their obligations within the U.S-EU trade agreement, and as a result President Trump is raising the tariff rate on European vehicles to 25 percent.  WATCH:

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Several key economic reports were released today highlighting a broad and strong U.S. economy with a very strong labor market.

♦ The first quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) [DATA HERE] The first estimate is for growth at 2.0 percent.  At first glance that is lower than we expected; however, a deeper look shows a large increase in imported goods that are deductions to the equation.  The imported goods increased 25.8% more than the fourth quarter of 2025 [Table 1.1], that led to a net -1.30 percent deduction [Table 1.5].

The jump in imports is a result of massive capital expenditures on tools and equipment for the ongoing manufacturing boom.  All the manufacturing machines and industrial tools that are not made in the USA become imported goods deducted from our economic valuation.

Exports were very strong rising 12.9 percent over the prior quarter.  However, the 25.8% increase in imports created a net deduction from GDP (-1.30%).  The last time we imported this much was just before the tariffs went into place and companies were rushing advanced orders, in the first quarter of 2025; this created a rebound effect in the second quarter.

I estimate the second quarter rebound will be even greater this year because we are exporting massive amounts of oil and LNG right now.  Simultaneously, the capital expenditure imports will likely soften.

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlines Operation Economic Fury and the financial pressure campaign against the Iranian regime with Larry Kudlow.

KEY POINTS:

0:00 Introduction: Operation Economic Fury
0:39 Max Pressure: The Strategy to Freeze Iran’s Economy
2:04 Tracking the Money: Seizing IRGC Assets and Crypto
3:14 The Oil Blockade: Kharg Island at a Standstill
4:10 US Economic Resilience: Why Critics Are Wrong
6:04 IRS Modernization and Signature Tax Policies
7:33 Global Reshoring and the Manufacturing Boom
8:10 Geopolitical Chess: The UAE’s Break from OPEC
10:27 Federal Reserve Friction: Jay Powell vs. Kevin Warsh

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President Donald Trump gives an impromptu press conference at Palm Beach airport.  President Trump noted the planned travel by the U.S. team for negotiations with Iran has been cancelled.  WATCH:

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Two years after the Russia-Ukraine war began, people kept wondering why I continued to ask why no western media were boots on the ground in Ukraine delivering news of the conflict.  I called it “world war reddit” for a reason.  That question loomed even bigger given the relentless on-the-ground reporting over the U.S-Iran conflict.

Why were/are international journalists almost immediately embedded in Iran to cover the details of the conflict, yet that same approach never took place in Ukraine.

For Ukraine there was no daily reports on the fighting; no frontline reports with journalists in helmets and flak jackets; no live interviews or reports of the back-and-forth battles between Russia and Ukraine; no ‘coming to you live from Kiev‘ tonight, nothing.  However, as soon as military conflict breaks out in Iran – all the familiar war/conflict reporting surfaced again.

But I see the Ukraine war reported on Telegram, some say.  True, but really?

What you “see” is through a social media prism that is structurally controlled by Western intelligence operations.  World War Reddit!

For additional context, when the U.S. went to war in Iraq/Afghanistan, how did it impact your daily life?  That’s analogous the same impact within Russia that I experienced in 2024 (3 months) and 2025 (1 month).  All recognizable impact is sanctions related.

One of the reasons I traveled from Western Russia to Poland -specifically driving across Ukraine- was to see for myself. I shared that story before.

The reality of the Ukraine conflict, World War Reddit, is entirely against the interests of those who are constructing the false impression of it.

In reality the Eastern Donbas region is very pro-Russian and when the Russian Federation took over towns and geography, driving back the Ukraine military, Russian troops were factually greeted as liberators.  Now, there is a slow-grinding stalemate, and the losses on the Ukraine side are well beyond what has been reported by government officials.

I provide this context of reality -vs- media presentation because Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi is strongly calling attention to the bias and willful blindness of European media. WATCH:

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, hold a press briefing at the Pentagon to update on the current status of “Operation Epic Fury.”  Today is day 55 of the conflict.

Secretary Hegseth outlined how the U.S. blockade of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz is ongoing.  The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are trying to use small boats to lay underwater mines while the U.S. military continues taking them apart. WATCH (prompted):

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Anyone can tell those nations who are at greatest risk from the current oil/gas shortage are those nations who either: (a) do not have the infrastructure or capability to derive their own oil/gas, or (b) those nations who intentionally chased the “net-zero” climate change nonsense and thereby created the same problem as group (a).

The middle east oil/gas disruption is clearly showing which nations intentionally put themselves into the worst possible position.  The U.K and Europe are at the top of that list.  In this 20-minute recap, Mike Steger expands on his former outline about a new global reset and points out how the crisis in Iran is only a symptom of a more structural geopolitical shift that is underway and irreversible.

Steger’s analysis explores how the United States is mobilizing its industrial base, securing global energy flows, and positioning itself for a new century of economic and strategic dominance. From emergency energy directives and nuclear expansion… to the rebuilding of the American grid and supply chains… to the unraveling of Europe’s political order — this is a turning point moment. The question is not whether the world is changing, but rather who will shape what comes next. WATCH (prompted):

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 A new American century begins
2:30 The global energy crisis explained
5:15 Trump’s industrial strategy
8:20 Ending the climate agenda
10:50 Defense Production Act mobilization
13:50 Rebuilding America’s energy system
16:25 The global order shifts
19:10 Final message

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During a healthcare event in the Oval Office (full video below fold), President Trump took questions from the assembled press pool on current events of interest.  The Q&A session lasted just short of 20 minutes.

The primary questioning focused on the ongoing Iran conflict.  WATCH:

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Full event video below:

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt held an impromptu press availability today at the White House.  The primary focus of the questioning relates to the status in Iran.

Mrs Leavitt notes there is an internal political fracture within Iran between hardline religious extremists and moderate religious extremists, and President Trump is giving those two factions space to come to a unified negotiation approach.  WATCH:

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